Excellent book, intriguing plot. The author is a classic mystery writer and ha many great books. I look forward to reading her other books.

I absolutely adore classic mysteries and meeting classic detectives. I really enjoyed nurse/sleuth Miss Pinkerton so much that I will be reading the series! I'll be putting this on my mystery book club list and purchasing it for the library.

The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart is the 2nd novel in The Hilda Adams Mysteries. Hilda Adams is looking forward to a relaxing evening after her latest assignment ends. Unfortunately, Hilda receives a call asking her to take on a special assignment. Eliza Fairbanks claims there have been bats in her sealed bedroom as well as other creatures. Eliza is making some outrageous claims. Dr. Brooke wants Hilda to investigate. Hilda quickly packs a bag and heads to the Fairbanks home. Hilda meets Eliza and finds the elderly woman to be quite sane. Eliza believes someone is trying to kill her. Unfortunately, Eliza is soon proven correct when she is found dead in her room. Can Hilda find Eliza’s killer? The Haunted Lady was originally written in 1942. I enjoy reading these older mystery novels. I thought it was well-written with an interesting cast of characters. I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I liked Nurse Hilda Adams who is a keen observer. The mystery was well-done and there were some clever details. I appreciated that it had a nice wrap-up with the strange happenings explained in an easy to understand manner. The mystery was fun to solve. I did find the ending to be a little odd and unsatisfying. I appreciated the introduction written by Otto Penzler with information about Mary Roberts Rinehart writing career and her style of writing. The Haunted Lady is a pleasing historical mystery with baffling bats, a fighting family, a secure room, a nosey nurse, and a mysterious murder.

An enjoyable drawing room mystery from the golden age of detective fiction written by Mary Roberts Rinehart, America’s Agatha Christie.

Though many of the tropes used in the book feel shopworn to the modern reader, this is still a fun, closed-circle mystery that is nicely paced and fairly well plotted.

Rinehart keeps you guessing until the bitter end, and the solve checks out against some of the clues sprinkled throughout the narrative, though the puzzle would be tough to crack without a semi-frustrating info dump at the end.

The bit with the radio was convoluted and somewhat irritating, and the killer’s motive felt a little thin (especially compared to the motive some of the other suspects would have had), but it’s a fun read with solid setting.

Arsenic And Sugar Bowls, Bats And Rats.....
Arsenic and sugar bowls, bats and rats, eccentric relatives and a locked room. Nurse Hilda Adams (Miss Pinkerton) to the rescue? Delightful Golden Age mystery with a colourful cast of characters, Nurse Adams is a joy. Great fun.

I found this classic mystery very well wriitten, the story keeps you guessing until the end. I recommend for all mystery lovers

The mystery was well written, i've never even hear of this novel before reading it. i did figure it out before the end of the novel but the author put the clues throughout the novel which made it easier. Overall, the characters were okay. it took me a while to get into but i wanted to give it a try. as a huge Agatha Christie fan this pulled me in being the "American Agatha Christie"

This novel was pretty good but just needed more on the characters.

The Haunted Lady is the fourth Hilda Adams mystery by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Originally released in 1942, this reformat and re-release from Penzler as part of the American Mystery Classics series was released 7th April, is 288 pages and available in ebook format (other editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

Although ostensibly the fourth book in the series, these lovely classic mysteries can be read in any order. Rinehart was a really adept writer and all of these tales are wonderfully convoluted, the clues are fair-play, and the puzzles delightful.

As always, the introduction by mystery maven Otto Penzler, is erudite, incisive, informative, and interesting.

Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of the author, and for the insighful history lesson from Mr. Penzler. It's also very nice to see these classics (however dated) being re-released for a new generation of fans.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Mrs. Eliza Fairbanks is an elderly woman who lives in a large home and swears that bats, rats, and birds get in her bedroom at night. After a recent incident where she was poisoned with arsenic, but survived, she in convinced that someone is trying to kill her. After requesting that the police patrol her house at night, they suggest that she get a nurse/companion.

