This is the first Nalini Singh book I read that wasn't one of her urban/paranormal/fantasy series, and honestly, I was both nervous and excited. Excited because I have loved her as an author for a number of years now. Nervous because the last time I read a thriller, I was in high school and I did not enjoy it.

I was not disappointed.

As always, Singh's writing is flawless, keeping me invested from page one all the way to the last word. I was constantly coming up with theories and ideas on who the murderer was, and how Nina was linked, only to find each one debunked a while later. Even when I did finally start making the right connections, I still didn't figure out who the killer was until the moment of reveal.

The book explores so many themes; abuse, grief, mental health, suicide, blackmail, alcoholism and more. Each one was explored in varying depths, though at times I did struggle to remember who was who and what their story was as it felt a little too cluttered with all these different characters and issues going on together. I did also struggle with the plot, as Singh is very good at leaving things deliberately ambiguous. Unfortunately, sometimes it goes a bit too far and the story did lose me a little towards the middle-end when things started to unravel almost too fast to keep up with.

That begin said, the cast of characters were all great, and I felt Ari was a fascinating character to follow. At first look, you think he's one thing, but as the story unfolds, we realise he is incredibly complex and has had a lot of trauma and grief. In his mind, he is a sociopath, but like another famous self-described sociopath (BBC's Sherlock), I think he uses this as an excuse to keep people at bay and not be vulnerable or exposed to potential hurt. I wanted to know more about him, and I wish we had a little more on his side after everything, but it did end on a strong note.

All in all, this had the usual things I expect from a Nalini Singh book- great characters, witty dialogue, an unforgettable plot, and an atmosphere that leaves you reeling. Add in some brilliant world-building and a murder mystery that'll leave you guessing to the final act and you're in for a hell of a ride.

Quiet in Her Bones is the second thriller by Nalini Singh who is better known as a bestselling paranormal romance writer of Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series as well as of several contemporary romances. Her first thriller, A Madness of Sunshine, relied heavily on the atmosphere of rural New Zealand, small town setting, and thriller tropes. Quiet in Her Bones is a more mature thriller and—dare I say—much better.

The book is set in Auckland, the largest city of New Zealand, but it mostly takes place in a small gated community for the rich. It’s a good choice, as it allows for a compact cast of characters who have known each other for decades. Every family has their secrets and there’s always someone who knows them.

The book is told in first person by Aarav Rai, a bestselling author in his late twenties who’s had to return to his childhood home after a bad car accident. His leg is in a cast and he suffers from migraines. He and his father hate each other, the root of which is Aarav’s mother Nina, who has disappeared thirteen years earlier. And then her remains are found, not far from their home. Enraged by the fate of his beloved mother, Aarav begins his own investigation to his mother’s death.

The list of potential suspects is fairly long for such a small community, but Aarav is under no illusions about his mother and her habits, and doesn’t shy away from difficult questions. As he investigates the death, he ends up stirring old secrets that have nothing to do with his mother. And along the way we solve the mystery of Aarav too.

Aarav is the quintessential unreliable narrator. He’s a self-professed sociopath and liar, but more importantly for the reader, his memory is faulty. It dawns little by little on him and the reader both that his car accident was much worse than he thought. He has great gaps in his memory, on top of which he suffers from vivid hallucinations. Yet his narration is so convincing that the reader is constantly thrown back by the turn of events. As the story progresses, the reader knows more than he does, as he forgets events that have taken place only days ago.

With his memory, Aarav begins to question everything, even his own involvement in his mother’s death. From the chaos of his mind, glimpses of real memories surface, directing him to the truth. But because the reader is unable to trust him anymore, it’s with a baited breath that they wait whether he finds the real killer—or if it turns out to be him after all.

Quiet in Her Bones is an excellent thriller with a great main character. It stands on its own and, unlike the first one, doesn’t suffer from comparisons with Singh’s romantic fiction. I’d definitely be interested in reading more thrillers from her.

Quiet in Her Bones is a standalone thriller, set in Auckland, New Zealand. Ten years ago Aarav Rai's mother, socialite and trophy wife Nina Rai, disappeared without a trace when he was only sixteen. She was last seen speeding away from her home in the exclusive Auckland suburb of Titirangi on a dark, stormy night after a vicious drunken argument with Aarav's father, successful businessman Ishaan, and with her, she had taken $250,000 that she retrieved from her controlling husband's safe. Ishaan told anyone that would listen that Nina was nothing but a selfish thief who abandoned both him and their son for a better life elsewhere, but Aarav was never convinced by his father's story. He is haunted by vivid memories of his mother and her unbounded love for him, a terrifying scream he heard on that fateful evening and a huge clean-up effort that took place in the family living room, all of which he believes points to foul play. Fast forward ten years and Aarav is back living in his childhood home with his domineering father, and his new wife, Shanti, whom he brought back from a trip to India, as due to a serious car accident he is not allowed to live alone under doctor's orders and is very much struggling with recovery. It doesn't take long before Aarav's suspicions over his mother's vanishing are given credence when they are notified by Senior Sergeant Oliver Regan and Constable Serafina Neri that Nina’s car has been found hidden in the bush at Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. Inside on the passenger seat is Nina's body now reduced to mere bones due to the length of time she has been dead.

