This is Big Chill gone wrong. Peoples reactions are complex and lying and denials make for an interesting read!

What begins as a fun summer reunion and vacation for old college friends turns darker and haunting as old tensions and grievances are uncovered through too many days of close company. Jim, his wife, children and their closest friends are finally all together again after summers where at least one of the old friends couldn't make the reunion. This year they have all returned to Jim's house on Buzzard's Bay and when one of them disappears suddenly the mood quickly sours. This is not the book you want to read if you're heading off to a fun beach vacation, but if you're looking for a gothic, unsettling mystery this would be it.

Old friends reuniting years after they finished college or had a part in something particularly unpleasant has become a very popular trope. Murphy’s book stands out because of the setting and creepy atmosphere