The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street, #2)

Jan 18, 2010

Cheryl rated it

Shelves: kindle-edition

Okay -- as the second in what appears to be a new mystery series this is a very good story. I love the setting (Charleston, SC), the old house element and best of all the ghost story. I am a sucker for a good ghost story and Karen White has this wonderful (and, I think very difficult) ability to build a really, really spooky environment.

But ... while I really liked the characters in the first of the series, the whole relationship between real estate agent extraordinaire and reluctan...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Sep 23, 2011

Emily rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

I'm not okay with this book.

It's the sequel to The House on Tradd Street. Melanie Middleton and Jack Treholm need to solve another ghost-related mystery. Plus this time Melanie's mother has come back from a 30+ year absence to help them as well.

This is a good story. I like the ghost story aspect(that isn't too scary). I especially like that Melanie's ability is a given-a lot of books spend time focusing on the main character not knowing she had this ability, realizing, co...more

like

· see review

Jan 27, 2011

Kris rated it

Shelves: 2011

Either I'm a supergenius, or Karen White severely underestimates her readers. The mystery in this book is a pretty poor excuse for a puzzle - I had the main part of it figured out less than 100 pages in. After that, it became tedious as the characters keep questioning this great mystery! it's such a puzzle! what does it mean?! And I am sitting here, rolling my eyes and banging my head against the wall and calling them idiots.

I am also not impressed with Melanie. In the first bo...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 20, 2010

Anita rated it

Despite being part of a series (which I didn't realize till I started reading it) and despite the author's penchant for raised eyebrows (someone is always raising one eyebrow as a response in literally every conversation), this is a super enjoyable read. It's got everything- suspense, ghosts, at least 4 mysteries to try to figure out... and witty writing for the most part. The main character can be annoying, I mean how can anyone be 40 and also be too vain to wear eyeglasses?! To the point where...more

like

· see review

May 14, 2010

Cheryl C. rated it

Those who enjoyed Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm in The House on Tradd Street will definitely want to pick up the next book in this series, The Girl on Legare Street.

Melanie Middleton's mother abandoned her when she was just a child, leaving her with a father she was forced to take care of through his bouts of excessive drinking. Now Ginnette Prioleau Middleton has returned to Charleston and moved into their ancestral home on Legare Street. She seeks Melanie's help to restore th...moreThose who enjoyed Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm in The House on Tradd Street will definitely want to pick up the next book in this series, The Girl on Legare Street.

Melanie Middleton's mother abandoned her when she was just a child, leaving her with a father she was forced to take care of through his bouts of excessive drinking. Now Ginnette Prioleau Middleton has returned to Charleston and moved into their ancestral home on Legare Street. She seeks Melanie's help to restore the historical home, but the more time Melanie and her mother spend together, the more Melanie is reminded of how Ginnette deserted her and how the only thing they have in common is their ability to communicate with ghosts.

Ginnette's return has awakened a dark spirit whose strength continues to grow and who is out for revenge. Determined to protect her daughter, with Jack's help, Melanie and Ginnette must work together to fight the malevolent presence and save their family.

What a superb addition to the Tradd Street series from Karen White! Beautifully written, and with all the charm and mystery of the South, The Girl on Legare Street is certain to please readers.

In this new book, released in November by New American Library, several of the characters from the original book return: realtor Melanie Middleton and writer Jack Trenholm, Melanie's friends Sophie and Chad, Melanie's father, Jack's parents and a few others. White has done an excellent job of developing these characters further, while adding new mysteries and new characters into the mix.

Bringing Melanie's long lost mother home and forcing Melanie to deal with all the feelings she has toward the woman who deserted her over thirty years ago allows for a great deal of conflict. Add that to the uncertain relationship between Jack and Melanie, which seems to hover somewhere between friendship and romance, and the dark presence which Ginnette's return has awakened, and you've got a paranormal romantic suspense novel with Southern flair that grips you from the very first page.

