I enjoyed the first book, THE SPY COAST and was looking forward to this next book. This was just as good as the first. A former spy, Maggie, had retired to the seaside of Maine. When a teenager goes missing, Maggie and her martini club  (a cocktail sipping bookclub of ex-cia friends) join local police chief, Jo, in the search. One of Maggie's neighbor friends is a suspect, and Maggie must rush to help prove their innocence. While searching for the missing teen, they come across a long dead corpse. These two mysteries were suspenseful and I enjoyed the characters. This author created such a great story. A fast paced plot that I thoroughly enjoyed. I liked how it all came together. 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maggie and her ex-CIA friends are at it again in this second installment of the Martini Club series. When a teenage girl disappears, Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect. Maggie and the Martini Club join the investigation alongside Jo Thibodeau, the young police chief of Purity, Maine. The case becomes more complicated when a skeleton is found in the nearby pond. Someone has some long-buried secrets they’ll stop at nothing to keep. Meanwhile, the Martini Club will stop at nothing to uncover them.

Tess Gerritsen has done it again in this second installment of the Martini Club series! Gerritsen is a master storyteller, giving life to both the characters and the small-town setting. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put this one down. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as the story unfolded. I highly recommend this one to Gerritsen fans as well as thriller fans! I give it 4.5/5 stars.

The Summer Guests is the second in the Martini Club series, but it has a different feel from the first. The Martini Club consists of four retired CIA agents who have all retired to Purity, Maine. They were front and center in the first book, but they take more of a back seat in this story, at least in the first half.
When a young girl associated with one of the summer families vanishes, Acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeaux faces her first real test. And then, while searching for the girl, the bones of a long dead woman are found in the pond by their home.
The book uses a multi-character, third person narrative style to move the plot forward. There’s a very strong ‘us vs. them’ vibe in the town as the rich summer family is looking to blame first one and then another local.
I enjoyed the Martini Club characters, but I was really enthralled by Jo. She’s hoping to lose the ‘acting’ part of her job title. She’s also dealing with a jerk of a state police detective who’s happy to leap to conclusions. And then, the club members are always inserting themselves into the investigation, which is a good thing as they see things no one else does, but also infuriating.
There were plenty of twists to keep me guessing. I thought the ending was great, tying into a real life historical event.
I eagerly await book three in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Tess Gerritsen is an excellent mystery writer and this is series is delightful and entertaining.
This is even better than The Spy Coast and it's gripping and the storytelling excellent.
Solid plot, fleshed out characters I was glad to meet againg.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I need a new Book Club, preferably one that revolves around booze, murder and ex spies. Until I find that elusive club, I hope Tess Gerritsen keeps writing about The Martini Club.

The Summer Guests is a thrilling follow up to last year’s The Spy Coast and an even twistier mystery. The friendship between the recurring characters brings so much heart to these stories. I am a big fan.

I enjoyed the first book in the series and even more when I read the idea came from the author's real life experience living in a small town where a lot of "government workers" and "civil servants" retired. This book is more of the same but it is fun to read. The setting is vivid and fun and the cast of detectives are elderly and hit that line of not seeming decades younger than they are but also not decrepit either. Some retired people detective books can't hit that balance .

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, releasing on March 18, 2025. A group of former CIA agents has retired to a small town in Maine, nicknaming themselves the Martini Club. They may be older now, but they are still sharp and interested in solving crimes. When the daughter of a wealthy summer family disappears, the local police works on finding her, but not much happens until the Martini Club steps in, unsolicited and unappreciated. It’s a mystery with some surprising twists, but also a fun read with great characters. #thesummerguests #tessgerritsen #themartiniclub #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #mainenovel #readersofinstagram

The four retired CIA agents, who refer to themselves at the Martini Club, are concerned when 15 year old Zoe goes missing. They want to help, but the acting police chief, Jo, tries to discourage them. Impossible! Without their assistance, the police don't stand a chance. There are many secrets in the small town of Purity, Maine, and some very influential people may have done some very bad things, so the Martini Club is investigating with or without police approval. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A very clever and intriguing story, I struggled to put it down, absolutely love the characters and the setting too. Highly recommended xx

Suspenseful, unpredictable and dynamic, The Summer Guests is the most fun you can have following retirees as they try to solve crimes in a small Maine town. Tess Gerritsen has delivered another compelling thriller in this charming and promising series.

