The Lodger: A captivating historical mystery that will keep you hooked from first page to last

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The Lodger by Helen Scarlett is a detective taking place in the aftermath of WWI in London. It's full of brooding and grief but also new beginnings and stories of healing. 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. Added to this, there is the disappearance of the woman who has been lodging with the Armstrong family for the past eight years. Elizabeth Smith was a very private person though had become a

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). Grace must find out what happened to Elizabeth, yet the more she discovers, the more she loses of herself and in doing so could lead to her own tragic end when it becomes clear that her former lodger and friend wasn’t particularly innocent. 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 downIf 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. 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 *

Helen Scarlett] has a gift for pulling readers into the twists and turns of her story’ SUNDAY TIMES Grace seems to accept 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. The Lodger is easy to read, despite using period-specific vocabulary. There are no complicated structures or complex vocabulary, which helps to keep the reading pace. If you are looking for an book to improve your English, The Lodger is a good choice.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. I was loving the mystery at first but that sadly didn’t last long. Nothing really wrong with the writing, I could read it okay and it held my attention, but I just didn’t love it either. Does more telling than showing when presenting clues/new info, which is a reading pet peeve of mine. I think if it had been dual POV and we could discover the secrets from Elizabeth’s perspective rather than being told everything secondhand it could’ve been more intriguing/mysterious. So, this is one of those books. You know the sort, the ones that start out with a bang and then, somehow, petered out.

The detective story had unexpected but believable turns and it was interesting to follow the investigation

But Tom has dark shadows of his own to navigate before being able to put his past behind him to help Grace in her quest for the truth.