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A review by thephdivabooks
A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
4.0
A widow returns home, a woman goes missing, and secrets from the past won’t stay buried for long… In this tensely-plotted, taut thriller, Nalini Singh crafts a breathtaking mystery set in the wild thicket of a small coastal New Zealand community that hooked me from page one!
The tension that Singh has built in the community of this book is pulled so taut it feels it could snap. The mystery is so well-plotted that it is almost breath taking. The anger and turmoil boiling below the surface is mirrored by the jagged cliffs, thrashing waves, and thick forest of the New Zealand coast. I’d venture to call this a gothic mystery because the setting is so powerful, almost a character itself.
Anahera grew up in Golden Cove, but she left it behind and moved to find a new life in London. Following the death of her cheating husband and the confrontation with his pregnant mistress, Anahera returns reluctantly to Golden Cove. She has few happy memories there. An abusive father, the memory of her mother’s untimely death, and the shock of her husband’s affair and death is too much.
I loved how unpredictable the nature of New Zealand was. The rocks of the cliff feel jagged and menacing. Storms roll in from the ocean with alarming force. And something is brewing under the seemingly safe community of Golden Cove… A woman disappears while out jogging. Could it have been an accident? Perhaps she got lost in the thick forest. Anahera already fears the worst. It reminds her of the three women who went missing in Golden Cove many years before, when she was a teenager.
Detective Will Gallagher also suspects a connection between the three cold cases and the recent disappearance. As an outsider, Will sees the residents of Golden Cove with an objectivity that Anahera cannot. But Anahera also knows the secrets of Golden Cove. In a community this small, there are only so many dark corners to hide in.
A fantastic mystery with a setting that is truly exceptional—this is a great escape read that you won’t be able to put down!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
The tension that Singh has built in the community of this book is pulled so taut it feels it could snap. The mystery is so well-plotted that it is almost breath taking. The anger and turmoil boiling below the surface is mirrored by the jagged cliffs, thrashing waves, and thick forest of the New Zealand coast. I’d venture to call this a gothic mystery because the setting is so powerful, almost a character itself.
Anahera grew up in Golden Cove, but she left it behind and moved to find a new life in London. Following the death of her cheating husband and the confrontation with his pregnant mistress, Anahera returns reluctantly to Golden Cove. She has few happy memories there. An abusive father, the memory of her mother’s untimely death, and the shock of her husband’s affair and death is too much.
I loved how unpredictable the nature of New Zealand was. The rocks of the cliff feel jagged and menacing. Storms roll in from the ocean with alarming force. And something is brewing under the seemingly safe community of Golden Cove… A woman disappears while out jogging. Could it have been an accident? Perhaps she got lost in the thick forest. Anahera already fears the worst. It reminds her of the three women who went missing in Golden Cove many years before, when she was a teenager.
Detective Will Gallagher also suspects a connection between the three cold cases and the recent disappearance. As an outsider, Will sees the residents of Golden Cove with an objectivity that Anahera cannot. But Anahera also knows the secrets of Golden Cove. In a community this small, there are only so many dark corners to hide in.
A fantastic mystery with a setting that is truly exceptional—this is a great escape read that you won’t be able to put down!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.