A dowager is being scared to death in this classic whodunit by a #1 New York Times-bestselling master who “helped the mystery series grow up” (The New York Times). It’s enough to stop Eliza Fairbanks’s heart. At least that’s what the elderly widow claims is being done to her. First, someone unleashes a cloud of bats in her locked bedroom. When that doesn’t do the trick, next comes a pack of rats … trick, next comes a pack of rats to claw at her toes. Special duty nurse Hilda Adams, aka “Miss Pinkerton” to the Homicide Bureau, believes Eliza’s every rattled fear is true. She may be frail–but she’s not batty.
What Eliza is, is very, very rich. Out of the shady and oddball assortment of relatives swarming the mansion, someone clearly has an eye on the Fairbanks fortune. Now it’s Hilda’s job to keep an eye on Eliza before a potential killer resorts to more definitive means. And considering all the bad blood running through the heart of the Fairbanks family, it might already be too late to save her charge.
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The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart is the 2nd novel in The Hilda Adams Mysteries. Hilda Adams is looking forward to a relaxing evening after her latest assignment ends. Unfortunately, Hilda receives a call asking her to take on a special assignment. Eliza Fairbanks claims there have been bats in her sealed bedroom as well as other creatures. Eliza is making some outrageous claims. Dr. Brooke wants Hilda to investigate. Hilda quickly packs a bag and heads to the Fairbanks home. Hilda meets Eliza and finds the elderly woman to be quite sane. Eliza believes someone is trying to kill her. Unfortunately, Eliza is soon proven correct when she is found dead in her room. Can Hilda find Eliza’s killer? The Haunted Lady was originally written in 1942. I enjoy reading these older mystery novels. I thought it was well-written with an interesting cast of characters. I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I liked Nurse Hilda Adams who is a keen observer. The mystery was well-done and there were some clever details. I appreciated that it had a nice wrap-up with the strange happenings explained in an easy to understand manner. The mystery was fun to solve. I did find the ending to be a little odd and unsatisfying. I appreciated the introduction written by Otto Penzler with information about Mary Roberts Rinehart writing career and her style of writing. The Haunted Lady is a pleasing historical mystery with baffling bats, a fighting family, a secure room, a nosey nurse, and a mysterious murder.
Mrs. Eliza Fairbanks is an elderly woman who lives in a large home and swears that bats, rats, and birds get in her bedroom at night. After a recent incident where she was poisoned with arsenic, but survived, she in convinced that someone is trying to kill her. After requesting that the police patrol her house at night, they suggest that she get a nurse/companion.
Hilda Adams, age 38, is a well qualified nurse who works often with the police department and is quite skilled in cases like this. So, she sets up a table outside Mrs. Fairbanks bedroom where she stays up all night to guard the woman. There are several other family members and servants also living in the home. As Hilda meets each member of the family, she tries to determine if they could be the person trying to harm Mrs. Fairbanks and if so, for what reason.
The days and nights are filled with drama from each of the strange characters which keeps Hilda on her toes treating them and their many ailments, self-inflicted or not.
When Mrs. Fairbanks is stabbed to death literally under Hilda’s nose, the young nurse is very determined to find the killer and how they got away with murder.
I enjoyed the story and the time period. In the introduction to the book, the readers is warned to look out for certain things that might be said or written as they may contain clues. I can’t really say that I found them helpful, but I did not figure out who the killer was either. However, this is a great, old-fashioned who-done-it that I enjoyed very much. I have read other books by this author but it has been quite awhile. Now, I must look for more of her books to read.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Classic old style mystery