I'm just now getting to reading this book and ahhh, it just didn't click for me.

I love locked-room mysteries, but this one was just too confusing for me, although I guessed one of the "villains" early.

I enjoyed the setting for the plot, but I think maybe the cast of characters were too similar (and too many) for me to keep straight.

Nonetheless, I think this would be a fun story for a chilly weekend.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an e-copy of THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT to review.

I rate THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT three out of five stars.

2.5 stars

There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh is a typical "locked room" trope set in an eerie gothic mansion that was half burned to the ground. There are a bunch of secret passageways that no one knows about except the daughter of the owner of the house. There are other books like this published recently that were done better. I had a hard time wanting to pick this book up. There was too much over-explaining at the end for my liking. Too much gaslighting. Too many characters that didn't matter in the story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

In There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh, a group of seven friends gathers at a remote estate in New Zealand's Southern Alps to confront the unresolved past surrounding the tragic loss of their friend Bea. The atmospheric setting enhances the tension as they navigate their complex relationships and long-buried secrets during a snowstorm that traps them together. Singh expertly intertwines elements of suspense and emotional depth, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as revelations unfold. With its gothic undertones and compelling character dynamics, this novel is a gripping exploration of friendship, guilt, and the haunting weight of the past.

While some of y'all count down the days for a new Nalini Singh paranormal release, I'm over here wishing she wrote more suspense novels. Two years after her last suspense release, she drops There Should Have Been Eight, and what has become apparent to me with this third stand-alone suspense title is that Singh writes what I call slow burn suspense - and that it's by design.
They were a group of eight friends who grew up together, continued to live in each others' pockets through college, when the suicide of the group's bright light sent them scattering into the wind. Now, nine years later, they've agreed to come back together for a reunion. Luna, who makes her living as a photographer, agrees to go, despite a devastating health diagnosis she hasn't told her friends about (she's going blind thanks to a genetic condition) and she's still angry that Darcie had her sister, Bea, cremated. No funeral. No chance for any of the friends to say goodbye.

Darcie is now married to Ash, who once upon a time was desperately in love with her sister Bea. There's Luna's best friend, Vansi, a nurse, and her husband, Phoenix, a doctor. Kaea is the playboy of the bunch, now a successful lawyer and then there's Aaron, who's dream it is to open his own restaurant, and his fiancée, Grace - a newcomer that Luna will be meeting for the first time. They agree to come together in a remote manor owned now solely by Darcie, the rest of her family now gone. The manor comes complete with breathtaking views, isolation, secret passages, a burned out wing thanks to a mentally ill ancestor, oh and impending bad weather. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Turns out, quite a bit. However it takes some time to happen. It starts with creepy pranks, someone leaving Bea's childhood doll for Darcie to find, then moves into suspicious accident territory, until finally someone ends up dead. This book, while similar to Singh's two previous suspense novels in some ways, has one important difference - this one is actually more claustrophobic. Instead of a small town or upscale cul-de-sac, Singh leans all in on Gothic with this book isolating the action to this group of eight people, the memory of Bea (who casts a long shadow), and a creepy house. The story is told exclusively from Luna's point of view. Luna, always documenting with her camera. Luna, slowly going blind and incandescently angry with Darcie that she was robbed of saying goodbye to Bea. Her special, precious Bea.

When I say this is a slow burn, I mean it. It takes a while for the action to come in and Singh focuses on building the Gothic atmosphere and tension. And naturally, Darcie's ancestors, the previous owners of the manor, come into play as Luna tries to unravel what's exactly happening. The world-building is evocative and extremely well done.

That said, I wasn't in love with this as much as Singh's previous suspense novels. The twists didn't work quite as well for me and to be honest, I disliked most of these people. There's also events and choices made at the end of the story that just left me with a slight deflated feeling. Like the one person that I didn't totally hate, I'm not sure I like all that much anymore? If that makes any sense.

