Review by Booklist Review
Wood follows up her 2024 debut Ladykiller with another sizzling summer thriller, this one set in St. Barth's, where single mother Audrey Collet has reluctantly ventured at the insistence of her ex-boyfriend Tyson Dale, now a billionaire leading the way in desalination technology. In the decade since Audrey and Tyson were involved as teens, he's become reclusive and paranoid, and when Audrey arrives in St. Barth's, he shows her a newspaper article someone sent him anonymously about the discovery of the body of one of their old high-school classmates. Both Audrey and Tyson have a connection to the death, and Tyson, fearing someone is trying to blackmail him, strong-arms Audrey into discovering the identity of the blackmailer among the people gathered at his palatial estate, including his indebted business partner, his ex-con brother, and his resentful, much-younger wife. With a bevy of suspects, Audrey tries to uncover the blackmailer while falling for Tyson's handsome, mysterious French valet, Laurent. Wood's captivating sophomore outing is the perfect pick for fans of the TV hit White Lotus.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A woman heads to the Caribbean to protect herself and her ex from cryptic threats in this mixed-bag thriller by Wood (Ladykiller). Audrey Collet, a founding partner at a Miami corporate intelligence firm, has built a comfortable life for herself and her 10-year-old twins. But when a human foot is found on the banks of a canal in the Everglades, she fears that a dark episode from her past has caught up with her. Soon after that discovery, Audrey receives a request from her high school boyfriend, Tyson Dale--now a billionaire tech CEO--to come to St. Barth's and find out who's been threatening him. Each of the guests at Tyson's estate has a grudge against him, though some hide their dislike better than others. In between trips to the disco, deep sea diving excursions, and flirtations with Tyson's handsome butler, Audrey launches an investigation to keep her slimy ex safe--to the tune of $100,000. Wood richly evokes St. Barth's atmosphere and generates solid tension by toggling between Audrey's present investigation and the details of her past, but seasoned thriller fans will see the ending coming from a mile away. This is serviceable enough for a trip to the beach, but nothing to write home about. Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Green Rostan. (July)
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