When the Granddaughter of a prominent summer guest goes missing and a decades old cold case coming roaring back to the present, the Martini Club convenes to help acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau solve both cases.

This book was definitely a slow burn at first. I enjoyed the action packed first chapter but then it felt a little like someone slammed on the breaks and the action slowed to a crawl for the rest of the first half. That being said, once the cold case was introduced the pace really picked up and I couldn't put it down from that point to the end. This book in particular did an awesome job of filling out a whole cast of summer guest characters as well as a whole cast of townspeople without being at all confusing which was great. Many of the characters are endearing; I love Maggie & Declan especially.

As a long-time fan of this author, I'm still partial to Rizzoli & Isles but the Martini Club is starting to develop as it's own cool thing and I'm definitely looking forward to more from Jo & the club! :)

A Captivating and Chilling Story

SUMMARY
Retired CIA agent Maggie Bird and four other retired agency friends gather monthly for a boozey book club meeting. They call it The Martini Club. Here, they also discuss the happenings in the community of Purity, Maine. With nothing else to do with their free time, they invite themselves to help the local police solve crimes. The acting police chief Jo Thibodeau sometimes tolerates their presence.

But now a teenage girl, Zoe, has disappeared without a trace. She is a summer guest staying with one of the wealthy families who have owned a house on the lake for many years. Zoe, an excellent swimmer, had spent the morning on the lake, where she met a new friend who was a local. The girl invited Zoe over to see the animals, on her grandfather's farm. No one has seen Zoe since she left to go to the farm. Coincidently, the farm where Zoe disappeared was next to Maggie Bird’s farm. So, of course, the Martini Club wants to be involved, particularly when Maggie’s elderly neighbor becomes a suspect. But when a body is found in the lake, things become much more complicated.

REVIEW
The Summer Guests is Tess Gerritsen's riveting second book in the Martini Club Series. The story is captivating and chilling, and the setting in a small, wooded lakeside Maine village is dark and atmospheric.

Gerritsen’s writing is action-packed, with enough twists and turns to spin your head. Her army of characters is intriguing, and buried secrets drive the narrative. I liked how Gerritsen cleverly linked characters in The Spy Coast to characters in The Summer Guest. It is fun to watch the Martini Club skills and intelligence at work on the case, and I love seeing the police chief interacting with the Martini Club

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Thomas & Mercer
Published March 18, 2025
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

The Summer Guests is another thrilling installment in the Martini Club series, and I enjoyed every twist and turn! Tess Gerritsen masterfully weaves together mystery, suspense, and small-town drama, keeping me hooked from start to finish.
The story follows retired spy Maggie Bird and her ex-CIA friends as they investigate the disappearance of a teenager in Purity, Maine. What starts as a missing persons case soon unravels into something much bigger, with secrets from the past coming to light. The alternating perspectives of Maggie, Jo, and Susan add depth, and the pacing is excellent.
I loved the mix of action, intelligence, and camaraderie among the Martini Club members. The contrast between the wealthy summer visitors and the year-round locals made the setting even more compelling. If you enjoy smart mysteries with well-developed characters, this book—and the entire series—is a must-read!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

I loved The Spy Coast back in 2024 and this sequel lives up to the first book! Funny, intelligent retired CIA agents, a missing girl, mayhem, family drama all make this book a winner:)

Maggie and friends, The Martini Club, have put their spy lives behind them and are happily retired in Purity, Maine. But when a friend of Maggie's is accused of kidnapping (and possible other crimes), Maggie and friends can't resist the urge to investigate. I love these people! They have such joy in investigating. I love the town's beleaguered police chief, Jo Thibodeau, who has to handle these out of the ordinary crimes and deal with a bunch of meddling not-kids. This whole situation is one of my favorite not-genres: old people not being old. The series has the same kick that Ms. Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series offered, and I will look forward to each addition as I did to the former series.

Thanks to its twisty plot full of bombshells and bluffs, this sequel kept me on my toes. No matter how shocking the story became, the characters felt authentic and were easy to root for.

Would I recommend?... Yes! If you're after a mystery that bridges the gap between cosy crime and cinematic thrillers.

Read for:
- highly-skilled former spies looking into a highly suspicious family
- compelling, multi-layered mystery
- red herrings and shocking reveals
- themes of friendship
- climactic ending

CIA agents who retire move to small towns in Maine. Maggie and the Martini Club, all ex CIA, discuss books and get involved in local police cases. The police do not always appreciate their meddling. A young girl who is in Maine for the first time goes missing. Is she really missing or did she run away? The Martini Club decides to investigate.
This story is about wealth and the locals. Can the wealthy get away with things that the locals cannot? In what has this girl's family been involved. Can the ex CIA agents find the girl before the police and save her. It is a race against time. It is a great read about wealth and privilege. What will people do to protect family? I recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #TessGerritsen, and #Thomas&Mercer for a copy of this book.
#TheSummerGuests

The Summer Guests is part 2 of the Martini Club series and another great book by Tess Gerritsen. Having recently read the The Spy Coast, I couldn't wait to delve in to the next installment.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, the Martini club members of course are my favourites. They are a persistent, intelligent group of ex CIA operatives who spend their retirement solving crimes, much to the annoyance of the local Police Chief.

