The Shadow in the Mirror
(2026)(The first book in the Harrow & Marrow Mystery series)
A novel by Kari Lee Townsend
A portrait artist whose brushstrokes reveal murder, a skeptical inspector who can't explain what she knows, and a killer trapping souls inside mirrors—a gothic paranormal mystery set in Victorian London's most shadowed corners, where the line between vision and madness is razor thin.
Her paintings show the truth. Someone doesn't want it to stay on canvas.
When portrait artist Seraphine Marrow paints a murdered woman, she discovers something impossible: her art reveals her subjects' final moments. Each brushstroke brings visions she cannot explain, and the more she paints, the harder it becomes to separate memory from madness. Desperate to keep her ability hidden, she avoids the authorities — until one painting exposes a killer who traps souls inside mirrors.
Inspector Lucien Harrow trusts evidence, not visions. But when a string of strange deaths defies all logic, he's forced to follow the only lead that makes sense: Seraphine Marrow. Her knowledge of the victims is too precise to ignore — and too dangerous to dismiss.
As they descend into London's hidden laboratories and séance parlors, Seraphine's visions grow stronger and more demanding. The mirror at the center of the murders is not merely a tool — it is something far more dangerous, and each revelation pulls her closer to its grasp. With the body count rising and the line between truth and illusion blurring, Seraphine and Lucien must learn to trust each other before a killer obsessed with immortality turns them both into reflections trapped in glass forever.
The Shadow in the Mirror is a dark, atmospheric gothic paranormal mystery set in Victorian London's most treacherous corners — tightly plotted, relentlessly tense, and haunted by the question of how much truth a mirror can hold.
Perfect for readers who love:
– Dark, atmospheric gothic mystery with paranormal dread
– A gifted artist paired with a skeptical inspector
– A Victorian serial killer trapping souls in glass
– Victorian gothic paranormal mystery with séance parlor atmosphere
Genre: Mystery
Her paintings show the truth. Someone doesn't want it to stay on canvas.
When portrait artist Seraphine Marrow paints a murdered woman, she discovers something impossible: her art reveals her subjects' final moments. Each brushstroke brings visions she cannot explain, and the more she paints, the harder it becomes to separate memory from madness. Desperate to keep her ability hidden, she avoids the authorities — until one painting exposes a killer who traps souls inside mirrors.
Inspector Lucien Harrow trusts evidence, not visions. But when a string of strange deaths defies all logic, he's forced to follow the only lead that makes sense: Seraphine Marrow. Her knowledge of the victims is too precise to ignore — and too dangerous to dismiss.
As they descend into London's hidden laboratories and séance parlors, Seraphine's visions grow stronger and more demanding. The mirror at the center of the murders is not merely a tool — it is something far more dangerous, and each revelation pulls her closer to its grasp. With the body count rising and the line between truth and illusion blurring, Seraphine and Lucien must learn to trust each other before a killer obsessed with immortality turns them both into reflections trapped in glass forever.
The Shadow in the Mirror is a dark, atmospheric gothic paranormal mystery set in Victorian London's most treacherous corners — tightly plotted, relentlessly tense, and haunted by the question of how much truth a mirror can hold.
Perfect for readers who love:
– Dark, atmospheric gothic mystery with paranormal dread
– A gifted artist paired with a skeptical inspector
– A Victorian serial killer trapping souls in glass
– Victorian gothic paranormal mystery with séance parlor atmosphere
Genre: Mystery