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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Meh...lots of problems. Annoying heroine, stereotyped hero and best friend and "love interest." Lots of action takes place offstage, so to speak. For example, the heroine goes away for the weekend with a possible love interest, and the reader gets a one-paragraph summary. Oh, and if you want to know whether you can trust anybody, just pay attention to whether the dog likes them or not. Sheesh. ( )

Really loved this book. ( )

Very good!

Karen White
New American Library
ISBN: 9780451225092
5 stars
Excellent reading…
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com
Melanie Middleton inherits an old historic home on Tradd Street. Jack Trenholm is a writer. He suspects there is treasure hidden in the house. He volunteers to assist Melanie in the remodeling/restoring effort in hopes of doing a little treasure hunting. He soon falls in love with Melanie. The old house is haunted and one particular spirit is very unhappy with all the treasure hunting.
Karen White impressed me in her first book, The Memory of Water. She just keeps getting better! The House On Tradd Street is a great read. Readers will enjoy the romance between Melanie and Jack. The flirtation is high energy. The characters are multi-dimensional and eccentric. Even the ghosts have quirky personalities. This is not your typical ghost story; it is not horror or spooky. This story has great depth. Romance, mystery, paranormal, and a little humor all combine to make The House On Tradd Street a book that you do not want to miss. ( )

Karen White's The House on Tradd Street is part romance, part ghost story, part mystery. The narration of this novel grips the reader with its beautiful descriptions of South Carolina and the historic neighborhoods of Charleston. Melanie Middleton specializes in historic home sales, though she hates historic homes and believes those who buy historic homes are saps willing to waste thousands of dollars on renovations. Fate brings her into the home of Mr. Vanderhorst, who asks Melanie if she saw a woman in the garden. He suddenly dies and leaves her his home.

Melanie is given a historic home and the money to renovate and repair it from the Vanderhorst estate. There are a great cast of characters in this book from Mr. Vanderhorst to his mother's ghost and Melanie, her father, and Jack Trenholm. Melanie is a barracuda in the real estate world, but her inability to relate to her family or male companions hampers her ability to widen her horizons. Meanwhile, Jack uses his good looks and fame to woo women to his side and charm them out of information so he can uncover historical mysteries and publish novels. His charm and good looks, on the other hand, are just a cover.

The restoration at Tradd Street begins, and Melanie is overwhelmed by her responsibilities and the two attractive men that have fallen into her life--Marc Longo and Jack Trenholm. In spite of the restoration, Melanie gets wrapped up in the mystery surrounding Mr. Vanderhorst's mother's disappearance and the ghosts that haunt her new home.

White easily draws the reader into the beauty of Charleston and her ghost mystery. The intricate relationships between these characters are complex, and in spite of the convenient connections between Melanie's family, the Vanderhorsts, and the Trenholms in a big city like Charleston, I was enveloped in the storyline.

The mystery doesn't get heavy with humor sprinkled in. The interactions between Melanie and Jack is contagious and will make readers smile.

I recommend this book to those who love a good mystery and a good ghost story. Stay tuned tomorrow for Karen White's guest post on the writing and publishing process. ( )

As you can probably tell by the rating, I enjoyed The House on Tradd Street immensely. First of all, the setting was wonderful. I was in Charleston, SC last year, and White really has a way of making the setting come alive. Her descriptions are vivid, and she manages to convey a sense of grandeur and history, coupled with the haunting quality that comes with these old houses. I thought she did a magnificent job with the setting.

The characters are definitely well-written. The reader can really understand Melanie's need to control everything around her and her feelings towards her parents. However, she is not intransigent or annoyingly stubborn; it is wonderful to watch her relationship with her father heal throughout the book. Indeed, she evolves quite a bit as a character, and it is a satisfying journey to watch. Jack is a great character as well; he is obviously damaged, but manages to hide it incredibly well with his charm and good looks. It is obvious from the beginning of the book that these two are made for each other, but it's not annoyingly predictable.

And finally, the mystery. This had me on the edge of my seat, reading frantically in an effort to finish the book before class (I knew that if I didn't, I would end up skipping class to discover what happens to Melanie, Jack, and the house on Tradd Street). It really is that captivating. It unfolds very slowly; the reader is at the middle of the book by the time the real mystery is actually uncovered. Sometimes, this might be frustrating, but in The House on Tradd Street, that is not the case. Instead, it serves as a reminder that the mystery of Louisa's disappearance is the underlying story to the novel and is one of the reasons that Melanie agreed to take the house. The fact that Melanie can see ghosts is also an interesting addition to the story. It can be disturbing and downright scary at times, but it is handled incredibly well, without any cheesiness.

The only disappointment in this book is that it ended. However, this was tempered by the fact that, upon turning the last page, I read the surprising and heartwarming words that read, "Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm will be back for a new adventure - turn the page for an exciting preview of their book, coming from New American Library in November 2009." Just one more year. I can't wait!

Review from S. Krishna's Books ( )