User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
"Nothing, there's nothing. It's like she vanished into thin air."
Anahera was born and raised in Golden Cove - seaside coast of New Zealand.
The land is
wild, beautiful and savage - and deadly.
When Anahera was a teen, a tragedy occurred - one that haunts the residents to this day.
"They never found the missing hikers, did they?"
Anahera left her hometown -
swearing she'll never return. Only...eight years later she finds herself on the very same shores that the women disappeared from.
She returned home two hundred and seventeen days after burying her husband while his pregnant mistress sobbed so hard that she made herself sick.
Miriama was a girl last time Anahera was in town. And has since grown into a beautiful woman...and then...
just like that...she's gone. Anahera's cold, hard heart threatened to crack.
Faced with the horrifying reality that the missing hikers were never found and that Miriama disappeared in a similar way...Anahera knows that she can no longer sit aside.
"If you had an accident, it's possible no one will find you for days."
Whew! This one just
snatched me up and spit out the pieces.I literally began the book, and next thing I knew I was turning the last page.
Nalini Singh does an excellent job of
transporting the reader into the wild, untamed West Coast. The way she described the deadly cliffs, the wild bush and just...well..everything really drew me into the story.
The main characters - Anahera and Will - really cinched it for me.
I thought Anahera was a good lead - she was a strong woman and a fierce person. She didn't back down and yet, she was honest, and kind (without being overbearing).
I loved Will - the one and only police officer of Golden Cove. His unwavering loyalty and determination to do what's ride really tied the book together.
I also thought his "otherness" (he wasn't born in the cove) added
an interesting dimension as the plot unfolded. He was an outsider. How could he possibly know the secrets that tied together the residents of this town? How could he hope to understand the wounds...
The actually mystery itself? I don't want to give it away but...wow. Did NOT see that coming!
With thanks to the author and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review!YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
A Madness of Sunshine, by Nalini Singh, places us in Golden Cove, a small New Zealand settlement, on the savage West Coast of the South Island. Twenty-nine year old concert pianist Anahera Rawiri, is back, having married a wealthy man at the age of twenty-one and living a life of glamour and luxury in London. But her husband dropped dead less than a year ago and her heart was shattered when she meets his pregnant mistress at the funeral. Now Ana has returned home, where she grew up in poverty, daughter of a mother that endured years of abuse from her father. Ana is bitter and hard now, willing to leave her concert pianist career behind to live in the broken down cabin that she and her late mother had called home.
Detective Will Gallagher is the town's lone officer, having been a hero during a hostage crisis but later having fallen apart when two people he had vowed to protect perished at the hands of an abuser. After several anger related issues, Will is happy to be banished to Golden Cove where he makes his rounds day and night checking on every single household, ordering kids on street corners to go home when it's late, making sure each of the residents of Golden Cove are safe. He's broken and feels like this is where he needs to be, accepting that his rising star career is in shatters and that he deserves this new position.
Fifteen years earlier three young women hikers went missing in this area and the women were never found. Some think they got off trail, never to find their way back, but others wonder if there is a serial killer in their midst. Ana and five close friends were carefree teenagers back then and surprisingly, all of these friends are still living in Golden Cove or have come back to Golden Cove for some reason or another. This is the setting in which a nineteen year old beauty goes for a run and never comes back. The small town is full of angry entitled men who could have harmed the girl and it's up to Will to find out what has happened. Being an outsider to the area, Will leans on Ana to help him investigate the people and the land as they look for the young woman.
The story has promise although, at awkward times Will, but more often Ana, can get lost in their memories of the past, often very repetitive memories, that begin to weigh down the story in the present. There are also so many characters in the story that it's hard to keep track of them all, and people like Ana's best friend, who has a presence in the early part of the story, seem to be forgotten as the story progresses. I also cannot understand how Ana became a concert pianist using the lone church piano, when the town doesn't seem to have any resources for her to learn her skill. There are other things that didn't ring true to me so I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the story.
Pub December 3rd 2019
Thank you to Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
The Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh is a 2019 Berkley publication.
As a reader of romance, Nalini Singh’s name is recognizable to me, and I have seen her books reviewed by some of my GRs friends. However, I’m not into fantasy romance novels featuring angels and demons, or changelings, so I’ve never read any of her work. However, when I saw the author had tried her hand at writing a straight up mystery suspense novel, it piqued my curiosity.
