The brilliant, chilling debut of Karen White’s New York Times bestselling Tradd Street series, featuring a Charleston real estate agent who loves old houses—and the secret histories inside them. Practical Melanie Middleton hates to admit she can see ghosts. But she’s going to have to accept it. An old man she recently met has died, leaving her his historic Tradd Street home, complete with … home, complete with housekeeper, dog—and a family of ghosts anxious to tell her their secrets.
Enter Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries. He has reason to believe that diamonds from the Confederate Treasury are hidden in the house. So he turns the charm on with Melanie, only to discover he’s the smitten one…
It turns out Jack’s search has caught the attention of a malevolent ghost. Now, Jack and Melanie must unravel a mystery of passion, heartbreak—and even murder.
more
I read this book back in 2012, so when I saw the deal today, I wanted to recommend it. Good read! This book made me a Karen White fan and I have read many of her books since visiting Charleston, South Carolina.
I love the whole TRADD STREET series.. I love everything Karen writes.
Enjoyed this book very much and ordered the 2nd in the series.
If you love old houses and the mysteries they contain (and you know I do!), you’ll love this series centered on houses in the historic district of Charleston, SC. There’s a paranormal element, but the ghosts don’t solve the mysteries; the humans solve it to liberate the ghosts. Very entertaining!
An author friend recommended this book because it has so many elements and motifs similar to one of my books. I love the atmosphere of Southern charm and gentility played against the protagonist and her stubborn, modern ways. Melanie Middleton is far from perfect – and that’s one reason why she’s so compelling. She has experiences with ghosts similar to my character’s, but her reaction to them is quite different. Jack Trenholm is a cad…but he’s not…but maybe he is. It’s a formula ripe for romance. Loved the main characters and the secondary ones. A well crafted suspense that I could not put down.
Have read and listened to this booked. Awesome read. Awesome writer
The House on Tradd Street is a sweet, slow burn paranormal mystery set in historic Charleston, South Carolina. And by sweet I mean sweet romance, sentiments, and tea.
This was a fun listen. I usually get audiobooks to keep me entertained while doing monotonous chores, and The House on Tradd Street got me through mowing my lawn, refinishing a huge desk, and countless drives into town. It was good enough that I actually WANTED to do these heinous things, just so I could have an excuse to listen to my book. And that’s always a good sign.
Melanie Middleton is a good protagonist. She isn’t the most approachable person, but she is likable. Flawed, well rounded, and consistent, she is obsessed with order, schedules, and early mornings, a natural result of her chaotic childhood with an alcoholic/useless father and absent mother.
And her ability to see ghosts was well handled, I thought, though it seemed occasionally to be tacked on as an afterthought. There were only three or four ghosts central to the plot, and the rest were just kind of there for no reason. Melanie’s practiced ability to ignore them made them easy to overlook for me, as well. They just became furniture in the background (and sometimes even haunted furniture in antique stores). But the concept was interesting, and it was consistent.
I didn’t like how snobby she was in terms of fashion and appearances. She looks down on Jack’s restaurant choices and continually judges her best friend’s, Sophie’s, wardrobe. Melanie never says anything out loud, but I was repeatedly turned off by her mean thoughts about someone who is supposed to her only friend, and who is majorly going out of her way to help restore the house.
This book appears to be set sometime in the early 2000s. The frequent mention of Blackberry phones was my best clue for dating the book. After researching publication info for this review, that guess seems to be spot on.
That being said, I think the author might have been stuck in the 80s. Melanie’s prudish horror any time sex was even hinted at was a little odd. She is 39 years old, and she is desperate for everyone to know that Jack has his own bedroom in the house. Lady, nobody cares. And you shouldn’t either. You’re a middle aged woman. Nobody is worried about your virtue.
There was also a random gay joke that didn’t age well. When Melanie first sees Jack’s apartment, which has been very nicely decorated, she teases him about it. “Are you sure you’re not gay?”
The plot arc is all over the place on this book. Most of the book seems to be just renovations of the old house. The house is beautiful, the city is beautiful, and we even get a few interesting historical accounts of the area, which were fascinating. But the ghost story itself seemed to be in perpetual limbo until the two-thirds mark. That was when Melanie finally started actively looking for clues.
