Especially do not attend any reunions that are in memory of a lost friend or are being held in New Zealand. Between this book, Wellington Paranormal, and Taskmaster NZ I’m starting to be very suspicious of what’s happening on that island.
Eight teenagers were the best of friends until everyone’s favorite, Bea, died. Over the next nine years the group has drifted apart but Bea’s sister Darcie has organized a reunion for them at her family’s creepy mansion out in the countryside. It should be a relaxing time for the old friends to reconnect and reminisce, even though a blizzard is about to cut them off from civilization. We follow the character of Luna, a professional photographer who has just found out that she is progressively losing her eyesight. Luna has come hoping to gain answers from Darcie about what really happened to her sister nine years ago. As the blizzard rages old resentments are brought to light and it becomes clear that one of them is really there for revenge.
I’ve enjoyed Nalini Singh’s novels- from the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series to the thrillers A Madness of Sunshine and Quiet in Her Bones. This is an excellent addition to her thrillers. The first half of the book does start a little slow but I appreciated the time to get to know the characters and how they were connected both in the past and present. The isolation and creepiness of the setting helps to ratchet up the tension as the group is cut off and terrible things start happening. The end is a roller coaster ride through the twists and turns. I read a lot of thrillers so I thought I knew where the ending was going but I was only about 5% right which I appreciate.
I have seen this one compared a lot to Lucy Foley, and the snowy setting/locked room mystery aspect did remind me very much of The Hunting Party, another excellent thriller I enjoyed.