This is a wonderful dark and twisty book.There are deep dark secrets and someone is willing to keep them buried. The Martini Club is a fun and interesting group of characters. It’s fun watching the former spy’s try to figure out what’s going on. They are really funny at times. I liked the characters of Ethan, Susan and Zoe. We see Jo loosen up a bit. The writing is creative and I enjoyed this book immensely. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

In follow-up to The Spy Coast, The Summer Guests plunges the Martini Club into a search for a missing teen. It's up to the collective intelligence of the Martini Club (the circle of ex-CIA friends in the cocktail-sipping book club) to do their best to solve the case.

Meanwhile, the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest ... and the authorities have discovered a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond.

I love this series so much! It contains characters I dearly love, and just when I thought I had figured everything out, I discovered I hadn't. At all. I love it when that happens. It's wonderful to have senior characters shown in such a positive manner.

One of my favorite parts in the book was this: "Ben stirred from his heat-induced stupor to squint up at the bird. What was it about growing older that turned one into a bird-watcher?" Yep. There I am!

Big, BIG thanks to both #MercerAndThomas and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Summer Guests. This book is #2 in the #MartiniClub series and has an expected publication date of March 18, 2025.

#TessGerritsen #Mystery #Suspense #MartiniClubSeries

I recently finished the first book in The Martini Club series and this second installment is equally good. I enjoy the characters especially, Maggie and her band of mysterious, retired secret agents. The team offers plenty of unsolicited advice and legwork to the local police deputy, Jo, and this is what makes these novels both playful and interesting.

The mysteries - what happened to Zoe and what happened 50 years ago - kept me engaged and thinking . The setting, a summer lake in Maine, was authentic and familiar.

Overall I enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to my next encounter with the Martini Club.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

When a teenage girl goes missing. The martini club aim to help acting chief of police, Jo, find her. When bones turn up in the lake, and the family clearly have secrets, the path to the truth is long and hard.

So many suspects in this one and red herrings galore. The martini club members are just the pimple I’d like to be friends with when I’m older. Perfect cocktails and delicious food. The descriptions are so vivid I can almost taste them! These characters are strong as is Jo. I enjoy reading how they work together (unofficially). I enjoyed learning more about Jo’s family in this book, but I am also dying to know more about the secret lives of Maggie and co! No loose ends and a satisfying ending that I hadn’t suspected. Highly recommend.

I've been eagerly anticipating this book since I read/loved THE SPY COAST, which ranked as one of my top reads of 2023. I have recommended it everywhere.

I'll be doing the same with THE SUMMER GUESTS. I enjoyed this second book every bit as much as I'd hoped to. Even in the first pages, the reader can be confident that Gerritsen is a master storyteller with impeccable prose. The plot is twisty and the characters are three-dimensional. Having read THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB in the interim, I can see some similarities, but I prefer this Martini Club series as it keeps me more riveted to the page. I especially like the story of Luther and his granddaughter Callie. Also realistic is the fact that the club isn't necessarily as spry as they once were, but they're still sharper than most, even in their 70s. And small-town life is accurately depicted, especially from the viewpoint of Jo, the interim police chief.

Once again, I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book, since I have no doubt it will be another 5-star read for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas/Mercer for an early copy of this book--all opinions are my own.

I know that anything with Tess Gerritsen's name on it is gonna be more than worth my time. I have been particuarly eager for this particular title. The sophomore installment of the Martini Club bring's Gerritsen's rambunctious cast of seniors back together for another mystery in their (not so) sleepy little Maine town. The first novel combined both the vibe of a cozy small town mystery with the wild edge of an international spy thriller, while this one leans more heavily into what could be lurking local.

Gerritsen is a master at her craft and I can't wait to see what else is in store for our heroes.

There's such a peaceful easy feeling when you read The Summer Guests. It might be only the second book featuring The Martini Club but they already feel like old friends. Tess Gerritsen is a master at crafting an intoxicating tale. Her skillful storytelling is on full display here as her merry band of retired spooks must decipher two mysteries. It is a book which never fails to entertain the reader. The captivating adventure will leave you hoping to share another drink with this terrific team. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed The Spy Coast and was keen to read the second book featuring Maggie Bird and her circle of ex-CIA friends.

There’s trouble in paradise in their peaceful hamlet of Purity, a teenage girl vanishes, there are tension between the locals and the affluent holiday homeowners. The search for the missing girl is about to set off another mystery.

I enjoyed it. It felt a bit less ‘spy’ than The Spy Coast, a little more ‘seniors investigate’ but the story keeps moving and the characters, locations and atmosphere are vividly described.

While it’s fairly gentle overall, there are a few shocks and moments of increased tension. If you enjoyed the first book then this is a safe bet.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

I was so excited to get to read a DRC of The Summer Guests a.k.a. The Martini Club.
Where do spies go when they retire? Well, if you are Maggie Bird and some of her old coworkers, to Purity, Maine. It’s a small town with farms and livestock and a bustling summer crowd. On paper, it looks like the perfect place to retire.
As we learned in the first book,The Spy Coast, a small town is not immune to bad things happening. A missing girl, Zoe means that Maggie and her friends put their skills to use. Jo, the acting police chief is in over her head. The Martini Club is happy to provide their assistance. The very wealthy Conover family was at the center of Zoe’s disappearance. The family may have money,but as we all know, that does not guarantee that you will be a good person. There are many layers to what happened to Zoe and some things that transpired in the past will surface too.
So many twists and turns! I thought I knew whodunnit, but I was wrong. I am really enjoying learning more about these characters and I hope to see them again. I would suggest reading the first book before this one publishes in March.

With The Summer Guests, Tess Gerritsen returns us to the small town of Purity, Maine and the “Martini Club”, a group of ex-CIA operatives attempting retirement. When a close friend is implicated in the abduction of a young girl from her summer home, the Martini Club jumps into action, assisting the acting chief of police, Jo with their “special” talents.

I love this group of badass octogenarians! Their powers of observation and special skills honed at “the agency” really help to drive the plot forward, red herrings and all. Although there are a few references to the previous book, this could stand alone as well. If you’re looking for a fast paced, engrossing thriller, this one’s for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I hope this book is the second in a long series. The characters are wonderful. A group of elderly retired spies who get involved in local crimes. Good interaction between them and police chief. I highly recommend this book

super thrilling and downright addicting!! i loved this from start to finish. it was such a quick read because the content itself was so addicting you couldn't put the book down. i will definitely read more from this author.

Loved this book. First one was slightly better but enjoy following this group of friends on their adventures. Some twists were easy to guess but others were quite surprising.

Love the setting and the premise of mixing ex-CIA, local law enforcement with books and cocktails. A fantastic story from one of my all time favorite authors. Tess Gerritsen never disappoints!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced readers copy of The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritson. This is the second on the series of The Martini Club and it was better then the first. Great police procedural and storyline. The Martini Club-a group of retired spies step in to help the local Police Chief Joe find out what happened to Zoey, who went missing at a lake in Maine. She is the step daughter of a rich family whose home is on the lake and one neighbor who had many grudges against them is one of the suspects. . Many secrets are revealed as well as other murders and missing people come to light. Looking forward to a third book in the series.

I really love this series and I am eager to see it continue. I didn’t love this book as much as the first but it was still a worthwhile and fun mystery.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199223892

“The Summer Guests” is the second book in the Martini Club series and as much as I liked the first book, this one is even better earning one of my rare 5 star ratings meaning I found it difficult to put down and walk away from. This time around, Maggie and her friends become involved in the disappearance of a young teenage girl who was visiting Purity with her mother and stepfather at her stepfather’s family’s summer home. The present merges with the past as lies and secrets are slowly, yet tantalizingly, exposed. The characters of Maggie, Declan, Ingrid, Ben, and Loyd are almost in the background, yet vital to the story working with the sometimes reluctant acting police chief, Jo, as they nudge her into looking at the case from new angles. The development of fascinating characters is one of Tess Gerritsen’s strong points and the complex storyline is an excellent read. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for the ARC. I cannot wait for book 3!

Tess Gerritsen is a must read for me and this book didn’t disappoint. I love Maggie and the Martini Club. A teenager vanishes and police chief Jo Thibodeau couldn’t solve the mystery without the help of Maggie and her friends. A great read and I can’t wait for more adventures of the Martini Club.

What a fun idea for a series The Martini Club is. When I picked up The Summer Guests I hadn’t read the first book in the series and although it didn’t seem to matter there were references to the previous book so I would suggest reading them in order.
I really enjoyed getting to know these supposed sweet retirees, it brought a welcome twist to the murder mystery genre I’ve enjoyed from Tess Gerritsen for many years.
I have been a big fan of the Rizzoli and Isles books for a long time and was excited to hear there was a new series to read. The Martini Club I feel is a slightly lighter series.
The writing was, as I’ve come to expect, well thought out. The story around the Conovers was built so well and despite the twists and turns it never came across cluttered or confusing.
I will definitely be recommending this series at every opportunity and I most certainly will be dashing of to start book one.