Summers at the Saint

Summers at the Saint is a novel by American author Mary Kay Andrews, whose work frequently intertwines romance and mystery in the American South.

This fast-paced novel takes readers to a Georgia beachside resort nicknamed “the Saint,” where widow Traci Eddings is trying to keep the legacy of her husband’s family alive. A new summer at the Saint begins with a shocking murder and an investigation into a decades-old tragedy, unearthing betrayals and family secrets that stretch back a generation and threaten to bring down everything Traci has been fighting to preserve. The novel touches on themes of family legacy, Southern tradition, and women’s friendships and considers how the burdens of the past weigh down the present.

This guide refers to the hardcover edition published by St. Martin’s Press in 2024.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of rape, sexual harassment, physical abuse, child death, anti-gay bias, racism, illness, death, and substance use.

Plot Summary

As a child, Traci was enchanted with the castle-like coastal resort hotel known as the Saint Cecelia. However, when she and her best friend, Shannon, got jobs as lifeguards at the hotel pool, Traci learned that working-class families like hers were called “Ain’ts,” while the rich who patronized the hotel were referred to as “Saints.”

In the present, Traci now runs the resort, nicknamed “the Saint.” The hotel is in debt after expensive renovations and the pandemic; Traci has been struggling to right things in the four years since her husband, Hoke Eddings, was killed in a plane crash. One issue is how to attract and maintain staff. Traci hires her niece, Parrish, for the guest relations desk; hires a young server, Olivia “Livvy” Grayson, from a different restaurant; and promotes another waiter, Garrett. New staff also includes KJ Parkhurst, a young man from a rich family that pulls strings to get him the job, and Felice Bonpierre, a chef abandoned by her boyfriend.

A stranger named Scott Whelan comes to town asking questions about the drowning death of an eight-year-boy that happened the summer that Traci and Shannon were 19. Though both girls tried to save the boy’s life, Shannon was fired after the incident and hasn’t spoken to Traci since. Now, Shannon confronts her old friend to demand that Livvy—who turns out to be Shannon’s daughter—have nothing to do with the hotel.

Each staff member struggles at work. Parrish fields complaints about furnishings and learns from Garrett that employees have been stealing the restaurant’s expensive liquor and substituting inferior beverages in the bar. KJ notices inventory discrepancies at the pro shop. Traci suspects that Hoke’s brother, Ric, has coerced their father, Fred, who has Parkinson’s disease, into changing his will to prevent Traci from inheriting. Madelyn, Ric’s pampered wife and Parrish’s stepmother, taunts Traci about updating the hotel, rather than clinging to the past.

Traci scrambles to make a success of the Beach Bash, an annual tradition. Afterward, the staff has their own party, where Parrish passes out. The next day, Parrish is found dead. The police find fentanyl in her system and open a murder investigation. Devastated by the loss of her beloved niece, who was the Saint’s future, Traci also faces the scrutiny of the press. When Ric, who is furious with Traci, doesn’t invite her to Parrish’s funeral service, Traci sneaks in. On the way home, Traci meets Whelan, who offers a sympathetic ear.

Taking over Parrish’s spot as guest relations manager, Livvy discovers Parrish’s blue notebook where she was keeping track of complaints and discrepancies about goods and services, which all seem to circle back to hotel manager Charlie Burroughs. Livvy wonders if Parrish was murdered by whoever is stealing from the hotel.

Traci sits with Fred as he dies. Afterward, she learns that Ric changed the will to divide the estate among Fred’s “surviving heirs” (331)—a plot to force Traci out of the hotel. With help from Whelan, Traci discovers that Fred had a third child: Livvy. Fred coerced Shannon into having sex with him the summer the girls were 19 and then forced her to sign a nondisclosure agreement when she became pregnant. Traci is horrified at what her friend endured, and Livvy is shocked to learn that she stands to inherit part of the Eddings wealth.

When a fire breaks out in the staff dorm one night, Felice helps Livvy escape. Emergency responders determine that Livvy and Felice were drugged. The police arrest KJ, who claims that Garrett set the fire. Charlie Burroughs, who has been having financial problems, has left town. Traci brings Felice to her cottage to recover, only for Garret to show up and hold Felice hostage at gunpoint. Traci calls Whelan—with whom she has grown close—for help. After the standoff is resolved, Garrett admits that he and Charlie were embezzling from the hotel but adds that Madelyn has also been cheating the hotel out of profits. After being arrested, Madelyn confesses to hiring a member of the Beach Bash band to kill Livvy to prevent her from inheriting. The singer confused the two girls and fatally drugged Parrish instead.

In the Epilogue, a year after the story’s main events, Livvy, the new heir, is running the Saint alongside Traci and Whelan. Felice remains the chef. Traci, married to Whelan and expecting a child, is secure and happy.