Curnyn (Bombshell
, etc.) cranks up the heat with a seaside murder and some sexy sleuthing in this lively caper. On New York's Fire Island, three 30-something pals—Nick, an impulsive, charming pipe-dreamer; Sage, a flirty go-getter; and Zoe, a sensitive filmmaker—partake in a tony summer share at the sprawling house of Sage's debonair boss, Tom, and his wife, Maggie. Maggie used to love rock and roll, but now sings in the key of Martha, enlisting her tenants to fetch coriander and "a crisp, citrusy white." That is, until she's found floating in the ocean. Multiple narrators provide diverse perspectives on the matter (Maggie's wry, beyond-the-grave musings seem ripped from the Desperate Housewives
handbook). Sage had certainly hated Maggie, and Tom takes the tragedy a little too in stride, in Zoe's humble opinion; also, it seems that Nick and Maggie had some unfinished business of a highly classified nature. No one's off the hook—unless, by some chance, there's a far more insidious avenger afoot. Whodunit? And who cares? Curnyn's writing is light and zingy, but she expends too much energy on labored plot twists to wring the fun out of this zany crew. Agent, Laura Dail. (June)
