Never overlook the human heart as a source of mischief.

Books like this remind me why I fell in love with Gerritsen's writing all those years ago. Tighlty plotted, non-stop action, twist and turns, this book is (as much as I dislike the word) unputdownable. I read it almost entirely in one sitting. Our intrepid group of retired spies (hiding in plain view as the titular "Martini Club") is back in action and just as loveable as in the first book.

Speaking of, where I found the first book in the series just a tiny smidgen too overloaded and all over the place, this one takes place entirely in the town of Purity, Maine, where long-buried secrets are uncovered and a family of summer guests is torn apart by the sudden disappearance of a child. The setting might just be my favorite part, because you can feel the author's love for Maine and the community that became her own home.

Excellent entry in a fun and exciting series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series!

As someone who for many years has eagerly snagged every book by this author that I can get my hands on, I'm clueless as to why I missed the first book in this Martini Club series. Well, I'll drink to this New Year's resolution: it won't happen again.

In a way, it's reminiscent of James Patterson Women's Murder Club series, only with members who are older and wiser. Martini Club members are former CIA agents - Maggie Bird, Ingrid Slocum, Ben Diamond and Declan Rose -- all well over the age of 60 and, for the most part, happy to have their spying days behind them. They've gathered in Purity, Maine, where Maggie owns and operates Blackberry Farm, and get together regularly to discuss whatever catches their fancy (sometimes even books) as they sip, well, the club's namesake.

Purity is located near Maiden Pond, and for the most of the year, most of the homes are unoccupied - waiting for the first signs of summer, when owners and their guests begin arriving for the season. This year, one of the wealthiest homeowners brings in the whole family, including parents, grown children and their almost grown children. Nothing unusual here, of course - until one of the younger ones - Zoe - goes missing. That gets the attention of the Martini Clubsters for sure, but it's not until Maggie's neighbor becomes the primary suspect in the girl's disappearance that they really get down to it. That, in turn, puts them in the crosshairs of Jo Thibodeau, the acting police chief who clings to the belief that retired spies should remain retired.

Zoe's disappearance takes a turn for the worse for a bit when the body of a woman turns up in the pond - but happily, it's someone who clearly has been submerged far longer than Zoe's been missing. But who is she? Does she have any connection to Zoe? And why is Zoe's family so intent on having Maggie's neighbor arrested? Those are just some of the questions Maggie and her crew want answered, no matter how much their nosing around irritates Jo.

Of course, all is resolved by the end, making for a story that held my attention despite a lack of blood, guts and mayhem; truthfully, the book reads far more like a cozy mystery than an all-out thriller (not that there's anything wrong with that). The story also provides a hint of things to come in the next installment, and to that I say bring it on. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

This was a very enjoyable second book in the series. The Martini Club is always entertaining. The mystery was a good one. Looking forward to many books in this series.

Another mystery featuring Maggie Bird and her friends, all ex-CIA operatives now living in a small New England town. When a teenager goes missing, Maggie and her friends step in to help clear their friends name who had become a suspect. Working with police chief Jo Thibodeau, the small group of ex-spies discovers another body in a local pond heightening the mystery.

Gerritsen never disappoints and I highly recommend this as a fun weekend read!

So often it seems that one great thing leads to another, and that's what happened when my husband and I discovered Rizzoli & Isles on television. When I found out that it was actually based on a series of books, I tracked some down and thoroughly enjoyed them. Naturally, when I found out that Tess Gerritsen started a brand new series with a group of retired men and women who are getting caught up in crimes committed in the small town they all relocated to, I couldn't wait to read it!

As a recently retired female myself, I love that the characters aren't based on young, beautiful women with long, flowing blond hair. I love that the author portrays this group as smart, clever and fairly physically fit, but not as fast as they used to be-- adults who have been around the block. She hasn't thrown in any of those ridiculous romances where two people hate each other, but ten pages later they are n bed together,. This is a book that is carefully put together with a group that works well together. The details are well crafted and the way the story unfolds kept my attention up to the last page.

With so much junk on TV anymore, I'd love to see this be a new show. 5 stars.

I LOVE Gerritsen's writing! This is the second book of the Martini Club, and this one's just as fabulous as book one. It's a great mystery and can be read as a stand alone (although I definitely recommend book one). I adore these characters and their adventures.

Tess Gerritsen did it again!

