Dorothy Koomson treats us to her darkest book yet in this haunting tale of two teenagers who find the body of a young woman washed up on the shore in 1993. Twenty-five years later, Nell is still obsessed by the woman who was never identified.

The scene is set beautifully when a night seemingly full of promise of a party held by sixth-formers which Jude had lied to her parents to attend. The horror of the discovery combined with the fear of her parent’s wrath when she had to be picked up from the police station was palpable. And then there was their treatment at the hands of the police who didn’t know at first whether to treat the girls as eye-witnesses or suspects. The two may have been able to put this behind them if Jude hadn’t subsequently disappeared without a trace.
Dorothy Koomson doesn’t just set the scene but the time so well. Of course in 1993 the girls didn’t have mobile phones so one stayed with the body while the other went to the phone box to report the crime. Then we switch to the present where the internet where Nell investigates the missing links between people using genealogy sites to help others find missing family. It is against this background that she takes a year off work to devote herself to finding out who the young woman was, and what happened to her best friend.

As always Dorothy Koomson uses a number of hard-hitting issues in The Brighton Mermaid but all are deeply woven into the story-line, not one appearing placed for effect alone and the author crucially gives the reader time to absorb and reflect on these rather than telling us what to think, the best kind of writing.
The first half of the book sets the scene and so unsurprisingly moves at a slightly slower paced but nonetheless I found it absorbing, but… you will need to hang onto your seats for the rattling pace of the second half as Nell gets closer to understanding what happened twenty-five years ago and the events that changed, her and her family’s life forever.

I loved the characters in this book, the relationship between Nell and her sister so realistically portrayed with all the shades of love and hate that often are present, brilliantly displayed and woven through the main mystery which delves so deeply into the past. This is a story of actions having far-reaching consequences and the ripples that spread throughout a family forcing them to reconsider their ‘family story.’
I’ve long considered this author one of my favourites and her books cover a whole range of different types of stories within the range that is labelled ‘woman’s fiction’ from the sentimental to this one which edges into the crime fiction genre but what all the books have in common is the way that they immerse you into the story, not letting you go even after the last page has been turned.

I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Century who allowed me to read a copy of The Brighton Mermaid prior to publication on 17 May 2018. This unbiased review is my thanks to them and the author Dorothy Koomson.

First Published UK: 17 May 2018
Publisher: Century
No of Pages: 496
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Dorothy Koomson’s previous books:
The Cupid Effect (2003)
The Chocolate Run (2004)
My Best Friend’s Girl (2006)
Marshmallow’s for Breakfast (2007)
Goodnight Beautiful (2008)
The Ice Cream Girls (2010)
The Woman He Loved Before (2011)
The Rose Petal Beach (2012)
The Flavours of Love (2013)
That Girl From Nowhere (2015)
When I Was Invisible (2015)
The Friend (2017)

always enjoy books by Dorothy Koomson and this psychological thriller is action packed and attention holding.

St in Brighton, the story focuses on a harrowing event which occurred in 1993 when Nell and her best friend Jude discover the dead body of a young woman on the beach. This has a huge impact on Nell, her sister Macy and others, even more so when Jude disappears without a trace shortly after.

The story is a mixture of past and current timelines told from both the sisters’ viewpoints. Nell never gives up her search in trying to identify the young woman who is known as The Brighton Mermaid hoping that it will also lead to the mystery of where Jude is if she is alive. Macy on the otherhand, wishes that they could all move on and leave the past alone as this is affecting her mental health, not helped by the massive secret she is keeping.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher Cornerstone for the digital ARC. This is my own opinions of The Brighton Mermaid.

This book is so good! Dorothy Koomson is one of my absolute go to authors, you know that whenever you pick up one of her books you're going to be getting a high quality, gripping read - this book is no different.

I loved the way the book has interweaving plotlines covering current events and also the events in the past that have had such an impact on the characters' lives. They twist together perfectly, and are really well balanced.

The story is fast paced and engaging. The subject matter is challenging at times, but it's handled so well and so carefully. I really appreciated that it didn't shy away from being difficult, it felt all the more authentic for this.

The characters are so well drawn, something I always expect from Dorothy's books. They're spiky and flawed, and I felt so engaged by them.

This is a fantastic book. Highly recommended.

Warning this review contains some small spoilers.

The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson made it onto our list of New Books to Look Out for in May 2018. The reason it made this list initially is that I love Dorothy Koomson’s books and I always read her new books. Having read it I would promote it to the top of my list of books to read this year let alone in May.

Before reading The Brighton Mermaid my favourite book by Dorothy Koomson was The Chocolate Run but now my favourite book by her is The Brighton Mermaid.

The Brighton Mermaid is full of suspense from the very beginning and begins with a woman being chased.

