The Summer House Murder

A 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 readers breathlessly turning the page until they reach the thrilling conclusion to this twisted family drama.Praise for The Summer House Murder:
“A sizzling mystery . . . will have readers guessing until the very end.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A whirlwind domestic thriller that’s also a pitiless anatomy of the costs of motherhood and sisterhood.”
—Kirkus Review

“This latest from Roberts is recommended for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.”
—Library Journal

“[A] riveting little house of horror . . . The perfect summer read.”
—First Clue

“The Summer House Murder is a wildly entertaining, perfectly plotted action-packed thriller about how hard it is to outrun the past…and how dangerous that race can be. A beautiful house, estranged sisters, a body in the lake. Every delicious diabolical move on this strained family vacation ratchets up the tension until secrets explode and the ending hits with a satisfying punch.”
—Darby Kane, #1 international bestselling author author of Such a Clever Girl

“Dark and seriously creepy, The Summer House Murder is the perfect thriller. Expertly plotted and utterly gripping, the tension never, ever lets up. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”
—Natalie Barelli, bestselling author of Finders Keepers

“A perfectly twisted summer read to be enjoyed all year long.”
—Amber Cowie, award-winning author of The Off Season

“Tensions simmer and secrets resurface with deadly results in Ava Roberts’ explosive The Summer House Murder. This artfully-plotted shocker offers a fresh take on the inheritance whodunit, exploring the aftermath of a bequest, the power of place, and the cost of turning your back on family. You’ve never met sisters like these ones! Fans of Sally Hepworth will swoon.”
—Tessa Wegert, author of the Shana Merchant series and In the Bones

“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.”
—Katie Garner, author of The Night It Ended and The Family Inside

“I had so much fun reading The Summer House Murder! It’s got a gorgeous lake house. Scorching summer heat. And a family with serious baggage. Ava Roberts delivers a twisty, fast-paced thriller where sisterhood curdles into secret alliances, shocking family secrets, and revenge—revealing just how far we’ll go to belong, even if it means dragging perfect lives under.”
—Maia Chance, author of The Body Next Door and The Ravine
Ava Roberts is a clinical psychologist turned author who knows that the most unsettling things often lurk just beneath the surface. She is the author of The Vanishing Neighbor, Juniper Isle, the Thistler Thrillers series, and The Summer House Murder (2026). Kirkus Reviews called The Summer House Murder “a whirlwind domestic thriller that’s also a pitiless anatomy of the costs of motherhood and sisterhood.” She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and an overactive imagination. Visit authoravaroberts.com to learn more about Ava and her novels.