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Local author and clinical psychologist Ava Roberts is set to release a domestic thriller, The Summer House Murder, on April 7, 2026.
Published by Crooked Lane Books, the novel has already garnered praise from critics, with Kirkus Reviews describing it as a “whirlwind domestic thriller” and a “pitiless anatomy of the costs of motherhood and sisterhood”.
The story follows three sisters—Esme, Piper, and Regina—on their annual pilgrimage to a remote family retreat on Lake George in the Adirondacks. While the trip is a long-standing tradition mandated by their late mother’s will, this year’s vacation is fraught with unspoken friction. The tension reaches a breaking point during an “ugly fight” late one night. The sisters separate to cool off, expecting to reconcile the next morning. Instead, they wake to a nightmare: the body of a young woman is discovered in the lake.
The novel has received early accolades from fellow thriller authors. Darby Kane called it “wildly entertaining” with an ending that “hits with a satisfying punch,” while Natalie Barelli described the plot as “utterly gripping”.
Ava Roberts is the author of several previous titles, including The Vanishing Neighbor, Juniper Isle, and the Thistler Thrillers series. The Summer House Murder will be available in hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook formats. For more information, visit authoravaroberts.com.