“The world around me is full of their footsteps, moving across the earth, chasing me down.”

The Brighton Mermaid is a split-narrative tale told from the perspective of Nell in the present and in the early 90’s, and also from the perspective of her sister Macy.

In 1993 Nell and her best friend Jude find a dead body on Brighton Beach at 3am whilst they are walking home from a party.

“We were both staring at her. She looked soft, lying there on top of the pebbles, half in, half out the water, her face serene. Even with the foamy tide continuously nudging at her, trying to get her to wake up, she was still; tranquil, lifeless.”

Jude leaves Nell down on the beach while she goes to call the police. Both girls are nervous about talking to the police because they shouldn’t have been out at the party.

Whilst Jude is away Nell can’t help but notice the dead girls distinctive tattoo, a tattoo that will eventually lead to the press calling her ‘The Brighton Mermaid.’

“I could see every curl of the mermaid’s short, thick black Afro hair…

I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was mythical, she was a picture, but she was also like a siren at whom I couldn’t stop staring. In the waves beneath the mermaid’s rock, there were three words in a swirling, watery script: I am Brighton.”

In the present Nell has been saving up to be able to afford to quit her job to focus on a search that has consumed her for almost 25 years – who was the Brighton Mermaid? In her spare time Nell has spent time focusing on searching for missing people using a mixture of genealogy research and DNA.

In the present Nell is receiving messages from someone who is originally unnamed for the reader. These messages peaked my interest and made me wonder who was sending them and why, further adding to the tension present in the book.

“It uses the same five words to control me. Sometimes I think I look in the hopes it will be different, that the screen after the message tone will say something else. But no, it’s the same as always: He needs to see you.”

Back in 1993 Nell was able get a small glimpse of the impact finding the body would have on her future.

“We were going to find out that she had been murdered. That her last minutes were awful, full of terror and pain. I looked into the faces of the police officers, saw how angry they were that we were wasting their time like this, and knew our lives were never going to be the same again.”

The chapters from the perspective of Macy highlight the impacts of that night in the most powerful way. Macy has severe anxiety problems which affect her daily life and have lead to her developing numerous compulsive habits. Including having to call Nell at a precise time every Saturday morning because of how she feels when Nell answers.

“I felt my worries – a tight little bundle that sat in the middle of my chest, resting heavily on my heart – untangle; become transparent and manageable.”

Macy has a lot of resentment towards Nell from that night and because of a secret she must keep from her and has kept from her for almost 25 years.

In 1993 Nell and Jude were suspected of involvement in the murder and questioned ruthlessly without an adult present. The lead policemen was named Pope and his style of questioning was particularly aggressive and made Jude cry. This made Nell determined not to cry because although Jude was the strong one Nell was the stubborn one.

“He could see I wasn’t going to give in. ‘You two are a couple of those dirty girls aren’t you,’ he said quietly. ‘You all act good and prim for the parents, but really you’re always out, catting about. You can’t keep your legs shut. You’re dirty girls. Dirty little sluts.”

This comment in particular haunted Nell well into the present and had an impact on her future relationships, or lack thereof.

Another event just weeks later profoundly effected Nell’s future as well. On the morning of Thursday the 15th July Nell’s dad woke her up to inform her that Jude had gone missing and to find out if she knew anything about where she had gone. 25 years later she is still missing and the search for her and the Brighton Mermaid consumes her.

As the anniversary draws closer Nell’s search becomes more dangerous and it is clear someone is trying to put her off.

The Brighton Mermaid is in no way an easy book to read, as well as dealing with murder it also covers severe anxiety, abuse and consistent racism. This last topic was one of the most interesting aspects of the book and particularly well written.

When Nell’s father is arrested for the first time it is clear that a large part of his arrest and subsequent treatment is the racism and prejudice inherent in the local police force. Pope’s behaviour while abhorrent is just a symptom of a larger problem.

“I’ve never seen such violence before…. All I could do was watch as dad’s facial muscles were tautened by torture, his body twisted and held in unnatural ways, blood spilling from his mouth. This was brutal and horrifying, cruel and inhumane.”

The years Pope victimized, and bullied Nell and her family were made possible by the inherent attitudes of the police. Pope’s attitudes not only effected the girls but also had long lasting effects on both parents as well.

“What Pope had done had sliced away pieces of my father’s soul, leaving him diminished. He was still him – he had the same stature and deep, commanding voice. But he was also fretful in quiet moments, distant where before he had been engaged.”

The girl’s mother had been similarly altered by the harassment her husband had suffered at the hands of the police.

