A Madness of Sunshine

by Nalini Singh

[kimbacaffeinate]

Singh weaved small town politics, interesting characters and small-town characteristics into the seaside town of Golden Cove. Where not much happens, unless you count those missing folks eight years back. They never solved the case(s). Many townsfolk have ideas about it though. Was it a hiking accident, were they swept out to sea or did something more nefarious happen?

Golden Cove is a close-knit community where people have ties to one another. It’s one where the young move away but somehow find there way back. Such is the case with Anahera. She is returning to the cove after eight years and crushed dreams. A bit of car trouble has her meeting the town’s police officer Will. A decorated officer with a promising career he was transferred from the force in Christ Church after an incident. Locals still consider him an outsider but a tolerable one.

When a popular, young girl goes missing on her nightly run the past collides with the present and the mystery that unfolds soon has Will and Anahera crossing paths and working together. It isn’t long before the attraction they feel for one another leads to more. I would not call this a romantic suspense, but would classify this as a suspense thriller with romantic elements.

I admit I approached this with both excitement and trepidation. I have enjoyed this authors urban fantasy and paranormal series and wondered what she would bring to the table. Nalini Singh, delivered a seasoned character driven suspense thriller that was rich, well plotted, entertaining, intriguing and addictive.

The story builds slowly as we gain knowledge, character background and the author sets the tone, for some this may drag, but I loved and appreciated the details. I felt the narration enhanced theses aspects.

From the coastal setting to the characters I slipped into this story and felt the imagery appear before me. The main characters were flawed, held depth and believability as did the murder(s).

The suspects, interviews and pieces to the puzzles kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it narrowed down things took a turn and wham it left me to puzzle over the pieces again. It was brilliantly done and tightly woven.

Saskia Maarleveld was the perfect narrator for this tale and she captured the coastal setting, suspenseful plot and essence of the characters. She added a layer of magic to an already superb thriller. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer