I absolutely adored this. It is the sequel to another novel and I hadn’t realised before requesting it; however this didn’t change a thing. I loved the characters, the plot may have been a little OTT (purposely OTT, I might add) at times but who cares when the characters are as engaging and charming as they are in this novel.

Would highly recommend!

Bonus star alert 🚨 this would get an extra star if I could award that. Amazingly written! Fast paced and brilliant characters. I literally could not put this down. It was a stay up all night to read thrill ride. The characters were so amazing and the atmosphere was phenomenal. This set the tone for the book so you were so invested. I LOVE the Martini club. What a unique group . This was a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. A must read. Brilliant!

4.75 Stars

Book 2 in the Martini Club Series!
I really enjoyed the first book with our retired CIA agents in Purity, Maine.
And this second book was just as great.
It's summer in our little Maine town and the tourists are all over the place. Including the Conover family; they've summered in their lake house for decades. This is the first year that Ethan is coming again. He never much liked it there as a kid. Now he's newly married to a single mom of a teenaged girl and he needs the quiet lake time to finally write his second book.
But on their first full day at the lake Zoe disappears after playing with local girl Callie - who we remember from the first book.
And the state police and the Zoe's family all look at Callie's grandpa as the bad guy.
So Maggie and her retired CIA buddies need to find out what really happened to prove her neighbor's innocence.
This was such a great small town summer mystery. I really enjoyed reading it.
When you think Zoe's disappearance is the only mystery Maggie, Jo and the gang have to deal with... nope. It's only the beginning!
Can't wait to see more of the Martini Club! This whole thing would look so good on TV!

The Summer Guests by T. Gerritsen, published by Thomas & Mercer is the second stand alone in the Martini Club Series. I stumbled by chance over the first book, Spy Coast and really, really loved the story. No wonder I was anticipating this second book.
The Summer Guests is a complex, complicated in the best way, multilayered thriller of its finest. Action packed and drama laden with a story I couldn't follow fast enough. Breathlessly sitting on the edge of my seat after binge reading this outstanding book, I can't find the words to express how much I loved reading this book.
I highly, highly recommend this gem of a story.

The Summer Guests is an intriguing novel basically about a family with many secrets. The action (and there is plenty of it — murder, abduction, vendettas, former CIA operatives, etc.) takes place in a small town in Maine during the summer pitting year round residents and the “summer guests” against one another. Just when the reader thinks he or she figures something out, there are unexpected developments. The characters are interesting— some have you empathizing with them and some have you strongly disliking them. The writing is such that the reader is forced to read at a rapid pace to see what happens next. This novel is recommended for all who enjoy this genre and I thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

Finished in two days! I couldn’t put this one down. Follow a blended family to their lake house where the locals and summer guests clash. Skeletal remains, a missing teen and mystery along the way. I was surprised the book went down so many rabbit holes and I was completely wrong about the killer and the secrets of the Conniver family. A great summer read! Thank you Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to preview “The Summer Guests” by Tess Gerritsen

This was enjoyable enough, with a range of unique characters and a somewhat interesting mystery. It just didn’t really intrigue me enough, I don’t know, I just didn’t really care enough about the characters or the outcome of the story. The martini club members were ever so slightly patronising to Jo which I found kind of irritating at times as well. I also found the book a bit predictable, I had guessed the ending already when I was about 3/4 of the way through.

• The second book in the Martini Club series
• Basically a cozy thriller with engaging characters, descriptive atmosphere, and a touch of humor
• Intricate, well developed plot line
• Masterful storytelling with attention to detail
• A must read for fans of gripping and well crafted mysteries
• The author combines multiple plot lines with the thrill of multiple missing person cases with the eerie revelation of buried family secrets

It's a good base for a book to have colorful and interesting characters, like here, but this book also has a very well thought out and intricate plot. The writing is very good, and even if I don't like too much jumping around, this story is easy to follow.

“Some family secrets are best left buried. This is one of them.”

This summer, Susan Conover may regret coming to her husband’s cabin for a family holiday in Purity, Maine.

To many, Purity is idyllic. It’s a remote, small town situated near a lake surrounded by established cabins with long-time residents. When Susan arrives and comments on a kayaker not responding to her welcome wave, the tone suddenly changes and readers become aware that all is not as it seems. To some, Purity is a powder keg of secrets waiting to explode and it certainly doesn’t live up to its name.

“Everything is about to change. The Conovers are back in town.”

Conovers. Elizabeth and George’s surname made me smirk. And grin widely like a Cheshire cat when I finished the book.

