As always Dorothy Koomson can deliver an engaging and blinding book. Exciting, thrilling, and gripping are a few words to describe this book. It is very dark compared to some of her other books and I must say I wasn't expecting some of the plot. I felt the start was a little slow and I did have to read a good chunk before I was convinced I would like the book but the second half made it for me.
The best park of Dorothy's books are they are not just about a crime, romance or mystery, this book covers a deep connection between sisters and what happens when lies are told.

Teenagers Nell and Jude sneak out one night to go to a party, little realising that their lives will never be the same again when they find themselves caught up in a murder investigation after they discover a body on the beach. The racist police officer in charge is on a mission to link Nell’s family to the crime, especially when more bodies keep turning up in places where Nell’s father owns shops. The disappearance of Jude sends Nell into even more of a downward spiral after she becomes obsessed with trying to find Jude and the identity of the first victim known only as the Brighton Mermaid. Things come to a head 20 years later when Nell has enough money to give up work for a year to concentrate on finding out what really happened to keep her father safe from the dangerously obsessed police officer. Entertaining thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing to the end.

A really enjoyable read,full of twists and turns. Two sisters struggle with a horrifying event and its consequences in later life .How they deal with it is very different.

I would like to thank Random House UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Brighton Mermaid’ written by Dorothy Koomson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
In June 1993 Nell and her best friend Jude discover the body of a young woman on the beach in Brighton and as the body can’t be identified she becomes known as the ‘Brighton Mer-maid’. Within three weeks Jude disappears without telling anyone where she’s going. Twen-ty-five years later Nell leaves her job as assistant manager at ‘The Super’ supermarket so that she can search for Jude and the identity of the ‘Brighton Mermaid’. As Nell gets closer to the truth her life, and those of the people she’s been in contact with, are put in danger. Can she discover the killer of the ‘Brighton Mermaid’ and the other four ‘Mermaids’ found dead along the coast?
I’ve enjoyed all of Dorothy Koomson’s novels but I must admit to finding the beginning of ‘The Brighton Mermaid’ a little confusing. It wasn’t until I got further into the story that I was able to understand the dates of what happened and the characters involved. Police rac-ism and brutality, and the viciousness when they arrested a law-abiding black man, were in-corporated into the story and handled with sensitivity and empathy. There were twists and turns and a thrilling conclusion ending with a letter written by Nell tying up all the loose ends. Overall, a good read and one I enjoyed.

Once again, Dorothy Koomson has blown me away. The Brighton Mermaid is an intricate tale, carefully woven with themes of feminism, racism, and family ties - the good ones and the bad ones.

Nell is an incredible character. She's so utterly real, with such depth and warmth and flaws. The story kicks off in the 90s, when Nell and her friend, Jude, are out one night as teenagers. On their way home, they stumble across the body of a young woman. There begins a tale of horror, of young women being taken, abused, killed. But it doesn't stop there.

When Jude also disappears, and Nell's father becomes a suspect, he's brutalised by the police, beaten up, and his family terrified. How many of us have closed our eyes and ears to what was once called the "institutional racism" of the British police? That sort of thing only happens in America, right? Sadly not. Koomson is fantastic at bringing real world issues to the forefront, at making people consider other points of view. As a young white woman, I would never have experienced racism at the hands of the police. Sexism, absolutely, and the general awful, "we don't believe you" attitude that certain groups, and especially young women, are used to. But women of colour have a particular story to tell, and we must listen.

As always, Koomson's characters are what make her books so incredible. Each and every one is intricately crafted. Unfortunately, as I suffer from OCD, reading some of Macy's chapters set me off. I don't know why this happens, but it's one of those things. But I suppose that goes to show how realistic Macy's anxieties and rituals are.

The story is thrilling, with a twist that may surprise, but will certainly disgust. Once again, Koomson brings us a story that is riveting, entertaining, but also poignant.