Again, I am impressed with the beauty of the cover art, and the history lover in me likes to read of the past of the ghosts--nice and not so nice--that inhabit these homes while Melanie is forced to deal with her own past.

A story that is spooky, yet tugs at your heartstrings, is what you will find in The Girl on Legare Street.
(less)

like

· see review

Mar 24, 2010

Laurie rated it

I’m conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it’s a ghost story with a pretty decent plot-an evil ghost trying to get back what she feels is hers, a good ghost protecting people, a mother and daughter trying to establish a relationship after the mother abandoned the daughter 30 years before, a reporter who isn’t just what she says she is. On the other hand, there are some very slow moving parts, and the main character, 39 year old Melanie, is bent on denying her attraction to Jack, the man w...more

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 29, 2009

Literary Feline rated it

Rainy days seem to be particularly perfect for a ghost story, and so what better time to dive into The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White than a stormy evening? I first met Melanie Middleton a year ago, when I read The House on Tradd Street, when she inherited an old house and met true crime author Jack Trenholm. A realist and practical minded person, Melanie tried her hardest for years to ignore the voices of the dead who were speaking to her, but events in her life have made that impossible....moreRainy days seem to be particularly perfect for a ghost story, and so what better time to dive into The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White than a stormy evening? I first met Melanie Middleton a year ago, when I read The House on Tradd Street, when she inherited an old house and met true crime author Jack Trenholm. A realist and practical minded person, Melanie tried her hardest for years to ignore the voices of the dead who were speaking to her, but events in her life have made that impossible.

Melanie finds herself in the middle of another mystery, this one involving her own family. After 33 years, the mother that abandoned her as a child has returned and is seeking to re-buy the family home. That is not all Melanie's mother is after, however. A vengeful ghost is growing more powerful and is targeting Melanie and her family. Neither Melanie nor her mother could stand up to the ghost alone, but perhaps together they might be able to. The search to uncover the identity of the ghost and the ghost's rage reveal family secrets long kept buried.

The Girl on Legare Street is the kind of book I enjoy curling up with when I am looking for something light and suspenseful. There is a lot I like about the book. The author's writing style flows smoothly and I just love the Southern setting, especially being able to step inside these grand old houses, rich in history--not to mention the ghosts. The mystery itself intrigued me as family secrets and history often do. I've long been interested in genealogy, tracing my family tree and learning about the lives of my ancestors. Melanie's ancestry is rich in the area's history and I looked forward to uncovering each clue to the family's past as the story unfolded.

Melanie is as infuriating as ever. She's extremely stubborn and there were times in the book when I wanted to shake her and tell her to get over it, especially when it came to Jack. As she did in the previous book, she continues to fight her attraction to Jack Trenholm who is finishing up his book on the mystery surrounding the house on Tradd Street and helping her with her current predicament. Melanie's had to deal with a lot in her life, having been abandoned by her mother at a young age and then living with an alcoholic father. Trust does not come easy for her nor does relinquishing control. She's worked hard to be successful in her career as a realtor and to reach the point she is at currently in her life. Underneath her tough exterior, lies a more vulnerable, softer side to Melanie. Even for the times that Melanie may grate on my nerves, I do like her. She has spunk and a good head on her shoulders--at least when it comes to things other than men. And, in the end, she does the right thing.

Melanie has all her defenses up when her mother returns to her life, but as the ghost of her grandmother has tried to tell her, "we are not what we seem", so her mother's reason for leaving all those years ago may not be as cut and dry as Melanie believes. Her mother has her own secrets. Melanie and her mother have a lot of healing to do if they are to have any sort of relationship. While Melanie's relationship with Jack never seems to go anywhere, her relationship with her mother does in fact evolve over the course of the book. I could see the subtle changes in Melanie's relationship with her mother, as well as in her mother and father's relationship, the two of them having been estranged for a number of years as well.

