Summers at the Saint

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

448 Pages

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: May. 7, 2024

Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Murder, Amateur Detective, Romance, Vacation Resort, Island

Flashback to 2002 when Traci and her best friend, Shannon Grayson, were lifeguards at the Saint Cecelia owned by the Eddings family. When Hudson, a little boy, drowned, they performed CPR, but their efforts did not bring him back. Shannon was fired but Traci stayed. She was dating Hoke, the younger Eddings son.

Traci, now a widow, is the president of the Saint. She is trying to make sure she has enough staff for the season and recruits her niece, Parrish, to cover guest relationship. She then scoops up Livvy as a server and Felice as a chef. Ric informs her that he is helping a friend by giving his son, KJ, a job after he flunked out of Wake Forest. They are joined by senior server Garrett, who has worked at the Saint since he was in high school. Together the workers are living in a building converted into a dorm. Relations become heated within the staff and backstabbing begins. Who will be left standing when all is said and done?

The story has a steady pace. The tension between Traci and the Eddings family is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. There are a few surprises and twists along the way that makes this a truly rewarding read. I finished it in a day because I could not put it down. This book reminds me of previous mysteries by the author. featuring Weezie and Bebe in Savannah. If you like amateur detective books in a vacation destination setting, you will enjoy reading this book. Hats off to the author!