The Nameless Dead by Leta Serafim

The Nameless Dead

Leta Serafim

Coffeetown Press (2025)

978-1684922512

Reviewed by Jordan Waterwash for Reader Views (09/2025)

https://readerviews.com/reviews/the-nameless-dead-serafim/

4/5

The Nameless Dead by Leta Serafim is the most recent installment in Serafim’s Greek Island Mystery series. In it, we follow Chief Inspector Yiannis Patronas as he solves the gruesome murders of several young women across the island of Chios. This case is by far his first, yet he finds himself befuddled by the randomness of it all. These women were migrants to Greece—two Syrian women—and lived in a camp called Vial. This place was rife with crime and chaos because of how many people found refuge there, and because of the lack of oversight in their maintenance.

As the case continues, Patronas allows a young officer named Melissa Costas to go undercover at the camp to see if she can get any intel. However, things go south when Costas goes missing. This sets Patronas, and the rest of the precinct, on a war path to find those responsible for her disappearance.

The story’s tension grows with the plot in a satisfying way. As the narrative progresses, the reader feels more and more invested in Patronas’s inner turmoil alongside the outcome of the case. Patronas as the main character provides readers with a sympathetic lens to view the story through; often, the secondary characters have viewpoints in direct opposition with Patronas, and one can’t help but root for Patronas’s cause. While he poses as a hard-shelled officer steeped in the toxic masculinity of his culture, in reality Patronas cares deeply about those around him—especially the disenfranchised.

While the prose might benefit from a copy edit, the pacing was right for a crime novel. For fans of traditional mysteries, The Nameless Dead will scratch that itch. The end wrapped quickly, but the events leading to the end felt like they reached a satisfying conclusion. Though, those who are weary of texts including sexual assault should perhaps skip this one; there are many instances where it is mentioned.

Overall, The Nameless Dead was an enjoyable mystery novel. Patronas felt real and multifaceted, which can often be missing in traditional police stories. Though this is the fifth installment of the series, you do not have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. The story is self-contained, while still providing an atmosphere that suggests there’s some history behind Patronas’s personality.