I am a big fan of Dorothy Koomson's writing, so was looking forward to reading this. Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman on the beach. When nobody claims her she becomes known as the Brighton mermaid. A few weeks later, Jude disappears without trace. 25 years on, Nell's life is still deeply affected by these events. She is determined to find out the identity of the victim and the whereabouts of Jude. Then bad things start to happen and Nell is convinced someone is determined to stop her finding anything. This is a real page turner which kept me guessing all the way. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads..

This is the first book I have read by Dorothy Koomson and will certainly look for more. Nell and Jude find a body on the beach and because the girl is never identified she is called the Brighton mermaid. Finding the body plus the police officer who interviewed the girls changes not only their lives but the lives of their families.. Nell is determined to find out the identity of the young woman they found and twenty five years later she gives up her job to spend a year trying to find the name of the girl and those responsible for her death. As Nell gets closer to solving the mystery strange things start to happen.

At first I got a bit confused when the story flashed between the past and present but as the pace increased I enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and how the characters evolved.

A book that slowly draws you in until you are submerged so deeply in the story that you simply cannot put it down. It keeps you guessing (and I kept guessing wrongly) and leaves your heart racing. Another great read from Dorothy Koomson

Wow! I absolutely loved this book, I have to be completely honest at times I was torn with not liking Nell and loving her. I loved guessing who was responsible, and being wrong until almost the end. This is really well written and is absolutely full of twists and turns. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good read!

Plenty of twists in this story. Dorothy Koomson at her best

Another superb story from Dorothy Koomson, it had plenty of twists and a really good story line.

Plenty of twists & turns, secrets and surprises in this suspense filled thriller. The characters are interesting and different so that you want to find out more about them. You can sympathise with Nell's need to solve the "Brighton Mermaid" murder and discover what happened to her childhood best friend Jude. A real page-turner of a book.

The book tells the story of what happens following two girls Nell and her friend Jude finding the body of a girl on a local beach, and subsequently Jude also disappearing.
Told from two perspectives (Nell, and her sister Macy), brings interesting insight into relationships, mental health issues, abuse and family relationships.
The book keeps you interested as different characters are introduced into the story, adding different dimensions. The book frequently skips between past and present, and can become confusing and a little slow at times.
However, the book holds your interest as different elements are added, the pace quickens as the story reaches a gripping, compelling climax. With Nell in extreme danger, superb writing by the author keeps the reader sitting on the edge of their seat, almost afraid to turn the next page. Written in the present tense gives the plot a sense of immediacy, and you really don’t know how the book will end.
Well plotted and superbly crafted, recommended.

It's been a while since I read a Dorothy Koomson book, but years ago I went through a phase of her and read everything I could and then her last couple I have struggled with. I decided to give The Brighton Mermaid ago as it sounded like something I would enjoy. It was a twist to the story, I did not see coming, and I was like OMG How and WTF? I also have to admit I was hoping to have a bit more closure with the ending as well, maybe a nice reunion of certain characters as felt like it was pretty much not focused on. The book starts in 1993 where two friends Nell and Jude sneak out and find a dead female body washed up on the shore. The girl is nameless but later more dead bodies start to pile up, and for some reason, the cops are looking at Nell's dad as the main suspect. During this time, Nell's best friend Jude vanishes one evening. Fast forward twenty-five years and the mystery of who The Brighton Mermaid was and who killed those women are still unsolved, and Nell's best friend Jude is still missing. Nell knows it is connected and has taken a year off work to find out who the killer is and whatever happened to Jude as she has never been able to move on. Nell's older sister Macy seems a bit OCD and has severe anxiety problems and has been dating Shane who we discover was Nell's college boyfriend. I have to admit, I never liked the character of Macy as there was something off about her and when we discover it, I'm like really - that's all. She was a show and pony type, drama queen character. If you love UK stories and British mysteries, then check out The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson today.

Finding a body on the beach twenty five years ago has affected all of Nell's family. Not only did her best friend go missing shortly after but another four bodies were found washed up on beaches.
Harassment by one of the police officers has ruined her father's life and Nell still hates the police force.

In her spare time Nell finds missing people and researches family trees in the hope of finding someone who through their DNA might be related to the Brighton Mermaid and thus be able to give her her proper name.

Like all Dorothy Koomson's books this one is a magical mystery tour of intrigue. I didn't know who Nell could trust along the way or if her life was in danger. The last third of the book is edge of your seat reading with a nail biting finish.
I wish I could tell you more but that would be spoiling a good read for you and I don't do spoilers. So read and enjoy!
This will be published on my blog a few days before publication,then to Amazon and Goodreads.
http://bookswithwineandchocolate.blogspot.co.uk

Parts of this book are well written and engaging, as the story is largely narrated by two sisters, Nell and Macy. Their lives have been overshadowed for 25 years by the fact that Nell and her friend found a dead woman on the beach. I struggled to believe that this event could have such a profound and long lasting effect on people's lives. The last quarter of the book lost me really, as it just became too far fetched. It didn't seem credible to me that anyone could hide their evil side to such an extent and for so long.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Brighton Mermaid, a stand alone novel set in Brighton.

In 1993 teenagers Nell and Jude discover the dead body of a young woman on Brighton Beach. Shortly after Jude disappears. What happens after that still reverberates into the present and has affected Nell's family life in many ways.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying the Brighton Mermaid but initially I found the format annoying and it drove me crazy trying to sort out who and when as I kept forgetting to check the chapter headings but I soon wised up. In the first half the timeline switches between 1993 and the present day with a few side forays into significant times in Nell's life before mostly settling for the present. The point of view switches between two first person narratives (get my frustration?), that of Nell and her sister Macy. Frustration aside, I enjoyed the dual narrative as it gives the reader a wider perspective on events, both past and present.

This is not a particularly fast moving read but it is quite gripping as a slow burner. Nell is still obsessed 25 years later with finding Jude and identifying Brighton Mermaid, so called because of where she was found and the intricate tattoo of a mermaid on her arm. Recent developments which are initially hidden from the reader and the upcoming 25th anniversary of the discovery have accelerated her investigation. Nell uses a mixture of genealogy, names and DNA in her hunt - I can't explain it more as the science went a bit over my head (it's not very technical I'm just a science duffer) but it seems to work for all the people she helps except herself and her quest.

The Brighton Mermaid is not a novel about smart people making smart decisions. Both Nell and Macy are damaged individuals with a dysfunctional relationship. Macy is annoying as a character with untreated OCD and anxiety issues but obviously well enough drawn to provoke a reaction. Nell appears more well balanced but her 25 year obsession would suggest something different.

The Brighton Mermaid is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Brighton Beach 1993, Jude and Nell have snuck out for the evening, but on the walk home they find a dead body of a women on the beach.

They would never know how much this would change their lives from that day until now, also three weeks after the body is found Jude goes missing??

Nell's whole family is effected by the events of that day and still carry secrets about it with them. Will they ever find out who the dead girl was, will they ever find out what happened to Jade???

Great storyline which a really well paced, the storyline also keeps you guessing. Well written with suspicions and suspense thrown in.

Also the story has been finished off nicely, so you aren't left with a number of questions at the end which is much better than most of the stories out there!!

A beautiful story of friendship and family a very gripping read

I found myself completely engrossed in this thrilling story of a murdered young girl (The titular Brighton Mermaid) and the consequences finding her have for the two girls and their families.
This murder and solving the case are what underpin the story, but there are so many other threads woven into the pages that kept me turning the pages. Police prejudice and brutality are brought starkly into focus and the reverberations of the police enquiry still impact the lives of Nell's family. The relationship between Nell and her sister Macy was wonderfully complex, and really fleshed these characters out and gave depth to the story, and made the reveal close to the end of the book all the more shocking.
Thanks go to net galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review. I will definitely be looking up Dorothy Koomson's back catalogue and keeping an eager eye out for her next novel.