Sure, island vacations can be fun, relaxing, and restorative. But that’s if you’re reading a book in a different genre. In the world of crime, island vacations can be murder. Ever since Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley headed to Italy to bring Dickie Greenleaf back home, the allure of something sinister taking place on an island destination is unquenchable, for authors and readers alike. 

My latest, out September 5th. In Beneath the Surface, on a weekend voyage on a yacht to Catalina Island off the California coast, the power-hungry children of an aging billionaire are unprepared for a storm of deceptions. May Cobb calls it “Devious, twisty, and completely unputdownable . . . Knives Out meets Succession, but on a billionaire’s yacht.” It’s not the vacation the family thought they’d have, but it’s likely the only vacation they deserved. 

In You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard you can take another sinister journey, this time to a sun-drenched private island off the California coast. Summer and Leo are best friends, and free-spirited grifters who find themselves in the crosshairs of a self-made billionaire and philanthropist with his own island. When Leo disappears as her scam goes awry, Summer springs into action. People magazine raves that it’s a “thriller with a sharp take on wealth and privilege”.

An ultra-exclusive private club off the coast of England is your getaway spot in The Club by Ellery Lloyd. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to visit an exclusive celebrity club, well, hopefully this isn’t what it’s like. The lucky, A-list guests have been invited to Island Home for its three-day launch party, but behind the scenes, the staff has been pushed to their limits. everyone has been pushed to their limits. What’s clear is nothing is as it seems on this island, or with THE CLUB that everyone is dying to join.  

In The Guest List by Lucy Foley an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate a wedding. Sounds fun, right. Well, not in a crime book island vacation. The bride, the plus one, the best man, the wedding planner, and the bridesmaid gather for a social media and magazine worthy ceremony with all the luxury trappings. Until someone turns up dead. 

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall is set on a luxurious private island off the coast of Mexico, nestled in the glorious Sea of Cortez. Miriam Macy sails off to the island, as do six other strangers, only to discover that they’ve been summoned under false pretenses. Danger lurks in the lush forest of the island, and cell-phone coverage is sporadic as strange accidents stir suspicions and one by one, they all fall down. 

Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. In Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum, the two women hold sway on the beach and the tennis court and manipulate everyone to get what they want. The season starts out the same as any other, until a body is discovered, face down, off the side of the boardwalk. In this picture perfect place, everyone has something to hide. Fire Island’s exclusive summer haven is the perfect setting for murder, as are many islands it seems. 

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