I enjoyed my time with The Girl on Legare Street overall, even if I quickly grew tired of the back and forth between Melanie and Jack. My interest in ghost stories has increased in the last year or so and the world Karen White has created is good for a quick fix.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 26, 2010

Heather rated it

Shelves: 2010

In this follow-up to White’s The House on Tradd Street, Melanie is back to restoring old houses and solving the mysteries inside them. This time, it’s her grandmother’s old home, now owned by her estranged mother, which she is restoring. And although her mother is back in her life after having disappeared for thirty years, Melanie isn’t sure she can work cohesively with her and is dead set on the fact that she will never forgive her. Unfortunately for her, though, there is someone in the hous...moreIn this follow-up to White’s The House on Tradd Street, Melanie is back to restoring old houses and solving the mysteries inside them. This time, it’s her grandmother’s old home, now owned by her estranged mother, which she is restoring. And although her mother is back in her life after having disappeared for thirty years, Melanie isn’t sure she can work cohesively with her and is dead set on the fact that she will never forgive her. Unfortunately for her, though, there is someone in the house who wants them torn apart – a ghost of her family’s past who knows that Melanie and her mother are stronger together, and she needs them weak so she can get what she wants. It is up to Melanie, her mother, and Jack Trenholm (yes, he’s back of course) to figure out who this ghost is, what she needs, and how to get her out of the house forever.

After recently discovering Karen White’s books and reading The House on Tradd Street, I was really excited to finally get to The Girl on Legare Street. I enjoyed Melanie the first time I met her, and I was pleasantly relieved to find that she hadn’t changed a bit between the two books. She was just as stubborn, anal, and hysterically unself-aware as before. I think I like her so much because she is a realistic character – instead of doing what the reader wants her to do, she sticks to her guns and makes all these silly and sometimes idiotic choices, because let’s face it, that’s what people really do. They do dumb things because they’re trying to protect themselves from being hurt, or because their pride is too strong, or whatever. Melanie is so great because she does what’s real.

As much as I love Melanie and I like that she acts in a realistic way, I found it very weird that Melanie and Jack’s relationship seemed to have backtracked a few steps. At the end of the first book, they had made some significant gains in their relationship, yet as The Girl on Legare Street began, they seemed to be right back where they started from – they clearly had feelings for each other, but they were both too stubborn or too scared to do anything about it. I was hoping that their relationship would progress throughout this book even more than it had before, but unfortunately there was a huge obstacle thrown in which prevented that from happening. It was still funny to read about them, about all their “almost kisses”, but I was just hoping to get more from their relationship. Although the end of this book definitely set the stage for another sequel, so we’ll just have to see what happens later on.

I absolutely loved the mystery aspect of the novel. It really just grabbed me right away and did not let go. I was just as interested to find out who this ghost was as Melanie and Jack were. I liked that Melanie’s mother, Ginnette, played a significant part in solving the mystery. I had a hard time getting over the fact that she had left Melanie so long ago, and stayed away for so many years, but I still liked her character. Especially once I understood a bit more about why she left, I still didn’t feel that she was justified, but I respected her character a little more.

I highly enjoyed The Girl on Legare Street, and if you like mysteries with great characters and some humor, I’d highly recommend these books.(less)

like

· see review

Jun 15, 2010

Alicia rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 09, 2009

Diane rated it

In The Girl on Legare Street, the sequel to The House On Tradd Street, Melanie Middleton, a successful real estate broker returns, as does Jack Treholm, the handsome writer who is obsessed with unsolved mysteries. To Melanie's surprise, her mother Ginnette, who left Melanie and her husband when Melanie was just seven years old has arrived on the scene as well. Ginnette has returned to Charleston, South Carolina, to confront her past and make amends with the daughter she left behind, but ...more

like

· see review

Jul 12, 2011

Lauren rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, favorites

I enjoyed this one a great deal, but not as much as the first one, House on Tradd Street.
However, I found Melanie a lot more likable in this one. And a little less self-centered. I enjoyed reading about her softening as her relationship with Ginette, her long-lost mother, progressed. I was more inclined to empathize with her anger towards Ginette in this book simply because Ginette was a character who played a present role in the book, rather than an absent one. This does not mean that Mela...more

like

· see review

Dec 03, 2009

Melody rated it

I enjoyed reading The House on Tradd Street by Karen White so much so that I read the next installment, The Girl on Legare Street right after I finished that book.

