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The Summer House Murder
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26A summer trip to the Adirondacks is turned upside down when a woman’s body is discovered in the lake in this twisty thriller, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Paula Hawkins.
Sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina go on their annual visit to their remote summer house on Lake George expecting a tense vacation. Each has their own families to deal with plus their own secrets to hide. Esme, the oldest sister, is desperate to keep up appearances after discovering her husband’s infidelity with the one person who hurts her the most. Piper, the middle child, has a four-month-old baby boy and is too tired to keep playing peacekeeper to her siblings. Regina, the youngest, is a sarcastic rule breaker with a secret to hide that could cost her everything.
After tension boils over into an ugly fight late one night, the sisters go off in separate directions. Like most of their blowouts, they think they’ll cool off and resume the trip like normal the next morning. Only this time when dawn comes, a young woman’s body is discovered in the lake. As a criminal investigation narrows in on their family home, it becomes clear that the sister’s web of lies and secrets is inextricably linked to the woman in the lake.
A tense and fast-paced thriller, The Summer House Murder will leave audiences breathlessly listening until they reach the thrilling conclusion to this twisted family drama.
Sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina go on their annual visit to their remote summer house on Lake George expecting a tense vacation. Each has their own families to deal with plus their own secrets to hide. Esme, the oldest sister, is desperate to keep up appearances after discovering her husband’s infidelity with the one person who hurts her the most. Piper, the middle child, has a four-month-old baby boy and is too tired to keep playing peacekeeper to her siblings. Regina, the youngest, is a sarcastic rule breaker with a secret to hide that could cost her everything.
After tension boils over into an ugly fight late one night, the sisters go off in separate directions. Like most of their blowouts, they think they’ll cool off and resume the trip like normal the next morning. Only this time when dawn comes, a young woman’s body is discovered in the lake. As a criminal investigation narrows in on their family home, it becomes clear that the sister’s web of lies and secrets is inextricably linked to the woman in the lake.
A tense and fast-paced thriller, The Summer House Murder will leave audiences breathlessly listening until they reach the thrilling conclusion to this twisted family drama.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 7, 2026
2 people are currently reading
5514 people want to read
About the author
Ava Roberts
7 books163 followersAva Roberts is a clinical psychologist turned suspense novelist who knows that the most unsettling things often lurk just beneath the surface. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and an overactive imagination. Her books include The Vanishing Neighbor, Juniper Isle, the Thistler Thrillers series, and The Summer House Murder (2026). Visit authoravaroberts.com to learn more about Ava and her novels.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 4, 2026
The Summer House Murders by Ava Roberts. Thanks to @crookedlanebooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three sisters meet at their house in the Adirondacks for their annual summer visit, expecting a tense vacation. Sure enough, a big fight ensues and they go their own ways for the night. The next morning a woman’s body is found in their lake and tensions get worse as law enforcement investigates them.
While a story about sisters, none of them seem to like each other or get along very well, which makes for interesting drama but also made me sad. I kept waiting for them to have each others’ backs, but as the history of their past comes out, it becomes more understandable. That said, I did like each of their characters individually. The story was fast paced and had some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting.
“It was rigged. I was always going to be the loser, and she was always going to be the winner. The only way to play a rigged game is to cheat. So here we go.”
Read this if you like:
-Dysfunctional families and sibling relationships
-Infidelity tropes
-Adirondacks setting
The Summer House Murders comes out 4/17.
Three sisters meet at their house in the Adirondacks for their annual summer visit, expecting a tense vacation. Sure enough, a big fight ensues and they go their own ways for the night. The next morning a woman’s body is found in their lake and tensions get worse as law enforcement investigates them.
While a story about sisters, none of them seem to like each other or get along very well, which makes for interesting drama but also made me sad. I kept waiting for them to have each others’ backs, but as the history of their past comes out, it becomes more understandable. That said, I did like each of their characters individually. The story was fast paced and had some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting.
“It was rigged. I was always going to be the loser, and she was always going to be the winner. The only way to play a rigged game is to cheat. So here we go.”
Read this if you like:
-Dysfunctional families and sibling relationships
-Infidelity tropes
-Adirondacks setting
The Summer House Murders comes out 4/17.
October 7, 2025
This book was packed with drama, suspense, and great twists. I loved the fast pace and how easy it was to follow. What an amazing cast or strong characters! The way the lies can get uncovered and come back to haunt them added to the suspense on every page. I felt like I was right there in the middle of everything watching it all unfold! This is a must read! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 2, 2025
The Summer House Murder
A Novel by Ava Roberts
Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | General Fiction (Adult)
#TheSummerHouseMurder #NetGalley
My Review:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This story is fresh, amazing, and incredibly entertaining! It’s packed with suspense in every chapter and keeps you hooked from the start. What begins as a tense family getaway soon turns into a dark, emotional thriller full of secrets and shocking twists.
The story follows three sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina who return to their summer house on Lake George. After a heated argument one night, a woman’s body is found in the lake, and their lives spiral out of control. Each sister’s point of view adds mystery and emotion, revealing how deep their secrets go.
I loved Piper and Regina, especially Regina strong, complicated, and impossible not to root for. George and Alexis were characters I truly disliked but added the perfect tension.
There’s mystery in every scene who is the woman in the lake, who killed her, and what happened to the missing baby? The twists kept coming, and the ending completely blew me away.
Ava Roberts has written a gripping and emotional thriller that’s impossible to put down. Definitely a five-star read!
Thank you to #NetGalley and @CrookedLaneBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A Novel by Ava Roberts
Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | General Fiction (Adult)
#TheSummerHouseMurder #NetGalley
My Review:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This story is fresh, amazing, and incredibly entertaining! It’s packed with suspense in every chapter and keeps you hooked from the start. What begins as a tense family getaway soon turns into a dark, emotional thriller full of secrets and shocking twists.