During a family summer vacation to Purity, Maine, a teenage girl goes missing and local police chief Jo Thibodeau is short on leads and focused on a few possible suspects. But the Martini Club, a group of friends all retired from the CIA and led by Maggie Bird, join the investigation to help find the girl and prove the innocence of Maggie’s friend. Forming an uneasy alliance with law enforcement, the gang of retirees seem to be one step ahead of the police, leveraging their years of intelligence experience and intuition to untangle a web of deceit, coverups and unsolved crimes that go back decades. And in the process, they just might save the life of a young woman and others who dare to expose dark secrets that some people will do anything to keep buried.

The Summer Guests isn’t an overly emotional book in the traditional sense of bringing readers to tears, but it still does a tremendous job eliciting strong feelings. Anxiety and dread for the girl who has gone missing. Despair and angst for the mother who’s desperate for the police to find her daughter alive. Inspired and in awe of the elderly ex-CIA agents who realize their purpose and what keeps them feeling young is to continue deploying their skills to help those around them. Disgust and anger at the despicable actions of some characters. Empathy and optimism for the police chief to solve the case and to find balance in her life. Disturbed and unsettled by a certain familial relationship. And ultimately satisfied and triumphant upon the conclusion of the story and one budding romance.

Just two books into this series and it’s become a must read. It’s engaging, intriguing, twisting, entertaining and contains characters of an advanced age that you don’t normally see in espionage thrillers/murder mysteries. It’s simply an enjoyable reading experience.

This is the second in a new series “The Martini Club" by best selling author Tess Gerritsen. It features retired spy Maggie Bird and her fellow former CIA operatives who dub themselvesThe Martini Club and now reside in Purity, Maine.

A teenage girl, the grand daughter of a wealthy part time resident on the local lake, disappears and acting police chief Jo Thibodeau is faced with finding her. Maggie and her crew can’t resist getting involved in the investigation. When the skeleton of another young woman is found at the bottom of the lake, long held town and family secrets are revealed.

I really enjoy Gerritsen’s writing, and am a long time fan of her Rizzoli and Isles series. She has a great talent for captivating her readers and this book is no exception.

The story is well plotted, entertaining, and suspenseful. It makes an engrossing read, one I couldn’t put down. It is nice to have “mature" characters featured and so charmingly. There is some lightheartedness and I particularly appreciated the reflections on aging. I live in a resort area; Gerritsen realistically portrays the tension that often exists between locals/year rounders and visitors/part timers.

I have read both books in this series, however, this one can work as a stand alone. I can’t wait for the next installment.

I absolutely loved this book! The second installment in the series did not disappoint—it was everything I hoped for and more. From the small-town setting to the nail-biting mysteries, I couldn’t put it down.

The story kicks off with Zoe’s disappearance, and just when I thought I had a handle on things, a decades-old corpse turns up and completely changes the game. The way the two mysteries were layered together was brilliant, and the twists kept me guessing until the very end.

What really made this book special for me were the characters. Maggie Bird and her Martini Club friends feel so real—like people I’d want to hang out with (if they weren’t ex-spies constantly in danger!). And Detective Jo adds such a great balance to the mix with her determination and sharp instincts. The alternating viewpoints, especially from Zoe’s mom and the mysterious neighbor Reuben, added so much depth and kept me totally hooked.

The writing is just incredible—Tess Gerritsen knows how to build a story that’s complex without ever being confusing. I was so impressed by how well the mystery around the Conovers was handled, with every twist feeling natural and earned.

This series has quickly become one of my favorites, and I’m already dying to read the next book. If you haven’t started it yet, you’re missing out—I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When former spy Maggie Bird retired to the seaside hamlet of Purity, Maine, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything.

Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club, the circle of ex-CIA friends in her cocktail-sipping book club. Their handiwork, however, caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance.

After a teenager vanishes—and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect—she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.

As Jo grapples with two unexplained mysteries, the Martini Club races to uncover the truth behind shadowy secrets…before more lives are lost.

Loved it. Am a huge fan of the author. Will recommend to others.

Tess Gerritsen delivers again! Our intrepid Martini Club proves invaluable in solving mysteries aplenty. This had me following all the twist and turns and still not seeing what was coming around the next curve in the road. Read this!

I read and loved the first book in the series, The Spy Coast, so I was eager to get an early copy of The Summer Guests. I loved both books, but I think they felt different to me. You can definitely read the second one as stand alone. The first book spend a lot of time on the backstories of the retired spies who live in Purity, Maine, and indeed the mystery in the first book dredges up their pasts. The second book spends a lot less time focusing on the five former spies, and more on the characters who are local to Purity, and the disappearance of a girl from a fancy lake house in town. I have to say, I sort of missed my elderly spy friends as a lot of the book did not focus on them! With that said, it doesn't diminish from the plot in this second book. The first book felt a little more like a spy thriller, and this second one feels a bit more like a small town mystery. For me the book was not predictable -- there were so many threads to unravel and it wasn't a simple whodunit. Kept me on my toes! I really enjoyed it and will definitely be awaiting future books in the series.

