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The Mermaid's Pool
Detective Inspector John Smithdown is a good man with some bad things to deal with.
It's 1988 and ecstasy is flooding the streets of Manchester.
The Second Summer of Love is here.
Tell that to the locals on DI Smithdown's patch.
Over one weekend, Smithdown is faced with a missing single mum, machete wielding gangs in Oldham, simmering racial tensions across communities and a mutilated body found at the edge of a remote lake with a mythical reputation.
People say bad things happen at the Mermaid's Pool.
They're dead right.
It's 1988 and ecstasy is flooding the streets of Manchester.
The Second Summer of Love is here.
Tell that to the locals on DI Smithdown's patch.
Over one weekend, Smithdown is faced with a missing single mum, machete wielding gangs in Oldham, simmering racial tensions across communities and a mutilated body found at the edge of a remote lake with a mythical reputation.
People say bad things happen at the Mermaid's Pool.
They're dead right.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2020
4 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
David Nolan
48 books14 followersDavid Nolan is a British award-winning journalist who's authored biographies on subjects ranging from Simon Cowell to the Sex Pistols. He's also written for newspapers, magazines, radio and television.
Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 20, 2020
3.75 stars
April 20, 2023
Fabulous book
David Nolan’s novel is outstanding. Great northern noir which tackled racism head on and was brave enough to go backwards from the first novel. Great characters and crime. I don’t usually like books when the police go ‘rogue’ but it really worked here.
David Nolan’s novel is outstanding. Great northern noir which tackled racism head on and was brave enough to go backwards from the first novel. Great characters and crime. I don’t usually like books when the police go ‘rogue’ but it really worked here.
December 3, 2020
This is a prequel to David Nolan’s debut novel Black Moss. It’s 1988 and Detective Inspector Smithdown is the local D/I in Oldham and the list of crimes he has to deal with builds as he has an abused child, a severed hand found in a local pond, a machete gang carrying out attacks, a burnt body found at a Derbyshire beauty spot and a missing councillor. His superiors see no links between these seemingly random crimes but Smithdown thinks otherwise. The story plays against a background of rising racial tension which eventually erupts in violence and also the area being swamped with the new ‘ravers’ drug of choice, ecstasy.
This is a great slice of what Nolan himself describes as ‘Mancnoir’. The main theme that I picked up on was the seam of dry humour which runs through the whole novel and is seemingly indulged in by all the characters, to either a lesser or greater extent. Even in the direst of circumstances this black humour is present but it does not lessen the seriousness of the themes explored but somehow it seems to heighten them. The characters are all believable and the relationships described feel very real and also very human, as notably Smithdown recognises his shortcomings in his relationship with his wife and daughter. He also realises that although friendly with local Asians, that, that friendship in itself is not enough, as he lacks the understanding and the knowledge of the discrimination that they face on an everyday basis. Like ‘Black Moss’ Nolan manages to cram a lot of different issues into the storyline and these issues, like race, right wing politics and child abuse are as relevant today as they were in 1988.
Another great thriller that deals with contemporary issues and also delighted to read that Nolan is also planning a third in this ‘Mancnoir’ series.
This is a great slice of what Nolan himself describes as ‘Mancnoir’. The main theme that I picked up on was the seam of dry humour which runs through the whole novel and is seemingly indulged in by all the characters, to either a lesser or greater extent. Even in the direst of circumstances this black humour is present but it does not lessen the seriousness of the themes explored but somehow it seems to heighten them. The characters are all believable and the relationships described feel very real and also very human, as notably Smithdown recognises his shortcomings in his relationship with his wife and daughter. He also realises that although friendly with local Asians, that, that friendship in itself is not enough, as he lacks the understanding and the knowledge of the discrimination that they face on an everyday basis. Like ‘Black Moss’ Nolan manages to cram a lot of different issues into the storyline and these issues, like race, right wing politics and child abuse are as relevant today as they were in 1988.
Another great thriller that deals with contemporary issues and also delighted to read that Nolan is also planning a third in this ‘Mancnoir’ series.