At that point, it seemed like an entirely different kind of book than before. It started out as a slow burn romance with ghosts in the background. Then suddenly I’m reading a paranormal mystery and digging up the past. And the climax was a bit underwhelming. I won’t spoil it here, but the author set up expectation of a huge confrontation, but only delivered about 40%.
The book is well written, though it is proof that even traditional publishers can be guilty of filter words. My only other complaint about this production was the narrator, and that is probably a personal preference. The narrator’s Charleston accent made the story feel very old fashioned. Like floral wallpaper, doily covered plates, and cat smell. But it was accurate, and the history angle was very relevant to the story, so I can’t for the life of me think how they could have done it any other way.
But even so, I think I’ll read the sequels, rather than listen to them.
I love this books.
This is the first book of Karen White’s Tradd Street series, which numbers six books so far. I am actually recommending the whole series, but I’m showing Book 1 as you have to start somewhere. This series, set in Charleston, is based around the life of Melanie Middleton, a high-end real estate salesperson with the ability to see ghosts. Book 6 in this series has a Christmas setting, which is why I’m thinking of it, but starting with Book 1 now will give you time to reach next Christmas with Book 6.
Melanie is a high-powered realtor in Charleston and inherits a run down historic site on Tradd Street. The owner died believing his mother had abandoned him and in doing some research Melanie doesn’t believe the story that she had run away with her lover. There is a bit of the paranormal with Melanie being able to see ghosts and I thought the mystery was good. I didn’t figure it out until near the end. I liked the characters. Melanie annoyed me at first with her spreadsheets and snippy attitude but then as more of her background came out it kind of explained why she was the way she was. The ending left me with enough of a tease to want to go on to the next book in the series
Another great book by Karen White. These books are wonderful.
Wonderful book.
Being a Southener I love books with southern settings, especially areas I like to visit. This, plus all Karen White’s books being a good read, I would recommend this and all Karen’s books.
Light mystery/romance set in Charleston, SC. Melanie Middleton is a realtor specializing in historic houses, although she claims an aversion to old homes. She meets Nevin Vanderhorst to try to get a listing for his house. While visiting him, she senses the presence of a woman watching her.
Nevin does shortly after their meeting, but leaves Melanie his house, with a request to find out why hoes mother left him when he was a child.
Melanie does not want the house, but reluctantly agrees to live there and begin the process of renovation.
Her friend, Sophie, is enlisted to help her. Sophie is a naturalist, organic in her ideals, so the renovation is expensive.
Jack, an author, wants to do a story on Louisa Vanderhorst, Nevin’s mother. Melanie senses a presence around Jack.
Yes, Melanie sees dead people. In addition to seeing the woman at the house, and the woman around Jack, she also sees a young boy, as well as an evil man.
Melanie has also experienced abandonment – her mother left the family weekend Melanie was 6, so she feels a link to Nevin, which is likely why he left his house to Melanie. He knew she would search for the answers for him.
As the story goes on, a sinister story comes out, about bootlegging, the Confederacy, and the legends of missing Confederate gold and diamonds.
Marc Longo, grandson of Joseph Longo, a rival of the Vanderhorst family, shows up to seek help from Melanie. Jack believes that Marc is there for a reason that Marc is hiding.
As the story develops, Melanie must come to terms with the house, her relationship with her alcoholic father, the people in her life, and the ghosts she sees.
Overall, this book kept my attention, and it has some humorous parts, to counterbalance the mystery and the ghost story. The author’s style reminded me of Jude Deveraux, but I think Jude does it better, at least on the witty side of things. I enjoyed the book being set in Charleston, and the description of the house, but would have enjoyed more about the city. This is the first book of the series, I may read more to follow the characters and see how the author develops.
#TheHouseonTraddStreet #KarenWhite
I really enjoy Karen Whites books even this one with ghosts. HAHA
I loved this book! The characters are true to life, the story line is fast paced, and has surprising twists!The mystery/ suspense was just how I like it and the romance angle was snappy and fun. Great read!
Read this book awhile back, there’s a ghost in my life type books.
Love this entire series!
Great read. Looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.
If you like a well-written Southern Gothic mystery, you need to read this book. So good