Prologue – at Shoreham, a woman on the shore at a deserted naval battery is accosted.
Then at the catholic school, there was a little group of girls – Karen Monday, Freddy, Toni and Mags - who called themselves the Mermaids. When Toni's father's murdered, she becomes more popular. She shoplifts.
20 years later, Freddy is in Liverpool. She has been in a relationship with Sarah (a lawyer, fluent in French) for 2 years, but it’s rocky - Freddy resents being a trophy wife, so she breaks it up. Toni is now PI Kemp. She’s returned to Shoreham after working in London. Her partner is Ricky, who owns a trawler. She’s called out to a wrecked car – driver dead, female passenger bad. The driver was Karen’s son (who worked on Ricky’s boat). Toni (who’d been bullied by Karen at school and hadn’t seen her since) goes to deliver the news and finds Karen dead. Strangled. Karen ran a fish van. Mags is a librarian.
Freddy is called by Mags to say that Freddy’s mother Rennie has died. Her father died a long time before - disgraced by Freddy’s lesbianism? Freddy’s not been back for 20 years. Her brother is Ricky. Another brother is Andy (a limp. Dyslexic. married to Kirsty with 3 kids). Ricky suggests that she take over Karen’s round while awaiting the funeral, and the animal hotel. Rennie's left nothing for Freddy in the will.
Rennie had been running an animal hotel from the house. A hampster was Karen's. There's a lot about someone saying that Freddy's father liked going to sea, though Freddy knows he didn't.
Toni wonders why, if the boy had intended suicide, would he have taken his girlfriend (Tracy) with him in the car?
Mags is gay. Freddy and she made love once in the battery. Toni suggests that they made a good couple and could try again. But Mags is a keen Catholic.
Ricky's fingerprints are in the tiolet where Karen was found dead. Neighbours think that Karen's car and clothes suggested she was rich. Toni watches Ricky being interviewed by her colleague and isn't impressed.
Freddy, on the way to meet Mags at the battery is intercepted by Sarah, who wants Freddy to claim money through the courts.
Mags is assaulted. She wakes tied up in darkness.
Toni still pick-pockets. Why? It gives people who know power over her.
A car tries to run Freddy over. Later, Freddy sees that Ricky's car is damaged.
The animal hotel, with animals running free in the house, offers a chance for the animals' actions to act as metaphors.
Her brothers think she abandoned the family, not knowing she was gay.
The battery is empty of people when searched but there are signs that Mags and Sarah were there. Sarah is brought in for questioning.
There are sections from Mags’ PoV that she’s in a container.
Why does Freddy lie about giving Sarah permission about acting on her behalf?
Freddy learns that her father was gay. The police (i.e. Toni) know too.
Freddy tells Andy (who she trusts!) that she thinks Ricky tried to run her over, and that there’s a racket involving selling over-quota fish via the van, the police being involved. They agree to have a family reunion on the trawler (at night, in a storm). Freddy hopes to convince Andy by finding a hidden hold where the "black" fish are stored, but Andy's the worst brother. The police find out they're out there. Mags knew about a revised will, so she was a danger to the brothers. Karen had found out about the black fish and was blackmailing the brothers. Mags' last thoughts (or Freddy's before she's saved) is that she's become a mermaid at last. Mags and Andy die.
Phrases like "Freddie's sarcasm failed to mask a hurt." have PoV issues.
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