There Should Have Been Eight

September 18, 2023
Seven friends reunite in New Zealand’s Southern Alps in this dull closed-circle mystery from Singh (Quiet in Her Bones). After 28-year-old Luna learns that a “genetic time bomb” is causing her to slowly lose her sight, she accepts an invitation for a reunion at the dilapidated mountain estate owned by Darcie Shepherd, whom she was friends with as a teenager. The party will include seven members of Luna’s old social circle; the eighth—Darcie’s sister, Bea, with whom Luna was especially close—died nine years earlier in an apparent suicide. While she’s reluctant at first, Luna decides to attend, hoping the reunion will enable her to unlock “the bitter box of questions kept stifled” about Bea’s death. The group’s arrival is preceded by ominous events: the Shepherds’ longtime family doctor dies in a freak car accident, then the mansion is vandalized by unknown parties who paint the words “Judas” and “Judgment” on the walls. After the group arrives, a snowstorm strands them at the estate, causing old rivalries and buried secrets—particularly about Bea’s death—to rise to the surface. The characters are strictly one-dimensional, making it difficult to invest in their fates, and most genre veterans will be able to see the climax coming from a mile away. Singh has done much better before. Agent: Nephele Tempest, Knight Agency.

October 1, 2023
Luna and her friends Darcie, Ash, Kaea, Vansi, Phoenix, and Aaron, along with Aaron's fianc�e, Grace, gather for a reunion at Darcie's crumbling family estate in the remote mountains of New Zealand. They all feel the loss of their eighth friend, Darcie's sister, Bea, who died by suicide nine years earlier, about whom Darcie keeps suspiciously mum. Photographer Luna, who just received a devastating diagnosis, spends her time shooting the surroundings, capturing images of her friends for what she imagines will be the last time. Then strange things start happening. Bea's childhood doll appears out of nowhere. Darcie is attacked. Paintings are defaced. Kaea falls ill. When a polar blast barrels through the mountains, the group is trapped in the snowstorm, unsure of whom to trust as things turn deadly. 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).

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October 1, 2023

Nine years after her younger sister Bea's death by suicide, Darcie invites six of their college roommates to the family's remote, rundown estate in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Luna, the novel's narrator, plans to confront Darcie. Why did she have Bea cremated without giving the group a chance to grieve? When Darcie's husband reveals that Darcie is pregnant, Luna reins in her anger. But new trouble is ahead. Bea's childhood doll appears, looking just like its owner, complete with Bea's hair. That's the first eerie event, but more follow. Accidents, injuries, poisonings, and finally, a death make it obvious that someone intends to harm the seven surviving college friends. A surprise spring snowstorm traps and isolates them, with no cell coverage, creating the perfect scenario for an opportunistic person intent on revenge. VERDICT While "Psy-Changeling" series author Singh's numerous fans will appreciate this intricate psychological thriller, there's nothing new in the plot. Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None set the bar high for this storyline.--Lesa Holstine

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