Murder of a Mermaid

A Redmond and Haze Mystery, Book 11

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Alex Lee

The discovery of a young woman’s body drifting down the Thames, her hair adorned with flowers and her legs wrapped in blue silk like a mermaid’s tail, presents Lord Jason Redmond and Inspector Daniel Haze with a puzzling new mystery. Who was she, why was she murdered, and what led the killer to leave her body displayed this way? Was it an act of love, meant to make the victim appear beautiful in death, or was there a more sinister reason?

As Redmond and Haze delve deeper into her life, they learn that the victim harbored shocking secrets and had crossed paths with a feared kingpin of London’s criminal underworld.

Will Redmond and Haze solve the murder before the killer strikes again?

©2023 Irina Shapiro (P)2023 Merlin Press LLC

The “who did it” was hard to catch and trap!

Another great tale by Irina Shapiro! The story was woven with rich descriptions into a tapestry that was surprising and fulfilling. The twists and turns had me guessing (often incorrectly) as to who the culprit was so the ending was a surprise but made complete sense once the picture came into view. The narrator (a new one to this series) did a great job once I made the shift in my mind from hearing the characters in the previous person’s voice. The author does a good job of presenting the challenges women face in times gone by.

Great story- ok narration

Another wonderful story, but narration was a small distraction. The voice of Jason did not fit well, pacing was off. Still excited for #12!

Murder and society’s rules for women

I loved this installment of the historical whodunit series staring Captain Jason Redmond and Inspector Daniel Haze. Like the other books in the series, it had a layered storyline, an intriguing mystery, surprising plot twists, and suspense. I was equally desperate to read it all at once to solve the mystery and also to savor it and make it last. Jason and Daniel are portrayed as real, relatable and complex people who have flaws and scars, but are really just trying to do their best as messy humans. Captain Jason Redmond is an American surgeon who inherited his British grandfather’s estate and title. He is living with his wife and infant daughter in London while he teaches, volunteers at the hospital and performs autopsies for the police. Daniel Haze is a detective inspector for Scotland Yard. He is widowed and lives with his young daughter. They are good friends and their different approaches often complement each other while solving cases together. Daniel requests Jason’s help when the body of women laid out to look like a mermaid is found floating in a boat on the river. The investigation leads Daniel and Jason to unlikely places, dead ends, plot twists, and surprising revelations. As always, there are smaller side personal story arcs and social commentary which enrich the main plot line and give the characters greater dimension. I am so happy there are many more books to read in this series.

Alex Lee did a good job narrating the story and characters into life with a good amount of change in inflection, tone and cadence. I was a fan of the narrator for the previous books and did not like this narrators voice for Jason.

Another great book by Irina Shapiro.

I love all of Irina Shapiros books. The Redmond and Haze books are among my very favorite. I thought the new narrator did wonderfully. I know people are complaining but the previous narrator wanted to do other things, I think she chose an excellent narrator,

Narrator

I was so used to the Narration of all books previous. I had a hard time with the change. When you get used to the voices of characters in a novel it becomes very difficult to hear a new one. I don’t have a problem with the Narrator herself just the change.

Another Installment To A Cracking Good Series

It's always nice to settle in with another Redmond and Haze novel, and this story does not disappoint. The procedural aspect of this Victorian series is interesting and well researched, and the characters are deeply fleshed out and believable. Semi-spoiler alert: This book leaves us with a startling cliffhanger. Hope Ms. Shapiro hurries up with the next installment.
On a different note: We have a new narrator for this series, Alex Lee. I liked her voice and thought she did a good job with the characters.

Wonderful!

Once again Ms. Shapiro has created a mystery that has you wondering who did it and why. You’re transported to Victorian England and with her visual imaging thru words. I liked Ms. Wolfson’s narration but found Alex to be equally as good. I can’t wait for the next installment of this mystery series.

Another great cliffhanger

I was worried when starting this book, as I made the mistake of reading all of the reviews. With the new narrator, I agree it is like changing an actor in a long standing series. But she did fabulously! She adapted, and yes it was different, but still great. I could tell she injected her own personality into the reading. Another great story, and although a bit darker than some of the crimes they have had to deal with….the way the author wrote their hesitations and apprehension was so well done. I am eager to see what happens next, as Irina has left us with a cliffhanger of the utmost this time around! Thanks for another great listen/read!

Terrible Narration

I usually love this series, but the narration was a hard listen it was bad. Please change or something.

Narration

Have loved this series but the new narration is a most unwelcome distraction. Not sure if I’m moving on with it. Characters seem completely different now.