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thephdivabooks's review
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.
halynah's review
4.0
Pretty decent, atmospheric, I can easily picture it as a possible mini Tv-show. Definitely recommended.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audiobook performed by Saskia Maarleveld.
Nalini Singh is known for her romantic fantasy books (which I’ve never read), but this is her debut adult detective mystery.
The setting is a remote town on the West Coast of New Zealand, populated primarily by indigenous Maori. When a beautiful young woman goes missing while on a regular run, people recall a summer some eight years earlier when several hikers when missing. But those women were all tourists to the area, while Miriama is a native, and knows to stay away from the dangerous cliff areas when she runs.
I really liked this mystery thriller, with several layers of intrigue. Detective Will Gallagher is a great character, with flaws and some darkness in his past … he is, after all, a big-city Detective now assigned to a small town in the middle of nowhere, the only policeman in a town that doesn’t even have a jail. Anahera Spencer-Ashby is recently returned from England to her hometown after her husband died in London. She may have been away for eight years, but she still knows more about the locals and local customs than Will. Together they form a good team.
The twists and turns kept me guessing, and I didn’t see the ending coming. I hope Singh will write another mystery featuring Will and Anahera, though the ending of these makes that seem unlikely. Still, if she writes it, I’ll read it.
Saskia Maarleveld does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and brings the characters to life.
Nalini Singh is known for her romantic fantasy books (which I’ve never read), but this is her debut adult detective mystery.
The setting is a remote town on the West Coast of New Zealand, populated primarily by indigenous Maori. When a beautiful young woman goes missing while on a regular run, people recall a summer some eight years earlier when several hikers when missing. But those women were all tourists to the area, while Miriama is a native, and knows to stay away from the dangerous cliff areas when she runs.
I really liked this mystery thriller, with several layers of intrigue. Detective Will Gallagher is a great character, with flaws and some darkness in his past … he is, after all, a big-city Detective now assigned to a small town in the middle of nowhere, the only policeman in a town that doesn’t even have a jail. Anahera Spencer-Ashby is recently returned from England to her hometown after her husband died in London. She may have been away for eight years, but she still knows more about the locals and local customs than Will. Together they form a good team.
The twists and turns kept me guessing, and I didn’t see the ending coming. I hope Singh will write another mystery featuring Will and Anahera, though the ending of these makes that seem unlikely. Still, if she writes it, I’ll read it.
Saskia Maarleveld does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and brings the characters to life.
skconaghan's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Very much enjoyed this audiobook - it's the first Nalini Singh book I've read, and I will read more. Or listen to more - I liked the narrator very much as well. I loved the New Zealand setting, and the descriptions of the landscapes that are so very different from my own experience. People are pretty much the same no matter where -
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
1.0
I have no idea why I read this whole book. Terribly written. One dimensional characters - or zero dimensional. And what a pretentious title!
mars_loves_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Pregnancy
sandyfleener's review against another edition
3.0
I usually read her books cover to cover in one sitting more or less as they are a coveted favorite. This one took me a bit longer, I think I'll wait a bit and try it again and see if that doesn't make a difference. I imagine it was the new (to me) language, names, places and trying to put all of it together.