Singh did an admirable job with her first novel of suspense. The book is not without its flaws, but the story is solid when it comes to premise, mood, atmosphere, and location-
Anahera has returned to her hometown of Golden Cove, a small, secluded enclave in New Zealand after the death of her husband. She hasn't even settled in good when she finds herself swept up in the search for a young, vibrant woman who has vanished without a trace. The woman’s disappearance brings to mind, a summer eight years ago, when several other women also disappeared. Could the two cases be connected?
Will, the law enforcement officer working the case, is wrestling with his own demons, as he relies on Anahera to help him navigate the mysterious interconnections between the residents of the town and the missing woman.
I loved the atmosphere of this book. The mood is tense, with so many secrets and possible motives to explore. The book did have a few weaknesses, however…
I had trouble connecting to Anahera and Will. There’s enough background information provided about each of them, it just wasn’t enough to bring the characters to life for me. The chemistry between the couple felt forced, their dialogue stilted and wooden.
The plot is straightforward, not at all complicated- but there is a good amount of tension hanging in the air, as the reader tries to puzzle out who had the best motive, who may be hiding a secret affair or harboring an unhealthy obsession or jealousy. Some developments are fairly obvious, but there is a nice twist to keep things from being too predictable. However, a seasoned mystery reader may see it coming anyway.
Overall, this is a descent mystery. Because this is the author’s first foray into a new genre, I’m going to go a little easy on her. The story is good- but not great, and there’s nothing here that stands out from countless others like it. That said, it was an enjoyable enough read and I think, with a tighter plot and deeper characterizations, the author could carve out another successful niche for herself.
Rating: really liked it
this reminded me a lot of tana french and jane harpers books, so much so that i have no trouble saying is basically
‘the searcher’ combined with
‘the survivors’ (just with a tiny bit more romance).
and what makes these stories so interesting is that the setting totally steals the show. with this, it really felt like i was in a small coastal NZ town where everyone knows each other and their business. its the kind of immersive storytelling that makes the setting feel like a character all on its own. so that was enjoyable.
as far as the plot goes, its your pretty typical small town mystery where a local girl goes missing. nothing really new there. i also found the pacing to be slow. the investigation doesnt really present any significant information until the last half, which made the story feel drawn out. but other than that, the plot/story feels pretty standard. which is why im glad the setting was so enjoyable.
so if youre a fan of TF or JH and are looking for something similar, i think this is the book for you!
↠ 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Sunshine.
That's what she was.
Sunshine.
Bright. A thing of life. A thing that could burnA Madness of Sunshine ships you to a remote town on the edge of the world, where even the blinding brightness of the sun can’t mask the darkness that lies deep within a killer.
On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is a closed knit community, living in peace. That is until one fateful summer- a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if there is someone sinister living among them. It’s not long before the dark past collides with the present and deadly secrets come to light.
A Madness of Sunshine is a complex, character-driven thriller, with a romance subplot. Though a thriller, it has ample drama among characters to keep you engaged. A madness of Sunshine starts off as an easy read where you have no idea where the story is going to take you.
The book does an excellent job of transporting the reader to a remote world in NZ. You can imagine the lonely landscapes, the deadly cliffs, the deadly cove which you make you feel like a part of the story. The beautiful setting adds another dimension to the story that follows. Not just the landscape, the language, the traditions, the small communities and beautifully brought to life on paper.
The characters including, the main characters - Anahera and Will – were really well written. A strong and Independent, Anahera and Will - A loyalty and determined police officer gel well together in this book. Both the main characters here are likable which makes the story engaging.
I did struggle with the pace of the story and the story gathers momentum only around the 2/3rd mark. Much of the book is very much character-driven with more focus on interactions and less action. The story often went back to the original group of 6 friends but none of these friends (except Anahera) had a major role to play in the story, which felt like a wasted opportunity. The book introduces way too many characters which are hardly used as the story moves forward. Having said that the story does justice to the characters it chooses to focus on.
Overall, A Madness of Sunshine is a well-plotted mystery with some well-developed characters. If you enjoy a character-driven story with a bit of mystery & romance, you will enjoy this one.
