FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Madness of Sunshine
by Nalini SinghPublished by Berkley Books on December 3, 2019
SubGenres: Thriller
Format: eArc
Pages: 344
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New York Times
bestselling author Nalini Singh pivots in a new direction with her first mainstream thriller that will be sure to keep readers on their toes.
Anahera Rawiri left New Zealand at twenty-one, fleeing small-town poverty and the ghosts of her childhood with no plans to look back. But eight years later, she returns, seeking familiarity as respite from the shattered remains of her new life. And despite the changes brought on by a bump in tourism--the shiny new welcome sign at the town line and a decidedly less shiny new police presence--Golden Cove appears much as it ever was: a small settlement on the savage West Coast of the South Island, populated by all the remembered faces and set against a backdrop of lush greenery, jagged cliffs, and crashing waves.
Detective Will Gallagher knows all about ghosts; his own chased him out of a promising career in Christchurch, landing him as the sole cop in a quaint town where his most pressing concerns are petty theft and the occasional drunk. When Golden Cove resident Miri Hinewai goes out for a run and fails to return, Will finds himself heading up a missing person's search that rapidly escalates into an official investigation after this case is connected with similar ones from the past. As an outsider, Will begins to rely on Anahera's knowledge of the area and its residents to help him delve into Golden Cove's secrets, and to determine whether it shelters something far more dangerous than just an unforgiving landscape.
I was excited to find out that Nalini Singh came out with a Mystery/Thriller in 2019. I’m trying to read more genres this year, and thanks to the #Romanceopoly2020 Challenge, I’m fulfilling that goal. I know I was going to enjoy A Madness of Sunshine since Nalini is a fantastic writer. Be prepared though there are no paranormal elements in this book. I know a lot of readers enjoy her PNR and Contemporary novels.
A Madness of Sunshine did still have some romance in it, but it was not the center of the story. The main female protagonist, who is introduced in the story, is Anahera. She has moved back to her hometown in New Zealand after her husband passes away. No one expected her to move back because they believed she was living a good life in London with her husband. Unfortunately, she’s forced back to get away from her life in London. She ends up back in her hometown, which is remote in New Zealand, and a young woman has gone missing. The only police officer named Will in Golden Cove is determined to find the missing woman. Will starts realizing though that there is darkness in the town of Golden Cove, and there’s a killer in the small town, and everyone could be a suspect.
Nalini Singh wrote a book that kept me guessing on who could be behind the missing woman in the book. If she was alive or dead or if she left the small town, like Anahera did, especially after finding out about the young woman’s life. It may be a small town, but some of the people there can keep their lives hidden. I enjoyed following the characters Anahera and Will to determine the hidden secrets about the town and its inhabitants. I was not expecting the ending, though when Nalini finally revealed the killer. I also was not expecting the twists and turns in the book. There’s not only the missing woman that Will is determined to find but other women that were killed several years ago in that town that he’s determined to find out what happened to them. Remind me, though, to be very cautious if I ever visit New Zealand with the cliffs and scenery there. Nalini made it seem very scary in this book, but I know from seeing pictures that New Zealand is beautiful. It’s on my goal list to visit New Zealand one day.
I’ve been reading through Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter, and Psy/Changeling series and glad I made time to read A Madness of Sunshine. I give it four stars and recommend it to readers that enjoy Mystery/Thriller stories.
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About Nalini Singh
I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).
So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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