A couple’s luxury vacation in the Maldives takes a sinister turn when they’re befriended by two strangers in a twisty and darkly comic novel by the author of Friends in Napa.

Sarah and Sam have lost the very spark that brought them together. In an effort to save their marriage, they embark on an anniversary trip to the Maldives where a week at a luxury resort might remind them of why they fell in love. On the plane, they meet Krista and Kevin, a happy older, exceptionally generous couple headed to the same destination and eager to make vacation friends. They could be just the marriage mentors Sarah and Sam need.

But when a dead body is pulled from the crystalline waters only days into the vacation, a dark pall is cast over the sunny coral isles. The official story is a tragic accident. But that doesn’t sit right with Sarah, who senses something off. What could these very wealthy, too-fast friends possibly want from a modest couple like them?

The answers could destroy what’s left of her marriage. Then again, a murder in the Maldives might be the best thing that ever happened to it.

Sheila Yasmin Marikar is the author of Friends in Napa and The Goddess Effect. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vogue, and many other publications. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. For more information, visit www.sheilayasminmarikar.com.