cover image The Seasonaires

The Seasonaires

Janna King. Pegasus, $25.95 (336p) ISBN 978-1-68177-739-9

An idyllic summer on Nantucket is shattered by murder in King’s fiery debut. Every year Lyndon Wyld sends a small group of brand ambassadors, her “seasonaires,” to Nantucket to represent her namesake clothing brand via social media and personal appearances. When aspiring fashion designer Mia is chosen, she’s thrilled, and the $20,000 she’ll earn is a huge perk. Sharing a house with Mia are Jade, a rap mogul’s daughter; blonde bombshell Presley; shy Cole; fun-loving Grant; and the gregarious J.P. When Mia befriends the troubled Ruby, a model for rival company Wear National, the veneer of their golden summer begins to crumble, revealing a toxic mélange of drugs, vicious corporate rivalry, and illicit hookups. When one of their group is killed, Mia realizes that no one is truly what they seem. The seasonaires’ scandalous shenanigans have a tabloid appeal, and King slips in some commentary on consumer culture and those who live their lives on social media. The introspective Mia provides a good foil for the rowdier seasonaires, and while the identity of the killer may not come as a surprise, readers will be having too much fun to mind. (May)