September 13, 2021
The fact that this book is a prequel, made no difference when it came to reading 'The Mermaids Pool (Manc Noir #N0.2) by David Nolan. With the first few pages, it became apparent that this crime fiction story (set in Oldham, Manchester, UK) was addictive stuff. I pretty much read this in 5 continual days. In D.I Smithdown, Nolan has created a protagonist that is easily likeable, rough around the edges, and when he's thrown in at the deep end, you're willing for the character to pull through from the off. Set in 1988 Greater Manchester, each chapter is marked with a date-stamp, and on some occasions by a news report of the current local events. This technique helps tell the story and makes it feel true to life. That's the other thing about this story. 1988's cultural issues are not much different to today's political and socio quagmire. Im sure David Nolan has taken influence from that. Without spoiling the story, this is a gripping crime fiction novel and one that we can highly recommend.
I think it's time to buy that first book!
I think it's time to buy that first book!
November 12, 2021
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S THE MERMAID'S POOL ABOUT?
The predecessor to this novel, Black Moss, took place in two different timelines—the first was April of 1990. This book takes place two years earlier, and involves (to one degree or another) two of the characters from Black Moss, and shows them starting on the path that leads them to where they were in the second storyline of 2016.
Which is a long-winded way of saying it's a prequel.
There are (essentially) two separate storylines.
STORYLINE A
The first involves a missing mother—Naomi's daughter has been put in children's care home after her boyfriend slapped her. Soon after this, Naomi's hand is found by a man walking his dog. Smithdown focuses on the boyfriend as the culprit, but needs to know if Naomi's still alive, too.
This case takes him to a nearby town where another grizzly discovery has been made—near a lake (subject of many urban legends), a mutilated body has been found.
STORYLINE B
Immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan are being attacked in the night, creating—practically overnight—a spike in racial tensions between the two communities.
As Smithdown and other detectives try to put a stop to these attacks, he starts to believe that there's something going on that is trying to take advantage of—and is perhaps stoking—this tension as it mounts to near-riotous levels.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE MERMAID'S POOL?
Of course, it's not just the two storylines at work—they're intermingled and there are a couple of more personal subplots involving Smithdown and his family. But let's keep things simple and pretend that the storylines are hermetically sealed from one another.
In my imaginary world, if you could excise Storyline B; tweak A so it's not dependent on B; or create an easier-to-believe B, and keep the personal subplots—you'd have yourself a winner. Most of B is great—but at a certain point, it just jumps too far and I can't buy it. I've seen similar things tried by other authors—Robert B. Parker and Rob Parker jump to mind.*
* I'm at a loss for other examples at the moment, but Nolan's not the first non-Parker to try.
That said, while I had checked out on that story working for me as soon as I saw where Nolan was going—I was gripped by it. How was he going to pull off a satisfying resolution while balancing the smaller story of one presumed-dead woman in the middle of this? I was on the edge of my seat and rolling my eyes simultaneously.
And it's a shame I felt this way because, underneath all of this, Nolan was painting a gripping picture about hate—hate in many varied forms—and how that hate can shape and harm a community, how it can corrupt noble institutions, and twist individuals of all backgrounds. And I was too distracted to be able to spend as much time musing on that as I think I should have.
Is there some light in all of the hate? Some hope? Yes, some. But as with Black Moss, Nolan makes you hunt for it. Maybe so you value it more.
---
‘Wow,’ the young man deadpanned. ‘Nazi cops. Absolute shocker.’
‘Is that how you see it?’ Smithdown asked.
‘Yes, I do. And it appears that I’m entirely right.’
‘This is the bit when I tell you about a few bad apples isn’t it? About what a great lot we all are - on the whole; just good people doing a tough job as best we can? But under the circumstances, I’m going to say nowt. I don’t know what I know anymore. Or who.’ Smithdown looked around the darkening landscape. ‘I’m a bit lost, to be honest.’
WHAT'S THE MERMAID'S POOL ABOUT?
The predecessor to this novel, Black Moss, took place in two different timelines—the first was April of 1990. This book takes place two years earlier, and involves (to one degree or another) two of the characters from Black Moss, and shows them starting on the path that leads them to where they were in the second storyline of 2016.
Which is a long-winded way of saying it's a prequel.
There are (essentially) two separate storylines.
