Review: Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West. 

Screenwriter Renata comes from a true Southern family, complete with a formidable grand dame grandmother.  When Renata’s actor boyfriend is written up in the tabloids for an alleged affair, she runs away to grandmother’s estate, Point Clear, in Alabama.  Still mourning her mother’s untimely death, she is looking for solace and rest.  Unfortunately, she finds life getting more dramatic as the days go on.  At her father’s engagement party, his new fiancée is found unconscious in a pool and Renata is the prime suspect.  She can’t seem to get in touch with her boyfriend to get the straight story from him.  And she discovers that her parents led secret lives she was never privy to, until now.  Grandmother Honora and pals have decided it’s time to let all of the skeletons out of the family closets.

West has a knack for realistic and engaging characters.  This is a charming tale that will keep readers wanting to know more about the characters inhabiting Point Clear. 

copyright 2008, Library Journal/Rebecca Vnuk