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The Mermaid from My Nightmare

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Living in different parts of the world, Dijana and Antonio would never meet. Dijana is a journalist who is looking for inspiration for a story. Antonio is a family man, a workaholic. When Dijana comes to Brazil to visit her younger sister, their paths will cross.
The event from the past is hunting him. The act of burglary will wake up his fearful doubts and bitter memories.
A reminiscence on the affair with a woman called Mermaid damaged his reputation.
His family is in danger. Who is hating him so much to want him dead?
Another victim will pay for sins, and whose turn is next?

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2021

12 people want to read

About the author

Kristina Gallo

33 books134 followers
I am a Croatian multi genre indie author.
Adrenaline stories, mysteries and thrillers are my favorite.
If you are a fan of series, I recommend my mystery drama book The Seller of Sins.
Since 2024 I am collaborating with Red Cape Publishing.
My horor thriller " A dream about White Rabbit" got an audio version.

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5 stars
14 (70%)
4 stars
4 (20%)
3 stars
2 (10%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Peter Topside.
Author 6 books1,453 followers
May 2, 2025
DNF at 37%. I don't have much to say here, but this book has a lot of formatting and grammatical problems. It desperately needs to be edited further. I really was trying to get into the storyline concerning Marcia's death, with both Antonio and Diana navigating her untimely demise, which seemed interesting. However, I was completely distracted by all of aforementioned issues. This made the dialogue seem very awkward, and both the sentence structure and word use feel too unconventional to get past. And, as much as I tried, I just couldn't get beyond that.
Profile Image for Stjepan Cobets.
Author 14 books527 followers
May 20, 2022
My rating 4.6

The short novella "The Mermaid From My Nightmare" by Kristina Gallo is, in my opinion, the best work so far with which she has stepped out of short stories. The writer has worked out a crime thriller story very well. In her writing, she connected everything with sexuality and human motives that go in the direction of the dark side. Love sometimes has its dark sides.

The death of one girl in the past will connect Diana and Antonio even though thousands of kilometers separate them. Dijana will come from Croatia to visit her sister in Brazil, which is not long. She also came to do her journalistic work. He will be in contact with Antonio soon. But because of Anthony's past events, the ball of fate will entangle his fingers in their lives.

I would recommend the book to lovers of crime and romance.
Profile Image for Eva Pasco.
Author 7 books383 followers
March 14, 2022
Relentless Suspense

An admirer of the author’s concise and convoluted stories with impact, ‘The Mermaid from My Nightmare’ is another testament to Kristina Gallo’s storytelling prowess. Like the taxi meter in Diego’s cab, the read meter in this psychological thriller is running full-tilt boogie with relentless suspense.

Every character who has a brush with Marcia Oliveira, “Mermaid,” is well-developed. Each backstory provides startling information, while interconnecting the lives of Marcia and Marcos; Luciana and Antonio; Marina and Sergio; Dijana.

While I suspected one of them for Marcia’s murder, the shocking ending proved otherwise.

Chock-full of relentless suspense, I highly recommend this story where infidelity spawns persistent nightmares.
Profile Image for A.A. Schenna.
Author 34 books33 followers
January 20, 2022
It's not the first book I read from this author and it's not the last of course becsuse she is talented and knows very well the way to put you in the story and get to know the characters.
Profile Image for Bernard Jan.
Author 12 books228 followers
February 12, 2022
Sins from the past instigated restlessness and chaos in the lives of protagonists in this exotic thriller. For Dijana, a business-and-pleasure trip to another continent ended up with an unexpected twist. I’m glad that Kristina Gallo has built the bridge between Croatia and distant Brazil, thus adding a special spice to her story.

