What Happened to Nina?: A Novel

LOVED this book. Read it in a weekend as I couldn’t put it down.

I wanted to try a mystery because I don’t read this genre often. This was a quick read, but not great. Predictable and all seemed to easy to resolve. The writing seemed like it might be better for a teenager. I felt empathy for the loss of a child, but just as I started to feel sad, the writer moved on quickly. I do admire the writers passion for writing though after reading the acknowledgments at the end.

Eh it was okay. We sort knew the ending from the start essentially? Not her best work but thought provoking in terms of how far you’d go for your child. 5/10

“My name is Nina Fraser. There is a good chance that you know who I am.” Australian crime writer Dervla McTiernan's novel, "What Happened to Nina?" opens with the voice of twenty-one-year-old college student Nina Fraser in the prologue, recounting the four-year history of her relationship with her boyfriend, Simon Jordan. During spring break, the couple stays at Simon's family vacation home in Stowe, near Nina's hometown in Vermont. Through a series of interactions, Nina reveals Simon's possessive and abusive behavior, including rough sex and forceful grabs that leave bruises. After a weekend of hiking and a suspicious "accidental" fall while rock climbing, Nina decides to end their tumultuous relationship. “I went downstairs to tell Simon that we were over and that I never wanted to see him again.” The novel shifts to Saturday, and Nina's mother, Leanne "Lee," grows concerned when she doesn't hear from her daughter, who was expected to return home on Friday. Her calls to Nina go unanswered. Nina's adoptive father, Andrew "Andy," visits the local gas station and learns that Simon returned late Friday evening. When the parents confront Simon's family about Nina's whereabouts, they are told that Nina ended her relationship with Simon to see other people. When Nina fails to return home or contact her family, Lee and Andy meet with Senior Sergeant Matthew Wright, and a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) is issued, along with a press conference. Simon maintains his innocence, claiming that Nina was alive when he left her at his parents' house after a heated argument. Simon's mother, Jamie Jordan, epitomizes the trophy wife, always impeccably dressed, with not a hair out of place. Her husband, Rory, is the CEO of a multi-million-dollar medical equipment manufacturing company. When their son becomes the prime suspect in Nina's disappearance, the family will stop at no cost to protect their son. Rory hires a publicity firm to portray Simon and Nina's relationship as perfect while anonymously spreading false information about Nina's family. If the premise sounds familiar, it's because the novel is inspired by the tragic story of the couple Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Brian returned home solo after a cross-country road trip, claiming the couple had broken up and he had left her. Similar to the novel, Brian's family intervenes to protect their son. Sarah Jane Reid's character is vaguely mentioned, with an emphasis on her beauty and job priorities. She is constantly depicted as looking at Matthew and blushing. However, towards the end (page 246), it is revealed that Matthew has a partner named Naomi, and the two want children. It is almost as if the author forgot about this budding love story in the background and switched tactics. McTiernan diverges from the traditional thriller model by revealing the details of Nina's disappearance early on, a departure evident in both the text and the novel's jacket. The narrative focuses on exploring the motives behind the disappearance rather than the identity of the perpetrator. At its core, the novel delves into themes of parental love and the sense of duty to family, posing the question: how far is too far to protect the ones you love? While McTiernan's plot is suspenseful and fast-paced, keeping readers engaged, the prose is lacking for an experienced writer. Andy isn't portrayed as someone with low intelligence, yet his inability to use correct contractions is jarring and doesn't align with his characterization. McTiernan also confuses readers by switching points of view within each chapter, as seen in Andy's chapter on page 73. Andy communicates in the first person using "I," but then switches to the third person toward the end of the page before switching back. 
“The blue suit couple?” He asked. “All of them.” I turned… Rating 3/5