The Conovers were really unlikeable for me, other than Susan and Zoe. Susan and Zoe came across as warm, kind people whereas the rest of the Conovers were quite upright, unkind and aloof.

The descriptions of Maine and Maiden Pond made it sound like a beautiful location although it was marred by the history of it's summer guests.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what the Martini club get up to next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tess Gerritsen’s latest thriller featuring retired CIA operatives in a picturesque Maine town doesn’t disappoint. A teen goes missing, mysteries from the past and present need to be solved, and the retirees add their spy training to the local police chief’s skills to figure it all out. 

The mysteries are compelling, but the relationships in the Martini Club series (this is book 2) make the narrative sing. How the former spies, the skeptical police chief, the year-round locals, the tourists, the farmers, and the wealthy visitors all fit into the little town feels real and is very well-written. Gerritsen also portrays these retirees as people with complex histories who still have a lot to offer.

I had read the first book in the series, The Spy Coast (also excellent), but think a reader could start with Summer Guests — though you will likely want to go back to Spy Coast to spend more time with these characters!

In all, a very enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Summer Guests is the second book in Tess Gerritsen’s Martini Club series, and I found it just as engaging as The Spy Coast. While the first book focused on the characters’ past lives in espionage, this installment shifts gears, putting the ex-CIA members in more of a supporting role. Instead, the story introduces a new group of characters and unfolds as a more traditional mystery.

When Susan’s daughter goes missing, the interest here is not only the who but the why. I enjoyed how this was a bit of a slow burn, yet the pace was sustained throughout.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another great story about the Martini Club and their crazy adventures. I feel in love with Maggie and her crew of unlikely (and yet totally likely) crime solvers in the first book and was absolutely thrilled when I found out they would be back for me. This was the gripping story of a family with more secrets and darkness than you can even imagine. A true page turner that will leave you hanging on to every word. The twists and turns keep coming weaving a true who done it for the modern times.

I've been a fan of Tess Gerritsen's for a long time now. Her suspense thrillers are always fast-paced and action-packed. The Summer Guests follows this same formula and does not disappoint. Usually, I'm bummed out about taking up a new read that's not the first in a series. I like to meet the characters at inception, but sometimes, you pick up a book, and it refuses to let you go. The fact that it's number 2 in a series isn't discouraging enough to pry the book from your cold, dead hands.

The Summer Guests begins with an unassuming blended family traveling to a lake house set in Purity, Maine. As Ethan, Susan, and Zoe descend upon Moonview, they have no idea how their lives will change in only a few days. The disappearance of Zoe jumpstarts the action and eventually leads to the discovery of another missing woman from decades earlier.

Enter Maggie. Maggie and her band of retired intelligence agents catch wind of Zoe's disappearance and decide their expertise is needed. Maggie and the Martini Club are even more invested in this mystery once Maggie's neighbor is arrested under suspicion of kidnapping Zoe. Determined to prove her neighbor innocent, Maggie, and her club, embark upon a mystery that proves the past won't be silenced forever.

The Summer Guests is engaging and captivating from the first page. I began this novel thinking I'd read a chapter or two and trudge along as I've done the last few years while finishing up school. Only, Tess Gerritsen had another idea that I could not resist.

The Summer Guests is compiled of the varying perspectives of the major players. We get to follow Jo, Purity's acting chief of Police, Susan, the mother of the missing girl, and Maggie. Maggie is the reason the Martini Club has taken up residence in the small town of Purity, Maine. She and her team of retirees prove that it's not always easy to retire from certain professions.

What I liked most about this novel is the pace. I had limited time between terms to read and review for fun. Luckily, The Summer Guests found me and I could not resist. This novel takes you from one mystery to another, one suspect to another, and one perspective to another. Gerritsen manages to make a 2nd installment in a series feel familiar. There was enough character development and recapping that it was easy to become attached to the leading players.

Essentially, The Summer Guests was a fun, engaging, and fast read. I don't have any gripes with Gerritsen's work because she's that good. If you're looking for something to read that's instantly captivating I recommend The Summer Guests.

Copy provided by Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A group of neighbours in the small town of Purity Maine have a secret background they have kept hidden from the rest of the town. They call themselves the Martini Club and enjoy drinks and chatting. One night a teenage girl visiting a cottage on the lake disappears and strange things begin to happen. The group knows they must pool their knowledge and help find her but have they figured it out or is it to do with their past lives.
The story has connections to The Spy Coast another of Tess's books but is also a stand alone. The story keeps you turning pages and trying to solve the mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishers for the chance to read this enjoyable book.