“Mum had been ‘good’ and polite and had kept away from trouble her whole life. She’d experienced racism and prejudice but she – like the rest of us people of colour – had been lied to, had been sold the promise that good behaviour, obedience, never causing trouble or fighting too hard for your rights, would keep you safe, keep you protected. That promise had been broken in the most violent, pugnacious and cruel way, and mum had never fully recovered from that trauma.”

One thing you can count on in Dorothy Koomson’s books is the phenomenal character building and The Brighton Mermaid is no exception to this. My favourite relationship was that between Nell and Macy which perfectly captured the love and hate that can exist between two siblings and the complex nature of such a relationship.

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I found this book to be quite a slow read and at times a bit confusing. Once I'd sorted everything out in my mind I started to enjoy it. It's my first Dorothy Koomson book and I will look out for her books now.

The beginning of this book was slow and a little confusing with the timeframes and I didn't particularly warm to any of the characters. However, as the story unfolded it did get more interesting. The relationship between the sisters was refreshing, being quite realistic as not all sisters like one another, let alone be best friends. The revalation of what Macy saw was a bit drawn out and the sisters dad's involvement when revealed, was rather disappointing. As the the story continued,so did the pace and it did progress to be a page turner. Overall, a must read for avid followers of the author even if the finale did turn out to be very unsavoury.

This multiple viewpoint story addresses some very harsh realities. Nell, her two love interests and her sister are brilliantly flawed and on the whole they are all the more likeable for their flaws. However there are some extremely unsavoury key characters involved as well and this adds to the story rather than detracting from it. Throughout the story there was an almost palpable tension and misdirection which heightened the impact when the loose ends were tied up. An excellent read.

Teenager Nell and her friend Jude find the body of a girl on the beach in Brighton and set off a chain of events which blight the lives of Nell, her sister Macy and their parents, for the next 25 years.

In the present, Nell is still trying to find the identity of the body, while coping with relationship and trust issues. Macy has a secret from that night, which she can’t divulge. The two girls have a love-hate relationship, where each is trying to support the other, while keeping secrets.

The unfolding of the story is beautifully executed, the description of the effect of stress on Macy, and her coping mechanisms are all-too believable, as is the way Nell will not allow anyone to get close to her.
The issues of casual racism in the Police in the 1990s are bravely addressed, as are those concerning anxiety disorders, and I learnt a lot about DNA testing and computer security along the way.
The book races along as secrets become clear, and people are not what they seem.
There is one jaw-dropping twist, which I certainly didn’t expect.

An excellent book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this book.

Nell and Jude are best friends. One night they creep out of their homes to go to a party.. on the way home they find the body of a young girl on the beach and their lives are never the same again. The body is never identified despite having a distinct tatoo of a mermaid.. Not long after Jude disappears and no-one knows where she is.
Nell becomes a sort of investigator in her spare time following all sorts of leads in the attempt to identify the body.
But someone knows and someone is watching and waiting.
This book will have you guessing to the end with all its twists and turns.

Back of the book :

Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears.

Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was – and what happened to her best friend that summer.

But as Nell edges closer to the truth, dangerous things start to happen. Someone seems to be watching her every move, and soon she starts to wonder who in her life she can actually trust…



What I think : 

Best friends Nell and Jude are passing the beach late one night, 3am to be precise, they'd snuck out to go to someones party. When they find someone laying in the sand at the waters edge. It turns out that the poor woman had been murdered. (The girls were only fourteen at the time, and all Nell can remember thinking at that moment is that she wanted her to be just sleeping and not, you know what ... ) The woman was wearing lots of bracelets on one arm and had a tattoo of a mermaid on the other. 

The identity of the woman is never found and she ends up being nicknamed 'The Brighton Mermaid' 

A few weeks after the girls find "The Brighton Mermaid' Jude goes missing. She just disappears into the night, never to be heard from again ... 

Fast forward twenty five years and there is never a day that goes past that Nell doesn't wonder what happened to her best friend or how 'The Brighton Mermaid' got murdered. She has given up her job so she can dedicate all her time to finding out what happened to the two of them. 

Nell's younger sister Macy has a secret to tell about what she saw on the night that Jude went missing and it's ruining her whole life ... But if she tells what will happen ... ? 

And just who keeps on texting Nell that 'He needs to see you' .... ?

Then bad things start to happen, Nell is convinced that she's getting closer to finding out what happened .... 

This book is split into two timelines, which I did find quite find quite confusing to begin with. 1993 - outlines how the girls found the body and what Macy ( Nell's sister) saw that night and Now - which tells of the fall out still going on from it now. 

This as you would expect, is a expertly written book from Dorothy. She has this brilliant knack of being able to write a story, that from the moment you pick the book up and start reading, it has you involved in the story which makes it quite unputdownable. Lots of secrets and lies coming tumbling out, which keeps you in suspense till the end.

And talking of the end I really couldn't have guessed it and its brilliant twist ( and believe me I did try !) 

