TITLE/AUTHOR: Quiet in Her Bones; Nalini Singh
PUBLISHER: Berkley
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021
GENRE: Fiction / Crime Thriller
FORMAT: eGalley/ LENGTH: 383 pp
SOURCE: Net Galley
SETTING(s): New Zealand
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: What happened to socialite Nina Rai who disappeared without a trace one stormy night?
BRIEF REVIEW: Aarav was sixteen years old when his mother Nina disappeared along with $250,000 from a safe in the home. Even though his parents had a rocky marriage, he and his mother had a special bond. Aarav has been obsessed with his mother's disappearance from their wealthy enclave ever since that stormy night a decade earlier. He recalls a few details from the night she disappeared: his parents argued, there was a loud scream and he heard two slams of the front door before her car drove off. Now ten years later, Aarav 26, is a successful thriller author and living back at the family home while recovering from multiple injuries after a car accident. His father, step-mother and half-sister also live in the house. As he is settling in the authorities show up saying they've discovered Nina's car, a green Jaguar, her ID, as well as her bones along with the clothing she wore the night she disappeared. Still obsessed with knowing more about what happened to his mother, he begins his own private investigation.
So what really happened to Nina Rai, a woman who drank too much, had problems in the marriage, engaged in extramarital affairs and had multiple enemies?
This story drew me in early on and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The New Zealand setting was gorgeous and interesting to read about. Told mostly from Aarav's POV, the problem is is also an unreliable narrator and self-proclaimed sociopath. He's on pain meds for migraines, a recovering alcoholic, has confusion from a head injury and is in psychotherapy as well. In addition to Aarav's POV, he conducts numerous interviews with neighbors and their hired help to aid in his private investigation. I found everyone in this story unlikeable with the exception of the stepmother and half-sister who I felt badly for as Mr. Rai is a piece of work himself. It's seems the wealthy neighbors have plenty of secrets as well. There were plenty of red herrings to throw the reader off track and while this story started out strong, it slowly got bogged down with too many people being questioned and a good deal of minutiae. I had high expectations for this one but, in the end I found myself a little disappointed.
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
I liked it, but I agree that it was hard to care about the characters. I really wanted to know what happened and just how reliable/unreliable Aarav's pov would prove to be--and that kept me turning the pages.
ReplyDeleteDang, I hate it when the story doesn't come through.
ReplyDeleteI have heard much praise of this author. Have you read any other of her books?
ReplyDeleteOh, as I was reading your review, I thought this was something that I would really like, but then I see that it was ultimately a bit disappointing. Still, the concept sounds interesting and I generally enjoy New Zealand as a setting so I might give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI love psychological thrillers, but I'm getting tired of stories where NO ONE is likable! I have to at least feel for some of the characters in order to care what happens to them, you know? Sounds like I would find this one disappointing as well. Bummer.
ReplyDeleteI’ve got a copy of this, it sounds like it’s good to start with then falls flat. I’ll certainly give it a try if just for the scenery!
ReplyDeletethis book seems to be everywhere I turn! sorry it didn't quite work for you, though. I still would like to try and read something from this author.
ReplyDeleteYay for one I can skip :)
ReplyDelete