3.5 Stars

Gemma Tate, a nurse, is shocked to hear of her twin brother’s death in an accident. Soon, she realizes he could have been murdered based on his last-minute notes in the pocketbook. 

Inspector Sebastian Bell is assigned to handle the murder of a young woman in the Highgate Cemetery. It doesn’t take him long to realize that the stakes are high. 

Gemma and Sebastian find a common point in the cases. However, Sebastian is worried that Gemma wants to investigate. After all, it could put her life in grave danger. But the case needs to be solved and the killer caught. 

The story comes in Gemma Tate and Sebastian Bell’s third-person POVs. 

I like Victorian mysteries dealing with the darker side of London. This one belongs to the same category. Geema is a twenty-seven-year-old nurse who previously worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea. Her twin brother, Victor, is a writer and a journalist. 

Inspector Sebastian Bell isn’t who he was before tragedy struck. Now, he relies too much on alcohol and opium to numb the pain. This case could make or break it for him. Despite the not-so-appealing introduction, it is easy to like Sebastian. He is dedicated to solving the crime without taking shortcuts. 

Since this is the first book in the series, we are introduced to characters likely to feature in the coming books. Even otherwise, the cast is quite large. We can follow the case without confusion. However, talking multiple times about a character that isn’t active anywhere in the book doesn’t help. Not likely that all readers will remember him for the next one. 

The content is dark and deals with triggering topics (check TW). There’s some fluff in the middle, which leads to a rushed ending and sudden confessions. Spacing this would have helped. 

I was rather surprised by the direction the case took. While it does show the ugly side of things, I wasn’t sure if the connection was realistic. The conclusion is decent, though I’m not impressed. (So, some people from one Abrahamic religion show interest in converting to another monotheistic religion, while the culprits use pagan rituals to satisfy their lusty cravings. Ugh!) 

Gemma and Sebastian don’t meet until we cross the first third of the book. However, that is a natural progression of the plot. Of course, it’s clear that Gemma has a good brain and uses it. She is also someone who can put people in place and stand firm despite her grief. 

Given the setting and the period, the case is mainly handled by Sebastian. I did expect this. However, halfway through, the book feels more like the MMCs while the FMC becomes a side character. If the series is named Tate and Bell, the Tate lady has to have an equal role! 

Moreover, the chemistry between the two is non-existent at this point. That’s okay since both have different immediate concerns. But there seems to be a slight progress that happened off-page and is casually mentioned in a line. That can be an issue if the trend continues. 

There’s a lead for the next book, so I will read it and then decide. I like the easy writing style, so despite the hard topics, the book doesn’t feel overwhelming. 

To summarize, The Highgate Cemetery Murder is an intriguing mystery and a decent series starter. I had greater expectations and felt the book could be better. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.