This book had SO many of my favorite elements, from a locked room set-up to a friend group gone wrong story to a chilling winter setting. Did I like the book overall? Find out in my review of There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh. This readers guide contains spoilers and the ending explained!
Jen’s Quick Take on There Should Have Been Eight
- A cold and chilling wintry New Zealand setting
- A diverse group of friends that unite after a tragedy
- A creepy family estate
- Lots of secrets and lies
- Published on November 21. 2023 by Berkley Books. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy
- I read this book in November 2023
What is There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh About?
As the story begins, photographer Luna Wylie and a group of her old friends head to the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. They are gathered at the ancestral estate of friend Darceline “Darcie” Shepherd and her husband Ash Wakefield.
The other guests are Kaea Ngata, thrice divorced; Vansi Chang, a nurse and her doctor husband Phoenix “Nix” Chang, and amateur chef Aaron, who has brought his new fiancé, Grace.
The missing friend referred to in the title is Beatrice “Bea” Shepherd, Darcie’s sister, who took her own life nine years ago.
As in all good Friend Group Thrillers, this group has secrets and lies
Luna is hiding a big secret from her friends: she’s just been told she will slowly lose her eyesight.
This is a group with a complex set of relationships that include exes (Bea was in love with Ash, Vansi was afraid that both Bea and Darcie were after her husband Nix, and (I think) Luna possibly dated Kaea).
The plot feels a bit like And Then There Were None
One by one, the friends start experiencing a lot of what seems like bad luck, from terrible weather to creepy pranks to minor sabotage to mysterious injuries and illnesses.
Because the group is in an isolated location, cut off from cell service and, after a storm, cut off from EVERYTHING, it’s obvious that one of them is responsible for the mayhem. But WHO and WHY?
Why I Liked There Should Have Been Eight:
I thought There Should Have Been Eight did take a bit of time to get going. I had to get a handle on all the characters and piece together all their relationships.
But by the last third of the book, all the set-up was over, and Luna, her eyesight failing and her anxiety rising, has to navigate a truly terrifying situation. Can she save herself?
Because I am a veteran thriller reader, there was one aspect of the book that I predicted (I will hide it at the bottom of this post under spoiler protection.)
All in all, I thought There Should Have Been Eight was a suspenseful and surprising read. Fans of locked room mysteries, don’t miss this one!
Years ago, I was spooked by a very old psychological thriller on TV called Wait Until Dark. Audrey Hepburn played the main character, who was blind. Maybe it’s time for a re-watch!
SPOILERS for There Should Have Been Eight?
We think that Bea took her own life as a result of mental health problems.
The book REALLY emphasized the fact that none of the characters except Darcie got to go to Bea’s funeral or get any information about what happened to her. One of my rules for thrillers is: if there’s no body, there’s a possibility the person is alive. I suspected that Bea had to be alive. I was right!
Another thing I suspected was that a woman was involved. Luna suggests that Bea was bisexual and I wondered if Luna was an unreliable narrator who’d been in love with her. I was close!
Here’s how There Should Have Been Eight ended:
Darcie got her sister committed to a mental institution with the help of Dr. Cox, who subsequently died in a tragic car accident. Darcie could then be with Ash AND take Bea’s inheritance.
Darcie told everyone Bea had just “gone off” to some cabin the South Island and taken her life, when in fact Darcie had manipulated her into the mental hospital.
Grace (Aaron’s fiancé) and Bea met in the mental institution. Grace’s rich family sent her there as well.
Grace, hearing Bea’s story, vowed to avenge all the wrongs that had been done to Bea to get her to that point. She was released from the facility two years before the story begins.
One year ago, Darcie was told Bea had died. (Not sure how Grace and Bea managed this.) Bea did try to take her own life in the hospital (by overdose) after Darcie visited and said she was marrying Ash.
Grace sent a fake death certificate to Darcie, along with fees for a casket and cremation. She got Bea released by hacking into the system and changing the heavy medication Darcie was on, and then faking a release order from the judge.
Grace then killed Dr. Cox and staged his death as an accident. She also put incriminating photos on the computer of the judge who allowed Bea to be committed against her will.
She sabotaged Kaea’s boot and then drugged him as he recovered, for breaking up with Bea.
Grace pushed Phoenix down the stairs because she realized they’d met in the past. She was worried he’d recognize her. (And she was right, because Nix tells Luna that Grace looks very familiar).
Then Grace drugged Aaron to get him out of the way of the revenge plan.
Grace stabs Darcie.
Because Luna loved Bea and is shocked by the extent of Darcie’s betrayal of her sister, Luna does not get Darcie treatment for her stab wounds, and Darcie dies.
Grace and Luna cover for Bea. They clean her up and Luna buries the knife Bea used to stab Darcie.
But who tried to kill Ash? Was it Grace or was it Bea? I’m really not sure. (Thanks to Kristy for pointing out that Ash is alive and well!)
Your Questions From Comments:
What does the last paragraph mean?
Alex says she listened on audio and found it hard to interpret the last sentences:
“Would you bury a body for me? I’d do far worse for you, Bea. My vision telescoping into a pinprick, I walked into oblivion.”
–Last lines of There Should Have Been Eight
I assume this is a flashback. Luna has always been love with Bea, and I think she is recalling a moment earlier in the book when she remembers promising Bea that she’d do anything for her, including burying a body.
