Book Review: The Mermaid in the Basement by Gilbert Morris

This page contains affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale. This does not cost you anything. But if you do use my links, I appreciate your support.

Synopsis from the back of the book: 

It’s London, 1857, and everything is at stake for Serafina Trent. A woman of means…but not the typical Victorian lady who feels her place is to be seen and not heard. When her brother’s most recent female dalliance, a beautiful actress, is found murdered, all evidence points to him. Especially since the actress had just rejected him in a most public manner. Now everyone believes Clive is headed for the gallows. Everyone, that is, but Serafina.

Determined to prove her brother’s innocence, Serafina finds herself working with unlikely allies — including Dylan Tremayne, a passionate storyteller and actor with a criminal past. This novel will hold fans of mystery and history spellbound until the very last page.

My review:

I love historical mysteries and this was a good one. I enjoyed the differences between the two main characters, Lady Serafina and Dylan. She had a scientific mindset and he had a creative one. It made for some interesting interaction between them, particularly when it came to Dylan’s faith. I did figure out who the killer was, but it was almost at the same time that they did.

Lady Serafina was interesting to get to know. Because of her past experiences, she was against intangible things, like Dylan’s faith. I liked that even though she scoffed at it, there was still a part of her that was curious and willing to ask questions. I also loved how loyal she was to her family.

I loved Dylan. His background was questionable, but he had come to know Christ and had great faith. He was a really good offset for Serafina in that he was creative where she was scientific. He was a humble man and I liked how he interacted with everyone he came in contact with, particularly Serafina’s son.

What I enjoyed most about this book:

Definitely Dylan’s faith and how he showed it to Serafina.

What I didn’t like about this book:

Some of the descriptions were a little long for my taste. I tend to be a skipper if I get too much description and I didn’t want to do that with this book for fear that I would miss a clue.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Would I recommend this book to others?  Yes, especially if you like Victorian era mysteries. This is the first book in this series and I am looking forward to seeing how things progress with Dylan and Lady Serafina.

Where can I learn more about this author and their books?

Gilbert Morris, Goodreads page

 

Save