STORYLINE A
The first involves a missing mother—Naomi's daughter has been put in children's care home after her boyfriend slapped her. Soon after this, Naomi's hand is found by a man walking his dog. Smithdown focuses on the boyfriend as the culprit, but needs to know if Naomi's still alive, too.
This case takes him to a nearby town where another grizzly discovery has been made—near a lake (subject of many urban legends), a mutilated body has been found.
STORYLINE B
Immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan are being attacked in the night, creating—practically overnight—a spike in racial tensions between the two communities.
As Smithdown and other detectives try to put a stop to these attacks, he starts to believe that there's something going on that is trying to take advantage of—and is perhaps stoking—this tension as it mounts to near-riotous levels.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE MERMAID'S POOL?
Of course, it's not just the two storylines at work—they're intermingled and there are a couple of more personal subplots involving Smithdown and his family. But let's keep things simple and pretend that the storylines are hermetically sealed from one another.
In my imaginary world, if you could excise Storyline B; tweak A so it's not dependent on B; or create an easier-to-believe B, and keep the personal subplots—you'd have yourself a winner. Most of B is great—but at a certain point, it just jumps too far and I can't buy it. I've seen similar things tried by other authors—Robert B. Parker and Rob Parker jump to mind.*
* I'm at a loss for other examples at the moment, but Nolan's not the first non-Parker to try.
That said, while I had checked out on that story working for me as soon as I saw where Nolan was going—I was gripped by it. How was he going to pull off a satisfying resolution while balancing the smaller story of one presumed-dead woman in the middle of this? I was on the edge of my seat and rolling my eyes simultaneously.
And it's a shame I felt this way because, underneath all of this, Nolan was painting a gripping picture about hate—hate in many varied forms—and how that hate can shape and harm a community, how it can corrupt noble institutions, and twist individuals of all backgrounds. And I was too distracted to be able to spend as much time musing on that as I think I should have.
Is there some light in all of the hate? Some hope? Yes, some. But as with Black Moss, Nolan makes you hunt for it. Maybe so you value it more.
December 27, 2020
The looming dark mass of Kinder Scout is the highest point in Derbyshire. One of it’s features is the Mermaid’s Pool. This geographically accurate, deeply noir thriller by David Nolan draws the reader into the furthest depths of depravity and murder.
Nolan knows the area well, and his inside knowledge of the old cotton town of Oldham, now part of Greater Manchester, is based on the searingly incisive eyes and nose for news of an experienced, professional journalist. The simmering hatred of racial tension, coupled with the obscenity of those stoking its fires, is an unnerving basis for a crime thriller that reaches out to touch parts that, in the real world, should have been left alone.
The Mermaid’s Pool is set in the late 80s, when race riots simmered and broke out nationally across cityscapes of back-to-back, redbrick, close-knit housing. They destroyed neighbourhoods where common decency had flowered, only to be smothered and beaten back by the weeds and greedy, unstable roots of intolerance.
DI John Smithdown faces the very worst crimes. A hand discovered in a town park pond; and badly burned body with a missing hand on a remote moor; a nightclub owner with the morals of a plague-carrying rat and with an obsession with power; and the growing realisation that the disease of racism is infecting and threatening families and colleagues.
Author Nolan’s reporter’s eyes look through the murk. They bring to light a deep, dark, noir plot. The Mermaid’s Pool is well-written, captivating and has a thrillingly satisfying finale.
Nolan knows the area well, and his inside knowledge of the old cotton town of Oldham, now part of Greater Manchester, is based on the searingly incisive eyes and nose for news of an experienced, professional journalist. The simmering hatred of racial tension, coupled with the obscenity of those stoking its fires, is an unnerving basis for a crime thriller that reaches out to touch parts that, in the real world, should have been left alone.
The Mermaid’s Pool is set in the late 80s, when race riots simmered and broke out nationally across cityscapes of back-to-back, redbrick, close-knit housing. They destroyed neighbourhoods where common decency had flowered, only to be smothered and beaten back by the weeds and greedy, unstable roots of intolerance.
DI John Smithdown faces the very worst crimes. A hand discovered in a town park pond; and badly burned body with a missing hand on a remote moor; a nightclub owner with the morals of a plague-carrying rat and with an obsession with power; and the growing realisation that the disease of racism is infecting and threatening families and colleagues.
