I wondered why this book felt so old fashioned and I realized this original came out in the 1950’s. It didn’t hold my attention. I prefer contemporary fiction.

I didn't know until after finishing reading this book, that it was repackaged and rereleased and was originally published in 1959. I think my entire reading experience would have been different had I known, not sure if I would have liked it anymore.

Johnny Simms has been a friend of Nan Padgett almost their entire lives and quite possibly in love with her also. When all of the sudden she is engaged to be married and her aunt detests the suitor and flies home from Paris to hopefully stop the wedding. Johnny is bound and determined to help her aunt stop the wedding and he must solve a murder mystery to do so.

Although not a long book, it took forever for the real drama to pick up and I felt as though all of the action took place in the last few pages and I was wishing for more buildup throughout the book. I haven't read many classic murder mysteries and not sure after this one, I will seek any out.

I don't really understand why this book was on NetGalley when it was originally published in 1959. Overall, it's a good read, though the writing did feel old-fashioned (that's why I looked up when it was published).

Just a bit too old-school for me to enjoy. I didn't connect with any of the characters and kept getting confused on who was who, was left a bit unsatisfied with the ending. There were also a few plot holes that bothered me, and the female characters are written quite ditzy. I guess it was the 50's, but I'm a modern reader! It's a quick read, so might be worth a shot if you're in the right mood. Old house, old money, older secrets. It all takes place over a very short amount of time, when a young woman named Nan announces her engagement to a man named Richardson Bartee. They've had a whirlwind romance, but are still surprised when Nan's aunt, who has cared for her most of her life, is dismayed by the news. She tells Nan that under no circumstances is she to follow through with the marriage, but no one knows why! Her friend Johnny Simms knows that dear Aunt Emily must have her reason, and is determined to find out why she's so against the marriage before Nan and Richardson are tied together forever.

This book was re-released it was originally written in 1959. It has a good storyline and is well written but I was not expecting this book to be written so long ago looking at the cover and reading the previews for it. The person responsible for marketing this book did a good job on the outside its modern the problem is they left the book as originally published which is ok if they would have kept the original cover or at least made it not seem as this book was recently written but otherwise it's a decent story.

This is a great mystery that keeps you turning the pages. Twits, turns and a writing style that readers will fall in love with.

I did not finish this story as I did not engage with the story on any level.

First published in 1959 Something Blue is the story of two cousins, Dot & Nan, both raised by their aunt Emily after Nan's father was convicted of murdering her mother. When Nan excitedly tells her aunt that she is engaged Emily returns home immediately from a trip to convince her niece to abandon her plans to marry as she believes the fiancé is the actual murderer. Before Emily's untimely and mysterious death ( in the hospital no less) she enlists Nan's boyhood friend Johnny to prove her theory and stop her niece from making a big mistake. That's the easy part-after that things get fairly complicated as Johnny goes to meet Nan's father in prison to hear what he has to say, learns that Emily changed Nan's name to protect her and her from learning the truth about her past and to protect her inheritance as well. There are enough other characters involved that it does become confusing so you might want to take notes so you can remember who's who. Will Johnny be the hero and save Nan from making a big mistake or is this the result of Emily's imagination? Overall, this is a short, easy but slightly confusing mystery-in other words a good read.

It appears that this book was originally published in 1959. The writing itself seems a bit old-fashioned; however, the book was an enjoyable one. At less than 200 pages, it’s also a nice length if you don’t feel like reading one of the larger ones on the marketplace, or you’d like to try out an author whose books were very popular in the past. I have to say that I have been happy that so many good books are coming out again, so a new generation can enjoy them.

I loved how the author drew me into the story from the very beginning; the plot was definitely original, and I can see why she had a dedicated fan base. I also found her way of describing the characters actions to be spot-on because she does a delightful job of showing not telling.

I picked two more of her books to add to my to-be-read pile.

Nan had her arm around Johnny as he came up the stairs. Dorothy/Dot asked Johnny how college had been. Dot was Nan's cousin. Nan then told Johnny she was in love and engaged to be married to Richardson Bartee. Nan called her aunt Emily in Paris to tell her and as soon as Emily heard the name she told Nan not to get married that Emily was flying home . Emily and Dorothy were the only family Nan had. Both Nan’s and Dorothy’s parents had died in a car accident together. Emily had raised the girls and Emily wrote short stories for a living and worked from home. When Nan was younger there had been a school dance and Nan didn’t have a date so Johnny’s mom had talked him into taking Nan and he was there for her in every way he could be since. Nan was the shy and sensitive one while Dot was the more outgoing and very popular one of the two girls. Emily Had changed her and the girl’s names as in reality Nan’s father was in prison for the murder of her mother but Clinton- her dad was innocent and Richardson Bartee had killed Nan’s mom when he was fifteen years old. Then while on the plane Nan’s aunt Emily had heart problems and was taken right to the hospital. Emily then leaves a message that she needed to see Johnny and told him the whole story and made him promise to see her brother Clinton. Later that evening Richardson came to the hospital and killed Emily. Then when Johnny does go to see Clinton he finds out Nan has a lot of money coming to her. Old man Bartee had been sending money to Emily for Nan since her mother’s death. Johnny was asked to find out if he could if Richardson did or didn’t kill Nan's’ mom.
Excellent story I loved this. It kept me interested all the way through the story until the last page. I loved how Emily sacrificed for her two nieces even giving up her trip around the world to rush home. I was kinda disappointed in Nan how she was turning her back on everyone she had known most of her life for a man she hadn’t known very long and how she could be cruel to them as well. She was suppose to be the sensitive one and in parts acted the spoiled little brat but got past that and kinda understood she had been swept off her feet. I did feel bad that she had to find out on her wedding day her new husband was a murderer and only wanted her money not her. But all and all a great story. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story as well as the plot and I highly recommend.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. After writing my review, I had to edit as I realized that this book was originally published in 1959 and is being recovered, converted to EBook and republished.

I was excited to read “Something Blue” by Charlotte Armstrong after looking at the cover and reading the synopsis. I often decide whether to read or move on after viewing only the cover. I was also intrigued as to why the title is “Something Blue” but the girl is wearing red. This was a great cover, but does not seem to fit with the story. The main character, Nan, is not running from anything in the book as shown on the cover. Additionally, I would think that Nan is the girl portrayed on the cover, but she has dark hair (Dorothy has blonde). The new cover implies that the story is set in modern times. However, it is approximately 1955 in the book. That explains some of the phrases used (e.g., ring-tailed doozer). I would make it obvious on the cover with time-appropriate clothing or simply have the year at the beginning of the first chapter.

Moving on. I mentioned that this book is older and has been converted to EBook format. I hope before that happens (in 17 days), someone runs spell check and gives it a quick edit.

Good premise, but a couple of plot holes. First, Aunt Emily had to concoct new identities for their safety, yet she visited her brother every week. Not quite a clean break. Very hard to believe that so many people knew, yet no one tried to find Nan or ever let the cat out of the bag. E.g., Nan’s employer knew and even introduced her to Dick Bartee. A normal person would not really let that happen!

Secondly, the Bartee family hated Clinton McCauley. How would he even have opened the safe on the night of the murder? They would never have told him the combination.

Thirdly, When Johnny visits Dick’s old roommate and acts like he just happens to be sitting in a bar striking up a conversation, he says, “That’s right. We used to play you.” If this were a chance encounter, how would Johnny know where George Rush went to school. A normal person would have turned to him and said, “how do you know this?”

I wanted to reach through the book and smack Nan. She is such a simpering, needy girl that she cannot see Dick is a lying jerk even though all her friends and family keep telling her. She cannot wait a few weeks to get married to possibly sort things out.

And Dorothy. She goes back and forth from being apprehensive about the marriage to being cheerful about it… when telling Johnny that Nan “flew home with Dick.” What? Make up your mind.

Johnny is just as bad. He is in love with Nan and is upset when she plans to marry Dick. By the end of the book, he and Dorothy are going to make a go of it.

Lots of odd connections in this book. Dick dated Blanche who is now married to Bart, Jr. Blanche’s father is the family lawyer, Marshall. Marshall defended Clinton McCauley in the murder trial. Nate Bartee was involved with Kate Callahan who later was involved with Clinton McCauley when his wife was murdered.

The entire plot is based on Dick wanting Nan’s inheritance. It was mentioned that she received 5K for 17 years. Yes, this book was set in 1955, but 85K (even with interest) does not seem like enough money to justify the intense plan that Dick had to devise, implement and execute for that amount of cash. It was mentioned that her inheritance was going to be security for a loan, but again, just did not seem like enough security for a “rather large loan” to overhall an aging winery and restore a mansion.

The book was OK but a bit hard to read. Two stars.

This was my first book by this author. It was an okay read. I just could really get into much of it. The story was good but something just didn't click for me.