As a native New Englander, I really enjoyed the cozy setting and the locals vs summer people dynamic in this story. I’m a sucker for multiple timelines and points of view and the abundance of details really painted a perfect picture in my head. I was excited to pick this book up every day because the pacing was perfect and I l truly had no idea who the bad guy was until the truth unraveled very end.

The only thing I wish we got more of was the Martini Club. I feel like they got to be a lot more badass in the last book but they did let our favorite police chief earn her badge this time so I have no complaints. I can’t wait to see what trouble the crew & Jo Thibodeau run into next.

I enjoyed the first book, THE SPY COAST and was looking forward to this next book. This was just as good as the first. A former spy, Maggie, had retired to the seaside of Maine. When a teenager goes missing, Maggie and her martini club  (a cocktail sipping bookclub of ex-cia friends) join local police chief, Jo, in the search. One of Maggie's neighbor friends is a suspect, and Maggie must rush to help prove their innocence. While searching for the missing teen, they come across a long dead corpse. These two mysteries were suspenseful and I enjoyed the characters. This author created such a great story. A fast paced plot that I thoroughly enjoyed. I liked how it all came together. 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maggie and her ex-CIA friends are at it again in this second installment of the Martini Club series. When a teenage girl disappears, Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect. Maggie and the Martini Club join the investigation alongside Jo Thibodeau, the young police chief of Purity, Maine. The case becomes more complicated when a skeleton is found in the nearby pond. Someone has some long-buried secrets they’ll stop at nothing to keep. Meanwhile, the Martini Club will stop at nothing to uncover them.

Tess Gerritsen has done it again in this second installment of the Martini Club series! Gerritsen is a master storyteller, giving life to both the characters and the small-town setting. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put this one down. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as the story unfolded. I highly recommend this one to Gerritsen fans as well as thriller fans! I give it 4.5/5 stars.

The Summer Guests is the second in the Martini Club series, but it has a different feel from the first. The Martini Club consists of four retired CIA agents who have all retired to Purity, Maine. They were front and center in the first book, but they take more of a back seat in this story, at least in the first half.
When a young girl associated with one of the summer families vanishes, Acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeaux faces her first real test. And then, while searching for the girl, the bones of a long dead woman are found in the pond by their home.
The book uses a multi-character, third person narrative style to move the plot forward. There’s a very strong ‘us vs. them’ vibe in the town as the rich summer family is looking to blame first one and then another local.
I enjoyed the Martini Club characters, but I was really enthralled by Jo. She’s hoping to lose the ‘acting’ part of her job title. She’s also dealing with a jerk of a state police detective who’s happy to leap to conclusions. And then, the club members are always inserting themselves into the investigation, which is a good thing as they see things no one else does, but also infuriating.
There were plenty of twists to keep me guessing. I thought the ending was great, tying into a real life historical event.
I eagerly await book three in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Tess Gerritsen is an excellent mystery writer and this is series is delightful and entertaining.
This is even better than The Spy Coast and it's gripping and the storytelling excellent.
Solid plot, fleshed out characters I was glad to meet againg.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I need a new Book Club, preferably one that revolves around booze, murder and ex spies. Until I find that elusive club, I hope Tess Gerritsen keeps writing about The Martini Club.

The Summer Guests is a thrilling follow up to last year’s The Spy Coast and an even twistier mystery. The friendship between the recurring characters brings so much heart to these stories. I am a big fan.

I enjoyed the first book in the series and even more when I read the idea came from the author's real life experience living in a small town where a lot of "government workers" and "civil servants" retired. This book is more of the same but it is fun to read. The setting is vivid and fun and the cast of detectives are elderly and hit that line of not seeming decades younger than they are but also not decrepit either. Some retired people detective books can't hit that balance .

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, releasing on March 18, 2025. A group of former CIA agents has retired to a small town in Maine, nicknaming themselves the Martini Club. They may be older now, but they are still sharp and interested in solving crimes. When the daughter of a wealthy summer family disappears, the local police works on finding her, but not much happens until the Martini Club steps in, unsolicited and unappreciated. It’s a mystery with some surprising twists, but also a fun read with great characters. #thesummerguests #tessgerritsen #themartiniclub #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #mainenovel #readersofinstagram

The four retired CIA agents, who refer to themselves at the Martini Club, are concerned when 15 year old Zoe goes missing. They want to help, but the acting police chief, Jo, tries to discourage them. Impossible! Without their assistance, the police don't stand a chance. There are many secrets in the small town of Purity, Maine, and some very influential people may have done some very bad things, so the Martini Club is investigating with or without police approval. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A very clever and intriguing story, I struggled to put it down, absolutely love the characters and the setting too. Highly recommended xx

Suspenseful, unpredictable and dynamic, The Summer Guests is the most fun you can have following retirees as they try to solve crimes in a small Maine town. Tess Gerritsen has delivered another compelling thriller in this charming and promising series.

