BY THE SEA

The quaint seaside town of Deringland in England takes pride in its secrets. But some of its secrets are buried too deeply even for them: and, some say, might be better left untouched. Some of these secrets are found at the Institute, a vast gothic mansion perched above the town, now host to a museum crammed full of shady horrors, including the best collection of stuffed 'mermaids' that taxidermy could contrive. Some of these mermaids look disarmingly real. And then bodies start to fall at the Institute, forcing one of the Institute's young scientists to make choices between life, death, and realms between - and offering a maze of riddles for Detective Inspector Persephone Sheepwool, herself escaping from a past she'd rather forget.