Lady In Residence

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 Rating: 2.5(rounded up to 3 on Goodreads and retail sites)

I give this a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for Goodreads. This is definitely one of the most unusual stories I have read. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the contemporary thread was probably my favorite of the two. The story is interesting and I wanted to see how it ended, but I never really connected with the characters or the storyline. "Ghosty" stuff in a Christian Fiction novel was a bit jarring to me so that's probably a big part of my personal disconnect with the book. I also would have liked to see more of a faith thread in the book. That was lacking in my opinion. The ending was good and I enjoyed seeing the mystery solved and the pieces finally come together. Interesting read!