Review: A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
Title: A Madness of Sunshine
Author: Nalini Singh
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository. Bookshop
Source: e-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 3 stars – stick to your bedtime
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’ve been a longtime fan of Nalini Singh’s writing. Within the romance realm she’s quite well known and loved, with good reason. A Madness of Sunshine is her first foray into the suspense/thriller/mystery genre and is a solid, if somewhat predicable read.
Anahera has come back to the small, remote town of Golden Cove on the New Zealand coast after the death of her husband. She never though she’d be back on Golden Cove but finds herself back in her childhood home which is full of the memories of her past. When a young local goes missing, Anahera becomes embroiled in the mystery of her disappearance and entangled with the William Gallagher, the only law enforcement in town. William is battling his own demons and he and Anahera are drawn together as they try to unravel the mystery of the missing girl. But Anahera remembers another time 8 years ago when other women went missing. She can’t help but think that the events are related but can she and William figure out who the killer is before he silences her for good?
I’m not a huge suspense reader so I don’t have a lot to compare this to. While the story was compelling, I found the ending to be a little anticlimactic and not very surprising.
The best part of the book for me was the atmosphere and setting. The book definitely had a dark almost gothic feel to it. I could really sense how remote and isolated the town was. I’ve never been to New Zealand but Singh does an amazing job of describing the landscape and setting of the town. I could imagine myself there and it really felt like a character of its own. The atmosphere was moody, dark, and full of menace at times.
I liked both Anahera and William. I think they made a good pair and I was happy to have a little romance in an otherwise pretty serious book. Truthfully the others characters in the book weren’t super memorable and I’m having trouble recalling any of them now.
Overall I liked this book but it did not blow me away. I give Singh credit for creating a a world that felt very true and real. It is the perfect setting for a creepy suspense thriller. I wish that it had been a little more exciting or had a more surprising ending but I’m willing to cut Singh some slack since it was her first book in the suspense lane. If you’re looking for something with lots of atmosphere and a unique setting, A Madness of Sunshine might be for you. As always, I remain a fan of Nalini Singh’s and am excited to see where she goes next in this genre.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.
