by Andrea Bartz
First published 2025
Abby arrives on Isla Colel determined to understand how her fiancée Eszter died on this remote tropical island. The place bears little resemblance to its former glory as a tourist destination. A hurricane years earlier devastated the community, leaving behind only scattered locals and a small group of expatriates. The ferry that once ran daily now arrives sporadically. Abby integrates herself into the tight expat circle, hoping someone might shed light on Eszter's final days. Her hopes rise when one expat claims he knows what really happened to Eszter. Before they can meet, he disappears without explanation. Days pass with no trace of him, yet the remaining expats show disturbing indifference to his absence. Abby's investigation reveals the community harbors dangerous secrets and deceptions. She becomes convinced that Eszter's death was murder, not an accident, and that the killer remains on the island. As Abby digs deeper into the expat group's hidden connections, she realizes she may have placed herself in mortal danger. Her search for justice becomes a race against time.
Genres: suspense, mystery, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Isla Colel, Tropical Island
Period: Present Day
320 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, murder