Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Mermaid’s Cry. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

DI BEN KITTO RETURNS…

A COAST IN CELEBRATION

When DI Ben Kitto sees a baby thrown into Penzance harbour, he prays it’s a trick of the light. But the threat is real. The child survives – barely – and soon a chilling pattern emerges. As the Dark Sky Festival brings dancers, dreamers and stargazers to Cornwall’s coast, children begin to vanish.

A KILLER IN THE CROWD

A small mermaid figurine is found beside each scene, echoing the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, who lured a man to his death beneath the waves. Still reeling from a devastating bereavement and determined to protect his young son, Ben is pulled back into the field and into a deadly investigation. When the killer’s messages begin arriving at his home, the threat becomes terrifyingly personal.

A FINAL RECKONING

Suspicions fall on familiar faces. When the summer solstice approaches, Ben must confront the boundaries of love, loss and obsession. In a final, desperate chase along the headland, only his bond with Noah – and the loyalty of his dog, Shadow – can prevent tragedy from repeating itself.

Review:

I love this series and I was so excited to be back in the company of Ben Kitto and his friends. The Mermaid’s Cry starts with a bombshell that shapes the whole novel, and I admire the author’s boldness in doing this, and enjoyed the story just as much as its predecessors. 

DI Ben Kitto is no longer living on Bryher, and has moved to Penzance with his son. He is taking a break from police work as we join him, but as I’m sure you can imagine, that doesn’t last long! His new surroundings are described in immaculate detail by the author, and I was transported there just as easily as I was to Bryher in the previous instalments. The new location also allows Kate Rhodes to introduce us to a new group of friends and neighbours. This gives her a brilliant selection of suspects to work with, and there were times throughout the novel when I suspected all of them! 

There are some shorter chapters between the main narrative that are written from the perspective of the killer. I loved these chapters, as they not only helped me to see into the killer’s mindset, but also gave me clues as to who the person might be. 

As it was, I got the identity of the killer completely wrong! However, I loved the tension in the final part of the book as Ben and his team got closer to the killer and tried to track them down. As the case involved young children, this made it particularly emotional for me and I was holding my breath that they caught the killer in time. 

I still believe there is more of Ben’s story to come and I hope this series continues soon! 

The Mermaid’s Cry is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: