The Lady in Residence Book Review
Book Description
Can a Legacy of Sadness be Broken at the Menger Hotel?
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.
Young widow Hedda Krause checks into the Menger Hotel in 1915 with a trunk full of dresses, a case full of jewels, and enough cash to pay for a two-month stay, which she hopes will be long enough to meet, charm, and attach herself to a new, rich husband. Her plans are derailed when a ghostly apparition lures her into a long, dark hallway, and Hedda returns to her room to find her precious jewelry has been stolen. She falls immediately under a cloud of suspicion with her haunting tale, but true ghost enthusiasts bring her expensive pieces of jewelry in an attempt to lure the ghost to appear again.
In 2017, Dini Blackstone is a fifth-generation magician, who performs at private parties, but she also gives ghost walk tours, narrating the more tragic historical events of San Antonio with familial affection. Above all, her favorite is the tale of Hedda Krause who, in Dini’s estimation, succeeded in perpetrating the world’s longest con, dying old and wealthy from her ghost story. But then Dini meets Quinn Carmichael, great-great-grandson of the detective who originally investigated Hedda’s case, who’s come to the Alamo City with a box full of clues that might lead to Hedda’s exoneration. Can Dini see another side of the story that is worthy of God’s grace?
My Thoughts
Allison Pittman has long been one of my favorite authors. To this day, I still remember reading her Sister Wife series, and wishing that there were more stories like it being written within the Christian fiction genre. Her style of writing has always stood out in my mind as being refreshingly unique.
I was intrigued when I read this book’s synopsis as 1) it’s a split-time novel and 2) there’s jewelry involved. What I failed to fully comprehend at that time was that I would be reading a ghost story. Very different indeed! I have never been one for paranormal tales, tv shows, etc. so I read through with a great deal of skepticism. My hesitancy was shortly proven to be overblown as these aspects are really just a subplot to the greater story. That greater story was getting to know Hedda Krause and Dini Blackstone on a personal level, and how their circumstances shaped their character.
I loved that Hedda’s story was told in an autobiographical style. She controlled her own narrative, and deciphering her words was left up to future generations. Dini and Quin both shared a love for this long-unsolved, ghostly mystery, and their chemistry was electric – both in their approach to Hedda’s words and to each other.
The only thing that kept me from giving this novel 5 stars was that the Christian messaging was watered down at best. I kept hoping that I would get to a moment with more depth, but it never came, and the book overall felt like more of a mainstream novel.
I am excited to read more from this new series by Barbour – Doors to the Past – and very curious to see what historical secrets and stories that will bring. Bravo to Allison Pittman for getting us off to a great start!
4 Stars
**Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
**Did you see the part where I said there’s jewelry involved?! Squeal!! I cannot wait to try my hands at some of the styles mentioned in this story. What Hedda wore was more fine jewelry (at least the way I interpreted it), but there’s lots of ideas for inspiration here. ETA — A Jewelry Stories post is live and ready for you with new jewelry inspired by The Lady in Residence. 🙂
**This post contains affiliate links, and I may be compensated upon your purchase of any products through those links.
