Drawing its inspiration from a love of the Dorset coast and the music of Joni Mitchell, The Mermaid Cafe is the first book in a trilogy which grows steadily darker as the story unfolds. Following personal tragedy, Annie moves to the coast to restart her life. She buys a dilapidated beach cafe which, over the course of a year, she turns into a thriving business. Her driving ambition is to provide a secure and loving home for the severely autistic Michael. She recruits staff to help her; a young musician on a working vacation to improve her language skills, a gifted chef whose philosophy is never to stay in one place too long, and a recovering addict determined to redeem his past sins. Michael is befriended by an enigmatic beach tramp with whom he forms a unique bond, their unusual friendship helping the boy to break out from inside his mental prison. However, tragedy is never far away and soon Annie is once again forced to come to terms with loss. A wealthy entrepreneur persuades Annie's waitress to work in his nightclub and, as they grow closer, she uncovers disturbing truths about the fate of other women in his past. When a dancer from the nightclub persuades her unemployed lover to assist in a crime guaranteed to make them rich, events quickly spiral beyond his control. The Mermaid Cafe is a debut novel."