College student and pianist Violet Bacon must save her highly anticipated concert from sabotage. She enlists the help of a quirky street musician, a Russian Blue cat, and an anchovy-sized mermaid, each an unlikely ally of the featured music.
With time running out, Violet rips into a flaw on the musical score and is blindsided by the crimes and tragedies of other players trapped behind the notes.
As theater seats fill and the house lights dim, Violet and her unlikely cohorts must perform a little magic and transpose those wrongs to complement the harmony of a most bewitching evening or her own performance is doomed.
Chanticleer Book Review
“You Can’t Fool a Mermaid… is a glorious dance of well-intentioned ghosts. Highly recommended!”
…Santamaria’s expert handling of magical realism will leave you wondering what is real as she convinces you to just “go with the flow but be mindful…” Readers will come away understanding that no one can escape their ancestry, but the way people respond determines whether the past is a prison cell or a key… Chanticleer Reviews ★★★★★
Kirkus Book Review
An involving, intricate mix of music, art, and interpersonal drama.
…The writing style, the art and music, and the hints of magic… give this novel an ethereal, charming quality… Violet’s trajectory and hard-won musicianship will entrance readers. Kirkus Reviews
First Place Award
On April 20, 2024, You Can't Fool a Mermaid, won the First Place Award for Magical Realism in the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Grand Prize Award
On April 20, 2024, You Can't Fool a Mermaid, won Grand Prize for Literary and Contemporary Fiction in the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards.