‘scenes of toe-curling terror… and a bombshell of a plot… it is truly, horribly good.’ Mail on Sunday

‘a superb psychological thriller’ Cosmo Books

‘a great read with plenty of pace’ The Bookseller

‘with a quite startling twist to the tale, this is a must for all crime fiction lovers.’ Company

‘woven into this powerful story are journal entries in which the murderer discusses torture in loving detail, an aspect that makes this graphic, psychologically terrifying tale almost as off-putting as it is impossible to put down.’ Publishers Weekly

‘gripping, intelligent stuff’ Marcel Berlins

‘This is without doubt the best book by McDermid that I have read: exciting, well-written, fast-moving and well-deserving of the [Gold Dagger] award… you’ll not find a better book this year.’ Books Magazine

‘McDermid has many startling surprises in store and brilliantly pulls the rug out from under our feet, exploding the psychological clichés commonly found in more one-dimensional portraits of the twisted criminal mind.’ San Francisco Chronicle

‘a deliciously gruesome serial killer thriller’ The New York Times Book Review

‘a blast of a book… Dirty, depraved and serious entertainment, almost playing with porn and at the same time lit from within by the kind of compassion which makes you forgive the wicked and question everything.’ CPS Journal

‘[McDermid] excels because she explores the mind of a murderer, gradually teasing out details; then switches effortlessly to the police investigation… MERMAIDS is… well-written, tense and exciting.  It is a book which pulls the reader, and which lingers in the imagination long after the last page has been turned.’ Yorkshire Post