Member Reviews

The Mermaid Murder by Maggie Shayne is a thrilling mystery centered on Rachel de Luca, a tough, no-nonsense psychic who becomes entangled in a cold case about a missing professional mermaid. The story picks up as the mystery is revived by new developments, pulling Rachel into danger. With a combination of suspense, supernatural elements, and witty dialogue, Shayne crafts a gripping narrative. Fans of paranormal mysteries and clever, strong protagonists will find this an engaging and fast-paced read.

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My first time reading Maggie Shayne, i cant wait to read more of her books. Very unique story, kept my interest through the whole book.

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A murder mystery with a little humor. This is not the first book in the series, but I didn't feel lost not having read the others first. This was a quick and easy read that took my mind off of the world for a short time. It has paranormal notes to it, but not in an overpowering way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oliver Heber Books and Maggie Shayne for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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This is my first book by the Author and I wasn't sure what to expect but I must say I was pleasantly surprised
by the quality of writing and the characters and their interactions .
The book makes for the perfect murder mystery , with romantic elements , witty dialogue ........ told from multiple points of view
it makes for an entertaining read .
Having enjoyed this book so much I look forward to reading more of the Author's other offerings
A note to new readers of the Author this appears to be the last book in a series but can be read as a standalone


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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This is a new author for me, so I had no expectations for this story. I am happy to say I enjoyed this story very much. It moves along pretty quickly and has good twists and turns. Personally, I don't think you can jump into this series having not read the previous books. Since I have not read the previous books, I felt like I was missing important information to this story. Now, to get caught up on the rest of the series.

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Maggie Shayne books never disappoints although, this is the first book in this series I have read. Very entertaining, interesting, intriguing murder mystery. It keeps you engaged all the way to the end with lots of twists, and turns. The other books in this series are already sitting in my library, and I can't wait too dive in.

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They're back and better than ever! I absolutely loved this story. Rachel has a mystery on her hands and it hits close to home. I loved visiting with her and Mason and the whole crew. It kept me guessing and I got it totally wrong. Full of suspense and action, this is one you won't be able to put down! And oh that ending. Loved it!

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Rachel is a self help guru and her husband is a detective. Rachel’s niece is working at a club as a professional mermaid where 10 years ago another mermaid came up missing. Misty is also working with her roommate who is doing a podcast on the mystery.
Rachel had a dream that her twin nieces were dressed in mermaid costumes face form on a beach and she is terrified!
There are so many different twists and turns. I was on my toes! I kept changing my thoughts as to who was the responsible party and I was way off!
If you like thrillers then you will like this book!

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Firstly can I say up until a few weeks ago I'd never read a Maggie Shayne book and certainly had not read any of the De Luca and Brown books. Step forward a few weeks and I'e done them all (Actually I missed Gingerbread Man but that isn't directly a Rachel and Mason book). So you may ask why I read them all so fast and what was the appeal. Honestly these books contain the perfect ingredients of what I look for in a mystery. There's some romance, smart antidotes and wit, murder, mystery, usually some harrowing times and not forgetting the opening chapter is always a little dire (I mean in a 'something terrible happening' not bad writing!!).

Rachel is hilarious to read about. I love her sass, her attitude, that she's an author and has an amazing gift... Honestly she is just someone I'd love to know and Mason, well he's eye candy, but he's smart, a detective but he has a heart of gold. The combination of these too had me thinking of Moonlighting and Maddie and David's characters (Yeah I'm showing my age - sue me!).

The Mermaid Murder is the last book (At current in the series and I am praying Maggie doesn't leave it there) in the series and I would urge you to read the others. You'll get the most out of it then. This was a good mystery and I admit it wasn't until about half way through I realised who the 'baddie' was. It had a nice conclusion too and ended just right really (If you've read the other books). Especially the Myrtle thing.

Over all I have loved reading this whole series these past few weeks. I've read other books at the same time but admit, these two have really stolen my heart. The MerMaid Murders was a solid 4 star read, the series as a whole gets a 4 stars too. And Maggie Shayne the author (Maybe just for her bio on Goodrerads, but wow that woman has been through stuff!) she has a new fan here! I must check out her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book.

Rating 4 stars.

As a lover of mermaids, I was instantly drawn to the cover of the book, so much so that I never realized that the book was apart of a series. Normally, this would intimidate me and I'd have to back track to read the books that came before it in the series. But to my surprise, it didn't feel like I was utterly confused because I hadn't read the rest of the series. The author was great about including parts from the previous books which allowed me to get a better understanding of the characters and their history. The only thing that sometimes felt off for me was the Inner Bitch which would sometimes speak up in Rachel de Luca's head. But that may be because I haven't read the other books in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed that I got to experience the story from different characters points of view and although there were many things going on at the same time, it flowed perfectly for me. I've also heard about professional mermaids before, but have never seen them in person and the way the setting was described it was easy to imagine that I was there.

