Human trafficking in any form is hard to read, and The Mermaid Broker has a hard-hitting story line. But, Sue Hinkin is an excellent writer and her main characters are interesting. A fine addition to the series.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an advance copy of Sue Hinkin’s mystery novel, The Mermaid Broker, in exchange for an honest review.

According to the author’s website, #TheMermaidBroker is the fourth book in her Bea Middleton and Lucy Vegas mystery-thriller series. I wish I had known this fact before I had requested and read this book because my review might have been different. However, given the abrupt start with close to no supporting details or backstory, I mainly felt lost and confused for most of the novel.

I had originally chosen this novel because of its unique premise and bizarre take on human sex-trafficking in the United States. Unfortunately, that is where the intrigue stopped for me. Between the strange writing style and my lack of interest in the characters, I was not as impressed as other readers. There are also several parts in the novel that seemed too convenient and farfetched, especially some of the procedural elements.

On the other hand, the novel was fast-paced and I did enjoy the inclusion of mermaids and that it was set in an aquarium. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had known this was part of a series and had read the other titles. Therefore, I do not recommend reading this as a standalone novel.

I really liked this book and read it fairly quickly due to the suspenseful plot. I thought this was a fairly unique, interesting take on human trafficking. Overall a fast paced book with a well developed plot.

Firstly this is the 4th book in the series, which i wasn't aware off at the time until i started reading and clearly there is back stories in earlier books for characters. Although it was ok as a standalone but i feel i would have enjoyed it more if i had read the other books first.

The blurb mentions rape and death, but in the book its more hinted/skimmed over, there is no details and just mentioned, which makes the read lighter to read than what could have been dark and hard for people to read.

Overall it was a gripping story, but there is some questionable sayings, phrases, and questioning if something would actually happen. For these reasons the highest i can give this is 3.5 and rounded down for these reasons.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for providing me a copy to read and leave an honest review.

Abducted young women are forced to wear mermaid costumes and participate in an underwater performance for high paying clients before being chosen and raped. When they outlive their usefulness or become too troublesome, they are thrown into tanks where they are torn apart by a genetically engineered shark or by other lethal aquatic species for the macabre final entertainment for those very same clients. It’s a race against time to rescue these young women and stop the human traffickers.

This is the fourth book in the Vega and Middleton series. This was my first introduction to this author and the series but I didn’t feel too much at a disadvantage. I do think the book would have been even more enjoyable for me if I had read the other books in the series first though.

The Mermaid Broker is a fast paced thriller, that starts with a bang: Izzy Abbott is kidnapped by a sex trafficking group, kidnapping young women to satisfy their international clientele's very specific - and very wet - blood lust.

This book read quickly, despite the *trigger warning* subject matter including rape and murder. The author handles the subject matter with care; it's included, but not gory or excessively included.

For me, I wish the science had been fleshed out a bit further, as that aspect of the narrative felt a little unrealistic, but I'm also a nerd who likes a sciencey book so it made it a little less engaging as a "thriller."

Thank you to NetGalley, Sue Hinkin, and Books Go Social who provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This an intriguing crime mystery about human trafficking. An absorbing read with a really original take on the genre. Recommended.

this was a unique take on human trafficking, it really was able capture the suspense of what might happen and leave's you on the edge of your seat for Isabelle and will Vega and Middleton save them. The author was able to write a compelling story and it made me look forward to more from the series.

I could have raced through reading this book because of its suspense and the overall story, but I wanted to take my time to enjoy the suspense and horror against the favorite main characters. I felt all the main characters were very strong in this book and even the secondary characters, as well, who were just as involved. A different from just as gut-wrenching take on human-trafficking/sex slaves, some parts made me want to though up because it was so disturbing and awful. Just wow. I also enjoyed how this ended, it was suiting for the book.

HIGHLY RECOMMMENDED! I may buy this at publishing because I enjoyed it so much and I can see myself re-reading it.

I sincerely hope this author writes more books after this one because I will be racing to read it. A new author to be excited about.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sue Hinkin, and Books Go Social for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/1/21

Izzy Abbott has been kidnapped by a sex trafficking group who force their "mermaids" to perform for the bigwig clients. Will Izzy be rescued or escape before she meets a watery fate?

I really enjoyed this book. I was gripped from the very start. There were a few points in the story that I thought, "really??? Would that actually happen?" but overall I really enjoyed it.

Things to be aware of;
Rape (is mentioned but no details)
Murder (no gory details)

There were times I wondered about the choice of words i.e when Pete is talking about Bea he described her as a hot woman of colour. Im assuming that is to let us know that the character is black but im not sure if it feels like a natural thing somebody would say. I feel it would have been better to let the reader know this with a character description rather than a comment made. There were a couple other times that I wondered about the choice of word used, like feline instead of cat. However this is just me being picky and is definitely a me issue.

I really liked most of the characters and loved to hate the bad guys. The story was fast paced and was a real page turner. I will definitely be looking up Sue Hinkins previous releases.

An interesting twist on human trafficking – abducted young women forced to dress as mermaids -- and then swim in an aquarium as amusement and worse for an international sex trafficking group. This was a thriller that was hard to put down. Can’t wait for the author’s next book!
#TheMermaidBroker #NetGalley

I got this book mainly because I was intrigued by the dark-sounding premise and I wanted to learn more. Unfortunately this is much more of a crime/detective book than I was expecting which isn't my genre (I love thrillers but not police procedurals). There wasn't really any focus on the kidnapped person, at least not in the way I wanted. My own fault for not checking but I can't rate this higher purely due to personal preference.

Thrust straight into the action by Sue Hinkin, as the reader is trapped in the same place as Isabel, easily hooking you into the narrative.

With each shiver Hinkins spends down our spine, as the story unfolds, suspense keeps you on the edge of your chair.
I loved the resolve of the characters, it made them likable and relatable. I really felt the sense of accomplishment by the end of this novel.

I found the book to be a bit dialogue heavy but it kept me engaged. Reading slightly like a ‘fanfiction’ as it was clear that the author had creative restrictions lifted.