There Should Have Been Eight

By: Nalini Singh

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

In this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, a remote estate in New Zealand’s Southern Alps hosts a reunion no one will ever forget.

Seven friends.

One last weekend.

A mansion half in ruins.

No room for lies.

Someone is going to confess.

Because there should have been eight. . . .

They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago.

They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.

As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost. . . .

©2023 Nalini Singh (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Singh writes with gripping passion and an acute eye for social commentary, all while delivering a divinely engaging mystery."—Entertainment Weekly

"Singh (Quiet in Her Bones, 2021) excels at creating atmospheric scenes, evoking dusty secret passageways and the dangers of the freezing weather to create a sense of dread. Told from Luna's perspective, this story of friendship and obsession unfolds gently at first, then at a breakneck pace until it reaches a shocking conclusion. Give this excellent thriller to readers of Megan Miranda's The Only Survivors (2023)."—Booklist, starred review

Suspenseful and scary

This was a very different story than what I’m used to from Nalini Singh, but it was also a very interesting mystery and I loved it!

Twists and turns, some you're ready for, some so surprising!

A vacation getaway at an expansive estate, with long time friends, what could go wrong?

A classic trope

This story is what you get when a great author decides to write in a classic mystery trope of "friends/strangers vacation at a mysterious house and one or multiple are murderers" ala And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie or the most recent Glass Onion movie.
Sadly as a mystery fan this book fell short for me. Fir me it started with the first person POV. I don't want to be in the head of a grieving friend who is dealing with a recent disability diagnosis. Also the mystery wasn't much of a mystery but more a predictable whodunnit.

Story line and conclusion. Loved the narration.

Loved both the story and narration. One or two more chapters would have been great, but Thai just me.

Twisty and atmospheric!

Luna and her friends are reuniting at a remote estate, getting together after years apart, but one of them isn’t part of the group. Bea Shepherd, Darcie’s younger sister, died eight years earlier and it still doesn’t make any sense to Luna. Bea was a bright star in the group, with her magnetic personality, everyone loved her. Luna can’t forgive the way Darcie handled her death, brushing it and the details under the rug.

Luna has struggled with the loss, but now has an added reason to finally get answers about Bea’s death. She’s going blind and wants to be able to look her friends in the face, see their reactions to her questions. She wants the truth, even if her questions stir up anger and bitterness.

Their meet-up turns dangerous as a winter storm cuts them off from civilization, trapping them at the estate while things start going wrong. Tensions grow while they struggle to survive long enough to escape.

Oh, this was a twisty, atmospheric mystery! It took a little to get into it, getting to know the characters and history, but as soon as strange things started happening, I was hooked! The characters stuck together at a gothic-like, creepy estate upped the tension! There were a couple of surprises as all is revealed! I’m still thinking about the story!

Narration was top notch. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

Not for me

This was not for me. I disliked all of the characters. The writing style was not enjoyable.