However, what is done well is the overall theme of this story - that of obsession. This isn't a story about friendship or even love. Nope, it's obsession all day long and twice and Sunday. And naturally Bea is at the center of it all.

I'm left slightly conflicted. This didn't work as well for me as Singh's other suspense novels, but there's still bits to admire here. The Gothic atmosphere, the world-building, and how obsession runs through the story - but I never entirely got wrapped up in it. In some ways it felt too cool, remote, almost distant. Like looking through the lens of Luna's camera - which I suspect might have been the point.

Final Grade = B-

Reunion of Friends, Dark Secrets

There Should Have Been Eight is a gripping thriller by Nalini Singh that revolves around a reunion of seven friends at a remote estate in the New Zealand Southern Alps, nine years after the suicide of their eighth friend, Bea. The story is narrated by Luna, a photographer who is gradually losing her sight due to a degenerative condition. As the friends gather, they are confronted with secrets, deceptions, and the lingering impact of Bea's death, leading to a suspense-filled narrative that questions whether Bea’s death was truly a suicide or something more sinister.

There Should Have Been Eight is a well-crafted thriller that delves into the complexities of friendships and the dark secrets that can lie beneath the surface. Nalini Singh's shift from her typical romance genre to a psychological thriller has been met with intrigue and appreciation. While the book has its minor flaws, it is a must-read for fans of atmospheric and suspenseful thrillers.

Everybody has secrets, but one person's secrets will get people killed ..

Overall, I did enjoy this thriller. It kept me on my toes, and I was never sure what was going to happen next because of how many different people were involved. Luna surprisingly figured most of the mystery out and was able to piece it together even with all the lies and secretes. Her vision problems were well explained and helped to add to the atmosphere and the unreliability of what everyone was saying around her. Definitely enjoyed this book!

Everybody has secrets, but one person's secrets will get people killed.

We see the vast majority of this book through Luna who is a bit of an unreliable narrator because she is losing her sight. This book has a lot of characters though as the seven of them are all back together and some of them have significant others that are also mentioned. Then we have this mysterious Bea who is a large focus of it, but she is dead and they are all still dealing with her death as it was very sudden and they never really got to say goodbye in any way. Add on to this the creepy old mansion that has it's own secrets and hidden hallways, plus each of the characters in this book has a secret some we find out, some we never do a lot is going on.


Overall I did enjoy this thriller. It kept me on my toes and I was never sure what was going to happen next because of how many different people were involved. At times it even felt like the house became it's own character because of how many secrets it held. Luna surprisingly figured most of the mystery out and was able to piece it together even with all the lies and secrets that were going on around her. Her vision problems were well explained and helped to add to the atmosphere and the unreliability of what everyone was saying around her. Luna had to pay closer attention to all the little things that were happening to figure out what was going on between people and why certain things were not adding up. When the big reveal happened I was a little shocked and it was just wow when you consider how many people had to be involved to make that happen which also made it so heartbreaking.

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Includes:
- Creepy Mansions
- Reunions
- Mental Health

Short synopsis: Nine years after a fateful night, the night Bea died, Luna and her teenage friends meet up for a reunion in a creepy remote mansion.

My thoughts: It initally took me a minute to get everyone straight in this story, but once I did wow was this a fun thriller. I adored the creepy mansion and the remote location setting, and the unexplained moments added so much to the storyline.

I also had fun getting to know the characters and their surface levels they let show, along with the secrets they'd kept hidden from so many years ago. It really gets the reader thinking about how well we really do know those that we spent so much time with as teens. Such a solid thiller!

Read if you love:
- Locked room thriller
- Slow burn
- Creepy mansions
- Teenage friend reunions
- Storms

There are many elements to this story that are catnip to me - an isolated location, mysteries from long ago, no idea who to trust. But unfortunately I just found myself getting impatient with the story rather than happily unraveling it. Ultimately it worked but the first half felt too off pace wise to keep me engaged. Nalini's world building is fantastic as always and I did enjoy the setting and the tension.

