Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

 Author Mary Kay Andrews has outdone herself with this seasonal offering of Summers at the Saint due out May 7. She has taken a predictable beach read and turned it on its end, incorporating crime, scandal, and family drama in this unputdownable novel.

Set on a private island off the coast of Georgia, St. Cecelia is a historic resort founded by the Eddings family. Traci, wife of the late Hoke Eddings, manages the hotel and all its amenities, while her philandering brother-in-law Ric runs the real estate side of the business.

Like most employers on the island, Traci is facing personnel issues as her chef and guest relations employees are off to higher paying positions, and she is struggling to fill their spots as well as have enough staff for the upcoming busy summer season. She decides she can solve housing for some of her staff by converting a building into a dormitory, making Ric irate about the money she is spending.

Traci is unaware of the mismanagement of hotel assets by the property’s general manager and his minions, going on right beneath her nose.  Before long, the shenanigans going on at the Saint will turn deadly as one of the employees has disappeared.

Worse, the business may hang in the balance as Ric tries to remove Traci from the Saint by creating a new will for his father Fred, who is dying from Parkinson’s. Trouble is, the last will and testament may not solve Ric’s attempt to wholly run the Saint and the real estate holdings, thanks to a scandal a couple of decades ago that his father was able to cover up by throwing lots of money at it to secure a non-disclosure agreement.

As if the in-fighting between Traci and Ric wasn’t enough, Ric’s second wife Madelyn knows about his cheating, and she has put into motion some plans of her own, hanging onto the marriage because the pre-nup would leave her with zilch.

While all these struggles are going on inside the Eddings’ world, guests enjoy a prosecco in the Saint’s ritual salute to the sunset, an elevated menu in the hotel’s restaurant, and the Saint’s signature pink beach chairs and sun umbrellas, oblivious to all that’s going on behind the scenes.

Andrews, known for using humor, twists, and insightful detail, makes this a beach read that will surpass all others this summer. Known as the Queen of Summer Reads, Andrews splits her time between Atlanta and a second home on Tybee Island.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting March 24, 2023.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.