Have I lost my mind or something? Sometimes I think there are two people in my head – the one who does ridiculous things, and the other one who doesn’t stop her.” 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 six ‘life size’ identical statues were designed and sculpted by local artist, Barry Canning-Eaton, and five decorated by local schools and an arts based community interest organisation. The Trail starts by the Championship Adventure Golf and weaves its way through the resort past some of New Brighton’s history and heritage, including great places to eat, drink, shop and have fun. 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. Jude and I were so similar, so close, and so very different, too. She made me laugh, made me angry, made me scared, made me jealous when she got something I didn’t. And then she vanished.”

The Brighton Mermaid - Penguin Books UK

Danger seems to be around every corner- it's very tense at points , keeping you on the edge of your seat. Dark secrets are being kept and we wonder when skeletons are going to come tumbling about- and where! 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… This will creep its way under your skin and stay there long after you finish the final few gut-twisting chapters. Brilliant’ Heat The story begins twenty-five years ago; it’s 1993 in Brighton Beach and Nell and Jude are teenagers. They’ve sneaked out without their parents knowledge to go to a party thrown by a local boy. They are making their way home in the early hours when they discover a body laying on the sand. The Map Guide to accompany the trail includes a bespoke map designed by local illustrator Fat Cat Illustration and is available from venues including:Starting from Kings Parade, the first statue – the ‘Ebb & Flow Mermaid’ - is situated next to the Championship Adventure Golf and is decorated by children and young people engaged with Ebb & Flow Community Interest Company, with its decoration inspired by natural wonders in and around New Brighton.

Brighton seafront | The Argus March of the Mermaids take to Brighton seafront | The Argus

The identity of this young woman is never discovered and she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell and Jude’s lives change overnight and whilst Nell struggles to understand why the police are convinced that she and her family have something to do with the body, Jude disappears.They are being led by local storyteller Cathy Roberts of Literally A Bookshop, who will recite the tale as they go. The trail will begin at 11am. It's a great thriller- you know about the crimes, a spate of similar girls found. But we have no idea who is killing them or why. Shortly afterwards Nell's friend disappears and she then dedicates trying to find her and help find out who the Brighton Mermaid was. I loved the dna evidence- I hadn't realised that there was such a development in tracing family trees.

New Brighton Mermaid Trail New Brighton Mermaid Trail

I’ll straight up tell you that I was utterly thrilled to be granted an ARC of this book because Dorothy Koomson has long been one of my favourite authors; her storytelling skills are off the scale! Unputdownable novels such as Rose Petal Beach, The Ice Cream Girls and That Girl From Nowhere all embody her phenomenal talent of writing genre-crossing bestselling books! Ok, so now you know I’m a huge fan. This book did not disappoint; it is everything you’d hope for from Koomson, and some. I wrote my first novel called There's A Thin Line Between Love And Hate when I was 13. I used to write a chapter every night then pass it around to my fellow convent school pupils every morning, and they seemed to love it.The book follows the fallout from a tragic event in 2 sisters childhood. Nell and her best friend Jude found the body of The Brighton Mermaid, after they had crept out for a night out. Nell's dad comes to collect them from the police station and tries to stop the policeman in charge 'bullying' the girls. He has his own nightmare following this event and eventually moves to a more remote village where Macy has troubles of her own. Follow the trail around New Brighton and read the story of the legend as told by local storyteller Cathy Roberts of Literally A Bookshop. Dorothy doesn’t usually linger on the race of her characters. She allows the reader to get to know their personality traits first. However, in The Brighton Mermaid were are told earlier than usual because race is imperative to the characters’ experiences I think. It is a riveting book that any thriller aficionado will enjoy but I think it may resonate deeper with anyone who has ever experience prejudice. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to have the life I thought I would live, as best friends with Nell, getting a proper boyfriend, passing my exams, going to university. I didn’t want to leave but if I wasn’t going to go to the police then I had to, because I couldn’t live in a house with my dad and pretend.”

of the best Dorothy Koomson books - Good Housekeeping 7 of the best Dorothy Koomson books - Good Housekeeping

Hello, my name's Dorothy Koomson and I'll try to make this bit that's all about me as interesting as possible.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. I absolutely enjoyed every moment my time reading, The Brighton Mermaid. It was hard to put it down. Trust me, it’s a MUST read this summer. Be sure to l let me know what you think, if you do. Gostei de A Sereia de Brighton, especialmente pela expetativa que criou desde o início, aquele mistério todo em volta do cadáver da que ficou conhecida como a Sereia de Brighton, uma mulher jovem assassinada que Nell e Jude encontraram quando tinham apenas 14 anos. A própria Jude desaparece pouco depois, sem deixar rasto e esse é outro mistério que ia deixando uma linha aqui, outra acolá, de mistério e me mantinha presa.