The Lodger

Product Information

An utterly thrilling gothic tale' KIRSTY WARK 'Rich in atmosphere and suspense' BELLA ELLIS 'Two unforgettable heroines' ELLY GRIFFITHS Dark and brimming with suspense, an… Helen Scarlett] has a gift for pulling readers into the twists and turns of her story' SUNDAY TIMES Grace Armstrong believes that she has come to terms with her own loss, the death of her dazzling fiancé who was declared Missing in Action. But soon he starts to reappear both in her waking life and dreams. The Lodger is an interesting position. The action takes place in London in 1919, and the city seems to be mourning the sons and husbands lost in the war. Grace’s fiancé was one of the soldiers declared missing after the Battle of Somme, and she cannot accept this loss. Grace is convinced that he is alive and sees him on the street of London. This overwhelming grief gives the novel a melancholic atmosphere, contrasted by the scenes where Grace visits relatively modern clubs with her friends. The story’s central theme is the investigation of Catherine’s life and death. It turns out that she had many secrets and a turbulent past. Soon, Grace’s actions are noticed by those interested in keeping the truth hidden… This is Helen Scarlett’s second novel; I haven’t read her first, The Deception of Harriet Fleet, but both are standalones so that didn’t matter at all. I will probably look for that earlier book now, as I did enjoy this one. It’s a slow-paced novel, but I still found it quite gripping, mainly because of the vivid portrayal of a world emerging from war, with people attempting to move forward while still struggling with the trauma of the recent past. Nobody in the novel has come out of the war unscathed; we meet men left damaged both physically and mentally by the horrors of the trenches, families grieving for the deaths of loved ones – and perhaps worst of all, people like Grace who are unable to grieve properly without knowing whether their loved one is dead or alive. Grace sees Robert everywhere – in the street, on the bus, in her dreams – and feels that she’ll never be able to rebuild her life until she knows the truth.

The Lodger Helen Scarlett 2023/2024 Release - Check Reads The Lodger Helen Scarlett 2023/2024 Release - Check Reads

The atmosphere of London after WW1. Small details described the right mood of the city, it felt waking up but also full of ghosts What I really liked is the description of post war London, even if it reminded me very much of Downton Abbey. The characters could just have been taken from this grand house to the slightly more family home of Ryedale Villa. And the pacing and escapism reminded me of "All creatures, great and small". However, midway through I found the pacing to become very slow and more and more emphasis was put on romance which is just something I don't like in mysteries.Grace seems to accepte the discoveries about Elizabeth's death and life like completing a puzzle. Elizabeth's story is full of secrets and taboos. But the information Grace gathers during the months following Elizabeth's death have no consequence. The final scenario would be exactly the same if the crime of the central plot was any other; and, what should have been the main story of the novel, becomes a secondary plot. Grace is appalled when a body, dragged from the Thames, is identified as Catherine Smith, who has lodged with Grace and her family for the last eight years before suddenly disappearing.

The Lodger (Audio Download): Helen Scarlett, Lucy Paterson The Lodger (Audio Download): Helen Scarlett, Lucy Paterson

I was gripped. A clever and richly imagined recreation of the Edwardian world with all its politesse and hypocrisies after the First World War * Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME * Flat characters-there’s no development or character arcs. It’s always the same things and we don’t learn anything new to add to the characterization of the MC or side characters. The main mystery also disappears for awhile and becomes more of a side plot to the romance and character relationships. I loved that the world building, it was a huge plus as there is something impeccably sexy and mysterious about London based books! 😍 The main issue I find with this book is that characters are flat. Despite the fact that the plot takes place in a space of about 6 months, the events don't seem to have too much influence on the characters' lives, beyond slightly modifying their routine. The few changes that you can be appreciate in Grace, Tom, or in any of the dozen characters in this story, seem come from the natural passage of time and the process of overcoming the trauma of war. While I enjoyed the characters and found them well-developed and likable, I felt that the romance between Grace and Tom was a weak point in the story. However, as someone not currently invested in romance novels, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

I didn’t have high hopes of this, having read a lot of gothic fiction recently and become a bit disillusioned with it but this was brilliant. I loved it. There were so many twist and turns and the ghosts and depiction of grief added real weight to the story. Elizabeth was a total mystery and I didn’t see the ending coming. I highly recommend this.

