The Mermaid’s Cry (Isles of Scilly Mystery #9)

The Mermaid’s Cry (Isles of Scilly Mystery #9) by Kate Rhodes is out now (published July 16, 2026).

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The Mermaid’s Cry (Isles of Scilly Mystery #9)
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The Mermaid’s Cry (Isles of Scilly Mystery #9) Release Date: July 16, 2026

Published

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 series continues…

‘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

‘Rhodes does a superb job of balancing a portrayal of a tiny community oppressed by secrets’ Sunday Express

‘No one produces more elegantly written work than Rhodes’ Financial Times

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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

‘Dark, intense, and expertly crafted’ RACHEL ABBOTT

‘An atmospheric and moving depiction of a tightly knit community in a rugged and often dangerous landscape … tense and deftly plotted’ Guardian

‘[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

‘Evocative, immersive, twisty’ SARAH VAUGHAN

‘Gripping, clever and impossible to put down’ ERIN KELLY

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Genre: Thriller

Kate Rhodes

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