I have received an advance review copy from the author at no cost and with no obligations toward the author.
Profile Image for Mark Carnelley.
Author 2 books68 followers
April 18, 2022
Classic Gallo Thriller

If you have ever read any of Kristina Gallo’s books (this is my 6th, I believe) , you will recognise her style that comes to the fore in her many thrillers. (If you haven’t, then I urgently suggest you do!)
This read is no exception, a fast-paced thriller with a dash of murder, a pinch of sex, and with her classic characters, and you have another well written, recognisable read from this wonderful author.
Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for yet another read.
Profile Image for Michael Collins.
Author 23 books28 followers
June 2, 2022
This is my second book from the author and again I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story grabs you from the beginning with the settings spanning the globe. From Croatia we go to Brazil and meet well fleshed out characters. And of course, these characters have secrets.

The story flows and keeps you guess about what is really going on? Who is involved with who? And what is their attachments with the deceased woman? This story really keeps you on your toes. A great read and I definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Eve Koguce.
Author 6 books396 followers
January 11, 2023
“The Mermaid from my Nightmare” by Kristina Gallo is a short, gripping story you can read in one sitting, but it will remain with you for a while after “the end”. Characters are vivid, everyone with their own flaws, some with haunting mistakes from their past, while others with problems that cloud their seemingly impeccable present.

A young girl gifted with beauty, a wife of a respected businessman with a beautiful house and two kids, a picture-perfect family. Is happiness only a façade in all these people’s lives? And if so, what will act as a trigger for their carefully built and maintained house of cards to fall down to pieces?

Set in Brazil, “The Mermaid from my Nightmare” is full of unexpected twists, suspense, and secrets.
Profile Image for Jason Rogers.
25 reviews1 follower
June 28, 2024
A great thriller!

An enthralling read. Wonderfully written story with murder and infidelity. The story kept me very intrigued, moved along at a wonderful pace. A brilliant read by an amazing author. Extremely enjoyed this one.
Profile Image for P.J. Blakey-Novis.
Author 70 books72 followers
July 15, 2022
Another great thriller from Kristina Gallo, packed with twists. Although it's a quick read, Gallo creates a tense storyline that draws the reader in from the start.
Profile Image for Joni Martins.
Author 23 books47 followers
January 30, 2022
Book Review

Basic Details:
Book Title: The Mermaid From My Nightmare
Subtitle:
Author: Kristina Gallo
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Part of a series?
Order in series:
Best read after earlier books in series?
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Overall score:
I scored this book 4/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
When Dijana visits her sister in Brazil looking for inspiration for a story, the journalist finds more than she was looking for. With an unsolved murder and more people at risk, what will happen to her?
What I liked about the book:
It was action-filled and fast-paced
What I didn’t like about the book:
I enjoyed the entire book, although it would benefit from some editing, the drawback of being an author writing in a second language.
My favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I understand this Croatian author has written several other books. This is the first I’ve read by her hand.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book combines action, thriller and romance in one.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No
Young Adult Probably not
Adult Yes

If you like thrillers, book may be the book for you.
I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.
Book Description by Author:
Living in different parts of the world, Dijana and Antonio would never meet. Dijana is a journalist who is looking for inspiration for a story. Antonio is a family man, a workaholic. When Dijana comes to Brazil to visit her younger sister, their paths will cross.
The event from the past is hunting him. The act of burglary will wake up his fearful doubts and bitter memories.
A reminiscence on the affair with a woman called Mermaid damaged his reputation.
His family is in danger. Who is hating him so much to want him dead?
Another victim will pay for sins, and whose turn is next?
About the Author:
I am a Croatian indie author. My favorite genre is a suspense thriller. Starting with self-help, I was searching my niche and found myself in adrenaline stories. With time I developed a skill, how to write a story with a twist.
Adrenaline, mysterious places and rebellious characters are my favorite.
Check out my books if you need excitement.
Profile Image for Elsa.
Author 4 books82 followers
February 16, 2022
Short and to the point, just one of the many reasons I enjoy reading Kristina Gallo's books. The Mermaid From My Nightmare reminded me of The Seller of Sins and Body In The Waves. Affairs, murders, mystery and intrigue are just some of the adjectives to describe this book. I enjoyed reading it and in true Kristina Gallo style will have you guessing till the very end!
Profile Image for Ellen Khodakivska.
Author 7 books48 followers
April 8, 2022
🧜🏼‍♀️“The Mermaid From My Nightmare” by Kristina Gallo /BOOK REVIEW📖
 ___
📖You'll like this book if you enjoy reading thrillers with many intriguing twists, intense events, and hunting nightmares.  
___
Genre: Suspense thriller  
Language: English
Release date: 2021
 
