I don't know who recommended this one to me, but I really enjoyed it! I was unable to put it down. The way the book ends it feels like it is setting itself up for a sequel. When I get a chance I will see if the author published another book starring this character.

 

A woman named Geraldine Brunton is hiding from something. Scared that she is going to be found and eventually on the street since she is running low on money, she applies to be a companion for an elderly woman (Emmaline Stubbs) living in Denver. Readers are privy to the fact that Geraldine is doing what she can to not be noticed since she is worried that if if her identity is revealed, someone is going to come looking for her. A murder occurs and then the entire household is under suspicion. 

 

I thought the character of Geraldine was so interesting. I don't want to spoil the story. But when you find out more about her background and upbringing and what caused her to flee, you will be shocked. I also really liked her burgeoning friendship with Emmaline Stubbs. 

 

I thought some of the other characters were underdeveloped, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the overall book. We have Emmaline's background to get into which I wish we had gotten more details about. Or at least a prologue going into the incident that left Emmaline bedridden. We also have Emmaline's daughter and son in law who both just ooze malevolence at times.

 

The writing was easy to follow and I think that Patterson did a good job with keeping the wording/writing style to the time period this book takes place in (1919).

 

The ending wasn't a surprise to me. Even though I saw it coming, I still enjoyed this book.  

This one caught my eye when I was browsing Carina Press's mysteries. I loved the cover, and the setting, Denver in 1919, intrigued me, so I bought it. I'm very glad I did. It had its issues, but it was still a really enjoyable book.

The story: Geraldine Brunton's real name isn't Geraldine Brunton, but it will do, as long as it keeps anyone from connecting her with her past life in Boston. She wants to start a new life in Denver, but first she has to find a job. Unfortunately, she has no marketable skills and no references. It seems hopeless, until she stumbles across an ad for a companion to a semi-invalid lady. She takes a chance and applies. To her relief, Mrs. Stubbs, the lady, takes an immediate liking to her and is willing to overlook her lack of references.

Being Mrs. Stubbs' companion is sometimes boring and occasionally stifling, but Geraldine finds herself growing to like her employer. Her position gives her temporary security, but she knows things could change at any moment. This becomes especially apparent when one of the servants turns up dead and Mrs. Stubbs almost dies of what is either an accidental overdose or an attempt to poison her.

This book's biggest failing was that it was predictable. I spent a large chunk of it thinking that surely the most obvious culprits couldn't be the true murderers, but they were. The one surprise was that the total number of villains was slightly greater than I originally thought, but even then I was able to guess who the extra person was before the big reveal.

However, I still very much enjoyed this book. While, sadly, it looks like Patterson hasn't published any other historical mysteries, she has several works published under the name Janis Susan May that are now on my personal wishlist.

Based on the cover, I thought this might end up being one of those atmospheric books where the setting, the house, practically becomes another character. That wasn't the case. However, the story did have a nicely claustrophobic feel to it. Most of it took place inside the house, and Geraldine had a very limited view of what was going on around her. Eula, Mrs. Stubbs' daughter, and Milton, Eula's husband, had active social lives, but Geraldine was very firmly Mrs. Stubbs' employee, and Mrs. Stubbs rarely left her room. As a result, Geraldine was fairly isolated. Even her companion status was isolating – she wasn't part of the family, but she wasn't quite a regular servant either.

Geraldine held herself apart from people emotionally, as well. It took a while for readers to learn the full truth about her past, but there were enough bits and pieces along the way to have some idea of what happened. She had once had a much higher social status – her father was in a position to meet the president, for example – and she had once been married. There were indications that her husband seriously abused her. I should note that the abuse was both physical and sexual, and she has some flashbacks later in the book – I don't recall anything graphic, but it was still horrible.

(While I'm at it: two dogs die in this book. Readers don't get to know either one while they're living, but they were both beloved pets. One was poisoned off-page, and the other was horrifically murdered. I wish book villains could be villainous without killing animals.)

Geraldine lived in fear of anyone finding out about her past, and I suppose her preoccupation with her own secrets could explain why she failed to notice certain things more quickly. For example, I caught on to the poisoned dog's importance much sooner than her. It was a little frustrating how long she took to catch on to some things, or to remember certain details.

Still, I enjoyed the characters, particularly Detective Warren, and I wouldn't say no to a spinoff starring Rhoda. The story kept me hooked the entire way through, and I had fun trying to work out what was going on and what everyone's motivations were. This is one of those cases where the journey was worth it, even if, in the end, a couple of the villains were a little over-the-top. I do wish the ending had been a little less abrupt, though. I'd have liked to see Geraldine talk to Mrs. Stubbs after everything was over and all had been revealed.  

 

Rating Note:

 

My grade for this book was B-/B, either 3.5 or 4 stars. I settled on 4 because I decided that this is one of those cases where personal enjoyment trumps any issues I had with the book's predictability.

 

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

I'm so close to finishing this that I brought it with me to read during lunch today.

 

I have to laugh. There have been several times when I figured out certain things before Geraldine (or whatever you want to call her), but now, near the end, the most obvious culprits have been arrested and she's all "Something's not quite right. I'm not sure that they were responsible for everything that happened." I'm sure she's right and there's another twist to come, because why else would she/the author be hinting at this, but dang, she picks the end of the book to start being more perceptive than me?

 

So now I'm wracking my brains trying to figure out who the additional culprit might be. I have a guess, mostly because there's hardly anyone left who it could be. I'll find out soon if I'm right.

I feel like death today, and it's this book's fault. I stayed up way too late reading it.

 

It's nice to be reading something I enjoy. I mean, it's not perfect. It's first person POV, and there have been a couple times when the narrator noticed things that were clearly (to me) connected but she took much longer than me to make that connection. However, I'm hooked enough to really want to know how things turn out.

Beaded to Death - Janis Patterson Lilias is having a bad day… She gets home from a road trip and walks in to a nightmare. What would you do if there was a dead body in your house??? I mean your day just can't get much worse especially if you don't know the person. She's just a woman who makes incredible things with beads so none should need to break in. Her house is trashed and she's shot at but is resilient enough to keep going and just wants the truth about why this is happening to her.The mystery in this book was fun to read and overall it was interesting but not completely memorable. I liked watching her friend fall for the detective but otherwise it was just another quick read.Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.