Author Nolan’s reporter’s eyes look through the murk. They bring to light a deep, dark, noir plot. The Mermaid’s Pool is well-written, captivating and has a thrillingly satisfying finale.
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March 17, 2024Grim,witty,down to earth
I thoroughly enjoyed Black Moss, the 1st in Nolan's Manc noir trilogy, but this was even better. Oddly, written as a prequel with many of the same characters, but focussed on John Smithdown, a Manchester detective,who plays an important but supporting role in Black Moss. Nolan has crafted a strong, believable and immensely likeable character. He isn't down at heel, near alcoholic or a loner and is all the better for it. Smithdown stumbles upon a neo Nazi conspiracy to start a race war in Oldham and is adept at recognising decency in the most unlikely places and people. Nolan shows a real talent in using very natural, low key and often funny dialogue between his characters. The Manchester of the eighties and early nineties is brought to life as a grim but vibrant setting. Nolan expertly blends the story with real events and developments of the early Madchester ecstasy scene. Nolan quickly got me invested in his characters and their lives. Excellent stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed Black Moss, the 1st in Nolan's Manc noir trilogy, but this was even better. Oddly, written as a prequel with many of the same characters, but focussed on John Smithdown, a Manchester detective,who plays an important but supporting role in Black Moss. Nolan has crafted a strong, believable and immensely likeable character. He isn't down at heel, near alcoholic or a loner and is all the better for it. Smithdown stumbles upon a neo Nazi conspiracy to start a race war in Oldham and is adept at recognising decency in the most unlikely places and people. Nolan shows a real talent in using very natural, low key and often funny dialogue between his characters. The Manchester of the eighties and early nineties is brought to life as a grim but vibrant setting. Nolan expertly blends the story with real events and developments of the early Madchester ecstasy scene. Nolan quickly got me invested in his characters and their lives. Excellent stuff.
January 7, 2023
THE MERMAID'S POOL is a completely interesting, gripping, funny, absorbing, scary, inventive and an always human thriller. Smithdown is a great character––wise, brave, world-weary, stubborn––but moved also by love and fear. As Smithdown unravels a cruel, dangerous and complex conspiracy, the weird landscape of the moors becomes another unforgettable character in this unfailingly brilliant knockout of a novel.
November 7, 2023
Mixed up book?
I am enjoying the series of books & this story still reverberates around towns & cities today with racism & different factions, but I was quite confused to find out that this book (two), was set two years before book one (Black Moss).
As such they are introducing characters that have already been in other stories & i am not sure if it was done deliberately.
Still a great read & I look forward to book number three.
I am enjoying the series of books & this story still reverberates around towns & cities today with racism & different factions, but I was quite confused to find out that this book (two), was set two years before book one (Black Moss).
As such they are introducing characters that have already been in other stories & i am not sure if it was done deliberately.
Still a great read & I look forward to book number three.
April 5, 2025
Atmospheric police proceedural set against Oldham race riots (although transplaced to earlier time period) and rise of manchester drug/rave scene.
A strong ending, all-be-it with a couple of unnecessary deaths thrown in, but there were strong characters and I liked use of local slang language. My only slight niggle was there wasn't much of a 'who-done-it' (or why) within the story, so it was more of a race-against-time thriller to catch the baddies. Look forward to reading his other work.
A strong ending, all-be-it with a couple of unnecessary deaths thrown in, but there were strong characters and I liked use of local slang language. My only slight niggle was there wasn't much of a 'who-done-it' (or why) within the story, so it was more of a race-against-time thriller to catch the baddies. Look forward to reading his other work.
February 9, 2023
A compelling thriller, really makes you root for the main characters. And i strangely want to walk up Kinder Scout now!
However not always an easy read, deals with tough issues including white supremacists, racist violence and violence against women and girls.
Interested to read more in the series.
However not always an easy read, deals with tough issues including white supremacists, racist violence and violence against women and girls.
Interested to read more in the series.
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May 23, 2024I went to an author's talk at the local library by this author and I was keen to read his work. I don't normally like reading about a murder but I was drawn to the story due to being familiar with locations in the book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews