This is a charming and well-written mystery set in Charlestown, South Carolina. Elements of family conflict, ghosts, and architecture weave throughout the tale. Very enjoyable read. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything- mystery, paranormal, romance, all in a great setting. I loved the house in the story and felt like I was there thanks to the author's great descriptions. The story takes many twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end. I can't wait to read the next book. ( )

Realtor Melanie Middleton meets with an elderly Charleston resident hoping to secure a listing for his home, a once-glorious but now dilapidated mansion on Tradd Street. What she gets, instead, is the house itself -- when Nevin Vanderhorst suddenly passes away, leaving the estate to she and her estranged father.

Under the conditions of Vanderhorst's will, Melanie must live in the home for a year and work on its restoration before she'll be permitted to sell it -- all that she desperately wants to do. A strange mystery has surrounded the home, which is haunted by the ghosts of the Vanderhorsts' past -- literally. Melanie's supernatural abilities allow her to see but not communicate with the specters who currently reside at 55 Tradd Street and, persuant to Vanderhorst's will, Melanie sets about trying to solve the mystery of why, in the 1930s, Nevin's mother Louisa disappeared from Charleston, never to return. Even seven decades later, Vanderhorst's pain over his mother's "abandonment" is palpable; he wants Melanie to discover the truth about why she left and hopefully clear her name. Local writer and historian Jack Trenholm appears on the scene, quite eager to assist her -- and sparks, however Melanie denies it, do fly.

Karen White's The House On Tradd Street functions well on several levels: it's a mystery, ghost story, romance, family drama and slice of Southern life all wrapped up in one incredibly well-written package. White's Charleston is alive and breathing, infused with the colorful characters you would expect to find in the South without resorting to caricatures or stereotypes. In addition to Melanie and Jack, Melanie's father plays a crucial role in this tale -- as does her mother, a woman whose absence in her life has accomplished far more than her presence.

At several points in the novel, I started to sweat a little bit -- mostly because every novel has a tipping point. The prevalent themes in a story are all fine and good when woven seamlessly through a story and not overdone, beating readers to death with the same concepts and ideas. But when we get the same whining and griping page after page, all I want to do is slam a book shut! The House On Tradd Street could easily have gotten cheesy, ridiculous or campy, but White successfully kept it from going down that route. I enjoyed the realistic romance and was fascinated by all of the historical details and honestly had no clue what the clues were saying until it was all spelled out for me . . . probably because I was so interested in the story, I didn't want to "spoil" it for myself by trying to guess!

A multi-dimensional, interesting novel about family, forgiveness and moving forward -- with the people we love and those we don't love so much! Fans of paranormal fiction will be interested in the shiver-inducing ghost stories but if, like me, you get scared by someone just saying your name at a low volume in a dark room, none of the spooky qualities of the work kept me up at night. The romance and family dynamics tugged at my heart, too, and left me wondering what will become of all of 55 Tradd Street's inhabitants. And while the novel could function fine as a stand-alone, I'm eager to begin the next in the series! ( )

A light summer read, cute premise, however the mystery was somewhat contrived. I do, however, enjoy any story where a city is a character, which Charleston is here and the supernatural element was its redeeming quality. ( )

Though it took me a few chapters to really get into The House on Tradd Street, once it pulled me in, it refused to let go. Certain parts made me laugh out loud and really appreciate the chemistry between Karen White's lead characters, Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm. While the book is full of sexual tension between the two, it mostly is a good Southern ghost story.

Melanie Middleton is a Realtor in Charleston, South Carolina, who can see ghosts. Despite her dislike of old homes, she specializes in the sale of historic properties, and she inherits the house on Tradd Street from an elderly man she met with just days before to discuss the sale of the property. There are some questions about the infamous disappearance of his mother when he was just a boy, and given that he realized Melanie could see (and smell) his mother's ghost outside the house, he figures she can solve the mystery. Jack Trenholm is a writer whose career is in shambles because of his previous book. He befriends Melanie and helps her take on the monumental task of restoring the old home while seeking out missing diamonds that once belonged to the Confederacy.

Although the bantering between Melanie and Jack makes for some pretty entertaining scenes, I really looked forward to the ones involving the hostile ghost in the upstairs window who doesn't want the secrets of the Vanderhorst family uncovered. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story, and while The House on Tradd Street isn't scary, I was so engrossed in the story that it felt like I was in the house.

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