The story follows three sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina who return to their summer house on Lake George. After a heated argument one night, a woman’s body is found in the lake, and their lives spiral out of control. Each sister’s point of view adds mystery and emotion, revealing how deep their secrets go.
I loved Piper and Regina, especially Regina strong, complicated, and impossible not to root for. George and Alexis were characters I truly disliked but added the perfect tension.
There’s mystery in every scene who is the woman in the lake, who killed her, and what happened to the missing baby? The twists kept coming, and the ending completely blew me away.
Ava Roberts has written a gripping and emotional thriller that’s impossible to put down. Definitely a five-star read!
Thank you to #NetGalley and @CrookedLaneBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔.
This was a twisty, explosive thriller that explores family secrets and all the things we desperately try to keep buried. Sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina aren't naturally close, but provisions in their mother's will force them to vacation together every year for two weeks at the family's lake house. It's always tense, but this year each sister is bringing baggage that can't be rolled into the house on wheels.
Esme is the controlling older sister who comes across as dominant, cold, and unfeeling, but no one can guess the gut-wrenching secret she's holding on to. She can't confide in her sisters for support for fear they will judge her, so she suffers in silence. Piper is the exhausted middle sister who finally has her own baby to love, but her four-month-old doesn't sleep through the night, and she feels like a failure. Motherhood comes so easily to others, so why can't it to her? And then there's Regina, the free-spirited youngest who is holding on to something that could implode everyone's comfortable life.
The women snip back and forth at each other until the tension explodes late one night. The women go in separate directions to cool off, believing when morning comes, they will once more start again. However, the morning brings not peace and reconciliation but the discovery of a young woman's body in the lake. Through alternating points and view and dual timelines, I thought it was easy to guess the identity of the victim, but there is more here than meets the eye. This was a fun, totally immersive read that will have you second-guessing ever vacationing with family again. Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books for the early copy. This book is scheduled to publish April 7, 2026.
This was a twisty, explosive thriller that explores family secrets and all the things we desperately try to keep buried. Sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina aren't naturally close, but provisions in their mother's will force them to vacation together every year for two weeks at the family's lake house. It's always tense, but this year each sister is bringing baggage that can't be rolled into the house on wheels.
Esme is the controlling older sister who comes across as dominant, cold, and unfeeling, but no one can guess the gut-wrenching secret she's holding on to. She can't confide in her sisters for support for fear they will judge her, so she suffers in silence. Piper is the exhausted middle sister who finally has her own baby to love, but her four-month-old doesn't sleep through the night, and she feels like a failure. Motherhood comes so easily to others, so why can't it to her? And then there's Regina, the free-spirited youngest who is holding on to something that could implode everyone's comfortable life.
The women snip back and forth at each other until the tension explodes late one night. The women go in separate directions to cool off, believing when morning comes, they will once more start again. However, the morning brings not peace and reconciliation but the discovery of a young woman's body in the lake. Through alternating points and view and dual timelines, I thought it was easy to guess the identity of the victim, but there is more here than meets the eye. This was a fun, totally immersive read that will have you second-guessing ever vacationing with family again. Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books for the early copy. This book is scheduled to publish April 7, 2026.
November 13, 2025
Esme, Regina, and Piper share a lavish lakeside property left to them by their parents. But even without the friction created by their very different personalities, and the places held by each of the three sisters in the pecking order, their family life is haunted by the complicated legacy of their individual and collective relationships with Alexis, their cousin who was thrown out of the family home years ago by their mother - largely thanks to Esme's machinations.
And although Esme's life today may seem perfect to the casual eye, with her handsome husband, beautiful twin daughters, and considerable wealth, things are not as they appear. The other two sisters live in somewhat different circumstances, leading to mutual resentment. And Alexis has not forgotten her rejection by their family, either...
So, when a corpse shows up in the lake while the trio of sisters are having their annual vacation, maternally-mandated vacation together, all hell breaks loose as the finger of suspicion points in various directions.
This is an intelligent and well crafted thriller that leans heavily on family relationships and sibling rivalries to ramp up the tension. It is well worth your time!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
And although Esme's life today may seem perfect to the casual eye, with her handsome husband, beautiful twin daughters, and considerable wealth, things are not as they appear. The other two sisters live in somewhat different circumstances, leading to mutual resentment. And Alexis has not forgotten her rejection by their family, either...
So, when a corpse shows up in the lake while the trio of sisters are having their annual vacation, maternally-mandated vacation together, all hell breaks loose as the finger of suspicion points in various directions.
This is an intelligent and well crafted thriller that leans heavily on family relationships and sibling rivalries to ramp up the tension. It is well worth your time!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
November 21, 2025
This one is very perfect for thriller readers seeking an intermediate level of this genre. The POV's of the characters were challenging, as some of them didn't have too many characteristics that set them apart. I enjoy horrible characters only when there's been some sort of emotional development, and unfortunately- that is not the case here. The twists were pretty easy to guess as well, hence my assessment being a more moderate level thriller. It's okay for a beachside read, but nothing I'd be pressed to ensure I read. Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read and review this eARC!
December 12, 2025
Overall, I liked the Storyline. It was interesting and kept you guessing.
However, at times it felt dragged out and repetitive.
And then, the ending felt a bit rushed.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
However, at times it felt dragged out and repetitive.
And then, the ending felt a bit rushed.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
THE SUMMER HOUSE MURDER is a twisted family drama brimming with secrets, betrayals, and flawed characters you won’t be able to put down. Darkly addictive, this is one twisted family. You’ll never look at a lake house the same way again.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews