Cozy-ish Mystery that features a reporter who's expose about the truth behind a South Carolina small town's "mermaid" takes a sinister turn and draws her into a much darker story.

1/5 stars: This is Myers's stand-alone Cozy-sh Mystery set in South Carolina and features an inquisitive reporter who writes an expose about the truth behind a South Carolina small town's "mermaid". Which it turns out was created by a taxidermist using the top half of an albino ape and a large goliath tigerfish as a tourism ploy to dupe the public and gain publicity. But soon things take a sinister turn and draw her into a much darker story. Myers writes about some very sensitive and tough topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 12%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Tidal Shores, a small seaside town in South Carolina, has seen its fortunes nose-dive. But not for much longer! The 'Big Ten' on the town council have come up with range of ingenious ideas to get tourists flocking back, from buried pirate treasure to beauty pageants, but it's handsome taxidermist Gunner Jones' plan to dupe the public into believing that his creation 'Miss Lucy' - combining the top half of an albino ape with a large goliath tigerfish - is a real mermaid that wins the day. As Gunner's bizarre creature take Centre stage, inquisitive reporter Zoe Porter isn't fooled by its supposed credibility, but with mermaid mania sweeping the country, will anyone believe her expos�? And when events take a sinister turn, Zoe is suddenly drawn into a much darker story . . .

Let me start by saying this is one of the weirdest books that I’ve read in quite a while. Maybe ever.. Myers creates a zany plot filled with laugh-out-loud moments, but also intrigue and twists to keep the reader guessing. She develops interesting characters that definitely fill the rolls of small town Americana, and readers will love the plucky Gan-Gan, Zoe’s great-grandmother.
I can’t say I loved it, but I also can’t say I hated it

Tamar Myers has three mystery series and 40 books to her credit, and I believe this is the first of yet another mystery series.

A local taxidermist, Gunner Jones, subscribes to showman P.T. Barnum’s maxim: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Gunner’s hoping to capitalize on the public’s gullibility to revitalize backwater Tidal Shores, S.C., by passing off a bonobo-Goliath Tigerfish taxidermy job as a real-life mermaid (something Barnum himself pulled off with his so-called Fiji Mermaid). Charlotte, N.C., reporter Zoe Porter isn’t fooled for a minute, but enough yahoos fall for it to boost tourism.

My sister-in-law adores Myers’ Belgian Congo series, which I have not read. After tackling The Mermaid Mystery, it’s unlikely I ever will. While this novel was OK, I just lost patience with it and abandoned it at the 32 percent mark. Except for Zoe, the characters are ridiculously over the top, and the plot, while not predictable, certainly wasn’t headed toward becoming anything out of the ordinary.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review.

I love Tamar Meyers’s work but sadly this book does not live up to the quality of her previous releases.

** “Zoe, what we’re really doing is selling happiness.” **

Tamar Myers delivers a wacky, tongue-in-cheek story with “The Mermaid Mystery.”

When Tidal Shores, S.C., sees a severe decline in tourism, the town’s Big Ten council decides to take matters into their own hands, by creating a crazy but exhilarating diversion to bring visitors back to their struggling community. Enter: Miss Lucy, a mermaid created by the local taxidermist.

As mermaid hype spreads through the area and eventually the nation, Tidal Shores and its tourism industry grows exponentially — but with growth comes drama and trauma.

Will reporter Zoe Porter, who happens to be the great-granddaughter of one of the Big Ten members, determine the truth? And will she be able to convince the world of the truth?

Myers creates a zany plot filled with laugh-out-loud moments, but also intrigue and twists to keep the reader guessing. She develops interesting characters that definitely fill the rolls of small town Americana, and readers will love the plucky Gan-Gan, Zoe’s great-grandmother.

Told with an almost Mitford-like tone, readers of small town stories and cozy mysteries will love “The Mermaid Mystery,” which is due out Oct. 1. It does feature some mild cursing.

Four stars out of five.

Severn House provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Let me start by saying this is one of the weirdest books that I’ve read in quite a while. Maybe ever. But I certainly finished it!

The author made a play on the current media fascination with fake news. They then turned it into a mystery that had me scratching my head and going what the heck while also turning the page. Well, I can’t say I loved it, but I also can’t say I hated it.

I really don’t know how to feel about this one. While at first I enjoyed the sarcastic southern charm of these overly satirical characters, their banter become over the top and a little annoying as the book progressed. Maybe it was reader error but what I assumed to be a cozy beach mystery surrounding a small town mermaid hoax inspired by the Fiji mermaid turned out to be an exaggerated take on political corruption and fake news.

I didn't fall in love with this book. I think it would be great for people who are fans of Planet of the Apes or anything more sci-fi/thriller leaning. The book was not bad by any means, I just think I was going into it with unrealistic expectations. It was reader error because I was expecting something I knew the story wasn't. Still liked it, would recommend to friends I know like this genre but I wouldn't personally buy or read again.

The small coastal South Carolina town of Tidal Shores has a problem. Their few restaurants, shops and motels closed during the pandemic and now don’t have the business to reopen. Tourists have abandoned the town for the glitz of Myrtle Beach. How can Tidal Shores, stuck in an earlier century, make headlines? Handsome taxidermist Gunner Jones has an idea. He has created Miss Lucy, a somewhat seamless blend of an albino ape and a large tigerfish. Miss Lucy, after some much needed facial cosmetic surgery, will pass as a mermaid discovered off the Tiger Shores beach. Surprisingly, it/she does make those wanted headlines after a leaked email about mermaid protection becomes a local story and then a national one on a slow news day. What comes next is described by reporter Zoe Porter. It isn’t pretty. The Tidal Shores residents aren’t much better than the hordes of visitors who believe in mermaids and travel miles to pay a fee to see Miss Lucy.

So what is The Mermaid Mystery? There is a murder but does that make it a mystery? Or is it satire? The Reverend Billy-Bob Henderson is not a realistic character (I hope) and provides a somewhat funny, always ugly look at hypocrisy in fundamental religion. There’s prejudice in Tidal Shores, more so (again I hope) than in present day. What is The Mermaid Mystery? I’m not sure. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Tamar Myers for this ARC.

This was a bit bizarre and it wasn't really for me but I can appreciate what it was going for and it definitely has its own target audience it just isn't me

This was a fascinating take on the current fake news and influencer culture. How far would people be willing to go to save their beloved town and way of life? The reason for the four stars is that some storylines felt incomplete and the ending was a bit abrupt.

What in the world did I just read? I don’t know what I was expecting. When I picked up The Mermaid Mystery , but what I got was not what I was expecting. Although it was a little bit bizarre, I can’t say I disliked this book.