Murder at Hartigan House: A Ginger Gold Mystery, #2

Ginger Gold Mystery #2

by Lee Strauss, Elizabeth Klett (Narrator)

Listening Length: 5 hours, 38 minutes

There’s a skeleton in the attic! Quite literally.

After a weeklong passage over the Atlantic from Boston to Liverpool, Ginger Gold arrives at her childhood London home—Hartigan House—to find decade-old remains from some poor woman hanging from a noose. Ginger’s Boston terrier, Boss, noses out a missing phalange from under the cot.

It’s a mystery that once again puts Ginger alongside the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed. Who is the victim? And how did she end up in Ginger’s home?

Clues lead Ginger and her good friend Haley Higgins to a soirée hosted in 1913 by Ginger’s late father, George Hartigan. A shadow of suspicion is cast on her father’s legacy, and Ginger isn’t so sure she wants to know the truth about the man she dearly loved.

Ginger decides to host another soirée, inviting the guest list from ten years previous. Before the night is over, another person is dead.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Mystery

Audiobook

First published June 6, 2017

About the author

For fans of Golden Age who-dun-its ~ from a USA TODAY Bestselling author!

You'll adore Lady Gold from the acclaimed Ginger Gold Mysteries series, and the spin of series, Higgins & Hawke.

Look for the connected 1950s era Rosa Reed Mysteries.

NEW ~ The Velvet Spy ~ The Wartime Journal of Ginger Gold

For more info visit: leestraussbooks.com

Reviews

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice series with Ginger and her friends, but weak mysteries.

[Keri Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Ginger has returned to London and her childhood home Hartigan House. She is here after her father’s death a year ago, and intends to decide whether to stay in London or return to Boston, where she has lived for years. Soon after her arrival, the remains of a woman are found in the attic. As the house has been closed up for ten years, she is difficult to identify.

Ginger is joined by her friend, who is starting her studies at the women’s medical school. Also, her young sister-in law and her grandmother arrive for a visit (Ginger has been widowed). And the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed is on hand to investigate the death. Ginger and Basil continue a mild flirtation, from their time onboard the ship to England.
Suspicion falls on several people, especially after another death occurs.

This is another cozy mystery series that I’m enjoying. Light hearted and easy to listen to (or read). Oh, and what’s a cozy mystery without a fun pet, in this one we have her Boston terrier Boss.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Ginger Gold has returned to her childhood home, Hartigan House, to take care of her late father's affairs. The manor house has been reopened after being shut for ten years. Ginger and her friend, Hailey Higgins, are startled to find a body in one of the rooms. The body turns out to be that of a woman who attended a party at Hartigan House shortly before Ginger's father left for America. Ginger and Hailey realize that the woman was killed at the party and start digging to discover who attended it. With the help of Chief Inspector Basil Reed, Ginger sets out to clear her father's name by inviting the same guests to another party at Hartigan House.

This is the second book in the Ginger Gold Mystery series and I thought it was better than the first. It's a light-weight cozy mystery that moves along quickly. Even though it was easy to guess who the killer was, I found the story engaging. I listened to the audiobook. Elizabeth Klett's narration was very good. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was MUCH better than the first one. I really enjoyed this a lot and BOY HOWDY was I surprised at the end. WHOO. I never saw that coming.
I AM sad that I can only read the next two books though - after that, there are no more audiobooks for this series. I am totally bummed, but I will enjoy the next two and be happy that I got 4 of these to read.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of Ginger Gold's first adventure aboard the S. S. Rosa she receives a telegram from her British butler:

GHASTLY DISCOVERY IN ATTIC OF HARTIGAN HOUSE STOP AWAIT YOUR ARRIVAL FOR ADVICE STOP PIPPINS

Ginger was on her way to Hartigan House to wrap up her recently deceased father's affairs before heading back to Boston. She'd already been involved in a mystery aboard ship during her journey and didn't expect to find another waiting in the attic of her house. But that's just what she's got. Locked in the room which belonged to her father's valet (when he was still living in England) is the dry-decomposed body of a woman wearing a very chic red evening gown. Estimates indicate that the body has been there since the house was closed up ten years ago.

