Summer with a twist: this year’s Mary Kay Andrews summer release has extra mystery, action, and all your favorite MKA elements.

On a small island off the Georgia coast, the town is divided by a causeway: you’re either a Saint, or an Ain’t. The Saint Cecelia Resort is a hotel and golf club where Georgia’s finest retreat for the summer. Traci Eddings grew up an Ain’t, but married the youngest son of the Saint Cecelia’s owner. Now CEO of the Saint, Traci is majorly sweating the upcoming summer season. This year is extra-important for their bottom line, which is the worst time for a twenty year old drowning mystery and new dangers threaten the Saints and the A’ints, alike.

Mary Kay Andrews has been synonymous with hit summer beach books for at least a decade. Every year, I look forward to her new releases. As the diligent backlist reader that I am, of course I’ve read almost everything she’s ever written, including her original Callahan Garrity mystery series. This series was written under a different name, back in the day, but rebranded with the MKA name and re-released a few years ago. It’s a fantastic series for those who love the mystery and suspense elements often found in MKA books!

Summers matches her Callahan Garrity vibes, with more of the plot centering on the dual mysteries. The combination of interesting characters and strong mystery hook caught me right away. I had a hard time putting this one down– I just had to know how it ends!

Don’t worry, beach read fans: the hallmarks of an MKA classic are here as well, seamlessly woven in. Gorgeously described settings, unique locales (and unique locals), luscious food descriptions, a will they-won’t they romance, and a bit of social commentary are all well established. They’re balanced with the mystery and suspense angles of the books. So don’t fear: this is still a great beach read. Maybe not an after-dark on the beach read (for scaredy-cat me, at least!), but still a beach read!

Summers at the Saint will be available May 7, 2024.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC such that I could share my honest opinion.

You can pre-order Summers at the Saint here. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I will earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click through and make a purchase.