Hilda Adams, age 38, is a well qualified nurse who works often with the police department and is quite skilled in cases like this. So, she sets up a table outside Mrs. Fairbanks bedroom where she stays up all night to guard the woman. There are several other family members and servants also living in the home. As Hilda meets each member of the family, she tries to determine if they could be the person trying to harm Mrs. Fairbanks and if so, for what reason.

The days and nights are filled with drama from each of the strange characters which keeps Hilda on her toes treating them and their many ailments, self-inflicted or not.

When Mrs. Fairbanks is stabbed to death literally under Hilda’s nose, the young nurse is very determined to find the killer and how they got away with murder.

I enjoyed the story and the time period. In the introduction to the book, the readers is warned to look out for certain things that might be said or written as they may contain clues. I can’t really say that I found them helpful, but I did not figure out who the killer was either. However, this is a great, old-fashioned who-done-it that I enjoyed very much. I have read other books by this author but it has been quite awhile. Now, I must look for more of her books to read.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

June 1941. Mrs Eliza Fairbanks is convinced that someone is trying to scare her, probably to her death. Bats and rats have been found in her room, but no-one knows how they have been introduced into the room. Inspector Fuller decides to put his 'Miss Pinkerton' or Nurse Hilda Adams into the house to watch over the old lady. But Nurse Adams fails as one morning Mrs Eliza Fairbanks is found dead, but how did this occur.
An enjoyable story as the mystery unfolds, with Hilda finding a few clues as she investigates and solves the case.
Originally written in 1942

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

To my chagrin, I have to admit that I hadn’t read any of Mary Roberts Rinehart’s writing before this year. The author’s name sounded vaguely familiar, but it was only recently that I heard her being called the “American Agatha Christie.” Of course, that little phrase made me curious.

Hilda Adams is a nurse with a sharp eye and good problem-solving skills. In this particular book, she’s asked by the police- who she’s worked well with previously- to stay nights with the wealthy, older Mrs. Fairbanks, who is convinced that someone is trying to kill her. Hilda reluctantly agrees, expecting nothing more than the paranoia of a lonely woman. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a who dunnit, one that takes place within a locked room. I truly love locked room mysteries!

I thought the mystery itself was clever, and the author planted the clues along the way, so that- were I smart enough- I might have solved it on my own. Alas, I am not. Thankfully, Hilda was also on the case! The cast of suspects felt a little flat to me, however. I was hoping for more from them, as far as personality goes. I struggled to feel the sense of excitement or tension that I often find in Agatha Christie’s books. Hilda herself was fun to read, though. She was a no-nonsense sort, but she was also far from impervious to nerves.

I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t love it. It was a fun read, and a good way to pass some time, but I wasn’t blown away.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

When repeated attempts to rattle or kill wealthy widow Eliza Fairbanks occur, the police send nurse Hilda Adams to care for her. Greeted by a swarm of relatives with motives to kill the woman, Adams knows Eliza's imagination did not get carried away. When the woman turns up dead, the police and nurse Adams must sift through lies and clues to come up with the real murderer. Roberts drops too many obvious hints of future events. The mystery shows its age in some aspects, but it still presents an interesting puzzle for modern readers. I received an advance review copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

I have never read this author, but truly enjoyed this book. I will be looking for more. The mystery kept me guessing and I liked the characters. I will be looking for more from this classic author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I loved the first book in this series, and unreservedly recommend it. I cannot recommend this one for several reasons. First, there were more curse words than were in the first book. There was also one scene where a side character peruses a doctor’s books for sordid reasons. Finally, one hundred and four pages in the language became to foul for my personal standards. That's where I quit reading.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and American Mystery Classics. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.

Nurse Hilda Adams receives a call from Inspector Fuller that he needs her to go to the home of Eliza Fairbanks. Mrs. Fairbanks has been to see the Inspector because, first someone tried to kill her with arsenic, and is now trying to scare her with bats and rats. It was verified by her granddaughter, Jan.

The home is a very large house. She is met at the door by Jan, and first meets Jan's father, Frank Garrison, and step mother, Eileen (Jan's former nanny) who are on the way out from a visit. Living in the house besides Mrs. Fairbanks and her granddaughter are her daughter Marion, divorced from Frank, her son Carlton the son's wife Susie, along with four staff, Maggie the cook, Ida, William, and Amos. Mrs. Fairbanks is very stingy with her money, and thus, someone's motivation probably has to do with money. The other important character is Doctor Courtney Brooke, who lives across the street and is in love with Jan.

Hilda very quickly finds that Eliza Fairbanks isn't imagining things. She soon finds a bat in Eliza's room, and hears strange noises in the house. She sits up outside Eliza's room during the night, and tries to catch her sleep during the day when the doctor or Jan are on watch. However, she can't prevent Eliza from being knifed before the book is half over. Hilda (Miss Pinkerton as she is called by the Inspector) stays on and continues sleuthing, while the police go from one suspect to another. When there is another death, Hilda realizes it's someone who knows too much and figures out all the connections.

Having previously only read the author’s first novel “The Man in Lower Ten” i was eager to read one of her later works. This appeared first in 1942 and features the nurse/detective Hilda Adams aka Miss Pinkerton.

Personally, I do not see the similarity between the author and Agatha Christie. I struggled to finish “The Haunted Lady”, mired down in conversations which seemed to lead nowhere. The plotting is not particularly intricate, and while the characterisation is quite sharp, i did not find the protagonists all that engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the Advance Digital Review Copy.

The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts RinehartHilda Adams has just gotten home from her last job when the phone rings again. She doesn't want to take the case but she knows the name Eliza Fairbanks and she remembers seeing the wedding of Fairbanks' daughter (though the marriage eventually ended in divorce.) So Hilda packs up herself and puts a cover on her birdcage and heads over to the Fairbanks mansion.
It seems that Eliza has reported a high number of animals entering her room, bats and rats, as well as mysterious happenings like her closet door opening when no one is there. The only one who believes her is her granddaughter, Jan.
But then Eliza is murdered and Hilda is left in the house. Possibly with a killer. For sure with a lot of people, all of whom are lying to her for one reason or another.
A decent story but some parts to slog through. Hilda was pretty kick ass (especially for the time she was written in) even though she made some missteps in this story.

Three and a half stars
This book will be reissued on April 7th
ARC kindly provided by American Mystery Classics and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A 1940's mystery novel in which a nurse, Hilda Adams, is asked by the police to take a post with an elderly woman who believes someone in her family is trying to kill her. When the woman ends up murdered, Hilda helps the police investigate. This is part of a series of books about Hilda, and it was not bad. I would probably read more of these. It says the author is the American Agatha Christie, but I don't know after only this book that I agree with that. Some of it was kind of confusing with a lot happening in rapid succession, hard to keep straight, but it had a good ending. 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

"The Haunted Lady" is a mystery set in America that was originally published in 1942. It's a part of a series featuring Hilda, a nurse that helps out the police on cases, but it works as a standalone novel. The author had a very obvious way of pointing out clues using a "little did I know how important that would be…" style. Some things were easy to figure out because of this, but she left the clues open enough that basically anyone could have been the murderer until nearly the end. The person that I thought had acted the most suspiciously did turn out to be the murderer. A fun puzzle to sort through.

The characters were not really developed since the focus was on finding clues and solving the mystery. Hilda asked questions and poked around, observing the tiniest details. Hilda was likable, and the author kept telling us so. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to those who like the type of styles that came out of this period.

Generally I am not a fan of the locked room mystery, but I am a great fan of Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth, contemporaries of Mary Roberts Rinehart, so I wanted to give this a try.
I enjoyed the book, but I did think it dragged in places. I didn’t care for any of the characters, but I did appreciate the glimpse into life in the USA in 1941. I had not realized the effects of the 1929 stock market crash was continuing to affect everyday lives to such an extent. The book is well written with a good plot, quite ingenious methods of deception are employed by the murderer. Would I read another by the author, probably yes. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a preview copy.