When circumstances and circumstantial evidence begin to point towards her late father, Ginger determines to investigate and once again finds herself "assisting" Chief Inspector Basil Reed. He tries to discourage her, but finds her difficult to resist as she has a knack of getting her way without seeming to twist any arms. They discover that the woman (one Eunice Hathaway) attended the last party held at Hartigan House. So Ginger decides to hold another party "in memory of my father" and...coincidentally...invites the same people on the guest list from that previous soiree. She's hoping to stir things up and make the villain give himself away. She doesn't expect to wind up with another corpse on her hands. She needs to hurry her detective work along...otherwise she may wind up playing the part of third victim.

This wound up being a less intricate puzzle than the first book, but no less fun for all that. Even though I spotted the pointers indicating the ultimate villain of the piece, I still didn't get quite all the details worked out before the reveal at the end. The series is just a lot of fun with great characters and I look forward to reading more of Ginger's adventures. ★★★ and 1/2. (rounded up here)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Trish at Between My Lines]

I literally only want to read this because that's my family name!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ginger (Lady Gold), her dog Boss, her friend Haley, and Chief Inspector Basil Reed are back to solve another murder mystery. And someone else from Ginger's trip from the U.S. to England also makes an appearance.

This Ginger Gold mystery picks up where Murder on the S.S. Rosa left off. Ginger (Lady Gold) has just arrived back to Hartigan House in London, where she grew up, to take care of her deceased father's estate and decide what she wants to with the house. The house has been shut up for the past 10 years and has just been readied for her return, but upon arriving home Pippins, the family's long-time butler, has some distressing news--they've discovered the body of a woman hanging in the attic!! Of course Ginger can't leave it up to Scotland Yard to discover the identity of the woman, how she died, and how she ended up in the attic of a house that hadn't been lived in for 10 years. Even if the person leading the investigation is Chief Inspector Basil Reed.

I was taken in by the author's wonderful descriptions of the characters, the sights of London and especially the clothes. I could picture it all in my mind as I read. The mystery is a good one and I didn't figure out who the guilty party was.

I especially liked how the author got Haley to live at Hartigan House with Ginger, even though she's attending London's School of Medicine for Women. We can't have Ginger in that big house all by herself and Haley has to be there to discuss the clues and lend her medical knowledge. We find out a little more information about Basil Reed but nothing romantic happens between Ginger and Basil, yet.

I'm enjoying this series and look forward to reading more of Ginger's and Haley's adventures in crime solving. I also want to see what happens between Ginger and the Chief Inspector, but I know this is a cozy mystery not a romance novel.

[JoAn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at Hartigan House by Lee Strauss picked up where Murder on the SS Rosa stopped with Ginger and Hailey now in England.
I am intrigued by Ginger and her past in the war and this story brought in character that knew her from that time. However, there were two murders to be solved as Ginger once again finds herself investigating. A quickly paced plot with some amusing and quirky characters that kept the story a fun read that held my attention.

[Paula Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things you find when you come home again after 10 years. Also the perils of driving on the left side of the road again after so many years. I love this series. Ginger just can't help herself in trying to solve the mystery but it would be quite dull if she didn't.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Ginger Gold has returned to her birthplace of Kensington, London, England after a most interesting sea voyage. She has come to settle her father's estate and see what's to do about a mysterious telegraph the old butler Mr. Pippins sent about a ghastly discovery in the attic. The ghastly discovery turns out to be the decomposed body of a woman in a designer gown of ten years earlier. Ginger believes the woman must have been a guest at her father's winter soiree just after her marriage. Who could she be and how did she end up in the attic? What did her father know about this crime? Ginger is determined to save her father's reputation and solve the mystery with assistance from her friend Haley, a medical student and her Boston Terrier, Boss- oh and the handsome (but married!) Chief Inspector Basil Reed.

