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.

If you like ghost stories and the paranormal, if you like antiques and treasure hunts,if you like historic houses and Charleston, SC, if you like lots of humor and a little bit of romance, then read this book! I really, really enjoyed this page-turner and stayed up all night one night to try and make it to the end to see what happens. Melanie Middleton inherits the house on Tradd Street in Charleston built in 1840 from an old southern gentleman who has a sad and haunting story to tell. From the moment she meets Nevin Vanderhorst, who leaves her his historic and haunted house, Melanie is caught up in the story that the house has to tell. The action never stops and the story telling is wonderful. Don't miss the House on Tradd Street; there is something for everyone here. And there is another book coming in this series so hopefully we will see if Melanie and Jack ever get together!

Loved this book and can not wait for the next in the series due out late next year.
I hope the series goes past more than just 2 books!
Really great read! I could hardly put it down.
It has everything! I have been looking for a book like this for a long time.
It has mystery, ghosts, romance, history,...
I wish I could find more like it!

Charleston is my home so I am more than aware of the ghost stories that surround the homes in the city. We (Charleston natives) happen to believe most of them! This book was so intriguing, I had to make myself put it down! The places such as restaurants and shops are authentically correct. Buy the book, you will keep it on your shelf and re-read on a stormy, chilly, windy day! I can't wait to buy the sequel. FYI, Ms. White keeps her novels on the clean side of romance.

This book falls into the category "can't put it down". Melanie Middleton, a Charleston realtor who specializes in historic homes, gets drawn into a mystery filled with ghosts, jewels, romance, lies, and confessions. To make it all the better, this brilliant plot unfolds in the enchanting backdrop of Charleston, SC. This book grabs you and doesn't let you go...not even when it ends, you are left longing for more.

Murder and romance in an old haunted mansion south of Broad in Charleston, SC, was the perfect book for my introduction to author Karen White. Melanie Middleton is a highly successful realtor with all her ducks in a row until she inherits the house on Tradd Street and meets the perfect man in Jack Trenholm---plus a few unsettled spirits. The plot is loaded with mystery, suspense, romance and treasure. Miss Middleton is charming and engaging as an intelligent, yet vulnerable heroine. Her handling of her estrangements with her parents and her deep sense of responsibility to her benefactor make her believable and delightful. I can't wait for # 2 in this series scheduled for November 2009!

This book is rife with so many issues and themes that it could have easily become a tangled, unreadable mess. The fact that Karen White was able to deftly handle each and every plot is a testament to her talent as a writer. She was able to tackle everything from ghosts (both of the benevolent and evil varieties) to treasure, betrayals, love, abandonment, and even how one goes about restoring an old house to its former splendor.

Through all of that, White managed to create characters that are deeply flawed, yet also realistic, and the reader winds up truly caring about them as they navigate through traumas and obstacles that not only creep up on them in present day, but also those that befell them in the past.

Even as they deal with pain and loss, their likability shines through, which leads to quite a bit of humor throughout the book. Case in point - the story's protagonist is, on the surface, all about strict organization and efficiency, and the reader quickly finds out that this is part of the defense mechanism that she's relied upon since her incredibly troubled childhood. A less talented writer would have made it pretty difficult to care about Melanie, but White imbues her with so much snark, humor, and quirks - i.e. her love of spreadsheets is second only to her utter devotion to sugar in all of its various forms - that the reader quickly becomes invested in her and her relationships as she deals with (amongst other things) a multitude of ghosts and her desire to solve the mystery of a family's tumultuous, tragic past.

Then, too, Jack is an excellent foil for Melanie. Rather than merely being an exceptionally attractive playboy writer, his charm and humor endear him to readers as he interacts with Melanie, and tries to solve a mystery or two of his own, while he's still reeling from an event that caused him a great deal of emotional pain.

This book was very good on any number of levels - it's both funny and sad at times; the multiple mysteries are all interesting and suspenseful; and the ghosts run the gamut from being heartwarming to exceedingly creepy and dangerous. It is truly a great book, and the only downside to it is that, according to the pages at the book's end, we have to wait quite awhile until the next installment of Melanie and Jack's adventures is released.

If you're not a believer in ghosts, you'll change your mind after you read Karen's latest best seller contender. The House on Tradd Street has everything you look for in a great read. Wonderfully portrayed characters who are so multifaceted they literally jump off the pages. A story that is so entertaining that you can't stop turning pages until it's done. And last but not least the writing is first class.
No one tells a story like Karen White and if you've read her before you'll know what I mean and if you haven't, well what are you waiting for.
As our story begins top real estate seller, Melanie Middleton has just inherited a run down Charleston mansion and you guessed it, it's haunted. In steps bestselling author and hunk Jack Trenholm who offers help to Melanie to restore the falling down house. Melanie has more to worry about than just a too handsome partner, she has family issues she doesn't want to deal with but finds impossible not to and secrets are being revealed and mysteries about the house and it's past occupants abound. And if that's not enough she has another beau that's vying for her attention. Now all she has to do is solve the mystery and stay alive and sane.

This lively mystery held my interest completely. It was hard to put down. Karen White is a great author and I'll read more of her books.
J Hurst
Tallahassee, FL

I loved this book. The reviewer who said this book has everything was right on the money. I enjoyed everything: the setting, the characters and the plot. I am an avid mystery reader and am happy to add this new series to my list. I've already made a note to be watching for the next installment due out in November, 2009.