So very glad this series continues! Delighted to include this title in the March edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

The Summer Guests, the next entry in Tess Gerritsen's new series, focuses on another part of Purity, Maine. The story revolves around frequent summer visitors to a nearby lake and Maggie gets pulled in when a young girl goes missing. There were two storylines in this, one investigating a past murder and the other, a missing girl. Gerritsen built the tension, dropping clues, and propelling the story along as the Martini Club assists the local chief. It is a great mystery read and highly recommend to those who love her Rizzoli and Isles series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

Summer has come to Purity, Maine, and so have the usual summer guests. A 14-year old girl vanishes from Maiden Pond and Maggie's neighbor Luther is the main suspect. The Martini Club wants to help acting chief Jo Thibodeau, even though she's reluctant to accept help from a bunch of pensioners. Suddenly the investigation spirals into unforeseen directions and may be connected to something that happened in 1972.

This was just as athmospheric as the first book The Spy Coast. The Martini Club emits some cozy vibes, but the story is definitely not cozy. I like all the regular characters of the series. The case is complicated and branches out in many unexpected directions as the Martini club unearths some deeply buried secrets. I really hope this series will continue.

Small town secrets and murder! When a teen goes missing, Maggie Bird can’t help but get involved to help exonerate her neighbor who is the main suspect. And when the remains of another young woman is found at the bottom of the local pond, Maggie and her boozy bookclub friends, who also happen to be ex CIA agents, jump in to help police chief, Jo Thibadeau, solve the crime.

This is book 2 in the Martini Club duo and it can be read as a stand alone but it is preferable if you can read The Spy Coast first to get all the background on these lovable geriatric characters. I find Tess Gerritson’s books to always be entertaining and suspenseful. She has the ability to capture my attention and keep me reading late into the night!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025

It's summer in Purity, Maine and the summer guests have arrived. For years It's been this way. Mansions on one side of Maiden Pond and year round residents on the other. There have been clashes and resentments.

The Conover family is there for a memorial. Coming for the first time are Susan, who is newly married to Ethan, and teenage daughter Zoe. When Zoe goes missing acting police chief Jo is pressured to make an arrest along with finding the girl. Then bones are found in the pond. The Martini Club is compelled to help Jo and the missing girl.

I loved this book. It's a great series. The members of the Martini Club and Jo are all great characters. So are Maggie's neighbors. There is humor where the Martini Club is concerned. This creates a cozy feel, but don't let that fool you. Maggie and friends are not people to mess with.

Despite dark things happening in the past and present it's a fun read. Combine that with sympathy for the characters that deserve it and you have a spy/crime thriller that is a lighter read. It stands apart for me from other crime thrillers.

The descriptions of Purity make me want to visit. I can't wait to read about the Martini Club's next adventure!

I had the pleasure of reading the first book in this series, and was so excited to receive a free e-copy of book 2 in exchange for an honest review. Former spy Maggie Bird is technically retired, but she retired in a town in Maine where other ex-spies retired, too--and of course, they can't stay out of trouble. Dubbed the Martini club, this circle of friends has caught the attention of the police. When a teenager disappears, and Maggie's neighbor and friend becomes the suspect, she must solve the mystery and prove her neighbor isn't guilty. As usual, Gerritsen writes this book with incredible characterization that makes you just fall in love with Maggie. I cannot wait for Book 3!

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen is a very highly recommended investigative mystery, and the excellent second novel following the equally stellar first novel, The Spy Coast, featuring the Martini Club of retired CIA agents.

Susan, Ethan and their daughter Zoe Conover are returning to the family summer home on Maiden Pond in Purity, Maine where they will meet matriarch Elizabeth, brother Colin along with his wife Brooke and their son Kit. The family is planning to scatter the ashes of recently deceased patriarch George. Soon after they arrive 15-year-old Zoe disappears and local police chief Jo Thibodeau is called in to investigate. When the Martini club, comprised of retired CIA agents, Maggie, Declan, Ben, Ingrid and Lloyd, hear about the missing teen teen they jump in to assist with the investigation, but it is much more complicated than it originally appeared.

The well-written narrative is fast-paced, complex, and intricately plotted. The narrative alternates between the point-of-view of Susan, Jo, and Maggie and it becomes very clear that there is much more going on than it originally appears. The clues lead all over the place and back in time. Nothing is as simple as it seems when the investigation opens up additional discoveries, leads, and long buried secrets. The contrast between the summer people of privilege and the common year round local residents enters into the case.

Again, everything about the novel is excellent the writing, plot, and characters. There are several twists and surprises. Once started it was impossible to put aside. I enjoyed the first novel so much, which introduces these characters that I would recommended reading it first, but readers could still enjoy this outing as a standalone. The first novel does provide much more background information about the Martini Club.

I loved The Summer Guests as much as I did the first Martini Club investigation in The Spy Coast and I hope to see them again. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.