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The eponymous protagonist is a very attractive octogenarian who’s returned to her old stomping grounds in New Jersey after a long spell in LA where she sold fine art. Contact with her sketchy family is uncomfortable—there are long-held secrets she was privy to. Her grandnephew, Michael, is a junkie and turns to her for money. She wants to save him but it’s an uphill battle. A much younger artist falls in love with her. At first I resisted this character whom I saw as self-centered and narcissistic, but depths of feeling emerged and surprised me. So I ended up admiring her spunk, and despite her vanity, her huge heart.
One side of the lake in the little Maine town of Purity is where the rich people have built their expansive “cottages.” On the swampier side, locals like Reuben live. Their services are essential to the summer people, but resentment—in his case, coupled with bad history—festers. A teenager vanishes; the local police chief, Jo, investigates, but evidence is murky. However, a handful of old friends who have settled in town apply their skills to the case, which are considerable because they are all retired CIA agents. The Conovers, an influential family, seem above reproach, but digging reveals ugliness that links to Reuben’s constant slow-boil. This mystery is entertaining, if somewhat formulaic, but I especially appreciated the local color and depiction of the inequities that can’t help arising when summer guests come to town.
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