"Dead of Summer" | Reviewed by Chris Stuckenschneider

Faith is taken with David, a man she’s been living with. They met at a benefit in New York City and their romance heated up fast. It soon becomes obvious that David, a smashing good-looker, is well-heeled and from an influential family. Just how monied and influential Faith comes to understand when he invites her to summer at his family estate in Port Mary, on Hadley Island, in a palatial home he humbly refers to as a “cottage.”

So begins, “Dead of Summer,” by Jessa Maxwell, is an engaging mystery with a cast of believable characters and plot twists that don’t require totally suspending reality.

Approaching the island, Faith spots a home built on stilts jutting out of the rocks. The house belongs to Majorie and Henry Wright, an odd couple, exorcised from Port Mary some years ago on the Fourth of July when Henry was suspected of murdering Alice, a young woman, an up-and-coming artist, raised on the island.  Henry is strange, there’s no doubt about that. He spends his days peering through his telescope to see who’s coming and going on the island ferry.

One of the people on the ferry is Orla O’Connor, a best friend of Alice’s. It’s been 12 years since Orla last came to Port Mary, her childhood home. Orla is returning to clean out her parent’s house and ready it for purchase, but soon after she arrives she begins seeing and hearing things on the property that spook her. She also runs into David on the beach with his new girlfriend Faith. Seeing him reawakens old feelings Orla had for him—was it love, back then, or was her affection that of a dear friend. Afterall, Orla, David and Alice did everything together growing up, and thought they’d be buddies for life.

As Orla tries to sort out her feelings, Faith is awash in misery. Her idyllic vacation in David’s posh mansion can’t make up for the time her boyfriend is away from her. Hours pass as Faith tries to entertain herself at the pool while David is immersed in family businesses. He’s at the beck and call of his arrogant father, Geoffrey Clark, who belittles Faith and treats her like she’s an interloper and “less than.” In actuality, Faith works hard at hiding her wretched past, and her dishonesty, the real truths only her best friend Elena knows about.

The climax of the story plays out on the Fourth of July, when Geoffrey once again hosts an elaborate party he held years before, on the night that Alice disappeared, and was believed to have been murdered.

Deceptions abound in “Dead of Summer,” a well written, entertaining mystery that will require a reread once the surprise ending is divulged. At the conclusion, it’s rewarding to see certain people absolved, and a horrible “other” get his comeuppance.

Buy the book.