Customer Reviews

The Mermaid in the Basement (Lady Trent Mystery Series #1)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I truly enjoyed reading this book. In fact, I stayed up too late finishing it because I had to know how it ended!
This is a great book for fans of historical fiction, romance, and mystery! Gilbert Morris keeps the reader guessing until the end!
I can't wait until the next book in the series is released!
P.S. The title makes sense once you read the book. Literally, it has nothing to do with a mermaid in a basement!

I liked this book. Personally I think it is better than some of his other books, but not better than the Cheney Duvall, M.D. series he wrote with Lynn Morris.

Lady Trent is a fascinating character...a strong woman of science who is still willing to examine the possibility of Christ and his ressurection. She is a staunch supporter of her family as well as being a leader.

Gilbert Morris does a good job of making and developing her character through the book.

Good Read.

I love mysteries! I love historical romances! Therefore, I really enjoyed reading this book by Gilbert Morris. I always enjoy reading Mr. Morris's books. His style of writing keeps you captivated from the beginning of the book. And he develops the characters in a very realistic way. I am looking forward to the second book in the series. And I hope he continues the series even beyond that.

Great book, Good detail fast moving. Enough clues to keep your interest throughout the book, I went on to purchase 2nd book in series...

I started this book not knowing quite what to expect. Often I just can't "click" with characters in Victorian settings very well, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case here.

When a famous London actress is found murdered, Viscountess Serafina Trent's brother is arrested with all the evidence pointing to him, though he insists that he is innocent. Serafina believes him, and she's determined to do everything in her power to clear his name. Though she receives help from the unlikely source of a theatre actor, it's beginning to look like nothing short of a miracle can save her brother from hanging. But Serafina is a scientist, and she doesn't believe in miracles...

"The Mermaid in the Basement" really brought 19th century London alive for me. As I read it, I almost felt as if I was walking the streets right along with the characters, seeing what they were seeing. The difference in social classes, the extreme poverty of some and the wealth of others, the portrayal made these things seem much more real to me than other books have been able to do.

A few reviews have said the book is a bit too "preachy", but I didn't think that at all, in fact I was actually thinking it's less preachy than most. The leading man is one of faith, but his character is so natural, I don't know that I've ever read a book with a character whose faith was so much a part of his personality. It did not seem forced in any way at all.

This book touches on a couple subjects that aren't normally in Christian fiction, but the author does it in a very tactful way and it wasn't offensive to me at all. This is the first book by Gilbert Morris that I've read, and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequels, A Conspiracy of Ravens (Lady Trent Mystery Series #2) and Sonnet to a Dead Contessa (Lady Trent Mystery Series #3).

I really enjoyed this book. But then I have never read a Gilbert Morris book I didn't like. He is an awesome author.

I read this novel about 2 years ago, and to be honest, I can hardly remember the significance of the title in the story itself. So don't worry -- this isn't a book about mermaids :).

I was pleasantly surprised reading this series! The characters are well-written and believable, and the story is both mysterious and fun. This isn't a novel that'll keep you up at night with gut-wrenching hardship or horrific brutality. But all the good elements of an attention-grabbing mystery novel are all there.

As Christian fiction, I highly recommend this book. Some may find it preachy, but I'm pretty sensitive to "preachy" novels -- can't stand 'em -- and the characters in this book present their lives with real character. It doesn't read as something forced or added as an afterthought to make the book seem more religious. I definitely got the sense of genuineness, especially from the male lead. He turned out to be my favorite character in this series. And that wasn't hard. What's not to like about a handsome and witty actor who's also in love with the Lord? :)

Historically speaking, I'm not an expert on accuracy, but I will say it was fun having the characters rub shoulders with a few famous names every now and then. Although, those parts seemed a bit unnecessary and not important to the overall story, like they were added as an afterthought just to give the reader a frame of reference for the time period and culture. It wasn't a big deal for me, but I'm pretty sure historical purists might not be able to overlook potential flaws.

I'd give this book 4.5 stars if I could, since I wouldn't say it's the BEST book I've ever read. But it gets a full 5 just for surprising my socks off. Don't expect much going into it, and let yourself be pleasantly surprised by the characters and the story. You'll get more out of it that way. :)

Viscountess Serafina Trent is not the typical high-society, well-to-do woman. She is a scientist who has learned to believe only in what she can see and trust only what she can prove. When her brother, Clive Newton, is arrested for the murder of an actress, all the evidence points to him. She believes with all her heart that he is innocent and attempts to use her brilliant, scientific mind to set him free. Dylan Tremayne, a superb theater actor, volunteers to assist her in her search for clear Clive's name. Reluctantly, she accepts help and finds his friendship to be a blessing to her life. Together, they work day and night, and an attraction grows between them despite Serafina's determination to never marry again.

The Mermaid In The Basement by Gilbert Morris is both a mystery and a historical fiction book. It is very well-written and the plot and characters were completely believable. I enjoyed how the author introduced the protagonist to Charles Dickens at one point. The romance between Serafina and Dylan was highly predictable; however, the ending was not. I intend to visit the library soon and see if the sequel to this book is available.

I have enjoyed Gilbert Morris books for years, and I liked his previous mystery series, but this book disappointed me. Yes, it had its elements of interest. However, by the fifth chapter, I grew weary with the plot as it became predictable. When I reached the tenth chapter, I had figured out the ending... and after debating whether I should continue reading the remaining twelve chapters, I went ahead and read the ending. It was as I predicted.
Don't get me wrong, I love his novels. This book just isn't one of my favorites.

As an Englishwoman,and an avid 'cozy mystery' reader, I was really looking forward to finding a new series of books to enjoy - especially as these were set in my favorite time and place - Victorian England. Sadly, I was very disappointed. The author had very obviously not performed enough research into his subject and there were many errors. Some of the most grating errors were the Victorian aristocracy eating 'Buckwheat Pancakes' for breakfast - and the young (Lord or Viscount - can't quite remember) calling his mother 'Mum' - a very common term which would only have been used by the poor/working class section of society, never a child of his social class. I only managed to complete about a third of the book before the errors became so grating that it was really spoiling the storyline for me. It may be a very entertaining book if you are somewhat ignorant of English history, or are able to ignore all the errors.