What Happened to Nina?

January 15, 2024
The gripping latest from Australian crime writer McTiernan (The Murder Rule) examines a murder, its aftermath, and the impact of social media on the families involved. Twenty-year-old Nina Fraser sets out to go rock climbing with her wealthy boyfriend, Simon Jordan, near their New England homes one morning. That night, Simon returns to his family, but Nina does not. Nina’s parents suspect Simon is involved in her disappearance, but he maintains his innocence, insisting that Nina was alive when he left her behind at his parents’ house after a heated argument. The police find his vague explanation of the events suspicious, and he becomes a person of interest in the case. The Jordans then hire a respected publicity firm, which sets about painting Simon and Nina’s romance as fairy tale perfect while planting spurious information about Nina’s family online. Soon, journalists and true crime obsessives delve into the case, obscuring the truth in favor of sensational conspiracy theories that nearly tear Nina’s family apart and eventually lead to more violence. McTiernan makes the details of Nina’s disappearance clear early on, shifting the focus from whodunit to what happens in the court of public opinion. What emerges is a smart and unpredictable portrait of how the boundaries between tragedy and entertainment get blurred. It’s a disturbing treat for thriller fans. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory.

January 16, 2024
Nina and Simon are teenage sweethearts, but cracks are starting to show in their relationship. After a stint of long distance, they decide to get away to Simon's parents’ new holiday home by a lake. When a rock climbing incident goes wrong, Nina’s creeping doubts intensify. Her parents are thrown into a panic when only Simon returns home. Nina’s mother, Leanne, has always been self-sufficient, tough and innovative, but in her desperation to find out what’s happened to Nina, she goes several steps too far, causing even her family to think she might be losing her mind. Meanwhile, Simon’s wealthy father spreads false information online to muddy the waters of public opinion and paint Nina’s parents in an unsavoury light. In What Happened to Nina?, it’s horribly fascinating and scarily believable to watch as public sympathy for Nina’s parents quickly turns to vile comments, suspicion, condemnation and threats. Bestselling and award-winning author Dervla McTiernan cleverly weaves into the story topical themes of fake news, conspiracy theorists and the sinister nature of hidden abuse, as well as raising the question of just how far parents will go to protect their children. Narrated from the perspectives of detective Matthew, the two sets of parents, and Nina’s younger sister, this thriller had me tearing through the pages, even after the ‘who’ of the mystery had been revealed. A great read for fans of Hayley Scrivenor’s Dirt Town and Emily Ruskovich’s Idaho.