Well, where shall I begin? For starters, let's say I loved this book more than The House on Tradd Street. Don't get me wrong, I loved that book, but this book is better in my opinion. And also, I loved seeing Realtor Melanie Middleton and True historical crime writer Jack Trenholm are back together again working on another...moreI enjoyed reading The House on Tradd Street by Karen White so much so that I read the next installment, The Girl on Legare Street right after I finished that book.

Well, where shall I begin? For starters, let's say I loved this book more than The House on Tradd Street. Don't get me wrong, I loved that book, but this book is better in my opinion. And also, I loved seeing Realtor Melanie Middleton and True historical crime writer Jack Trenholm are back together again working on another project - this time around it is the mystery and secrets surrounding her ancestral home on Legare Street.

Melanie is still recovering from her bewilderment on inheriting a historical estate on Tradd Street as from the previous book, so when Ginnette, her estranged mother suddenly returns to Charleston and told her she needs to protect her after receiving a premonition (readers who have read The House on Tradd Street would know that Melanie and Ginnette have psychic abilities) and she fears Melanie might be in great danger from a supernatural force, which she sensed has got something to do with the house on Legare Street left by her late mother, Sarah Manigault Prioleau as she had left some clues behind and she is determined to unravel the secrets behind the old house.

Melanie is still feeling terribly hurt by her mother's sudden departure thirty-five years ago, but she gave in to Ginnette's offer to stay in the house on Legare Street, since her historical house on Tradd Street is under major renovation and plus, Jack Trenholm offers to help them in investigating the mystery. Melanie might not want to admit it, but she could not help but feel attracted towards Jack although at times she is confused by the way he talks and acts around her. To heighten the complexity, Rebecca Edgerton, a reporter and an old friend of Jack, enter into the picture and Melanie is not sure if she is unhappy over her insistent probing on the house or that she is getting too cozy with Jack. Either way, it irritates her but she is soon caught up by the intrigue and the secrets of the Legare Street's house and besides, she is also interested to find more about her supernatural protector, who had kept her accompany since she was staying in the house on Legare Street when she was young and knowing that he is somewhat linked to the mystery.

What I loved about this book is the great characterization and the author has a way in building the tension and suspense. I find myself flipping through the pages quickly and/or holding my breath most of the times while reading this book and immersed into the story deeply that at times I have to remind myself that this is not a true story and that Melanie is only a fictional character. Rebecca gets on my nerves and I have to admit I do not really like or trust her in the beginning of the story, but you know how one's opinion will change once the story slowly unfolds in front of your eyes and that things might not be what it seems at first.

I enjoyed reading the history of the Legare Street's house, and I was really intrigued by the family tree of the Prioleau's family and some others. Though the story is nicely wrapped up, I felt a little perplexed over a particular character towards the end and I hope the next book (considering if there is a sequel, that is) will be able to shed some light on the issue. (less)

like

· see review

Nov 02, 2010

Anita rated it

Shelves: mystery

A good ghost story is always a must for October - and this book didn't disappoint. Melanie and Jack are back and their relationship is just as quirky as ever. Will they (Melanie especially)ever wake up and realize that they are perfect for each other!? Melanie's mother makes a re-entry into her life after a 30 year absense. I like the way they were able to resolve their relationship issues and work together.
There is an evil prescence haunting Melanie's mother's home on Legare Street i...more

like

· see review

Jun 22, 2011

Jeanne rated it

Both this book and The House on Tradd Street are great reads - just the books I've been waiting for, about historic houses, hidden treasures, ghosts, and historical mysteries. The one thing that keeps these books from being utterly delightful is the main character who is quite insufferable. I get it that she had a rough childhood, but come on, she's almost 40 years old and she still acts like a spoiled child around everyone in her life. It's a wonder that the hunky love interest is still even in...more

