The Vacation

Kate, Jennifer, Rowan, and Izzy, best friends since their university days in Bristol, England, gather with their families for what promises to be the holiday of a lifetime at a private estate in the south of France, but instead proves quite the opposite, in this erratic page-turner from British author Logan (29 Seconds). For Kate, a crime analyst with the Metropolitan Police, the spell is broken within hours of arrival when she snoops on husband Sean’s phone in hopes of getting a clue as to why he’s been so secretive of late—and finds messages that suggest he’s been having an affair with one of the three friends at the gathering. But is it gracefully athletic Jennifer, his initial college squeeze? Or elegant celebrity publicist Rowan? Or adventurous Izzy, the only one of the gang to have stayed single? Preoccupied with trying to suss out Sean’s paramour, Kate pays less attention than she should to the dangerous dynamics among other members of the party, until it may be too late. The twists come fast and furious toward the end, but not especially convincingly. Fans of plot-driven domestic thrillers won’t be disappointed. [em]100,000 announced first printing. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson. (July) [/em]