This is a fun light mystery for fans of Downton Abbey and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. The plot is surface deep and easy to read. I figured out one big secret pretty quickly so I wasn't entirely surprised but there were some plot twists I didn't see coming that made this mystery very enjoyable.

I did nitpick a lot of the details- mainly the language. The slang felt way too forced. The author tried to bash readers over the head with the 1920s setting but it was obvious from the fashions and other details. I highly doubt young men like Alfred were dropping slang words in front of their grandmother without censure. I really didn't like how Haley's speech was supposed to mark her as American because she used slang phrases. I also did not enjoy the cook's dropped aitches. It got annoying. More nitpicky details include using the term Dowager in addressing someone verbally and I don't believe that was done. The phrase "Ponzi scheme" could not have been in the vernacular in 1913 or probably not even in the 1920s since Charles Ponzi was only just sent to jail the year before. One last item the author should really have corrected is that doctorate and medical degree are not the same thing. Which is Haley pursuing M.D. or Ph.D? It sounds like M.D. so say so and don't say doctorate. Doctorate is something completely different and if Haley isn't smart enough to know the difference she wouldn't be in medical school in the first place. Plus it takes a lot more training to become a doctor than attending classes. The small details add up and made me drop my rating from 4 stars to 3.5.

I like the characters in this series well enough. My favorite character is of course, Boss, the Boston Terrier. He has more of a role in this story. He uncovers a phalange, a piece of the dead body's hand that turns out to be a clue and he has another big part to play that's told rather than shown. Ginger is bit frivolous. It may be a persona she puts on because she's clearly educated and intelligent. She hints at some kind of spy work during the war when she maintained an alternate identity. In this novel she's indecisive about major decisions but randomly decides to investigate the decade old crime on her own. Ginger does have feelings which I like. I don't enjoy Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton series as much because Kate is so unemotional. Ginger is loving but spoiled. She seems to have loved her father very much and her husband too. She still mourns Daniel and talks to his picture. Ginger cares about her sister-in-law and grandmother-in-law but not enough to visit more often. There is chemistry between Ginger and Basil she tries to deny.

Basil is brooding, mysterious and a bit serious. Ginger got off to a bad start with him but she seems to let it go and now they are friends. Unfortunately he has a wife hiding somewhere and rumor has it he won't sign the divorce papers. I highly doubt in real life he would let Ginger assist with taking statements or share information with her but it's a cozy mystery so I let it slide. Haley has potential to be a good sidekick but I find her so unrealistic. I would be very surprised if a male medical school professor would admit a female student into an autopsy of a murder victim. Haley's journey seems too easy for the time period and she's too enthusiastic about it. Haley is open about her middle class upbringing but a bit too chip on the shoulder for my taste. Titles would hold more weight in America where they don't mean anything and even Ginger, the daughter of a businessman, is not quite gentry but can socialize with them because of her father's business interests. I get the impression Haley doesn't want to socialize with them anyway and I don't blame her.

New recurring characters here include Pippins or "Pips" the butler. Ginger loves him like a grandfather. He is loyal, kind but knows his place. Lizzie, the maid, seems a little too good to be true. I liked her but I don't trust how efficient and knowledgeable she is. It just doesn't ring true for the period. Mrs. Thornton, the cook of the dropped aitches, seems like a tough woman. Sometimes she's grouchy but she comes through with splendid meals. I don't think she enjoys working for gentry but does love to create special meals. Perhaps Ginger would have a chef instead of a cook? Then there's Ambrosia and Felicia Gold, Ginger's in-laws. Ambrosia, the Dowager Lady Gold, is old school but not as strict as I would have expected. She's kind but a bit fragile. Life has not been easy or kind to her. Felicia is a headstrong, "bright young thing" and bound and determined to escape the confines of her sleepy village. This could lead to trouble. Mrs. Schofield is Ginger's nosy neighbor. She clashes with Ambrosia with her blunt and biting speech and could be trouble for Ginger. Her grandson, Lieutenant Schofield comes across as too slick and sleazy. Scout and his cousin Marvin reappear for some comic relief. I love Scout! He's so cute.