Three and a half stars Many thanks to the publishers Berkley & Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Eight years ago, on New Zealand’s South Island, over a short period of time, three young women, each hiking solo, vanished. They were unknown to each other, had nothing in common other than their youth and the fact that they were travelling alone. In the remote fishing community of Golden Cove rumours were squashed, people quick to cite the twin dangers of the green jungle inland, and the crumbling cliffs above the sea; no one, at least in public, pointed out that, where two might be coincidence, three such ‘accidents’ might not be so easy to dismiss.
Eight years later, on the other side of the world, a celebrated concert pianist, Maori born, Anahera, attends the funeral of her cheating husband in London, and is then furious to be confronted by his pregnant mistress. Anahera left her home in New Zealand to escape poverty, at the age of 21, but she decides it’s time to return, so she flies home to the family cabin in Golden Cove to lick her wounds. Straight away she meets the town’s one cop (with his own haunting past), and the most beautiful girl: the kind that has all the local men from sixteen to sixty in thrall.
Miriama is also Maori; in this town people and relationships are well mixed: European, Asian, native and colonial New Zealanders, some professionally successful, others struggling. Miriama is about to take up a scholarship in photography. Basking in her own achievement, in the passionate devotion of the local doctor, loved by everyone, Miri appears to have the world at her feet when, without warning, she disappears.
In the protracted search that follows Anahera, the angry widow, and Will, the cop who carries a load of guilt, fall in love, meanwhile exposing the hidden secrets of the townsfolk, secrets which, in this climate, are monopolised by sex. And now, after nearly a decade, Will, an outsider, and Anahera, introduce an objectivity that signals a new and unexpected danger. They start to consider a link between Miri’s disappearance and the fate of the three girls who vanished eight years ago.
Though it was well written, I found the pace rather slow, and didn’t particularly engage with many of the characters, so, sadly not one of my favourites.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
Madness of Sunshine started off as an easy, engaging read for me with that opening line that pulled me into the story right away. The setting here is vividly written and Nalini Singh really knows how to pull that right into the plot making this a fascinating story because of that.
Things did start to go a little sideways here for me with the characters, though. There are a few of them and many become suspects. The characters then began to feel a bit stereotyped to me and things started to feel like there were meant to become complicated instead of red herrings.
Our main characters here Anahera and Will are likeable and vulnerable making their dynamics interesting and I enjoyed the romance element to the story. The romance is light here and just a small part of the story. Just the way I like it sometimes.
The ending well, hmm I am not sure I remember it now ......
I recommend this one to readers who enjoy an easy beautifully written setting that really plays into the plot with a bit of romance and a mystery you don't need to think too hard about but just go along for the ride.
I received a copy from the publisher.
Rating: really liked it
3.75 stars
I’m getting more and more into thrillers and want to add even more to my 2020 tbr, so when I found out Nalini Singh was writing one, I got really excited about it.
There were quite a few things I loved about this book.
1) The story was set in New Zealand, and the author’s familiarity with this country was obvious and also the part that grabbed me the most. The language, the traditions, the small communities and the difficulties that come with them. Beautifully described in detail, it came to live on paper, and had me wishing I could travel to New Zealand right this minute.
2) Both main characters were mysterious, layered, and intriguing in their own way. Touching but also captivating, those layers were peeled, one after another. The entire process felt utterly natural and added to the mystery. And yes there is a couple – slow burn alert!!
3) The last quarter of the book was a nail biter – wowzer!! And I loved how it all came together.
What I struggled with was the pace of the story. It was slow going. It felt like the first 3/4 of the book was very much character driven, less action, more talking. There were so many suspects. So many opportunities. So many directions the story could go.
Overall I needed something more to be glued to the pages.
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but it actually took me almost an entire week to finish this book.
On the other hand, I really liked how it all came together. And I’ll definitely be reading more of her thrillers if the author decides to write more. Thrillers is one genre I want to read more of, and having a favorite author writing this genre, just makes it easier on me.
ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Rating: really liked it
Well consider me a lonely inhabitant of minority opinion world because I'm really bummed about this. The book had a good start, but then it took too long for something to happen and in the meantime there were way too many characters introduced. It was getting difficult for me to keep track of all of them and their importance in the story. I got some ‘The Dry’ vibes, but it didn’t end up being nearly as suspenseful and I had trouble caring about the characters. Also, there was a ton of over explaining and lots and lots of repetition. Once you mention a point or two about the character, I don't need it to be hammered home 800 times - I get it.
Please don't be discouraged by my review - there are COUNTLESS favorable reviews, so clearly I am missing out on something.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing and Nalini Singh for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
Review Date: 11/22/19
Publication Date: 12/3/19
Rating: really liked it
Intensely character driven and held in an arrestingly deadly setting, this is a lingering read.
Writing: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★★
Villain(s)/Reveal(s): ★★★ 1/2
Full disclosure: I've been a long-time fan of Nalini Singh. She writes some of the most well-written, beautifully plotted paranormal romances in the game. As in, they're worthy of SFF labels but are tragically only published as mass market paperbacks (I'm a hardcover girl, but I bend my rule for this queen).
So
when I heard she was writing a mystery/thriller, I was SHOOK. As in, had to get a copy, was willing to beg, barter, and more to get this gem. And it DID NOT disappoint. In fact, it's elevated my opinion so much that I hope this is just the beginning—there better be more!
A Madness of Sunshine unfolds like a tightly clenched fist in achingly slow fits and starts.
A young girl full of vitality, Miriama, goes out for a run one evening along the coast of Golden Cove, New Zealand. She doesn't come back. Will is a cop hiding from his former life as a hotshot detective in Golden Cove. Not much happens in a small town where everyone knows everyone...but
several female hikers have disappeared over the decades, and when Miriama goes missing, the old wounds resurface and the town of "pleasant" neighbors erupts. Can Will solve this current missing persons case amidst the echoes of the past?
Anahera left Golden Cove one year and never looked back. The past only holds pain and secrets, and she's never wanted to relive it—until her London husband dies suddenly and the hidden mistress comes knocking at her door.
Shocked at the shattering of her "perfect" life, she returns to Golden Cove with fresh eyes and old wounds. Will and Anahera come together over the disappearance of Miriama, and it's truly a character study of these two flawed characters finding solace in solving the problems of the past. But, as with other Nalini Singh novels, each and every side character jumps off the page with personality and depth. No one is two dimensional, and no one is overlooked. This felt real.
I'm so happy to see Singh branching out into the mystery/thriller genre.
The mystery was tightly plotted, the villain(s) (no spoilers here!) were deeply motivated, and the unfolding of the plot was extremely satisfying. Don't miss this one!
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.Blog | Instagram
Rating: really liked it
3.5*A wonderfully written atmospheric novel set along the coast of New Zealand.Anahera returns to her home in Golden Cove following the un-timely death of her husband in London. It’s high time to put that tragic event behind her. Hopefully, she can slip back into her old life, returning to a place where everyone knows and cares for her. Easier said than done.
Shortly after her return, tragedy visits her once again. One of the most beloved young women in the village goes missing and everyone of course fears the worst. Is there some sort of connection between this latest incident and the 3 missing hikers who also vanished in the same area? Everyone is a suspect!
Nalini Singh writes a compelling novel that captured my attention immediately. Don’t expect a rapid-paced thriller. This is very much a slow, drawn-out burn of a tale that guides you on a journey, ending with a very satisfying and, somewhat shocking ending,
A buddy read with Susanne
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
Have you ever been so caught up with the characters of a book that you miss you once you’ve finished? I have been walking around for a week trying to figure out what I’ve misplaced, who I haven’t contacted, what I’ve left undone, only to realize that what I’m missing are the people and places in A Madness of Sunshine! What a marvelous story and even better characters!
Will is a cop with a past that is dark and tumultuous. Once a rising star in the metro force, he now has been relegated to a very small hamlet by the ocean. There he simply wants to be a ghost, do his job overseeing petty crimes and live out his days in quiet. Ana has come home after fleeing the village and vowing never to return. Her childhood was traumatic and one that she wanted to leave behind her forever. Now, she has returned to forget the new life she has made. She, too, longs to be a ghost, to be left alone in solitude. Neither gets what they want when a beautiful young girl goes missing and rumors begin to tie her disappearance to hikers who vanished 15 years before.
