Fortunate Harbor

A juicy, sprawling beach read with a suspenseful twist, Richards’s sunny sequel to Happiness Key reveals the next life step for Tracy Deloche and her tenant friends in Florida. The group of seaside cottages are the only asset Tracy retained after her ex-husband, CJ Craimer, landed in prison because of some shady business dealings. The former Bel-Air trophy wife now works at a recreation center while treasuring her support system: Rishi and Janya Kapur, a young Indian-American couple trying to have a baby; pie maker entrepreneur Wanda and cop husband Ken Gray; Alice Brook and her granddaughter, Olivia Symington; plus secretive newcomers Dana Turner and her daughter, Lizzie, who dish up a poignant mystery for Tracy and friends to solve. When CJ unexpectedly shows up, wanting to reconnect after he’s released from prison pending a new trial, Tracy ponders giving him a second chance. But then there’s Marsh Egan, her off/on environmentalist boyfriend whose troublemaking ex, Sylvia, is also back in town. Secrets, friendships, and the Florida gulf coast all come into play in Richards’s engaging latest. (July)