“Murder at Hartigan House” - Lee Strauss

(Ginger Gold book 1)

👒 Yet another Golden Age cozy mystery for me! This one introduces (I hesitate to call her a detective, but more on that below) Lady Ginger Gold.

👒 A young, fashionable war widow, Ginger returns to her family home - Hartigan House - following the death of her father. She is accompanied by her American friend Haley Higgins, an aspiring medical student at the London School of Medicine for Women. Along with the butler, Mr. Pippins, the ladies make a grisly discovery in an upstairs attic of Hartigan House which had been locked up and vacant for ten years. 

👒 Ginger is a sleuth - we are given to understand that she already has assisted CI Basil Reed in cracking one case; but IMO she’s mostly a socialite with a penchant for crashing into murder investigations. The overuse of the word “soirée” grated on my nerves as Ginger intends to recreate the guest list of a party hosted by her father ten years ago, and one she believes was held on the last night the dead woman was seen alive. Gathering, reception, party, affair might all have suited. I’m just saying… .

👒 There is a book prior to this one in the series, but no matter. It’s all perfectly easy to follow. MAHH was a light read - period fashion took precedence over the plotting at times, and it read like a young adult novel for the most part. Nothing complex here; pleasant as an audiobook for the car line for any parents returning to that at this time of year. I’m undecided if I’ll carry on with the series.