She is still wearing the clothes in which she disappeared. Now twenty-six and a prominent crime writer, Aarav vows to find out the truth about what happened to his mother and exactly who took his mother from him when he needed her the most. He begins to dig and his suspicions begin to fall on those from their elite cul-de-sac. Hindered by a recent head injury sustained in the accident that has left him with gaps and inconsistencies in his memories, he struggles to tell fact from fiction and his prescribed medication certainly confounds that. Can Aarav discover the truth about what happened that night or will the death stay wrapped in a blanket of secrecy forever? This is a riveting and compulsive thriller with everything required to make it a feverish page-turner - secrets, lies, duplicity, betrayal and as the story unravels these are slowly revealed. Singh created some fantastic twists and her liberal use of red herrings meant you never knew which direction the narrative would go in next. Told primarily from Aarav’s perspective, with his therapy reports interspersed throughout, we are taken on a wild thrill ride with suspense that has you hooked from the beginning and there is no doubt that Singh knows how to grab crime readers by the throat despite her being associated with a different genre completely. It's a lyrically written, multilayered mystery with myriad suspects and the pristine facade of the neighbourhood is pulled back to reveal the dark, ugly underbelly beneath. I am blown away by how scintillating and enthralling this psychological thriller turned out to be. Highly recommended.

This book was amazing! The protagonist, Aarav Rai and his unreliable narration is executed very well and I love Aarav as a character. As I was reading the book, I kept trying to figure out myself who could be the perpetrator behind what happened to Aarav's mother, but his unreliable narration and the attitude of certain characters made it hard. At one point, I was suspecting multiple people at the same time. And that is the fun part of the story. It keeps you guessing about what's going to happen next and Aarav's unreliable narration just adds to the whole mystery; which is why the twist that came at the ending was surprising. I was not expecting it all.

Overall, Quiet in Her Bones is a great mystery and psychological thriller, and I'm definitely going to reread it!

This is my first book by Nalini Singh and I will definitely be picking up more. A diverse cast of characters, a stunning setting, brilliant writing and a plotline that kept me guessing until the very end. I wouldn't categorize this as a thriller because I think the book is really about Aarav figuring out who killed his mother all those years ago, and the thriller aspect only features for about 5%.

I don't read a lot of mysteries anymore but I've watched plenty of police procedurals and the like, so most books don't end up surprising me. This book kept me on my toes, and even though I had decided who the perpetrator was about halfway through, I ended up being very close but still off by a hair, so my hat's off to the author. There's plenty to keep you guessing, and the hints felt subtle enough that people will start to suspect something if they're looking for it, but it doesn't give the endgame away.

The importance of family feels like a very central theme in this book. It's there in Aarav's relationship with his half-sister and his determination to find out what happened to his mother, regardless of the personal cost. It's also there in the characters surrounding Aarav--Alice and Elei, and Diana and her family are prime examples of this. Learning about all the people living in the Cul-de-Sac and the ties that bind them was as fascinating as the murder mystery and made this book a highly enjoyable read for me.

Review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram closer to publication day. Links will be added once they're available.

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that's housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago. Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he's determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance . . . but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

This was such an intriguing and engaging read!

It was so well written. Narrated through Aarav’s version, who is definitely troubled by his mother’s disappearance, we follow his journey to find his mother’s killer. There are quiet lot of characters, which was slightly confusing at times because I had to recall who they are and what is their connection to the Rais’ and the plot.

But the entire build up to the ending was amazing. Even though I kept guessing who was the killer, as I always do, I was glad to get it wrong but definitely surprised with who it turned out to be!

Overall, an excellent thriller with a bit of creepiness included. Highly Recommended!

Thank You NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC!

Quiet in Her Bones is the second of Singh’s stand-alone New Zealand based thrillers. She’s best known for her two paranormal romance series, so this is something of a departure - I’ve read all of the Psy-Changeling books, gritting my teeth through the steamy romance aspects, because she writes great characters and plots, so I knew this would be much more my thing. I wanted to read A Madness of Sunshine but got declined an ARC and never got round to buying it. Fortunately I was approved for this one, because it’s brilliant.

