Death of a Doll

Rediscover the brilliance of Death of a Doll in the Mermaid Collection - classic books by popular pioneering female authors republished to delight new generations of readers. Pre-order this gorgeous edition now. 'The Mermaid Collection is so sure-footed that you're unlikely to go wrong' India Knight****It's the 1940s, and Hope House, a New York City boarding house for women has always led a rather sleepy existence. Until quiet Ruth Miller moves in, bringing an aura of disturbance . . . Two days later her lifeless body is found on the street - but did she fall or was she pushed?‘The new girl, Monny. I have the most awful feeling. As if she were going to – bring us trouble. I’m afraid she’s one of the quiet ones that – blow up . . .’Hope House, a female boarding house in Manhattan, helps young women gain a respectable toehold in the city. But when its newest resident, Ruth Millar, attends a rag doll party, she falls from a seventh-floor window.While the police declare her death a suicide, private detective Mark East finds evidence to undermine this conclusion.East is ably assisted by two formidable elderly spinsters, Miss Beulah and Miss Bessy, who infiltrate Hope House in their search for clues. Soon it’s clear that Ruth had a dark past which had at last caught up with her.Someone at Hope House knows the truth. But whoever killed Ruth is an expert at hiding in plain sight . . .Praise for Hilda Lawrence:‘A treasure of a mystery novel’ New York Times Book Review‘A distinguished book’ San Francisco Chronicle