I think Luna is referring to burying the evidence (the knife and bloody clothes). But is that because Bea murdered someone, or was it all Grace? Anyone have a theory?
Did Luna kill someone? I don’t think so, because I don’t think she knew that Bea was alive until the end of the book. Luna says she’s do anything for Bea, so she surely would have rescued her from the psychiatric hospital if she’d known Bea was there. So she would have had no reason to kill those responsible for committing Bea to the facility. But I’m not entirely sure.
I think that the “walked into oblivion” is a reference to Luna’s failing eyesight.
But if you have another interpretation, tell me in comments!
Have you read There Should Have Been Eight or Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changling books? Talk to me in comments!
Thrillers/suspense books stress me and murder mysteries scare me so I generally stay away from them. However, I love Nalini Singh’s books so even though I am not a fan of thrillers, I read this one. I guessed Bea was alive from the beginning. From the moment Darcie started talking about her mental health I assumed she had her committed. I wasn’t sure if Darcie was delusional, and therefore the real culprit of all the wrong in the house, or if it was Grace. I figured it was Grace the moment she said she met a friend who believed in her. Even though it stressed me, I got all the way through it. I loved the twists and turns the story took and was fascinated by the parallels in the family history. Though I was heartbroken that Nix was killed, I think it highlighted the severe mental state of Grace’s mind. In Typical Nalini fashion, she once again points out that people aren’t all good or all bad….there are many shades of gray. Well Done…Really a great book!
Hi Cindy – this is the first Nalini Singh I have read; are her others paranormal romance?
So glad you enjoyed this one too. Yes, I always get suspicious in the “dearly departed friend” books as to whether that person is secretly alive. If there’s never been a body found that is a HUGE red flag!
I read another book with a similar plot and they always remind me a little of Jane Eyre.
But I agree with you; what I liked about this was that all the characters were realistic and flawed, making it harder to spot the guilty person!
I first read Nalini’s contemporary romance series: Both the Rock Kiss and Hard Play series. She definitely has a knack for the flawed characters. This led me to reading my first ever paranormal series, the Psy/Changeling. I have read all of them at least twice (some 3 & 4 times!). They are so interconnected and involved, while still having the romance piece thrown in. I don’t think I ever guessed the “who did it” in any of them, and each time I read them I catch something I missed before. Such a talented writer. The Guild Hunter series (also paranormal romance), not my cup of tea, but that’s more about me and less about her writing. She does have other thrillers, though. I haven’t read them, but I’m certainly tempted. She’s easily one of my 2 favorite authors!
Thanks so much! I am not a big paranormal reader since reading a lot of YA paranormal back in the day, but I have heard a lot of great things bout the Psy/Changeling series and would like to try it!
Who killed Vansi?
I don’t think anyone did. I think that when Luna calls Vansi an “innocent victim” she means that she lost her husband. She calls her a “broken shell that might never be repaired.” That’s what I think but I’m glad I’m not the only one who is a bit confused.
What do you think about the last sentence though? Walked into oblivion. I listened to it on audio so I don’t quite understand the last few sentences.
Gutted about Nix.
I have that issue with audiobooks all the time!
I answered this more at length in the post so that others can weigh in if they disagree but I all I can think of is that refers to her failing eyesight.
I was wondering if Bea killed Phoenix as Grace hadn’t admitted to doing this though she’d admitted to everything else she’d done. Then Luna buried the body.
Did Grace kill Phoenix?
Otherwise, I’m totally lost about what the last page means. I liked the book until the last chapter. I dislike the unreliable narrator, especially when s crime novel isn’t closed off with all the puzzles answered.
Where did you find this next bit? ‘Bea stabbed Darcie and Ash, both of whom she felt betrayed by.’ I hadn’t gathered this.
I agree about the ending. The last few chapters get SO confusing!
I looked again and I think Grace definitely stabbed Darcie, because Darcie says she did. But I’m not sure who stabbed Ash. Bea tells Luna that she was angry with him and Luna doesn’t seem sure whether it was Bea or Darcie and then they hide the knife. Why the need for a cover-up when the could just blame everything on Grace. I’m going to edit the post and see what others think because maybe I missed something.
I’m pretty sure that both Grace and Luna say that Grace killed Nix. Luna says it at the end of chapter 55, and at the end of chapter 53 Grace admits it but says it was an accident.
I thought a lot about Luna and what she knew. I definitely don’t think she knew that Bea was alive, because she was obsessed with her if not in love with her. I truly believe if Luna had known she would have done everything in her power to get Bea out of the asylum. So because of that I don’t think she was guilty of anything except letting Darcie bleed to death (and possibly for stabbing Ash.)
Ash doesn’t die. Luna chats to him in his hospital bed in Chapter 53. The only people that die are Phoenix (pushed downstairs by Grace because he recognised her from years ago) and Darcie (stabbed by Grace and left to bleed out by Luna/Grace/Bea). No-one knew Bea was alive aside from Grace until she appeared in the kitchen.
Thanks for the correction. I read the book a while back but must have meant “tried to kill” so I have corrected the post.
The book was okay, i hated luna though because of how she acted once she found out bea was alive, and the fact she killed darcie i couldnt and grace she was something but i found luna very scary and her character creeped me out the way she was always watching people. Bea had issues and luna didnt want to hear it. I also wonder who tried to kill ash. Also the secrets of the wife i forget her name seemed so important but it was just a dead end and and random detail. Overall it was pretty good.