I loved reading this book and now plan on circling back to read the rest of the books in the series!

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This book was unfortunately not for me. But this is my fault for not realizing that this is part of a series, that I have not read.

I wish that the website would do a better job of letting you know when books are part of a series.

I found myself very lost and ended up DNF-ing very quickly, because it was apparent that I was not going to be invested.

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for the e-arc.

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This was such a fun and interesting read! I can't wait to dive into the entire series. All the pieces fell together at the end and I loved it.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book to read. This was a fast paced palate cleanser for me. I didn't realize until I received it that this book is part of a series. It didn't read like one though.

A murder of a professional mermaid 10 years ago is brought to the surface again when Misty's roommate starts a podcast about the cold case. Misty, also a professional mermaid, helps her out with the podcast and leaves her twin sister to fill in for her as a mermaid. Eventually the whole family comes to town to help the girls solve the mystery of the murdered mermaid.

Fun, fast paced murder mystery! I look forward to reading her other books in the series (this time in order).

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I didn’t realize this was a series. I’ll definitely check out the other ones. Great book. Kept me entertained and wanting to read more. Didn’t expect the twist!

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“‘The Mystery of the Missing Mermaid.’

Rachel, Mason and the gang are back after a really long hiatus. Boy are they back with a big bang. Just as great and mesmerizing as I remember. I love this series so much. It’s funny edge of your seat awesome.

After long delays Mason and Rachel are finally planning their wedding but her gift is getting in the way.
The mystery is intriguing with a shocking conclusion that you’ll never see coming. Please don’t wait so long for the next book. I went through withdrawals. Grab this one immediately!!

Myrtle rules!!

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Okay so I messed up here. I saw mermaids and murder and I was like heck yeah! What I didn't realize was this was the sixth book in a series. While that didn't entirely ruin the reading of this I did feel like I needed to go back and figure out at least a general understanding of the plots that came before. In doing so I found out some stuff about the earlier stories that made it hard for me to continue. It's totally my own issue and the book was still interesting but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

I rated it two stars higher cause it's not the writing or storytelling fault I ignored my own triggers.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I enjoyed this mystery, and the whole Mermaid show connection, as well as the slight psychic relationship among the family members.

I am not a fan of romantic mysteries in general, but that is just my personal preference. If you feel similarly, don't worry, that only encompassed a few pages, minimal, and even if you skip those few pages, it is a clever mystery.

Loved the book's dedication, my dog is my best buddy, so that was a pleasant surprise!

Sending a few notes to the publisher for a few suggested changes, I a fan of hard-boiled crime thrillers, and I am no shrinking violet, but at least pre-press the writer uses a self-debasing derogatory term to refer to her inner thoughts, that as a female it pulled me out of an otherwise wholly enjoyable story. I cannot imagine any woman regularly referring to her personal thoughts as she does in this book, not just once but DOZENS of times.

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Thank you Netgalley & Oliver Heber Books for an eARC 🔥♥️

I was super excited to dive back into this series and I wasn't disappointed. It's about mermaid performer who disappeared years ago and now the main character's niece is working at the same club and trying to solve the mystery. But here's the thing - the main character has these visions that always come true, so when her niece goes missing, things get real!

I love how Maggie Shayne mixed mystery, family drama, and a touch of the supernatural. The characters feel like real people and the story keeps you guessing. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they'd find the niece before it's too late! And the mermaid club setting? So cool!

I was especially happy to read a new part of this book series. I've been invested in the characters and their stories for a while now, and it's great to see the series continue to deliver. The podcasting aspect was done really well too. Sometimes books try to force trendy elements, but this one worked. And the clues and hints? Ah, man, I was like "Ah-ha!" but also "Why didn't I see that coming?!" It's a great balance.

Anyway, if you want a book that'll keep you up all night, this is it! Suspense, mystery, and a touch of supernatural - what more could you want? I'm so glad I got to revisit this world and I can't wait for the next installment!

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The Mermaid Murder is engrossing and fast-paced. It is a continuation of the Brown and DeLuca series, and quite enjoyable. The characters are intelligent and relatable.
If you enjoy suspenseful mystery stories, this book is definitely for you. Maggie Shayne remains one of my favorite authors.

Thanks to Netgalley and Maggie Shayne for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

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This was such a fun read! The synopsis is clear that the book is about the disappearance of a professional mermaid, but I didn’t really know what that would entail. The concept itself and the way in which it was developed was very creative and entertaining. I was also thoroughly captivated by the mystery and I didn’t want to set the book down. My only critique is that I would have liked a bit more backstory about Eva in order to fully appreciate the denouement and I think that Rachel’s character could have used a bit more dimension.

I had no idea that this book was part of a series when I started reading it. But the author did a really good job of catching up the reader from the beginning so I don’t think that you need to have read the other books to enjoy this one.

Thank you to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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