Name of Book: The Summer Guests
Series: The Martini Club #2
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: March 18, 2025
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Pages: 336


We were introduced to Maggie Bird in [book: The Spy Coast] Book #1 - ‘The Martini Club’ series”.
Maggie turned sixty and retired to Purity, Maine, ~ Several other retired CIA officers have already retired there and are busy doing retirement things- gardening, raising chickens, and reading books for their’ Martini Club’ book club gathering.
This group doesn’t tell anyone they're ex-Agency - once a secret agent, always a secret agent
In that story we also get acquainted with Purity’s acting police chief; Jo Thibodeau. She is tough and accustomed to rowdy tourists.

In this story a teenager vanishes—Maggie’s friend and neighbor is the prime suspect. Maggie is sure her friend is innocent. The girl’s wealthy family wants an arrest.
And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.

This is my twenty-seventh Tess Gerritsen|novel.
I love her stories and call myself a fan!
I love reading the Author’s notes and/or Acknowledgements and understand this story in Maine as Dr. Gerritson and her husband Jacob more live in Maine.

Yes I enjoy anything she writes but have to admit I sooo wish she would write another
Rizzoli and Isles story!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 18, 2025.

The Spy Coast, the first book in this series, is one of the best starts to a series that I have read so I was a little nervous to read this one, but thankfully it was a good read as well. Set only in Maine this time, the Martini Club is back and happy to insert themselves into the search for a missing girl. The resolution to the mystery is engaging and different, and I liked the way the pieces all came together. I hope to see the Martini Club again in future books.

I love Tess Gerritsen books and this did not disappoint. I came across this book on NetGalley and realized it was the 2nd in the Martini Club series so I had to read the first one first. I've been a fan of hers for a long time, but never had read this series. I am so glad I found it on NetGalley. The main characters are retired agents/spies and it's fun to see them figuring out cases along side the police at their age. Love this series!!

This was the second installment of the Martini Club, I enjoyed this as much if not more than the first one. I'm loving all the members , especially Maggie and Declan, There is something to be said about more mature characters putting their life experiences and training to good use in finding a missing girl. Liked the three main POV , Maggie, Jo and Susan, Can't wait for the next one!

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen is the second book in the Martini Club series. I very much enjoyed the first, The Spy Coast and this was - as much, if not even more - enjoyable. From memory the investigation in the first book centred around the former CIA (et al) club members' old lives whereas this is more of a straight-forward whodunnit (and as importantly whydunnit). And I was rivetted. I adored catching up with the Martini Club members again though Maggie (again) was the standout and our lead character, along with Purity Police Chief Jo Thibodeau, who we met in the first outing.

We also spend a lot of time here with the likeable Susan, who's holidaying with her in-laws for the first time at their palatial holiday home in Purity when her very trustworthy and sensible 15 year old daughter, Zoe disappears.

Complicating matters here are long-held small-town grievances... not to mention bones discovered in the lake where Zoe was last seen.

But Jo's on the case and discouraging the Martini Club's involvement, at the same time knowing she can't stop them or discount the help they're providing as they're uniquely qualified and absurdly talented at digging up information not accessible to most.

I hadn't really remembered the club members and their respective strengths and Gerritsen doesn't really spend (or perhaps waste?) time reminding us who is who, or at least giving us much backstory. I appreciated that as it means the pacing of the novel is uninterrupted, but I did perhaps not feel as connected to them as I recall feeling first time out. Though I assume after a few books they'll stick in my mind - which is the case with other series I enjoy. (On that note) I noticed Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series is being adapted for the small screen and this would also be an exceptionally good series with quirky characters who just don't take no for an answer, but who do so with guileless determination rather than arrogance.

Gerritsen throws us some red herrings here and goes down the conspiracy route again (long-buried government secrets to which the former CIA agents are privy) but, as I'm not a huge fan of white-collar-crime, I appreciated the direction this takes.

I really enjoyed this and found it hard to put down both evenings I picked it up. There's something warm and familiar about the characters, though it's not quite a 'comfort read'. Here for example the baddie's treatment of Zoe is astoundingly callous it morphs from a cosy(ish) read into something more evil and quite shocking even to this reader-of-books-regularly-featuring-sociopaths-and-psychopaths.

4.5 stars