Simon & Schuster delivers the perfect beach read for your summer enjoyment. Bad Tourists by Caro Carver is a compulsive page-turner whose last third is a non-stop rush, and whose first two-thirds are filled with twists, turns and keeps you guessing the whole way through.

Darcy, Kate and Camilla are close friends, united by a shared trauma that shaped who they were some twenty years previous, and they are on their way to the Maldives to celebrate Darcy’s divorce. The forty-something women couldn’t be more different, Darcy, reeling from the divorce, is a dedicated mother of three, Kate is a ghostwriter, and Camilla is a bit of an Instagram phenom with her pilates teachings and style.

The trio are ready to enjoy the beach, dolphin excursions, and drinks on remote sandbars as they rest at an exclusive resort. But they all have secrets, and so do others at the resort, and things will all start to come out when one of the guests ends up murdered.

Set against a gorgeous backdrop, the narrative guides us through the days and nights of the characters with each chapter revealing new things and forcing you to see things in a new light, when the revelations start kicking in. The past comes back to haunt them, and all you can do is hold on for dear life as Carver’s white knuckle thriller keeps you up later, insisting on just one more chapter.

Carver sows enough doubt and enough surprises to keep readers off their guard, and just enjoy the ride. And its perfectly enjoyed with a summer drink, a lot of sun, and a comfy chair on the shore if you can find one. Though the book can take care of that part as you get sucked into the tale.

This is Carver’s debut modern thriller, though she has penned gothic thrillers under the name C.J. Cooke, and I can’t recommend it enough. The gorgeous sun and beach location aren’t enough to keep the chill from your bones when things begin to start happening.

I don’t want to give anything away, I went into this one with no more knowledge than I have provided above, and I couldn’t put this one down. I had to race through it, I had to know how it played out, it just kept pulling me in deeper and deeper, and I loved every minute of it.

I found myself so caught up in the tale that I exclaimed aloud a number of times as I was dumbstruck by where the story led. I would be hard-pressed to find a better summer read recommendation than Bad Tourists. Get your hands on a copy, sip a pina colada, soak in the sea or the rays, and look out for Bad Tourists.

Bad Tourists is available now from Simon & Schuster and it is so damned good. Pick it up today!