like

· see review

Dec 21, 2009

Elizabeth rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I have yet to enjoy a Karen White book as much as I enjoyed her first ones (e.g., Memory of Water and The HOuse on Tradd Street). This sequel to The House on Tradd Street has, on the plus side, Karen White's lovely depictions of old Charleston, and the author is good at evoking feelings and images. I was also glad to "meet" the protagonist's psychic mother who was conspicuously absent in the first book, and we are helped to understand why she had to abandon Melanie at such a young age....more

like

· see review

Nov 24, 2011

Tiffany rated it

Shelves: mystery-suspense, paranormal, romance

The Girl on Legare Street is a contemporary, ghost-story set in Charleston, South Carolina. It is a sequel to the House on Tradd Street, and in my opinion, leagues better. This book continues with the lifes of Jack and Melanie and their friends that were introduced in the first story. Of course, there is another ghost story to solve, only this one is not as obvious as the first story. This story was enthralling and intriguing as you raced to solve the mystery along with the characters. I al...more

like

· see review

Dec 22, 2009

Lisa rated it

The 2nd in a series but it can be read as a stand alone. Since I had just finished the first book, I felt like there was too much brought in from the first book to get the reader up to speed. I didn't think it was that necessary for a reader new to the series to know everything that happened in book one.

This one is much heavier on the ghosts and the mystery and takes a step back from the romance novel aspect which I appreciated. White lays out the clues in a way that makes the rea...more

like

· see review

Jul 17, 2011

Ashley rated it

This book was so frustrating because I really don't relate with the main character at all. If I like someone I'm not going to go around acting like I don't, that's just dumb. And she was very clueless to Jack liking her when he obviously did, although at the end he had a rotten way of showing it...

So, the storyline with all the genealogy really had me confused at times. I thought Melanie's mom's excuse for leaving her when she was little was REALLY lame, I mean, really lame. I don't ...more

like

· see review

Jan 31, 2012

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, supernatural

This is the second book in the Tradd street. Melanie needs to leave her home with all the floors in her historic house are being refinished. She ends up staying with her mother, from whom she has been estranged since she was 7. There are bitter feelings on Melanie's part, even though she acknowledges her mother wasn't totally at fault.

Again, Melanie together with Jack, and the rest of her family and friends unravel a mystery that is buried in the Prioleau family's past. The mystery is ...more

like

· see review

Jan 04, 2012

Nancy rated it

I liked this one, but not as much as the 1st one. Although it's odd I like them at all because I don't normally do mysteries.

Melanie's as dumb as a doorknob in this one. There is no way why she can't figure out what's going on with the people around her. Clueless characters irk me.

The mystery/story itself was good, though. I could have used a family tree to untangle the whole thing!

There are one or two one line sentences that lead to what I will think will ...more

like

· see review

Mar 14, 2010

Cheryl rated it

Shelves: paranormal, fiction, humor

The first of her books, "House On Tradd Street", I picked up because I had stayed on that street while in Charleston and felt a tug. It was amusing and enjoyable. This one was as well, tho there were a few segue issues and some parts left unfinished, as if it was a hurry to get done book. The parts that were in depth were quite so and the climatic scene was, tho even given it being fiction, some aspects of it were a tad askew. I like her books & will continue to read more, but hope thi...more

like

· see review

Jan 05, 2012

Kristyh rated it

Shelves: 2012

I did enjoy this book, but I thought that so much of the story was just a rehashing of The House on Tradd Street. This time Melanie repaired her relationship with her mother instead of her father, Jack had a relationship with Rebecca instead of Melanie with Mark, more of the same between Jack and Melanie, and I thought the exorcism got a bit silly this time around, possibly to try and top Book 1. Anyway, even though I enjoyed the book overall, this is enough of Jack and Melanie for me.