Melanie Middleton has made a name for herself as one of Charleston's finest realtors specializing in historic homes. From faded, torn wallpaper to chipping, cracked paint, there is nothing quite like that feeling of exhilaration associated with restoring a piece of history. Within the walls lie snippets of actual events that define the character and charm of a place that's been called home by generations of South Carolinian families.

Quite ironically, Melanie's fondness for the source of her livelihood abruptly comes to an end once her client signs on the dotted line. Whereas they see the structures as diamonds in the rough, Melanie views them more as old piles of decaying wood most likely infested with termites. She'd much rather live in a place surrounded by pristine walls painted in crisp, white paint than have to bang hammers and nails to bring back an old house's luster.

As if the fates were plotting against her, Melanie winds up inheriting one of the finest examples of Charleston architecture on Tradd Street...the former home of Mr. Vanderhorst, a prominent man in the city. She soon discovers that her newly acquired bequest comes with some major stipulations. First, she must inhabit the home for one year. And secondly, she has to restore it back to its antebellum grandeur financed by the generosity of this mysterious gentleman.

While debating her options, Melanie meets Jack Trenholm, a handsome writer who has a particular interest in the house. According to his research, there may be some missing diamonds from the Confederate Treasury hidden within the walls. Realizing she has nothing to lose and much to gain, she agrees to allow him to search for what might be the key to the historic home's history. What they don't expect to find are some angry ghosts who would prefer to let the past remain uncovered.

THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET is the latest novel by the exceptionally talented Karen White, who expertly depicts the Southern charm of South Carolina's lowcountry through her poetic yet concise writing. Once again, she delivers what her readers have come to expect...sweet delight.

The title and faux-impressionist cover speak of the setting but conceal the contents. At least the blurb is honest; otherwise people might be quite surprised to find themselves reading a ghost story with strong romance and mystery elements.

The eponymous house on Tradd Street is Melanie Middleton's unexpected inheritance. She grew up in Charleston and appreciates the history, but she doesn't appreciate the upkeep old houses require nor that her mother sold their house when it was supposed to become Melanie's. Though Melanie has become a realtor specializing in historical homes, she lives in an ultra modern apartment. But now Nevin Vanderhorst has died and left his home to Melanie with several strings attached. To her the most bothersome is having to live in the house.

Mr. Vanderhorst's mother left the family with Joseph Longo when he was a child, a strangely out-of-character move. Melanie inherited the ability to see ghosts from her mother and now she can see both Louisa Vanderhorst and a more malevolent, unknown male presence. However, Melanie wants to keep her nose out of the mystery. On the other hand, handsome, younger author Jack Trenholm is all too interested in the mystery. Joseph's descendant Marc Longo also approaches her to purchase the house.

In addition to suddenly gaining a social life, Melanie's parents are re-entering her life. Her former alcoholic father has been given control of the finances to restore the house and her runaway mother is calling. To survive her childhood Melanie became a very anal and controlled woman. The ghosts, suitors, and reemerging family ties through her off-balance and force her to own up to parts of herself she prefers to ignore.

There's quite a bit going on in THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET and Karen White manages well. She rotates between focusing on the family, mystery, or romantic aspect often enough that you don't forget one plot thread is happening but not so often that the story loses its flow. The characters get less equal attention. Melanie is very well-developed and Jack has interesting dimensions. Marc, the final point of the triangle, is fairly one-note. Sophie and Chad, two supporting characters who appear frequently, are entertaining but rarely escape being stereotypical modern hippies. While I liked all of the characters, in the end I felt like I only had a grasp on Melanie.

I had recently read The Color of Light for my book club. I really enjoyed it so I thought I would try another of Karen White's books. I finished The House on Tradd Street and am now reading The Memory of Water.

The House on Tradd Street started with a great premise - an old man bequeaths an aging house, in desperate need of love and renovation, to a woman he barely knows - she has an underlying connection to the house and its prior inhabitants that she doesn't even know about! Intriguing premise with that aura of mystery every good story needs!

I thought that many facets of this book were very predictable. Girl inherits house, girl hates old homes, girl works on restoring old home, girl finds appreciation in old homes....end of story! However, throw in the ghosts, the mystery of the deaths and diamonds, and a few other twists and turns, and you have a really good story.

As previous reviewers have mentioned, Melanie does have her flaws. She is a little cynical and parts of the love story are cliched. Overall however I found this a quick moving book as I was anxious to discovery the whodunit as well as the AHA - that's where they were hiding! I think Karen White did a great job on the Indiana Jones/National Treasure/Goonies aspect of this novel.

Looking forward to other books of hers!

Thoroughly enjoyable read. The story is filled with humor, family traditions, and mystery. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, it explores folk lore and gives a fictional look into the past of an old home. This is the first time I read this author; but she is on my list of 'keepers'. Her characters are well developed, lovable, or easy to hate if necessary, and her ability to put you there at the scene is unsurpassed. Take a break read a relatively new author and a great book set in the Lowcountry.

This book was frustrating to me. Melanie ignores all trouble which annoys me. She is the type to just stick her head in the sand and hope all bad things will just evaporate. I just can't imagine an educated, professional, 40 year old woman acting so silly. I've tried to read this series twice and I just can't deal with the personality of the main character. She's very immature and selfish. This just isn't the series for me.