The other characters are murder victims and suspects. The body of the woman is identified as a gentry woman and former girlfriend of Ginger's father's business partner. She doesn't sound like the most pleasant person but once her story is revealed, I felt sorry for her. No one deserves to die like that, especially not for such a petty reason. Suspects include the gentry, nobility, middle class and even a valet! Which one is a killer? Lord Turnbull was Ginger's father's business partner and the deceased was last seen with him. He is hiding something and seems untrustworthy. His current girlfriend, Harriet, is a new nemesis for Ginger because of past history. Harriet is tough and not very kind. Lord and Lady Brackenberry are a hoot. An elderly couple, she is deaf and he shouts everything to her. She seems innocent but is he? He may be hiding something too. There's a weasley lawyer working for Ginger. Why did her father hire him suddenly in 1913? What's his game? Ginger wants to know and doesn't trust him. The Moreaus seem like a nice couple. Madame Moreau seems like a French version of Ginger. What do they know about the winter soiree of 1913 and Ginger's father's business? The rest of the guests seem fairly innocent but may accept business dealings or behavior that isn't entirely ethical because of their position in society. That remains to be seen!

Read this if you love 1920s fashion!

[Cindy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant characters and with a viable plot for interest. Like the series and have read them out of sequence and still understand the plots. Always a lead-in at the end but no cliffhangers. Well and clearly narrated by Elizabeth Klett. No profanity, perversion, gore or other warnings — just a pleasant read.

[Lee Strauss]

CHAPTER ONE

Ginger Gold hesitated at the front door of Hartigan House. She hadn’t expected to feel anything, but instead she shouldered a heavy shawl of melancholy. This grand, three-story structure built of limestone, situated in the picturesque Kensington Street of Mallowan Court, had grown tired over the war years, the stones greyer, the garden wilder. The house had been her home for the first eight years of her life. The last time she’d visited had been a decade earlier, on her honeymoon.
Her mostly happy childhood was long gone as was her lovely husband.

Haley Higgins, Ginger’s good friend and travelling companion, noticed her disquietude. “Is everything all right?”
“Hartigan House holds a lot of memories.” Ginger was torn in her allegiances: London, the place of her birth, or Boston, the place where she came of age. She’d lived in the brownstone on Beacon Hill for over twenty-two years, yet England was etched deeply in her soul.

And now, to finally return—it was with this disconcerting welcome. A telegram received while onboard the SS Rosa: GHASTLY DISCOVERY IN ATTIC OF HARTIGAN HOUSE.
Ginger, rousing her inner strength, stepped to the front door and engaged the wrought-iron knocker.

“This is your house, isn’t it?” Haley said. A lock of long, curly brown hair escaped its faux bob, and she pushed it behind her ear. “Surely you don’t have to knock?”

“I’m not in possession of a key, and I’m quite certain the door is locked.”

Haley tested the knob and found Ginger’s prediction to be true.
Ginger adjusted her yellow cloche hat, trimmed with blue ribbon to match her fine linen suit purchased on Fifth Avenue in New York, and patted her red bob with gloved hands. Her Boston terrier, Boss, waited obediently by her feet.

Their arrival was expected. Ginger had telegrammed the details of her journey before leaving Boston, and the door soon opened. Standing before them was Mr. Pippins, the butler. The years seemed to have caught up with him. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his hair had all but disappeared. But his eyes remained their bright cornflower blue, and they twinkled as he stared back at her.

“My dear Lady Gold.” He spoke her name with a slight quiver, giving away the emotion he experienced at seeing her. A dramatic image flashed through Ginger’s mind: a scrawny red-headed girl held firmly by her father’s strong hands as she wept, her eyes locking with her beloved butler as her father took her away.

