WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

By Dervla McTiernan

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ¼ (Goodreads: 4.07)

GENRE: Psychological Thriller

PART OF A SERIES? No

WORTH READING? Yes

SUMMARY:

Nina Fraser and Simon Jordan seem like the perfect couple — until Nina vanishes during a weekend trip to Simon’s wealthy family’s cabin. Simon returns alone, offering vague and conflicting explanations, and soon, suspicion falls on him. Something about his claim that Nina broke up with him makes alarm bells ring. As Nina’s working-class parents desperately search for answers, Simon’s influential family launches a ruthless PR campaign to protect their son, twisting the narrative and manipulating public perception.

As the investigation unfolds, Nina’s family refuses to back down, determined to uncover the truth — even if it means breaking the rules.

Opening lines: “My name is Nina Fraser. There’s a good chance that you know who I am.”

While we’re on the topic of ‘knowing’, let me start right off by saying that What Happened to Nina? immediately brings to mind the horrific Gabby Petito tragedy. However, apparently McTiernan has not confirmed or denied that this novel is based on any one tragic incident.

In What Happened to Nina? McTiernan writes chapters from the first-person point of view for Nina herself, Nina’s parents, and Simon’s parents. The opening chapters move effortlessly between these voices. Not too far in, we’re introduced to the detective, Matthew, whose perspective is told in the third person by the narrator. McTiernan manages to give each character a distinct voice, which is a skill I always admire. I never found the fact that there were so many narrators confusing.

I loved all the different family dynamics in this novel.

It’s not particularly common in thriller stories, but we find out quite early on what happened to Nina. One might think that there wouldn’t be any reason to keep reading, but there absolutely is. Dervla McTiernan explores many themes in her novel, many of which were not discussed, let-alone written about, even two decades ago. Some of the included topics are: privilege, grief, denial, toxic relationships and the power of social media in shaping public opinion.

What Happened to Nina? has a constant forward motion that really makes the reader feel like they are being swept up in what’s happening. I was compelled to read way past my bedtime several nights in a row, because of how committed I was to this story. Just last night, I was desperate to keep reading because I could see I only had about 60 pages to go. So, as you do, I located the right spot in my Nina audiobook and cleaned the bathroom (I mean, if cleaning your bathroom at 11:30 p.m. isn’t a sign of a great read I don’t know what IS!)

One thing I found fascinating in What Happened to Nina? is that Andy occasionally uses non-standard grammar (like 'was' instead of 'were,’ and visa versa) despite being quite articulate and intelligent. Apparently, this reflects how many educated people from certain regions naturally speak — they might discuss complex topics with sophisticated vocabulary while retaining local grammatical patterns they grew up with. Perhaps McTiernan does this in What Happened to Nina? as a way of distinguishing Andy’s voice from other male characters, or perhaps she merely wanted to reflect regional speech with authenticity. Whilst I admit that initially I found it a little distracting and confusing, it was very clear that it was done intentionally by the author, and it didn’t take me too long to adjust.

I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read by Dervla McTiernan and would happily recommend her books. If you’re anything like me, once you read her, McTiernan will become one of those authors you’ll always take a chance on.  

Click here if you’d like to explore What Happened to Nina?

Click here to read another standalone novel by McTiernan: The Murder Rule 

Click here if you’d like to read the first of the Cormac Reilly series: The Ruin