Summers at the Saint

Mary Kay Andrews

Women’s Lit Mystery

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) Traci has the job of turning the St. Cecilia hotel from a drowning business into a thriving one. She has recently been widowed but puts her all into this hotel which was her husband’s family legacy. While “The Saint” is idyllic and cozy for vacationers, there has been tragedy before and now a new one has emerged.

I grabbed this book thinking it was a fun, light summer read. While it did have some of those aspects, it was also framed around a murder mystery. That dichotomy had me confused a few times but it also made the murder not as heavy and added some happy romance aspects. The characters were fun and interesting, having all come together from different backgrounds, lives and needs. They were definitely the heart of the story.

The murder was personal for many involved. Money, prestige and more are wrapped up in the mystery and many have much to lose. This element had me questioning motives and looking at each character with more scrutiny. It wrapped up well and with closure. I recommend this to those that love a mild mystery scandal with great characters and a happy ending!

AUDIO REVIEW: Kathleen McInerney had multiple different voices which made it easy to clarify each character. Some voices didn’t fit the personalities or sounded too young or a bit fake. I believe the many characters played a part in this!

General content summary: F words= 32

Some language

Genitalia pics (few details)

Anxiety pills (prescription)

Father slaps adult son (blood)

Child drowning (CPR)

Spousal death (previous, few details, plane crash)

Family cancer death (previous)

Alcohol (some underage, multiple)

Family Parkinson’s disease (details of care)

Teen pregnancy (previous)

Drugs (pills, smoking a joint)

Man is secretly gay

Family death (grief)

Arson and people inside building 

Drug overdose and death (few details)

Drugs given unwillingly (multiple)

Family death (elderly, disease, moment of death)

Peanut allergy death (previous)

Infidelity (previous, no details)

Intimacy (kisses and minor foreplay, more is implied but no details or closed door scene)

Rape (few details, previous)

Gun threat (gunshot and blood)

Physical violence (kicks)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies!

The book releases May 7, 2024.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.