Aarav Rai is a bestselling novelist who has moved home to his controlling traditionalist father’s luxury home in the upmarket Auckland suburb of Titirangi after a serious injury. Emotionally destitute from the loss of his beloved mother, who disappeared ten years earlier after an argument, Aarav is broken by the discovery of her bones in her car in the dense forest nearby - and when he learns that she was not driving and the police are calling it a homicide, decides to pursue his own investigation, but gaps in his memory and the suspicious behaviour of his neighbours mean he can’t trust anyone... even himself.

This was a beautifully written psychological suspense thriller - that term is overused these days where any book with an unreliable narrator is given that label, but this is the real deal. Aarav is an entitled self-absorbed unfeeling pruck, who labels himself a sociopath, but he adored his beautiful capricious alcoholic mother, and can’t believe he could’ve harmed her. There is a wide cast of possible suspects - this is longer than your average thriller and it meant a lot of characters to keep track of. I loved how ethnically diverse they were - which reflects modern Auckland, and that Singh doesn’t shy away from using Te Reo Maori in the narrative either, because Kiwis do. It’s a cliche, but the menacing Waitakare bush becomes a major character here, threatening our protagonist at various times, covering up past sins and keeping devastating secrets.

The mystery was very cleverly done; I had an inkling of what was going on but still didn’t guess who until the reveal, being led up the wrong garden path a few times. I liked how it was all wrapped up and all the relevant plot threads tidied up satisfactorily. I always like a “book within a book” trope too and wish I could read Aarav’s bestseller “Blood Sacrifice” to find out what the amazing twist was 😹 Some reviewers have complained about the pacing, and I agree it did slow in the middle section, but the final third had me gripped. 4.5 rounded up for the stunning descriptive passages which never get in the way of the plot. I’m definitely going to buy her other thriller now and hopefully will even get around to reading it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Quiet in Her Bones is published on February 25th.

Aarav heard a chilling scream the night his mother disappeared. Now years later her body is found in the car she had left in that night. With no clues Aarav is driven to find what happened that night. His mother and father had a volatile relationship, there was a huge fight. This story brings in many characters living in the Cul De Sac what do you really know about friends and neighbours. Aarav has recently been in an accident which has left him with head injuries and memory loss. He finds it difficult to remember what happened the night of his mother’s death. You are led down many paths not even knowing if Aarav was somehow involved. This is a slow burn mystery leading to a big reveal.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Quiet in Her Bones is Nalini Singh's second foray into into the crime thriller genre and I really enjoyed it. It is atmospheric slowburn with twist and turns against the backdrop of the beautiful New Zealand lush landscape.

The writing is so quintessentially Nalini Singh with the rich diversity in her characters and her flowing prose. She took no prisoners with the opening scene, it gripped the reader from the get go and we just hang on for the ride. With each introduction to her characters, she left enough delicious titbit to make us wonder if they are the killer? This happened throughout the book for me, just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I kept changing my mind when another character was being introduced to the scene. As much as I love Nalini Singh (and I've been her ardent reader for years), this book is not without flaws. The middle of this book meanders a bit and I wondered where the story is going as it seemed to kind of dragged. There are also a lot of characters and sometimes I find myself flipping back trying to recall who they are and their connection. The ending was quite a bit of a shocker (at least for me) as I didn't expect that particular character to be the killer all along.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy, the thoughts above are of my own.

This was good! An unexpected gem to be fair. A mother goes missing. A car found in a forest. Great twisty characters and that forest and woodland gives this a really creepy feel. Some excellent scene setting here and some gritty, dirty criminal goings on. Full review later but recommended here right now!

Nalini Singh is a prolific author, mainly in paranormal fantasy/romance genre, this is the second of her crime/ thriller novels based in New Zealand .
This book was a page turner and kept me glued, guessing and following red herrings to the very end! Aarav Rai, young, handsome and the current golden boy of crime writing has returned home to the Cul de Sac after a debilitating car accident. Aarav has had a privileged life, a wealthy father and doting mother, but his parents toxic relationship colours his world view.
Aarav's life changed when ten years ago his mother, Nina Rai, disappeared along with a quarter of a million dollars. This is a pivotal point in his life, leaving him emotionally scarred, marring all his relationships with family, friends and lovers.
Not long after his return to the Cul de Sac (an exclusive enclave set in the New Zealand bush) a car is found nearby and the ten year old mystery surrounding Nina is resolved...now to find her killer.
Aarav is a compelling lead, not entirely likeable, definitely troubled and his mothers disappearance is not the only trauma in his past. We travel with him on his journey to find his mothers killer, travel through the looking glass until the twist in the tale at the end of the book.
It was a great read for Lockdown and if anyone can go on holiday I would certainly recommend this as book to take with you.
My thanks to Netgalley and Gollancz for the advanced copy all views are my own.

I very much enjoyed this domestic thriller set in New Zealand and telling the story of a disappearance of a socialite who seemingly had the perfect life. A good solid read!