While the premise of the story may seem, on the surface, like one we have read before, what sets this story apart from the rest is the location, the rugged New Zealand West Coast and its beautiful Maori people, and the incredible character development. I’ve read more than my fair share of crime fiction and come across plenty of down and out cops but few have reached out and grabbed me like Will did. There was something about the flaws of all of the characters, the major and minor ones, that made them more real, brought them to life, had them haunting my dreams. Has them in my head even now. A Madness of Sunshine is what all crime fiction should be.
Apparently this is a departure in genres for this author and I can only hope that we see more of this type of writing from her. If you haven’t already read A Madness of Sunshine you will want to add it to your must-read list, I promise.
Rating: really liked it
4 Stars.
The Past Never Stays in the Past. Anahera never imagined that she would return to Golden Cove, New Zealand, after eight years. When her life in London shattered into a million pieces, returning home seemed like the perfect answer.
Good or bad, the small town of Golden Cove hasn’t changed much over the years. Most of Anahera’s friends left for greener pastures and returned, the same as her.
If only Golden Cove was as peaceful as Ana remembered.When local resident Miriama Hinewai goes missing, the town is turned on its head. Detective Will Gallagher is the town’s only cop and it's up to him to find out what happened.
“A Madness of Sunshine” is a captivating, complex, character driven mystery. It grabbed my attention immediately and I found myself completely drawn in, scared for all of the characters, eagerly awaiting the compelling conclusion. Though I found the end to be a tad bit far fetched, overall, I really enjoyed this novel by Nalini Singh. This is my first read by the author and it won’t be my last!
Another buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group and to Nalini Singh for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 5.3.20.
Rating: really liked it
4 stars 6/1/20
Short review for this as I'm hungry, cooking dinner and I have a 6yr that just proclaimed in a dramatic voice and a hand on her forehead that her life is ruined because her dad cried her tears. Yes, you read that right.
This was not a thriller really, but it was a decent murder mystery. In my opinion a good murder mystery involves a fascinating setting and several suspects with equal motives and opportunities and you can't help changing your mind at least three times over who did it. The book had all that in spades! I couldn't put my finger on who the murder was straight away and that definitely earns points for me.
Instead of a thriller factor we got this deep melancholy and sadness peppered with restrained rage. And I think that's what didn't entirely work for me. By the end I was thoroughly depressed..
It's an exquisitely descriptive book in terms of location and setting. The whodunnit element is not easy to pinpoint and that's the hard part in books like this. Overall a good murder mystery and an excellent genre change from Nalini Singh.
Please do
NOT read spoiler unless you have read the book. I'm also keeping the spoiler as vague as I can.(view spoiler)
[I just didn't want the person who killed Miriama to be who it was in the end. I know it made the most sense/realistic and all but I just wanted it to be someone else. (hide spoiler)]
11/4/19Thriller
and Nalini Singh?!
Rating: really liked it
3 desolate STARS ★★★✩✩ This book is for you if… you'd like to see what else Nalini can do, besides sci-fi Romance. This recommendation only stands, however, if you're willing to tone down your expectations and don't take it out on her other books.
⤐ Overall.Weeeelll... I'm not too happy with this, but not too dissatisfied either. Overall, I expected
A Madness of Sunshine to be twisted. Nalini has always proven to be creative in regard to crimes, even in her romance novels. As the crimes in this story unravel, Nalini yet again sucks the readers into a vortex of evil and horror, but the overall thrill didn't really get to me as I expected it to. Maybeee it's owed to the fact I didn't pay proper attention in the beginning, but I'm pretty sure the other 90% of the book should've been able to make up for my initial lack of investment. Hence, I
can't give too much praise to the arch of suspense.
The
characters were all good and well but felt pretty familiar to the Psy-Changeling series I love so much. I'm not sure whether Nalini's to blame for that, the narrator of the audiobook or myself.
⤐ What’s happening. ‘Sunshine.
That’s what she was.
Sunshine.
Bright. A thing of life. A thing that could burn.
And this heart, it beat only for her.
It could murder for her.
For love. For Sunshine.’
Until that heart that loved sunshine so much vanished together with the girl it lived for, casting a shadow over the community of Golden Cove. Did the sea devour it or the cliffs of New Zealand's beautiful but angry coastlines? Or is something much darker at work, swallowing up the light?
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 3*
plot/story in general = 3*
plot development = 2.5*
characters = 3*
enjoyability = 2.5*
insightfulness = 3*
