During Cornwall's Dark Sky Festival, children begin to disappear, with mermaid charms left behind. Grieving DI Ben Kitto desperately races to stop a killer before his own young son is next. The bestselling, critically acclaimed Isle of Scilly Mysteries series continues…

'A truly atmospheric series. Every book is pure joy to read' MICHAEL WOOD

'Tense and deftly plotted, the pathos fuelling true suspense' GUARDIAN

'A classy, edge-of-the-seat thriller which will keep you guessing throughout!' B.A. PARIS

'An absolute master of pace, plotting and character' ELLY GRIFFITHS

'The Mermaid's Cry is my favourite type of crime novel – atmospheric, beautifully written and steeped in a haunting sense of place. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough' ROD REYNOLDS

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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.

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Praise for Kate Rhodes:

'A twenty-first-century Agatha Christie' JULIA CROUCH

'No one produces more elegantly written work than Rhodes' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Evocative, immersive, twisty' SARAH VAUGHAN

'Gripping, clever and impossible to put down' ERIN KELLY

'Dark, intense, and expertly crafted' RACHEL ABBOTT

'[A] superb series' DAILY MAIL

'A truly absorbing, chilling story' PEOPLE'S FRIEND

'Kate Rhodes directs her cast of suspects with consummate skill, keeping us guessing right to the heartbreaking end' LOUISE CANDLISH

'A vividly realised protagonist whose complex and harrowing history rivals the central crime storyline' SOPHIE HANNAH

'Expertly weaves a sense of place and character into a tense and intriguing story' METRO

'The whole book tingles with tension. I hope it does for the Scilly Isles what Ann Cleeves did for Shetland' MEL MCGRATH