Irish catholic girls, innocent and taking their group name from The Little Mermaid. Once grown up life is less innocent. They meet up in their home town after 20 years. Why? The answer to that is more than a little complicated.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

I have loved Lesley Thomson’s Detective’s Daughter series, and was intrigued by this new book.
It is set in Newhaven, with a completely new cast of characters.
Freddie, Mags, Toni and Karen were at a Catholic school together, and were known as the Mermaids, due to their love of the sea, and their obsession with the Disney film of the same name. They drifted apart as they grew older and Freddie had to leave the area.

Years later, Freddie returns because her mother is dying.
Karen has a fish round, and is working for Freddie’s family fishing business.
Mags is the local librarian.
Toni is a detective investigating a murder, and is involved with one of Freddie’s brothers.

They all have secrets that they wish to keep uncovered, but are brought together by two violent deaths, and as the truth comes out, they come to terms with what really happened in the past.
The chapters are narrated by each of the girls, which works very well.

There are several twists along the way, and I didn’t guess the ending.
Another great book by Lesley.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this book.

Three and half stars rounded up. I have read a lot of Lesley Thomson's books but they are part of a series and so I was not sure what to expect from this one. While the story is credible, though a tad predictable, and the characters well drawn, I missed the familiarity with the settings and characters from the Detective daughter series. This book I found quite slow at the start and I only really got into the story towards the second half. The ending I found a bit disappointing, but this is probably due to my unrealistic expectations. A lot of the book is about family relationships, and LGBTQ relationships and you can find out quite a bit about the fishing industry. An OK book, but I hope she continues with the Detective daughter series soon.

The Mermaids are a small gang of young girls who have two things in common. The first and the reason for the title, is their love of the Disney film The Little Mermaid and the second is that they’re all convent girls in Newhaven, Sussex. The leader is Mags McKee, very devout and as she grows up her guiding light is Julian of Norwich’s ‘Revelations of Divine Love’, there’s Freddy (Frederica) Power whose father has a fish business and Toni Kemp. The outlier who they all fear and dislike is Karen Munday. At 18 Freddy is thrown out of the family home by her father, her brothers Andy and Ricky don’t know the reasons why. Fast forward many years and Freddy is working on the fish counter in Waitrose in Liverpool, living with Sarah but wants out, when she gets a text from Mags, who she hasn’t heard from in many years, to say that her mother is dying and she should come home....... The story is told in varying timelines from the perspectives of Freddy, Mags and Toni who is now a Detective Inspector with the Sussex force and based in Newhaven.

The story is mostly really interesting, with a good plot and it’s an enjoyable read. There’s murder, suicide by car, attempted murder, a disappearance and strained family relationships. The characters are good especially Freddy and Toni although they all come across clearly and are well depicted. Toni is in a relationship with Ricky which becomes difficult in the unfolding drama which has Freddy at the epicentre. Andy and Ricky feel betrayed by Freddy as they don’t know why she left years ago as her absence increases the levels of their fathers harshness. He died a year after Freddy left and Andy runs the fishing business very successfully and Ricky runs a trawler. The fishing business angle is fascinating as it becomes clear that fishing quotas are not being adhered to and ‘black fish’ is somehow coming ashore. Who is responsible and at the centre of this fraud? The quest to find out leads Freddy into danger and this part of the story is very exciting.

I like the Newhaven setting, it’s a port, not pretty as many aren’t but it’s surrounded by beautiful Downs villages and countryside which makes it a great backdrop. The Lunette Battery built in 1855 plays an intriguing part in the story and I really like its inclusion. It’s well worth looking at pictures of it. Newhaven has a history of Catholicism and this plays an important role in the novel and I like how the author explores that through the various characters. Some are born into the faith and it dominates their lives, some have a more flexible relationship and some are lapsed. Sexuality plays a part too and this provides some very interesting and thoughtful storylines especially between Mags and Freddy with acceptance from some and a homophobic response from one source.

There’s much to like about this book as there are some different angles to many crime novels. Although the start is intriguing it then plateaus a bit as all the characters are introduced but then the pace really picks up. Towards the end as Freddy tries to make sense of events there is some repetition but then the pace really accelerates again and there’s a very exciting section as she learns the truth. The end is good and there’s reason for optimism for very likeable Freddy.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. There’s a lot to praise especially showing that it’s possible to make fish the centre of an interesting plot! It’s a little bit different and all credit to Lesley Thomson for that. There’s a lot to make you think and it informs you as well which I like.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.