A tear escaped from the corner of her eye, and she threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Pips.”
Clive Pippins, stiffening at first to this unorthodox greeting, returned the embrace. Ginger released her hold, stepped back, and clasped her hands in front of her. She sensed Pippins’s embarrassment and shared in it. There were proper ways to do things, especially in England, and showing overt affection to a member of one’s staff was not proper. She cleared her throat and smiled. “It’s so good to see you again, Pips.”

Pippins stood tall, hands relaxed behind his back. “My sympathies, once again, on the loss of your father. Mr. Hartigan was a good man.”

“Thank you.” Ginger desperately missed her father, but seeing Pippins and knowing his devotion to her helped to ease some of the pain.

Ginger glanced at Haley, who stood expectantly in her brown tweed suit and sturdy Oxford heels. “Oh, my manners. Pippins, this is my good friend, Miss Higgins.”
Pippins bowed. “Madam.”

“How do you do, Mr. Pippins,” Haley said with her noticeable Boston accent. She reached out her hand, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. “I’m a commoner.”

Pippins’s lips twitched in amusement. He accepted her hand with a sturdy shake.
“Miss Higgins was Father’s nurse for the last three years,” Ginger said. “She’s come to London to study at the London School of Medicine for Women.” Ginger linked her arm to Haley’s. “She’s going to be a doctor!”
Pippins nodded agreeably. “How wonderful.”

Ginger swooped up her Boston terrier and patted his black head affectionately. “And this is Boss. Short for Boston.”
“A fine-looking specimen, madam. How was your journey?”
“Quite lovely,” Ginger said. “Apart from a short but fierce storm, the weather was pleasant.” She omitted the news about the murder onboard the SS Rosa and the part she and Haley played in solving it.

Ginger finally had a chance to take in the foyer. Black-and-white-tiled floor, a large chandelier that hung from the height of the second level, windows on either side of the double-panelled front doors that added natural light. The formidable areca palm plants in large ceramic pots hailing from India, once lined up along the base of the stairwell, were missing—much to be expected when a house has been shut up for so many years.

“We don’t have a footman, madam,” Pippins said, “but I’d be happy to bring your things in.”
Pippins, a confirmed bachelor, had to be in his seventies now, and Ginger didn’t intend to burden him with such a laborious task. “That’s quite all right, Pips. I’ve arranged for our things to be transported here by motorvan. The driver will be able to manage.”

“Yes, madam.”

Ginger eyed him wistfully. “I don’t suppose you could call me ‘Little Miss’?” Little Miss had been Pippins’s pet name for her when she was a child. He was the only staff member to take time to entertain her. Subtle games like I Spy, and Noughts and Crosses (what Haley would call X’s and O’s)—never when her father was around, or in the presence of other staff, as that would be unseemly for a member of the staff. Her heart squeezed with the nostalgia.

“‘Little Miss,’ madam?” His eyes flickered with the memory, and he smiled. “I think not, madam.”
Ginger let out a playful sigh. The pet name didn’t suit a thirty-year-old woman, anyway.

“Can I bring you some tea, madam?” Pippins asked. “After the train ride from Liverpool, you must be worn out.”

“Tea sounds marvellous, Pips, but first we must know what your urgent, mysterious message is all about,” she said, referring to the telegram. Her curiosity was greater than her desire to put her feet up. Besides, she’d had a good sleep at the inn they’d stayed at overnight in Liverpool, and she currently didn’t feel all that tired. “I take it you’ve found something distasteful?”

“I believe he used the word ‘ghastly’,” Haley said. “Such a strong word. I’m dying to know what it is.”

Pippins’s expression turned grave. “It is rather ghastly, so do prepare yourself. Please follow me.” A wide staircase circled up to the second floor which horseshoed around the foyer, giving the entrance its grand high ceiling. At the end of the passage was a door used by the servants to access the second floor. It opened to a small landing with steep steps that went down to the kitchen and up to the attic where the staff sleeping quarters were found. Rooms for women were in the west wing, and the men’s rooms to the east.

“I do apologise for bringing you into the servants’ quarters, madam.”
“It’s quite all right, Pips.”

