The concept and ideas in this book was interesting and there was some atmosphere. But I hated the way the main character Amy was written. The author wrote her like a bossy, interfering know it all. Who only engages with men when she wants something. Then at one point she falls over hurts her knee, has one conversation with a guy and later writes in her diary how it’s not like her to get romantically involved while on a job?? WTF?? Then uses this justification of break one rule to then break and enter? All this and the political tensions between the Russians and the Americans just takes away from what you really want to see on the page. The Mermaids, the discovery, maybe the cover up … even the horror/ mystery build up to the discovery is really great. But the rest was just a distraction. And the ending I just had to shake my head.