like

· see review

Aug 04, 2011

Judy rated it

Shelves: audio-books

Like The house on Tradd Street, by the same author, I listened to this book in audio format. Karen white isn't writing grand literature here, nor deep intellectual treatises -- but she surely has the flair for putting together a delightful, story without getting sappy or romance-novelish. AND she has the ability to make a haunted Charleston home story -- well, what would you think if I said it was "believable." Ok, maybe that's a little too optimistic, but with just a bit of the abili...more

like

· see review

Apr 14, 2010

Mitzi rated it

Fantastic book from an awesome author. I've read several of her books and have never been disappointed. This is a 2nd book in the series. The first one is The House on Tradd Street. It is not necessary to read the 1st book to read this one but it does help a little with the background. It is set in a Charleston, SC if you love mysteries with a little "ghost" and "psychics" thrown in you'll absolutely love it. It also has some romance but not too much to be all "gushy"...more

like

· see review

Aug 20, 2011

Katie Blacker rated it

While I did enjoy this book, I thought the sequel left many unanswered questions. I hope this means there is going to be a third book. For instance, the giant cliffhanger at the end of the book left me with a lot of questions about Jack's past. I also wish there would have been a more definitive resolution about Jack and Melanie's relationship.
However, I did really enjoy the mystery aspect of this novel and the story of he ghosts and their pasts. Overall it was a good read that kept me tur...more

like

· see review

Feb 05, 2011

Melissa rated it

Melanie, a realtor in Charleston who sees ghosts, is forced to rebuild her relationship with her estranged mother, a famous opera singer and psychic. They must work together to unravel a family mystery that has an evil presence haunting their lives.

Another fun mystery by Karen White. I really enjoy her characters and her knack for creeping me out when I read late at night. I'd give this four stars, but towards the end I was waiting for the characters to catch up to me with solving the...more

like

· see review

Mar 04, 2010

Sara rated it

Shelves: 2010, adult-fiction, ghost-stories, series

3.5 stars. This sequel to The House on Tradd Street was entertaining but nowhere near as good as the first book. In this, Melanie Middleton - Charleston realtor and seer of ghosts - is shocked when her long-absent mother (a famous medium) returns to her life after being absent for over thirty years. Her mom wants Melanie's help in restoring her grandmother's old house and ridding it of the ghost there that means them harm. Melanie is also dealing with an annoying reporter who won't leave her...more3.5 stars. This sequel to The House on Tradd Street was entertaining but nowhere near as good as the first book. In this, Melanie Middleton - Charleston realtor and seer of ghosts - is shocked when her long-absent mother (a famous medium) returns to her life after being absent for over thirty years. Her mom wants Melanie's help in restoring her grandmother's old house and ridding it of the ghost there that means them harm. Melanie is also dealing with an annoying reporter who won't leave her alone and her attraction to Jack, the writer who helped her solve the mystery in the previous book.

I loved the descriptions of the city and the historical aspect to the book. The old houses sounded gorgeous (though a lot of work to restore), the ghosts that occasionally appeared to Melanie were interesting, and the mystery kept me reading. However, at times, it seemed that the mystery was needlessly complicated to the point where it almost didn't make sense; on more than one occasion, I had to flip back pages to remind myself of other details and try to keep everything straight. Along the same lines, the relationship between Melanie and Jack was stretched thin to the point of ridiculousness, keeping them apart for silly reasons and trying to draw out their relationship. Although Melanie was supposed to be nearly forty years old, her mentality at times (especially when it came to Jack) made her seem incredibly immature and irritating (scenes where she thought things like, "He kissed me! But he probably still hates me so I should avoid him" didn't particularly endear me to her).

So, there was quite a bit that drove me crazy about this novel and its main character, but I thought the book overall was pretty good - just not great. The setting was perfect, the mystery was entertaining, and the characters were well-described, even if they did make me roll my eyes more than once. The book ended on a cliffhanger (which I HATE), so I'm sure there will be a third book, which I'll no doubt read, since I'm now invested in this world. Hopefully, though, the third book will feature a much more mature Melanie because I don't think I can handle her being this immature again!(less)

like

· see review

Apr 07, 2010

Heidi rated it

Melanie is a real estate agent who sees dead people. Her mother, now back in Melanie's life after a 30-year estrangement, also sees dead people. And only the two of them together can defeat the ghost who's currently haunting Melanie's mother's new house.