When a tragedy brings the lake crew in contact with The Martini Club, the buried secrets don’t stand a chance. Gerritsen kept me feverishly turning pages with her story about loyalty, family secrets and second chances. Her careful plotting and twists pulled me in and her mystery kept me guessing. I LOVE this series.

“Never overlook the human heart as a source of mischief.”

I’m happy to report that book two is as engaging as book one. This series is a winner!

I was gifted this copy by Thomas & Mercer and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Maggie and The Martini Club are back!

The Martini Club is a group of retired government agents. They are all eager to help out in any police situation and are good at offering advice to the local police chief, whether or not she wants it.

It's summer in Maine and the summer people have arrived. But not all is sunshine and night swims.

Nope, Ethan has brought his new wife and daughter to his family lake house. But right away you know this family has some secrets!

The character development is always superb with Gerritsen and I already want the next book!


NetGalley/ Thomas & Mercer March 18,2025

I have always loved Tess Gerritsens books and this is no exception. I read the first book in this series and now this one and they get better and better. Love the characters and story lines and hoping for a book 3 and beyond

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tess Gerritsen for this ARC in exchange my review.

"The Summer Guests" is a captivating read that combines emotional depth with an intricate plot. It’s perfect for me to enjoy a blend of mystery and drama, as well as it's definitely a compelling and thought-provoking mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was immediately drawn into the captivating story and vividly drawn characters. Gerritsen's masterful storytelling and attention to detail truly brought this suspenseful tale to life. I found myself unable to put the book down, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the next twist and turn. "The Summer Guests" is a must-read for any lover of gripping, well-crafted mysteries. Tess Gerritsen has once again proven herself to be a true master of the genre.

Gerritsen once again sets her story in her adopted state, Maine. Former spy Maggie Bird has retired to a sleepy Maine village where she shares a rather tenuous truth with a group of ex CIA ops who refer to themselves as the Martini Club. When a teen disappears, police suspect Maggie’s neighbor and she springs into action to defend her friend. Gerritsen doesn’t disappoint

Tess Gerritsen has always been a favorite author of mine. I think her Martini Club Series is my favorite so far. Full of twist and turns and suspense, and being a Mainer, I love the location. You can’t go wrong with anything Tess has written , but this series is a must!

Tess Gerritsen delivers a suspenseful and intricate novel in The Summer Guests. Set in the quiet town of Purity, Maine, the novel plunges the Martini Club, a group of ex-CIA operatives, into a gripping investigation that ties their pasts to a present day mystery. The story centers on Maggie Bird, a former spy who thought she had left the dangers of her past behind. However, the disappearance of a local teenager and the discovery of a long dead corpse force Maggie and her friends back into action. The author weaves together multiple plotlines, blending the thrill of a missing persons case with the eerie revelation of buried secrets.

Loved it! Quirky characters, small town intrigue, historical scandal and the Martini Club banding together to untwist the strands of a complicated mystery. This author writes in such a way as to draw you in and make the setting so vivid that you feel you are in the very heart of the action. And there is a lot of action in this book. A very satisfying read.

As a big fan of The Spy Coast, I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of the next book in the series, The Summer Guests. I thoroughly enjoyed it, finishing it in about a day. There were lots of twists and turns; I would think I knew what was happening and would be surprised by the turns of events. I never would have imagined the clever ending. The Martini Club sleuths are reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club, another favorite. I highly recommend this very entertaining book, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

I've long been a fan and devoted reader of Tess Gerritsen and was delighted when she started a new series. The Martini Club series involves a group of retirees in small town Maine. What makes it unique is the retirees are all former CIA agents, and can't quite let go of investigating. This is the second book in this and has a fantastic small town plot with enough reality for even the most demanding suspense readers. I read the book quickly as I was invested in the plot and characters from the start.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

A teenage girl goes missing from a lakeside summerhouse and, in the search for her, skeletonized remains are found in the lake. These cases are investigated (officially) by local police chief Jo and an obnoxious state police officer and also (unofficially) by the former CIA officers who make up the Martini Club (or perhaps it should be the Neat Gin Club).

I found this similar to the first in the series: the plotting is strong and the characterization light. There are five members of the Martini Club, but I can never keep them straight in my head. They patronize the perfectly competent Jo, although the way they always have to feed her here was entertaining.

I was shocked at the way the extended family of the missing girl went about their business while the search for her was ongoing. The solution to the mysteries was a little out there, but was very satisfactory and brought things full circle.