🧜🏼‍♀️The Plot: Dijana is a journalist from Croatia. Antonio works and lives in Brazil with his family. Dijana is about to head to Brazil to visit her sister. Moreover, she gets a task from her boss to find a bombshell story for their magazine. Meanwhile, Antonion balances his job and family. Antonio is on the edge of a crisis. The nightmare from the past starts calling him like a mermaid from the dangerous sea. In the background of these events, the life roads of Dijana and Antonio cross, and hazardous events are coming.

🧜🏼‍♀️The Writing Style: Kristina Gallo always manages to create brilliant suspense thrillers, and this one isn’t an exception. The book is full of intrigues, unexpected twists, and perfect sarcastic humor. The thriller is fast-paced and dynamic, so you can definitely read it in one sitting.

🧜🏼‍♀️The Characters: The number of characters that live on the pages of this thriller is average. All of them are well-thought and well-developed; I sympathized with them and felt irritated with the behavior of others. Summing it up, I felt emotionally connected to the main characters and even those who played the second violin in this book.

💙Would I read other books by this author:  Yes!

⭐️My humble rating is: 5/5
Profile Image for Lee Hall.
Author 9 books214 followers
September 27, 2022
A thrilling and twisting tale with so much beneath the surface…

Kristina Gallo delivers a thrilling and twisting tale where there is so much more than meets the eye. With mystery, murder and infidelity ‘Dijana’ finds herself enthralled and surrounded by it as she travels to Brazil for a family visit.

There’s a sense of danger that lurks beneath the surface of a cleverly plotted pacey novel where pages turn quickly but the story stays with you long after. The magnitude of characters is something I enjoyed as they were well fleshed out and fit perfectly with the narrative. Like many of Gallo’s books there’s danger, a little steam and plenty of imagination. Of course I’d love to say more but I shall let the reader find out for themselves.
Profile Image for Lorraine Carey.
Author 33 books109 followers
May 12, 2025
Kristina Gallo delivers a tense and fast-moving thriller packed with buried secrets, tangled emotions, and startling twists. When Croatian journalist Dijana travels to Brazil to visit her sister, she’s unexpectedly drawn into the aftermath of a long-unsolved murder—one that unravels a web of deception and past traumas. Emotions run deep, as the reader can feel them with such descriptive language.
The story is filled with suspense and surprise. The plot’s strength and intensity make it a standout. Bold, raw, and full of intrigue—this thriller won’t let you put it down.

Profile Image for Chris.
157 reviews51 followers
January 3, 2022
Another exciting read from this author with several red herrings which added to the tension. I liked the character development and their connection, my only dislike was the suggestion of selling one of the children to a paedophile. The ending was a great twist and unexpected. Well worth a read and I’m looking forward to another book by this Indie author.
1 review
December 29, 2021
🤔😮Owsom, it's a super secret added, thrilled contained and thrilled-sensed story 😐😶
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for J. Rice.
Author 9 books26 followers
February 23, 2022
Interesting

While I enjoyed the content of the story I was found the vast quantity of narration over shadowed the characters.
Profile Image for Aaron Lebold.
Author 21 books40 followers
October 24, 2024
This was a good read, Kristina tends to lead you in one direction with her characters and then switch up the villains for a surprise ending. The ending was clever and unexpected. Good crime story.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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