Slow Burn Suspense....
An exclusive neighbourhood, a socialite, a disappearance and....now a set of bones. Tense and wholly engaging, slow burn suspense populated with a well described and credible cast of characters. An atmospheric and entertaining read.

A veritable who done it set in an exclusive cul-de-sac in New Zealand. When Aarav's mothers body is found it sets of a chain of events he never saw coming. Unable to leave it to the police he is determined to find the killer. Long lost memories start to resurface of that night leading him on a chilling race to find the culprit, and no one is safe. A great read that totally confused me at times and utterly entertained me the entire time.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of Quiet in her Bones, a stand-alone set in Auckland.

Ten years ago Nina Rai disappeared with a quarter of a million dollars. Her son, Aarav, has always held hope that she was alive but now her bones have been found and he’s determined to find out what happened.

I thoroughly enjoyed Quiet in her Bones, which despite not being my usual fare I found compulsive. It is told in the first person from Aarav’s point of view and it is very up close and personal as he spills all his thoughts. The problem with this is that he is an extremely unreliable narrator and the reader is never quite sure what is real and what is fiction, especially as he is a crime fiction author. There are, it turns out as the novel progresses, reasons for his unreliability and it doesn’t detract from his appealing and personable character. Without being ironic he needs mothering.

This is a novel of history and consequences as it slowly peels back the veneer of respectability in their quiet, wealthy enclave, know as The Cul de Sac. It examines Aarav and Nina’s relationships with their neighbours and uncovers all sorts of secrets. The reveals keep coming at a steady clip, but their interpretation is open to question, given that the unreliable Aarav is doing the interpreting. I found it fascinating , absorbing and compulsive, although it gets a bit repetitive and saggy at certain points so I’ve rated it 4 rather 5*. I thought the solution was ingenious and believable. This is the first novel I have read by Ms Singh but it won’t be the last as I like her unusual style and thinking.

Quiet in her Bones is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I will admit to being slightly hesitant when I started reading Quiet in her Bones. I've adored all of Singh's paranormal fiction, and I do love getting to read books set in New Zealand (and Australia TBH), but i hadn't loved her first contemporary thriller. However...it feels like she has found her groove with Quiet. I finished it in one afternoon with only breaks for coffee, and to send a text to a Maori friend to tell him that there was a character in the book that shared his last name. The richness of NZ has come through, as has Singh's love for her home. Plus, we all know that I adore an Own Voice title, and in having an Indian family living in NZ, there are so many ways in which Singh's own experience shines through. And plotwise?
I loved it. It was clever, unexpected, and melancholy in its sense of loss. The protagonist is also an unreliable narrator, having experienced a recent accident and severe head trauma. WHICH I LOVE! The tension of Aarav distrusting his own mind, and his own memories alongside the absorbing mystery and unfolding secrets is riveting. To be honest, I didn't have a clue who the murderer was, and the reveal had me gasping.
Extra credit for the great representation of Queerness and domestic violence.
Secrets and lies amongst the lush New Zealand forests.
4.5 stars to Ms Singh.

This one just didn’t work for me I’m afraid. I felt there was too many characters to try and keep a track of and overall the pacing was a little off. I personally prefer a fast paced thriller but this was more of a slow burn mystery. If you prefer a slower pace then this might be the one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is just amazing, mind blowing! It keeps the reader in the edge of their seat, guessing what it’s about to happen.

The entire mystery was way more complicated that what I was expecting, and I had no clue who was guilty until the very end.

It was a great psychological thriller, full of mind games, that pushes the readers to differentiate the dreams and realities. The characters were fantastic, as usual Nalini Singh does an amazing job writing a fascinating story full of twists.

Can’t wait to read more thrillers from Nalini!

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

An intriguing page-turner, that captured my attention from the very first page, I could not put it down!
I am familiar with Nalini's writing mainly through her Psy/Changeling and Guild Hunter series'. In which I enjoyed her world-building, ideas, and pacing, so I was very excited to see a thriller and hoped that this book was similar enough to what I had read from her in the past to enjoy it. All her amazing writing and engaging dialogue are here. But this was not what I expected and I still loved it. It had all the great things I mentioned above plus fully realized characters including the 'victim', Nina. Although deceased I very much felt her presence and Nalini did such a great job of writing her and all the complexities of a person, making her real, instead of what could have felt like just a plot device for the rest of the characters. Nalini's characteristic charismatic bad boy was the point of view in which we experienced this book, and boy was that interesting. I love a well done unreliable narrator trope, mixed with his background as a writer and his own trauma really propelled this book, from another domestic thriller to something really engaging and enjoyable. The strong descriptive language and Nalini's sensitivity to the emotional complexities you can experience in grief really allow the reader a fully immersive experience. I look forward to reading more thrillers from her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3804101125?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1