Ginger’s hope was that the problem in the attic was something trivial, like dry rot or black mould. She wondered why Pippins hadn’t taken it upon himself to ring for repairs. Perhaps, since he was newly back to Hartigan House and answered now to her instead of her father, he no longer felt he had the authority to make such calls on his own.

“I’m filled with curiosity, Pippins,” Ginger said. “Do give us a clue.”
Pippins hesitated, then said. “I’m really at a loss how to describe it.”
“Can we pause for a breather?” Haley said, stopping midway up the step. “I am out of shape.”
“I’m no better,” Ginger said. “Pippins is bringing us to shame.”
Pippins puffed out his chest with pride. “Years of going up and down daily, madam.”
Ginger laughed. “Perhaps we should take rooms up here, Haley.”
Pippins instantly turned dour. “Absolutely not, madam.”

Before Ginger could explain that she wasn’t serious, Pippins marched down the passage in the men’s quarters to the very last room at the end. He removed a key from his pocket. “A skeleton key, madam,” he explained. “Opens all the attic doors.”

The lock clicked, and the door swung open.
As Ginger reached the threshold, she couldn’t keep a gasp of horror from escaping her lips.
Oh, mercy!
In the middle of the room, lying on the floor, was a decomposed body.

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[Abigail McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, humorous at times, with an intriguing mystery and an independent heroine. I probably won't continue with the series, but we can check one off the physical TBR, and that's exciting. 3 stars!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in this cozy mystery series. Set in the 1920's, the main character is a newly widowed British socialite who finds a dead body in the attic of her family estate. She joins a newly befriended Scotland yard detective to solve the mystery. It's all very lovely and sweet and easy to read with a bit of romantic tension? maybe? There's a colorful cast of character that sets this up as a nice country manor murder.

There is no way that you would be able to figure out the mystery though. Sadly. There's a dump of hidden information near the end that spills out of the killer's mouth. But I was happy to note that I was pointed in the right direction albeit by some rather obvious (to me who reads lots of mysteries) clues.

This is a gentle mystery with no blood, gore, violence, sex, etc. All the things that you would find in most police procedurals or thrillers today are not present in this series. That's a nice change from heavy, scary, realistic topics.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this mystery series set in England in the Roaring Twenties.
Ginger, Lady Gold arrives in England to settle her father’s estate and to discover a skeleton in the attic. Can she stay out of trouble long enough to help Inspector Basil Reed ? Her father’s reputation is at stake. Her heart is in the right place as she hires new staff and pays for information concerning the attendees of a soiree just before her father left for America 10 years ago. Her good friend Haley lends a hand.
What can Ginger get up to next? Why opening a dress shop! Just what every Lady needs to occupy her during her social whirl!
* I purchased this ebook from Amazon. All opinions are my own.*

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
Hmm this one had me guessing till the end, and I still didn’t figure it out.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREAT who-done-it mystery that keeps you guessing to the end!

This is the second book of the Ginger Gold Mystery Series and picks up where the first one left off. BUT you can read this as a standalone. The author has written fun and easy to like characters. Ginger Gold AKA Lady Gold has come back to England after begin gone for most of her young life in Boston to settle her father's estate which includes this large house with servants. Her close friend Haley has also come with her to attend the Woman's School of Medicine working to become a doctor. On a steamship on the way back to England not only do they help to solve a murder on the ship (book 1), but Ginger receives a telegram from the butler in the house in England that there was a dead body found in the attic rooms of the house. And so begins an incredibly well put together mystery. Also in this second book is the Chief Inspector Basil who had crossed the Atlantic on the ship with them and was involved with solving the ship mystery too. Seems Ginger has a little crush on the Chief Inspector which she tries to hide since her husband had died in the war and she feels guilty having feelings for someone else, but her best friend Haley knows better. So with a lot of fashion, class, and characters we are enveloped in the mystery in the attic of Hartigan house. Ginger and Haley feel they have to get into the mystery and solve the who-done-it to clear Ginger's father's name of any involvement. The terrific twists in this story leaves you guessing until the surprise ending! A great read, A must read, the setting in the 20's is so well described you feel you are in it with the characters as well! I can't wait for the next book in this series. I received an ARC but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Heather Belleguelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

After meeting Ginger Gold, her friend Haley, and little dog Boss, in the prequel novella to this series, I was looking forward to catching up with them again once they arrived at Ginger’s House in London. Anyone who also enjoyed that prequel won’t want to miss this book.

