In doing so she is drawn reluctantly into the sordid and dangerous underbelly of London and a scandal that rocked Edwardian society. The main character is Grace, her friend and lodger Elizabeth is found dead and she realises she never really knew much about her. After reading the wonderful 'The Deception of Harriet Fleet' by the same author, I thought it would be a difficult act to follow. The premise sounded interesting from the blurb, and in some ways it was, but I never really got completely invested in the story, nor in the romance aspect, which seemed a bit thrown in without a lot of page time or development. I was drawn into the story, the characters are given depth by the slowish pace and there’s an atmosphere of postwar grief and a changing society, within both class mobility and women’s roles.

The Lodger | Helen Scarlett | 9781529407594 | NetGalley The Lodger | Helen Scarlett | 9781529407594 | NetGalley

Unfortunately near the end two of the compulsory themes of the decade are dragged in – homophobia and sexual abuse. If you are into historical fiction with a bit of a mystery twist, you are sure to find something to appreciate here. A mystery is set up from the prologue when the body of a woman in a blue coat is found near London bridge. Many thanks to Helen Scarlett, Quercus Books, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.She lives with her father at the family home Ryedale Villa, her mother is in a hospital with depression after the death of her son. Unable to accept the verdict from the police that Elizabeth had committed suicide, Grace is determined to find out what really happened.

The Lodger - Helen Scarlett - Google Books The Lodger - Helen Scarlett - Google Books

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. If you have ever visited London, you will be able to frame the story within the historical part of the city. Grace, who is our main character, has herself lost both a brother and her fiancé, and the story of her slow process of grief and gradual recovery is sensitively done. 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.

Overall, I found myself quite drawn into Grace’s world and felt a great deal of empathy for her and her need to understand why her fiancé had died as well as her hope to carve out a new future for herself. The book was also missing a sense of time, and it did not feel very Edwardian in tone or through the descriptions, they were rather simple and ambiguous. And in this case, I felt the subjects of loss and renewal were more than sufficient, especially since she dealt with them so well.

The Lodger by Helen Scarlett | Waterstones

London, 1919: a city of ghosts and absences, haunted by the men who marched away but never came back. Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for the eARC of The Lodger by Helen Scarlett in exchange for an honest review! With the help of her friends and the family servants, she begins to trace back through Elizabeth’s life on the basis of the few scraps of information they have all gleaned from this very private woman over the years.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).