I think that this has got to be her best book yet ! I give it a very well-earned 10/10.



Published by Century Books on 17/05/18.

A big thank you to Netgalley for the digital copy of the book to review.

An up to date mystery with some really dark moments as well as the light hearted feel which comes from this novel being somewhat unbelievable and set in a seaside town. To begin with I would have recommended it for teenage readers but as more gritty subjects arise later in the book, I would not now have that opinion. A good read overall.

A long search for the killer of the Brighton Mermaid.

Two young teenage girls, Nell and Jude, find the body of a woman on the beach in Brighton. Nobody claims her and she becomes known as ‘the Brighton Mermaid’. Nell becomes obsessed by this discovery and then three weeks later her best friend Jude disappears.

This is a complicated story with many layers. The main theme is Nell’s search to find out who committed the crime of the first murder. It takes her 25 years and during that time there are further murders along the coast. Only a few characters are involved so it is difficult to sort out the suspects and therefore there is a difficulty in keeping the interest going. The main person in Nell’s life, once Jude has disappeared, is her sister Macy, who has many mental issues and leads a generally dysfunctional family life. Nell moves in with her and further complications arise, owing to her previous relationship with Macy’s partner. As Nell pursues her research she edges into very dangerous territory which ultimately puts her life in danger.

This is an angry book. None of the characters, who are mainly stereotypes, have many redeeming features and some are downright evil. It is a dark and brooding thriller with almost no breaks in the gloomy atmosphere. The middle of the story gets bogged down with unnecessary plot complications involving DNA and only in the last few chapters does the story start to move again. It is never openly stated but there is a feeling that at the heart of this book is a bitterness with colour prejudice and how the police can ill-treat black suspects.

An interesting start to this story but for me, it never fulfilled its early potential.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review

I've been left reeling from this book that packs a humongous punch. The story builds steadily at first but when I sat down for the last 30% this evening, I didn't expect anything like what I read.

It had been building to a fast paced, action packed, adrenalin fuelled finale where all those burning questions that you will have from reading the rest of the book get some answers. I couldn't believe what I was reading and I can't tell you any more than that as it would be a huge spoiler.

This is a book told from two viewpoints, Nell and her sister Macy. Both of their lives changed massively in 1993, when Nell and her best friend Jude find a dead body on the beach, who is unidentified but definitely murdered.

Shortly after that Jude disappeared and was never heard from again, and the sisters have to continue with their life, despite the directions the police investigation was going in.

The story is told in a mix of past and present as we are brought up to date with Nell's life and why 25 years on she is obsessed with discovering the identity of the Brighton Mermaid.

The writing is fabulous, I was drawn completely into the story and had my own thoughts as to how it would pan out and I was wrong. I am utterly convinced that Dorothy Koomson gets better and better with every single book, and this is no exception. My only regret is that I read it so soon after getting it so that I now probably have another years wait for another book from this superb author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cornerstone for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A tangled, intriguing web spread across twenty-five years in my home city of Brighton and Hove. The setting is realistic, the locations are authentic. I know them all - not so much the beach where teenagers Nell and Jude stumble across the body of a young woman at the waterline. It is 1993. She has an intricate tattoo of a mermaid, the only distinguishing feature, and inevitably becomes know as the Brighton mermaid. Three weeks later Jude disappears. The crime is not solved and Jude is never found. Wind on 25 years and Nell is obsessed with solving the identity of the Brighton mermaid and finding her friend, Jude.

Nell has saved enough to take a year off work in order to carry on her investigation using genealogy and DNA profiling to try and find a familial link. Her sister suffers with OCD, for reasons that become apparent in the plot, and is constantly irritated with Nell's determination to seek a solution to the 25 year old mystery. It puts them in harms way. Someone doesn't want the truth to be revealed....

Other characters are drawn into a plot that spools backwards and forwards through the timeline. A slow burner that picks up pace and leads to a breathtaking climax.

Well worth a read.

Another stunning crime thriller. Full of twists and turns

Good book and very much on point in today's climate.Thought provoking and brings up issues that are often buried.manages to be entertaining and educational at the same time.No spoilers, just thanks to the Publishers and netgalley for the ARC.

A very good read, a book that when you finish it, stays in your mind. Excellently written and first class characters.
One of Dorothy's best.

A Dorothy Koomson classic.....this tells the story of a girl who found a murdered girl and her life since then, the story flits between past and present and tells the story of what happened. A gripping who done it story that keeps you guessing and guessing! Excellent book!

This is an interesting story of an historic murder spree, The chapters are set now and in the past, with different characters so attention to detail is needed.
The plot is good and the characters well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The beginning for me was a bit slow but once it got going I looked forward to discovering the next chapter.

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.