Mrs Strauss continues to develop her characters well and introduces us to new ones, some of whom I’m sure will appear in later books in the series. We get the opportunity particularly to get to know Ginger herself better, and also the suave and dashing detective, Basil Reed.

The author does a fantastic job of scene-setting and really evokes London and British life in the 1920s. She cleverly slips in all kinds of little bits of information, without it feeling like she’s giving us a lecture. And then, of course, there’s the descriptions of all the wonderful clothes that Ginger wears. Who wouldn’t want to be a 1920s’ woman?

The mystery itself is also intriguing and a bit unusual, and actually takes place in Ginger’s own home. It is well set out and had me guessing all the way to the end. It truly is in the style of Agatha Christie and I almost expected Hercule Poirot to appear at one point to try to sift between the facts, suspects, and red herrings.

Although the mystery is solved by the end of the book there are plenty of threads left to follow up in subsequent books in the series. I can highly recommend Murder at Hartigan House as an enjoyable, easy-to-read, light historical mystery. I’m looking forward to Ginger’s next case.

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Silvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could be much better with some good editing, but little details irritate me: The way the heroine bosses everybody about, issuing orders non stop on things she could do herself. Her language which is way too modern. The way the servants talk back to her - with familiarity, bad accents and dropping their h's - NEVER!!! The way she asks a poor 70 year old butler to do all sorts of things. The party - so not believable from beginning to end. She is supposed to be loveable, but i find her selfish and self centered.

The clothes and fashion are very well described though, few very effective words.

[Akané D'Orangeville-Crozman · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5. It's ok, but I got bored very quickly to the point I didn't even care about the murder anymore.

[Veronica Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lady Ginger Gold returns to her family home in London, Hartigan House, she arrives to find a deadly secret has been found, locked up in the empty rooms for years. The horrific, skeleton find causes rumors to swirl about her late father. When Chief Inspector Basil Reed is assigned to the case, Ginger decides to lend her sleuthing assistance, whether it's wanted or not!

A gathering of guests who attended a similar soiree a decade ago is arranged at Hartigan House as Ginger and Basil hope to flush out the guilty culprit. Will the event identify the guilty? Or end in another murder?

Author Strauss weaves another chilling whodunnit with family secrets, clandestine relationships and hidden motives aplenty. I am a huge fan of this series, and this book does not disappoint. A perfect read for lovers of cozy mystery tales!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a good cast of characters, including servants, in an old English house. Ginger has a party to get all the suspects together and tragedy ensues as anticipated. It's a quick easy read. Ginger and Haley are growing on me and the dog gets a special role in saving Ginger in the end. I've already started the next book.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Ginger Gold cozy mystery series! Great characters and setting, London at the turn of the century. I love a strong female lead, especially when they are involved in activity far removed from their station in life and expectations of women at the time. This series is great fun!

[Hollylovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is going to be another series that I love more and more with each book. The romantic tension starting to develop between our love interests is so cute and well executed, this series is exactly what I have been looking for.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I love Ginger and the setting of these books! I think I liked the SS Rosa one a bit more, but this was cozy and fun which is what I want from it.
The mystery was a little meh this time.
Still, will definitely continue the series!!

[Eileen Lynx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad but not great

[Saralyn McMorris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this book. The friend Hailey is a bit annoying at times. And Ginger is far too concerned with preserving her dead father’s reputation, but otherwise a good novel.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mystery beach read

[Krista Rick’s · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clean, cozy mystery.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fashionably" cozy mystery

I really like this series so far. They are definitely cozy murder mysteries with a flair for fashion courtesy of Ginger.