With her newest novel, “Summers at the Saint,” prolific New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews will delight both old fans and new readers alike. It might just be her best novel yet. The story concerns an oceanside town, a monied seaside resort with a history, the summer residents versus the “townies,” and Traci Eddings, the widow who is now running the St. Cecelia, which is known affectionately as “the Saint.” Traci was a townie when she fell in love with the son of the resort’s owner. They married, and he ran the resort until his untimely death in a plane crash, after which Traci took over the helm of the resort.

Now, she runs the resort with the help of her GM, Charlie Burroughs, who has worked at the resort for decades. Traci’s father-in-law doesn’t like her, nor does her brother-in-law Ric. And, in fact, they are both despicable men. But Traci adores Ric’s daughter Parrish, and it’s Parrish’s help she needs as the summer season is approaching and the hotel is hemorrhaging employees to new resorts opening up along the coast. Traci begs Parrish to put off her semester in Europe to work one last summer at the Saint, admitting that if she doesn’t get Parrish’s help, there might not be a Saint in the future. That’s how bad business is.

We love reading about the resort and the snooty members. Some stay in the hotel, others have homes on the grounds. All expect the highest standard of living from the coffee at breakfast to the pillows they lay their carefully coiffed heads on at night. And every moment in between. We see how Parrish deals with the disgruntled customers and Andrews cleverly lays out clues to alert us that all is not right at the Saint. We begin to think that there is a reason Traci is worried about the financials of the resort, and we realize that she doesn’t have a clue. But she isn’t privy to the clues that we are.

The narration alternates from different points of view which are clearly labeled at the beginning of the chapters. All narration is in third person, and Andrews is a master at creating action and dialogue that move the story along at breakneck pace. This is not a short read at over 400 pages, but I read it in one day because I really wanted to know how it all ended. And at the end, there was much that I had suspected, but there was also much that I had not. Andrews creates a plot in which there are several rogue actors, and while some of the villains are very good at what they do, others are so inept that the unfortunate results of their efforts are heartbreaking.

This is the quintessential “beach read” book; it provides plenty of intrigue, many beautifully delineated likable characters, a main character we really come to empathize with and are rooting for, and a soupçon of romance. Andrews’ clever use of the terms to describe the rich versus the townies, the “Saints” and the “Aints” is perhaps a wry look at the chasm that exists in many summer vacation spots (especially those that exist in fiction) where the wealthy congregate and the not-so-wealthy residents cater to them. There are twists galore, some of which we predict and some of which are surprising. The ending is very satisfying, and it leaves us wishing that we could visit the Saint and sit under the pink and white striped umbrellas on the beach, watch the sun set to the west over the river, and dine in the elegant Verandah restaurant where the new chef, Felice, is whipping up delicious seafood and scrumptious desserts. This is definitely a book you’ll want to pack for your own summer seaside vacation.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.