The Mermaid's Cry (DI Ben Kitto Book Nine) by Kate Rhodes

 

The Mermaid's Cry (DI Ben Kitto Book Nine) by Kate Rhodes.

Published 16th July 2026 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

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.

***********

Personal tragedy brings DI Ben Kitto to Penzance. Having taken leave of absence from his job as a police detective in the isles of Scilly, he is trying to keep things together for the sake of his young son, Noah, but heartache makes the long nights difficult for them both - despite the protective presence of faithful canine companion, Shadow.

One night, Ben takes Noah out in his stroller, hoping to lull him back to sleep. The peace is suddenly shattered when a shadowy figure snatches a baby from a young mother also out for a walk, and throws it into the harbour. Ben reacts on instinct, and saves the baby from drowning. Later a small figure of a mermaid is found at the scene, reminiscent of the legendary Mermaid of Zennor. Ben is certain this is an important clue...

Ben Kitto is back! Having relocated from the Isles of Scilly to Cornwall, and temporarily taken a job as a carpenter, he finds himself on the track of a killer once again - even though his current job involves making furniture rather than arrests. 

After his selfless act of bravery, Penzance's Chief of Police, DCI Lynne Farraday, asks Ben to help search for the mystery assailant. Already up to her neck in the messy politics of removing corrupt colleagues from the local police force, Farraday needs someone she can rely on. Ben is reluctant to get involved, but when another child is targeted, and more mermaid figures are found, he is persuaded to lead the investigation.

The story flips between Ben's perspective, and that of the unknown person obsessed with honouring the Mermaid of Zennor with child sacrifices. Nicely wielded threads about loss, family, mental health, the innocence of children, and closely-guarded secrets weave cleverly through the whole book, packing a punch on the emotional front - keep the tissues handy - and the timely modern themes of social problems clash like waves against the rocks of deep-seated dysfunction. Rhodes uses local folklore about the mermaid to unsettling perfection, and makes the most of a small community setting where dark undercurrents are at play too.

Once the slow-burn beginning builds pace, the personal lives of Ben and DCI Farraday get dragged dangerously into the investigation, and the guilty-party becomes increasingly unhinged. There are twists and turns galore, and a bevy of creditable suspects to consider - something Rhodes does so well - on the way to an epic climax set against the high summer crowds of Dark Sky Festival. I do not think I paused for breath during the final scenes when Ben and Shadow do their thing. So good!

This is my second Ben Kitto thriller post Kate Rhodes' move to Orenda Books, following Deadman's Pool, and I am rapidly seeing why her books are so well received. I absolutely inhaled this one, consuming it in a single sitting, and cannot wait for more!

The Mermaid's Cry is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a review copy of this book, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet.

She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the idea for this series.

She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.