Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Every summer, the small, secluded coastal town of Littleport, Maine, welcomes the vacationers, who spend enough money to give the year-round residents their life's blood. Avery Greer calls Littleport home, but her best friend, Sadie Loman, is part of the summer elite. Her family even gave Avery a job managing their Littleport properties. Sadie's sudden death during an end-of-season party is labeled a suicide, but a year later, Avery is convinced there's more to it. Poking her nose into the Lomans' business exposes the sharp differences between the people of the town and those who make it theirs for the summer, putting her in danger. The vivid description of this isolated town sets the stage for the revelation of Littleport's secrets. The structure isn't as smooth as it could be as it moves among the summer of Sadie's death, the present, and moments in between, but Miranda's (The Perfect Stranger, 2017) exploration of how Avery's and Sadie's lives intertwine gives the story its depth. Fans of Michele Campbell and Mary Kubica, who like family drama supporting their suspense, will enjoy.HIGH DEMAND BACKSTORY: Bestselling author Miranda is among the vanguard of female-focused suspense authors; patrons will fondly remember who introduced her to them (you).--Tracy Babiasz Copyright 2019 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

This searing small-town thriller from bestseller Miranda (The Perfect Stranger) explores the complexities of female friendship and the picturesque fictions that money can buy. Avery Greer, a native of Littleport, Maine, is at a house party with the town's other 20-somethings awaiting her best friend, wealthy summer resident Sadie Loman, when the police arrive: Sadie's body washed up on the rocks near her parents' estate, and they want alibis from those in attendance. The discovery of a suicide note ends all talk of foul play, but Avery can't fathom Sadie taking her own life. A year later, Avery uncovers new evidence that underscores her suspicions and inspires her to investigate. The deeper Avery digs, the more secrets she unearths that are worth killing to keep. Flashbacks to the night of Sadie's death reveal fissures in the girls' relationship, casting doubt on Avery's honesty as a narrator. Sharply drawn characters both ground and elevate the bombshell-laden plot, while evocative prose heightens tension and conjures place. Miranda delivers a clever, stylish mystery that will seize readers like a riptide. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A year after her best friend's supposed suicide, a young woman must clear her name when new evidence is uncovered.The Lomans own much of Littleport, Maine, a fact that hasn't changed much since their only daughter's death a year ago. In the summer of 2017, on the night of the annual Plus-One party, aimed at summer people who've stayed a week longer than the traditional Labor Day end-of-season, golden girl Sadie Loman apparently threw herself off a cliff into the churning sea, but to those who knew her, especially her closest friend, Avery Greer, she seemed to have everything to live for. Year-round Littleport resident Avery was adrift after her parents' deaths when she was a teen, but when she met the mesmerizing Sadie, a summer person, her life took on new meaning. Sadie and Avery became so close, it was sometimes hard to tell where one ended and the other began. After Avery's grandmother died, Avery was alone, and the ridiculously wealthy Lomans seemed to welcome her into the family, even giving her a job as property manager for their coastal rentals and a place to live in their guesthouse. But everything fell apart after Sadie died. When Avery finds Sadie's phone hidden in the rental cottage where last year's Plus-One party was held, she turns it in to the policeafter doing a bit of snooping. Additionally, someone's been breaking into the rentals, and Sadie's brooding older brother, Parker, is acting strangely. Sadie's death is looking less and less like a suicide, and Avery is at the top of the suspect list. The Loman family's lies are rising to the surface, but can Avery keep her head above water? The narrative, which flips between 2017 and 2018, grows increasingly tense as Avery, who is a surprisingly reliable narrator, gets closer to the truth, but while Miranda (The Perfect Stranger, 2017, etc.) builds some creepy atmosphere in the lead-up, the final revelations are more sad than shocking. Most compelling are the class tensions between Littleport's year-round residents and the seasonal, moneyed tourists as well as the elusive nature of memory and the intricacies of friendship.An evocative and perfectly readable thriller, but genre fans will find few surprises within. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.