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.

more ( )

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!