I liked this book just as much as I liked The House on Tradd Street. I love Melanie's stubbornness and independence, I love the way she keeps her romantic interest guessing, I love her quirky friends, and I loved the way she didn...more

like

· see review

Jan 24, 2010

Nicole rated it

Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm, that quarrelsome investigative duo is back, and in between falling in love or maybe just getting on each other’s last nerve, they have another mystery to solve. Melanie’s mother, from whom Melanie has been estranged since childhood, has returned from living overseas and wants to buy her own mother’s old home on Legare Street and warn Melanie of the grave danger that surrounds her. Melanie’s mother claims that she has always had her best interests at heart...moreMelanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm, that quarrelsome investigative duo is back, and in between falling in love or maybe just getting on each other’s last nerve, they have another mystery to solve. Melanie’s mother, from whom Melanie has been estranged since childhood, has returned from living overseas and wants to buy her own mother’s old home on Legare Street and warn Melanie of the grave danger that surrounds her. Melanie’s mother claims that she has always had her best interests at heart, but among other things, Melanie is still hurt by her abandonment and is suspicious now because she seems to know more than she will say about the strange goings on in the Legare Street house. It remains to be seen is if she can put aside differences with her mother long enough to save both their lives from ghostly presences.

Karen White has created an engaging yet thoroughly frustrating twosome with would be lovers, Melanie and Jack. What’s so appealing about them is that their characterization is truthfully rooted in the defenses and coping mechanisms they each have formed due to painful events from their past. There is something a bit endearing about watching Melanie trying to keep control of a life that she used to be able to manage through careful and rigid planning. With Jack, and her family and friends trying to help her restore old houses and solve old mysteries, the days of order are gone forever. I was happy to see that best friend, and ever questionably dressed Dr. Sophie Wallen was back along with her “boyfriend”. They were great sources of comic relief. I also enjoyed the interaction that both Jack and Melanie had with former lovers more than how they interacted with each other, especially since any gains that they had previously made in their relationship seemed to have vanished.

While Jack and Melanie tried my patience, I did really love all of the research that went into this novel and the descriptions of the old houses, their restoration and the history and practices of the people who settled and became South Carolina’s most illustrious families. I was particularly interested in the “wreckers”, people who intentionally shined lights at ships and directed them into dangerous and rock waters where they killed the passengers on board and stole their cargo. The ghost story kept me guessing until nearly the end, and the ending clearly paves the way for the next in the series, and it seems that it delve more deeply into Jack’s past.

Both the House on Tradd Street and The Girl on Legare Street walk the line of being fun and well written mystery/ghost stories while still exploring the more serious issues of abandonment and alcoholism. I might not be able to continue with Melanie and Jack because their relationship just frustrates me to no end, but I enjoy White’s writing and I am looking forward to the new book, On Folly Beach, that she mentioned when she stopped by Linus’s Blanket earlier this month for an interview (read Karen White’s interview).(less)

like

· see review

Dec 09, 2009

Wendi rated it

Recommends it for: Dianne

I was really looking forward to this book after reading The House on Tradd Street (Book #1); however, I feel unsure about whether I really liked this 2nd book. It took more than 100 pages to start getting into it and then I almost stopped reading it several times because the lead characters were made so unlikeable that I found myself really irritated by them. Perhaps that's good writing on Karen's part (who I love by the way), but I felt that without at least one likable character, there wasn't ...more

like 1 like

· see review

title link	preview: The Girl On Legare Street
avg rating	preview: The Girl On Legare Street Goodreads rating: 3.91 (1127 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6330979-the-girl-on-legare-street?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255711125m/6330979.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6330979-the-girl-on-legare-street?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Girl On Legare Street by Karen White[/url]

The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

Books by Karen White

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Girl On Legar...

The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combine Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

Books by Karen White

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Girl On Legar...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)