The Lodger - Scarlett, Helen: 9781529407594 - AbeBooks

The initial part was slow and intriguing. Full of hopes for the future blended with grief and inability to move on, it created a distinct mood. I couldn't put the book down Helen Scarlett] has a gift for pulling readers into the twists and turns of her story * Sunday Times * I found the story to be an enjoyable easy read, albeit set in ghostly and grim conditions. It thoughtfully handled the depiction of grief and the ghosts of the past, using it unravel our characters as they confront their shared histories and pain. Grace is a compelling main character and I very much enjoyed following her as she begins piecing together the clues as to what happened to Elizabeth. It worked well against the story threads related to her own family using it to highlight the impact of social change following the war All in all very well written, and if the mystery would have been more appealing and a little less romance, it would have made a a perfect read. If you read this, go in with zero expectations of it being a gothic murder mystery, because it absolutely isn’t 😅 If you enjoy cozy mysteries, with slight dark elements then you may enjoy this! That’s where I began to feel disappointed was because I expected and wanted a gothic mystery novel but didn’t get any of that.

Summary

Edward & Robert's friend, Arthur, comes to visit & brings with him another colleague, Tom, who was injured & had to have several fingers amputated, putting to an end his music career. Tom is bitter about the war & clashes with Grace's father who keeps the quintessential English 'stiff upper lip' about his emotions & believes in the sacrifices made. When the body of a woman is found in the river, the description of what she was wearing is familiar & Grace goes along to the police station with a photograph & gets confirmation that sadly Elizabeth is dead. She cannot believe that the police are going to write it off as a suicide though - the Elizabeth she knew was not in that frame of mind, but as Grace investigates what happened with the surprising help of Tom, she finds that perhaps she didn't know their lodger as well as she thought. Despite my usual aversion to novels set during wartime, I was thoroughly engrossed in this book. The author did a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere and era with vivid descriptions, and the mystery itself was well-crafted and kept me intrigued until the end. It’s 1919 and Grace Armstrong, like many other young women, is mourning the loss of her fiancé and brother in the Great War. She has done her best to move on – having served as a VAD nurse during the war, she is now pursuing a career as a journalist with the London periodical Nursing World – but she is still haunted by the thought that her fiancé Robert, reported Missing in Action at the Somme, could still be alive. Meanwhile her mother, struggling to cope with the death of Grace’s brother Edward, is under sedation in a nursing home. It’s a difficult time for the Armstrong family – and is about to get worse when their lodger, Elizabeth Smith, is found drowned in the River Thames. A ghostly, immersive mystery threaded with twists and turns as evocative as the 20th-century London in which it is set . . . A devastating reveal and a tangled web I won't forget * Amanda Geard, author of THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE * The story began to slow down a bit in the middle, making me lose interest 😭 The romance felt almost forced and the mystery waned! The characters involved in the romance barely have any scenes together so it just doesn’t make sense. The murder mystery completely slowed and there’s zero tension, it feels more like a cozy mystery than a gothic novel (which there’s nothing wrong with that but it’s not something I enjoy; I prefer mysteries with tension).

The Lodger by Helen Scarlett | Goodreads The Lodger by Helen Scarlett | Goodreads

The Lodger is a historical mystery novel set in post-World War I London. We follow Grace, an aspiring reporter in her early 20s as she works to discern the truth of the death of her dear family friend and long-time lodger, Elizabeth. I enjoyed this atmospheric, well-written book and would recommend it to everyone. Especially that, despite the gloom, there is a bit of romance. Grace Armstrong believes that she has come to terms with her own loss, the death of her fiancé, the brilliant and dazzling best friend of her brother. He was declared Missing in Action during the Battle of the Somme, but he starts to reappear both in her waking life and dreams. I found the mystery element of the book less successful. The story of Elizabeth’s past seemed too far-fetched to be very convincing and as more and more of her secrets were uncovered I felt that the plot was in danger of becoming much too complicated. There’s also a romance for Grace which was predictable but satisfying, although I would have liked to have seen her spend more time with her love interest; that would have helped me to become more invested in their relationship.Elizabeth story really did break my heart 🥲 and was so close to what's happening in the real world that I wouldn't be surprised if it was based on true story 💔 Unfortunately near the end two of the compulsory themes of the decade are dragged in – homophobia and sexual abuse. I assume authors can’t get publishing contracts without them, a bit like the new Oscar rules. At least racism was omitted for once. It’s not that I object to any of these themes – I’d just like them not to be quite so ubiquitous. I love chocolate fudge cake, but I don’t want it with every meal. Believe it or not, there are other aspects of the human condition worth exploring. And in this case, I felt the subjects of loss and renewal were more than sufficient, especially since she dealt with them so well.