Review by Booklist Review
After her 20-year marriage ends, Ellery finds herself at a high-end resort in Big Sur, celebrating her anniversary by herself. Nursing a broken heart and still reeling from a recent tragic event, she finds it even more difficult to move on when she learns there's a wedding happening at the resort. She manages to make friends with some fellow travelers, including a dad and daughter, a couple of friends, and a member of the wedding party. But the weekend takes a terrifying turn when Ellery discovers the groom dead at the same time a massive storm causes a landslide, blocking the road to the resort. When another body is found, Ellery realizes there may be a killer among them--and no way of escaping. This is an engrossing story with an interesting take on grief and forgiveness, with pieces of art found at the resort adding a fun element. Edgar Award--winning YA author Condie's adult debut is an unpredictable locked-room mystery for Agatha Christie fans and anyone looking for an intelligent read.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A divorcée discovers a corpse during her California vacation in the formulaic adult debut from YA bestseller Condie (after The Only Girl in Town). Forty-something Ellery Wainwright initially booked her stay at the luxurious Resort in Big Sur to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary. After her husband left her for another woman, she decided to keep the reservation and indulge in a solo getaway. When Ellery arrives at the resort, she learns a wedding is being held there, and she'll be one of the few guests who's not involved. The next morning, she heads out for a swim and is stunned to discover the groom's lifeless body floating in the infinity pool. A sudden storm hits, isolating the staff and vacationers from the outside world and impeding the arrival of the police. Ellery teams up with two other nonwedding guests, Nina and Ravi, to do a little detecting. They soon discover that the wedding party has darker secrets than appearances suggest, and race to find the killer before the body count rises. Unfortunately, Condie's characters are paper-thin, and she resolves the mystery with a series of implausible contrivances. This misses the mark. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A recently divorced woman confronts her loss, even as she helps to solve two murders--and survives a belligerent storm. Ellery Wainwright arrives at Big Sur's Resort at Broken Point to celebrate her 20th anniversary--alone. Following her recent divorce, she's been adrift, torturing herself with memories, trying to stay strong for her kids, and this "vacation" seems like a mistake until she meets Ravi and Nina, two other guests, who take her under their wings. The resort, known for its eclectic art collection in addition to the beautiful views and luxury accommodations, is also hosting a wedding. It's a shock when the groom leaves the bride at the altar. Of course, it's even more of a shock when Ellery discovers the groom's body floating in the pool the next morning. Was he dead before the wedding? If so, who sent the breakup text message? When another guest dies shortly after, victim of a suspicious fall, Ellery, Ravi, and Nina continue their amateur sleuthing--but their biggest problem might be the weather. A storm of the century bears down on Big Sur, washing out bridges and roads, stranding the guests in this extremely clever version of a locked-room mystery. While the structure might not be completely original, there's a lot about this book to set it apart, including the wild danger of the setting. Most notable are the characters who, while perhaps representing some familiar types, truly do jump off the page as three-dimensional, engaging people, Ellery most of all. Her heartbreak is real, and relatable, as is her past trauma of witnessing another death and her fierce love for her children. Like any successful literary detective, she is "the one on the outside, watching," and Condie gives her the empathy, and grace, to understand that "you get to keep that. The way you let yourself love someone and really feel it, and the loss." In this way, the novel is more about healing than it is about death. A gorgeous murder mystery that explores what it means to be human--the pain and the love. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
