In her second Martini Club mystery, Tess Gerritsen plunges readers into a deceptively serene Maine summer that quickly turns sinister when a teenage girl goes missing and secrets from the past rise to the surface like bodies in a pond. The Summer Guests serves as a worthy follow-up to The Spy Coast, returning us to the small coastal town of Purity, where retired spies mix martinis with mischief and murder.
Gerritsen, best known for her long-running Rizzoli & Isles series, brings her medical thriller precision to this tightly plotted mystery that examines how past sins inevitably haunt the present. Her writing shines with atmospheric tension, and her ensemble cast of silver-haired spies proves that advancing age doesn’t dull either wits or reflexes—especially when lives are at stake.
A Tale of Two Mysteries: Plot Overview
The novel opens with an idyllic summer evening as Maggie Bird and her friends—all former CIA operatives—gather for their regular “Martini Club” meeting, discussing books and birds while enjoying premium cocktails. This peaceful scene quickly disintegrates when fifteen-year-old Zoe Conover disappears from nearby Maiden Pond.
The prime suspect? Luther Yount, Maggie’s neighbor who drove Zoe home after she visited his farm. When Luther is arrested after Zoe’s blood is found in his truck, Maggie is determined to prove his innocence.
The investigation takes an unexpected turn when a decades-old skeleton is dredged from Maiden Pond. As Maggie and her friends dig deeper, they uncover connections to a secretive government program called MKUltra from the 1970s—one with disturbing ties to the Conover family and other summer residents.
What follows is a well-crafted mystery that deftly weaves together past and present crimes, leading to a shocking revelation about what really happened to Zoe and the identity of the skeleton in the lake.
Strengths: Martinis with a Twist of Intrigue
Compelling Characterization
Gerritsen excels at creating multidimensional characters who feel authentic despite their extraordinary backgrounds. The Martini Club members—Maggie, Declan, Ben, Ingrid, and Lloyd—form an endearing group of retirement-age spies whose skills remain razor-sharp. Their camaraderie provides both comic relief and emotional depth to the narrative.
Particularly noteworthy is Gerritsen’s portrayal of acting police chief Jo Thibodeau, whose professional competence is constantly challenged by the Martini Club’s meddling—yet who can’t deny their effectiveness. The tension and grudging respect between Jo and the ex-spies create some of the novel’s most engaging moments.
Atmospheric Setting
Purity, Maine, emerges as a character in its own right—a place where secrets fester beneath the idyllic surface. Gerritsen paints the rural landscape with evocative details:
“Her first glimpse of Maiden Pond was little more than flickers of gold through the tree branches, the reflection of sunlit water penetrating the smothering wall of spruce and pine. As they curved down Shoreline Road, she caught more glimpses but never a full view, only tantalizing flashes, bright as Christmas tinsel.”
The contrast between the beauty of Maiden Pond and the darkness it conceals heightens the sense of unease that permeates the novel.
Dual Timeline Mastery
Gerritsen skillfully interweaves the present-day mystery of Zoe’s disappearance with the decades-old secrets surrounding the skeleton found in the pond. This narrative structure keeps readers engaged as each revelation adds new dimensions to both mysteries.
Weaknesses: A Few Ripples in the Water
Pacing Issues
While the novel generally maintains a steady momentum, certain sections in the middle drag as the investigation seems to hit dead ends. The narrative occasionally gets bogged down in details about the MKUltra program that, while intriguing, slow the central mystery’s progression.
Convenient Plot Elements
Some readers might find a few plot developments overly convenient, particularly regarding the timing of certain revelations. The fact that Zoe happens to discover a skeleton that holds the key to long-buried secrets stretches credulity, even for a thriller.
Predictable Villain
For seasoned mystery readers, the identity of the villain becomes apparent before the final reveal. While Gerritsen employs effective misdirection with several potential suspects, the ultimate culprit follows familiar patterns that genre fans will recognize.
Character Study: The People of Purity
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its richly drawn characters:
Maggie Bird – Former CIA operative turned chicken farmer whose moral compass never wavers despite her shadowy past
Jo Thibodeau – The competent but sometimes overwhelmed local police chief navigating cases beyond her small-town experience
Luther Yount – A reclusive neighbor harboring deep resentments against the summer people, particularly the Conovers
The Conover Family – Summer residents whose seemingly perfect façade hides dark secrets:
Elizabeth: The family matriarch who values discretion above all
Ethan: The struggling novelist married to Susan
Susan: Zoe’s protective mother fighting to find her daughter
Colin: The golden son with a perfect life that proves illusory
Brooke: Colin’s wife whose desperation to protect her family turns deadly
The interactions between these characters create complex dynamics that drive the narrative forward. Particularly effective is Gerritsen’s exploration of the tensions between year-round residents and “summer people,” which adds another layer of conflict to the already fraught situation.
Writing Style: Surgical Precision
Gerritsen’s background as a physician is evident in her precise prose and methodical plotting. Her sentences are economical yet evocative, moving the story forward while creating a vivid sense of place. Description is never overwrought but provides just enough detail to immerse readers in the setting.
The dialogue rings true throughout, particularly in exchanges between the Martini Club members, whose banter reveals both their long friendship and professional respect. Gerritsen excels at showing rather than telling, allowing readers to discover character motivations through actions and conversations rather than exposition.
Thematic Elements: What Lies Beneath
The Summer Guests explores several interconnected themes:
Buried Secrets – Both literally and figuratively, as secrets buried long ago inevitably resurface
Loyalty vs. Truth – Characters repeatedly face choices between protecting those they love and exposing painful truths
Family Bonds – The Conover family’s mantra of “loyalty to family above everything else” proves both a strength and a fatal flaw
Justice Delayed – The skeleton in the pond represents justice long denied but finally delivered
Power and Control – The MKUltra storyline examines how control over minds parallels control over narratives
These thematic elements elevate the novel beyond a simple whodunit to a more complex examination of how the past shapes the present.
Comparison to Other Works
The Summer Guests builds on the foundation established in The Spy Coast while standing firmly on its own merits. Readers familiar with Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles series will recognize her talent for blending procedural elements with psychological insight, though this series leans more heavily into espionage territory.
The novel shares DNA with other small-town mysteries featuring powerful outsiders, such as Louise Penny’s Three Pines series or William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor novels. The retired spy angle evokes elements of Elly Griffiths’ The Stranger Diaries, though with more emphasis on action than academic intrigue.
The Martini Club members themselves feel like spiritual cousins to Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club—retirees whose lifetime skills make them surprisingly effective crime-solvers—though Gerritsen’s ex-spies possess a more lethal skill set than Osman’s British pensioners.
Final Verdict: A Refreshing Summer Cocktail with a Kick
The Summer Guests delivers a satisfying blend of small-town mystery and espionage thriller. While some plot elements strain credulity and the pacing occasionally falters, these flaws are minor compared to the novel’s considerable strengths: complex characters, atmospheric setting, and intricate plotting.
Gerritsen has crafted a sequel that expands on the promise of The Spy Coast while establishing the Martini Club as a unique and welcome addition to the mystery genre. The combination of retirement-age protagonists whose skills remain sharp and the exploration of how government secrets affect individual lives creates a fresh angle in an often-formulaic genre.
For readers seeking a mystery with both intellectual engagement and emotional depth, The Summer Guests offers a compelling summer escape—though, like Maiden Pond itself, what appears refreshing on the surface may hide something much darker beneath.
Perfect for fans of: Louise Penny’s Three Pines mysteries, Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, and William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor novels.