The East End

On the eve of the Hamptons’ season-opening Memorial Day weekend festivities, disgruntled high schooler Corey Halpern, the protagonist of Allen’s ambitious but scattered debut, breaks into the mansion where his mother, Gina, works as a housekeeper—and stumbles onto a scene that could prove far more life-changing than anything he might have stolen. Coked-up billionaire Leo Sheffield has come out to what he mistakenly believes to be an empty estate for an assignation before the arrival of his shrewish wife. But nothing goes as planned, starting with the fact that Leo’s rebellious college student daughter, Tiffany, and her alluring best friend, Angelique, are already squirreled away on the premises, as is Corey—and ending with one very dead body. Amid the frenetic and frequently farcical action that ensues, Corey and Angelique strike up an instant romance. Corey’s working-class perspective on the excesses of the Sheffields and their ilk intrigues, and Allen addresses such serious concerns as Gina’s alcoholism, but he tries to pack in too much. Still, suspense fans will eagerly turn the pages. [em]Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (May) [/em]