DNF ARC Review--A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh pivots in a new direction with her first mainstream thriller that will be sure to keep readers on their toes.

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. 

Being a huge fan of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, I was excited for her first mystery novel. But sadly. A Madness of Sunshine didn't meet my expectations for a mystery read. I guess I went in hoping for a good chilling mystery, but yet things weren't what they seemed with this one.

The pacing was far slower than I expected for a mystery read. True, a girl goes missing fairly early on, but then chapters are spent in searching for her. Every moment accounted for from the two points of view we were reading from. I felt like very little was accomplished, though the police officer of the town did do a lot of questioning. He questioned every person of interest.

I reached a point just about 1/3 of the way through where I couldn't handle it anymore. Nothing had been accomplished, there were no prime suspects and the search party was still going on.

When I read a mystery I hope for a little more active investigating. Clues, signs, suspects, something to help the mystery move forward instead of what felt like wandering aimlessly around asking questions and looking around for the missing person.

While I am sadden that this happened with a favorite author of mine, it will in no way deter me from future books from her. I am just sad that her first mystery wasn't the read for me.