During a family summer vacation to Purity, Maine, a teenage girl goes missing and local police chief Jo Thibodeau is short on leads and focused on a few possible suspects. But the Martini Club, a group of friends all retired from the CIA and led by Maggie Bird, join the investigation to help find the girl and prove the innocence of Maggie’s friend. Forming an uneasy alliance with law enforcement, the gang of retirees seem to be one step ahead of the police, leveraging their years of intelligence experience and intuition to untangle a web of deceit, coverups and unsolved crimes that go back decades. And in the process, they just might save the life of a young woman and others who dare to expose dark secrets that some people will do anything to keep buried.

The Summer Guests isn’t an overly emotional book in the traditional sense of bringing readers to tears, but it still does a tremendous job eliciting strong feelings. Anxiety and dread for the girl who has gone missing. Despair and angst for the mother who’s desperate for the police to find her daughter alive. Inspired and in awe of the elderly ex-CIA agents who realize their purpose and what keeps them feeling young is to continue deploying their skills to help those around them. Disgust and anger at the despicable actions of some characters. Empathy and optimism for the police chief to solve the case and to find balance in her life. Disturbed and unsettled by a certain familial relationship. And ultimately satisfied and triumphant upon the conclusion of the story and one budding romance.

Just two books into this series and it’s become a must read. It’s engaging, intriguing, twisting, entertaining and contains characters of an advanced age that you don’t normally see in espionage thrillers/murder mysteries. It’s simply an enjoyable reading experience.

This is the second in a new series “The Martini Club" by best selling author Tess Gerritsen. It features retired spy Maggie Bird and her fellow former CIA operatives who dub themselvesThe Martini Club and now reside in Purity, Maine.

A teenage girl, the grand daughter of a wealthy part time resident on the local lake, disappears and acting police chief Jo Thibodeau is faced with finding her. Maggie and her crew can’t resist getting involved in the investigation. When the skeleton of another young woman is found at the bottom of the lake, long held town and family secrets are revealed.

I really enjoy Gerritsen’s writing, and am a long time fan of her Rizzoli and Isles series. She has a great talent for captivating her readers and this book is no exception.

The story is well plotted, entertaining, and suspenseful. It makes an engrossing read, one I couldn’t put down. It is nice to have “mature" characters featured and so charmingly. There is some lightheartedness and I particularly appreciated the reflections on aging. I live in a resort area; Gerritsen realistically portrays the tension that often exists between locals/year rounders and visitors/part timers.

I have read both books in this series, however, this one can work as a stand alone. I can’t wait for the next installment.

I absolutely loved this book! The second installment in the series did not disappoint—it was everything I hoped for and more. From the small-town setting to the nail-biting mysteries, I couldn’t put it down.

The story kicks off with Zoe’s disappearance, and just when I thought I had a handle on things, a decades-old corpse turns up and completely changes the game. The way the two mysteries were layered together was brilliant, and the twists kept me guessing until the very end.

What really made this book special for me were the characters. Maggie Bird and her Martini Club friends feel so real—like people I’d want to hang out with (if they weren’t ex-spies constantly in danger!). And Detective Jo adds such a great balance to the mix with her determination and sharp instincts. The alternating viewpoints, especially from Zoe’s mom and the mysterious neighbor Reuben, added so much depth and kept me totally hooked.

The writing is just incredible—Tess Gerritsen knows how to build a story that’s complex without ever being confusing. I was so impressed by how well the mystery around the Conovers was handled, with every twist feeling natural and earned.

This series has quickly become one of my favorites, and I’m already dying to read the next book. If you haven’t started it yet, you’re missing out—I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When former spy Maggie Bird retired to the seaside hamlet of Purity, Maine, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything.

Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club, the circle of ex-CIA friends in her cocktail-sipping book club. Their handiwork, however, caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance.

After a teenager vanishes—and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect—she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.

As Jo grapples with two unexplained mysteries, the Martini Club races to uncover the truth behind shadowy secrets…before more lives are lost.

Loved it. Am a huge fan of the author. Will recommend to others.