Seven friends gather at the family estate of Bea, a member of the friend group who died nine years earlier. Bea’s sister owns the estate, and has invited the group to reminisce.

There Should Have Been Eight is told through Luna’s point of view. She was close friends with Bea, and never forgave Bea’s sister for the way she handled Bea’s death. It’s been years, and Luna wants answers about Bea’s death. Past and present come together as secrets and lies are revealed.

There Should Have Been Eight is an atmospheric and tense thriller.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How can a book have so much going on and be so boring?! I like the dark gothic theme and this one had so much potential to be chilling and spooky but I was just bored.

Nalini Singh delivers a chilling thriller set in a remote New Zealand estate. Seven friends reunite at a dilapidated mansion to confront their shared past and the memory of Bea, the eighth member they lost nine years ago. The setting is that of a gothic novel, which I thought did a lot to enhance the story's eerie feeling. Singh's portrayal of the group's dynamics felt realistic, though it took me a bit to get all of the distinct personalities. My critique is that the plot occasionally feels predictable and the pacing was slower than I prefer. I will read this author again though!

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

I didn't end up finishing this book. I didn't feel invested in the characters so I didn't care what happened to them.

This book was completely unexpected. The last 20%, I think my jaw was literally glued to the floor. People were dropping like flies left and right. Add in the super-psycho craziness, and I was in complete shock.

In every horror flick, you know a cabin in the woods story is just going to be very, very bad news for the characters. Try Mansion in the Woods for this story. Then put that mansion in the woods in New Zealand during a snowstorm. They are seriously SOL.

I finished this book last weekend, and I'm still wondering who pissed off this author. She murdered those guys up something nasty.

This was definitely craaaazzzyyyy.

I'd caution other reviewers to read my review with the consideration that I'm not a big mystery/thriller reader so I don't have much mileage in the genre.THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT is the first book I've read from Nalini Singh that isn't a part of her Guild Hunter series, and the first book of hers I've read in this genre.

I was swept up and held captive by this book, so much so that I ended up finishing it all in a day because I wanted to see how the mystery was resolved. Throw in an eerie isolated estate, and a friend group with complicated ties and a devastating incident in their shared history - it's not surprising I was drawn into this tale. (Side note: The setting and the cast reminded me just a touch of And Then There Were None.)

After a little reflection, I'm not entirely certain how I felt about the resolution or even the latter third when things start falling into place. I didn't dislike it, and it wasn't dissatisfying, but there's something about it that didn't quite stick the landing perfectly.

Still, the fact that I read it so quickly and was interested to see the mystery unfold definitely has me looking at this book with an overall more positive view - hence the rating I ultimately decided to give it.

Set in New Zealand a group of childhood friends agree to meet for a weekend at a rundown estate that once belonged to another friend who disappeared. A freak snowstorm has stranded the friends and one of the group is directing a series of events that has everyone doubting what they know about Bea's disappearance. Shocking twists and turns leaves the reader in awe. This is a new author for me and she had me hooked pretty quickly

I am a total sucker for “group gets stranded in a gothic mansion together” stories so when I read the synopsis I was intrigued. Make it a snowstorm that strands them and I’m even more in!! Unfortunately, the execution of this one just didn’t work for me and I decided to DNF. Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the free book to review.

I love a good locked-room thriller, especially those that take place in old houses. While I appreciated the characters in this book, the plot fell a little flat for me. It almost felt like there was a lot going on without really anything happening. I do think the story could have been a little shorter, and maybe a few less characters to up the suspense. BUT, the book was definitely creepy at points (the doll!) and kept me reading. The twist was written well, and overall, this is a solid three-stars for me.

There Should Have Been Eight never quite came together for me. I've been a fan of her paranormal romances for a long time and read A Madness of Sunshine, so I assumed I'd click with TSHBE as well, but I found it easy to put down and not return to for days at a time.
There have been a few misses for me in the long-running Psy-Changeling series, however, so I'll definitely try the next of Nalini Singh's thrillers.