Review: There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkeley
Publication Date: November 2023

They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago.

They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.

As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost. . . .

There Should Have Been Eight is an isolated, closed circle thriller.   Told through the perspective of Luna, seven friends come together for a weekend get-away to reminisce about their friend Bea.  Everyone has a secret and people start disappearing and dying. Honestly, there should have been a thriller here somewhere, but sadly there just wasn't.

I really wanted to love this one.  But I just thought it was meh.  I was honestly bored thorough most of it.  I never really felt a sense of danger or urgency.  The characters were insufferable.  I couldn't find a character to root for. They are all supposed to be best friend, yet I never felt like they were.  Luna was going blind, but she refused to tell her friends?  Why?  I know she was still coming to terms with it, but why wouldn't you clue in your "best friends"? I also got tired of her complaining about the way Bea's sister handled Bea's funeral.  We get it, you are mad.  Move on. The ending was predictable.  I think fans of this author will like it, but it just wasn't thrilling enough for me.

Review: A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkley
Date of publication: December 2019

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates.
 
That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement not to look back. But they can’t run from the past forever.
 
Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.
 
It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

A Madness of Sunshine was a random pick from my library.  I really didn't know much about the book going into it.  I wish I could say that I loved the mystery, but it ended up just being an OK read for me. I'll admit to being a bit bored at times while listening to the audiobook.  I almost DNF'd the book about halfway. But it did pick up a bit and I was intrigued enough to see the solution.

For me the biggest weakness of the story was the amount of characters.  I had a hard time keep everyone straight as well as how they all related to each other.  That is also why I wasn't able to figure out the solution.  There were too many people with a motive.  That resulted in a few red herrings   The story mainly follows two main characters, Anahera  and Will.  Anahera has moved back to her childhood home at the time a young woman goes missing.  Will is the police detective in charge of the case.  There is a little romance between the two, but I think the story would have been fine without it. I didn't find that it added much to the story.  

I think fans of this author will enjoy the book.  It is definitely a slow burn mystery.  If you can make it to the halfway point, the ending is worth the journey.