Killer Summer (Red Dress Ink Novels) [Kindle Edition]

Lynda Curnyn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Curnyn (Bombshell, etc.) cranks up the heat with a seaside murder and some sexy sleuthing in this lively caper. On New York's Fire Island, three 30-something pals—Nick, an impulsive, charming pipe-dreamer; Sage, a flirty go-getter; and Zoe, a sensitive filmmaker—partake in a tony summer share at the sprawling house of Sage's debonair boss, Tom, and his wife, Maggie. Maggie used to love rock and roll, but now sings in the key of Martha, enlisting her tenants to fetch coriander and "a crisp, citrusy white." That is, until she's found floating in the ocean. Multiple narrators provide diverse perspectives on the matter (Maggie's wry, beyond-the-grave musings seem ripped from the Desperate Housewives handbook). Sage had certainly hated Maggie, and Tom takes the tragedy a little too in stride, in Zoe's humble opinion; also, it seems that Nick and Maggie had some unfinished business of a highly classified nature. No one's off the hook—unless, by some chance, there's a far more insidious avenger afoot. Whodunit? And who cares? Curnyn's writing is light and zingy, but she expends too much energy on labored plot twists to wring the fun out of this zany crew.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Zoe, Sage, and Nick have been best friends since high school, and 15 years later, their bond remains strong. The three are going to be sharing a summerhouse on Fire Island with Sage's boss, Tom Landon, and his wife, Maggie. Zoe is reeling from the shock of being dumped by her boyfriend, Myles, while Sage is just looking for a fun romp with a cute local boy or two. Nick is hoping to start his own record label with Maggie's help. Their plans for a fun summer are dashed when Zoe discovers Maggie's lifeless body on the beach. The police rule her death an accident, but Zoe can't escape the nagging suspicion that there's more to it. She starts to conduct her own investigation, not knowing she is endangering one of the people she cares about. Narrated in turns by Zoe, Sage, Nick, and the deceased Maggie, Curnyn's snazzy mystery will appeal to chick-lit fans who like a little suspense in their beach reads. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 299 KB
• Print Length: 356 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (September 28, 2005)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000MAH9Y8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,706 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery, January 1, 2006

By 

Bearette24 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Killer Summer (Paperback)

In this novel, Lynda Curnyn takes us to Fire Island, where three friends named Zoe, Sage, and Nick are sharing a beach house with clothing magnate Tom. Early in the story, Zoe finds the mistress of the house dead in the water. The police department doesn't expend too much energy on her death, so kind-hearted Zoe, haunted by the incident, decides to explore it further.

I agree with the other customer reviewers who said that Sage and Nick were selfish and unlikable. Zoe is the only character who cares about anyone other than herself. Nick is particularly oafish and annoying, although he redeems himself a little by the end, and I'm not sure why his point of view was included.

The shifts in point of view - among Zoe, Nick, Sage, and the dead woman, Maggie - are confusing, although including a dead woman's voice is a neat trick. I would have eliminated a good 50-75 pages (including all the parts narrated by Nick) for a trimmer, leaner mystery, but the writing itself was light and enjoyable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great storyline, horrible characters & jumpy first-person view points, December 22, 2005

By 

Angy "angyeliz" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killer Summer (Paperback)

This is one of those books which I found hard to get involved in the book simply because the way the story was written. Each chapter is written from a different character's (first person) point of view, which gets confusing and impedes the flow of the storyline. Like other readers, I often would have to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see which character was talking. Very confusing!

Other than Zoe, who is still has a personality of a wet noodle, none of the other characters are likeable (Sage is a trampy, self-centered character with no positive personality traits). How these three individuals became close friends is a mystery in itself, because of their own selfishness they make terrible friends.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars killer characters, December 24, 2005

By 

Book Fiend (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killer Summer (Paperback)

I picked this up because I liked Curnyn's earlier books and I was not disappointed. This novel is more than a whodunit--it's an examination of the relationships of three lifelong friends. The book is written from the points of view of all three friends, as well as the dead woman. Though the characters are not always likeable, they are always engaging and I found myself laughing out loud in some places. Don't miss this one--if the intriquing murder doesn't hook you, the characters will.