Transporting readers to the fictional picturesque beach enclave of Salcombe on New York's Fire Island, Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is a wickedly entertaining, sexually charged social drama fueled by the misadventures of wealthy, beautiful couples looking to destress over the summer. Its suspenseful prologue is an enticing teaser to the murder mystery embedded in the novel's seductively salacious center. Salcombe isn't exactly the Hamptons, much to the dismay of elitist Upper Eastsider Lauren Parker, but it does have its quirky traditions and a "shabby chicness," as well as a competitive tennis tournament offering summer residents the perfect outlet for their high-pressure lives. This year looks even more promising now that Robert Heyworth, a handsome Floridian with "Brad Pitt" looks, is the new tennis coach.

The first chapter of Rosenblum's debut opens innocently enough in a cloud of happy anticipation as families board a ferry destined for Salcombe in late June. Hidden beneath their excitement are shadows of explosive secrets that Lauren, her businessman husband, Jason, and their friends conceal behind their stylishly perfect exteriors and Tom Ford sunglasses. Everyone, it seems, has something to hide, and Rosenblum, a marvelous storyteller, charts their unfolding scandals through the cocktail parties, picnics and tennis games that punctuate the summer. Alternating among multiple narrative perspectives, Bad Summer People offers intriguing storylines that propel the drama, culminating in a thrilling, late night unraveling that leaves one of them dead.

Lauren pines for a blissfully relaxed summer. And she deserves it, after the stress of a scandal at her children's private school and the months Jason has been distracted with work. Sleek, gorgeous Lauren and handsome Jason are part of Salcombe's summer royalty, their beachfront home a stunning monument to the new wealth rubbing shoulders with older, more established residences. Others in their elevated social orbit include Sam and Jen Weinstein, with their impressive "blue-shingled stunner" inherited from his parents. What the couples share, apart from Sam and Jason's lifelong friendship, is that they are deeply unhappy. For self-absorbed Lauren, it's that Jason no longer pays her the attention she needs. For Jason, it's that he is desperately in love with another woman. Sam, a successful litigator at a top-notch law firm, has been accused of sexual harassment by an associate, and Jen, a psychologist, is feeling stuck in an extramarital affair.

Sam is Salcombe's golden boy, a presence on the island since childhood, and a generally all-around good guy. Rachel Woolf grew up summering there as well, and was romantically involved with Sam for a brief spell. She still harbors a massive crush on him. Single and childless at 42, social pressures to reach certain milestones have worn a groove in her psyche to the point that she associates being single with being a failure. Despite Rachel's well-earned reputation as the village's "reigning queen" of gossip, Sam is tempted to confide in her, desperate to unload the burden of the harassment claim threatening to derail his career. Rachel, for her part, is hopeful their youthful attraction can be rekindled and by summer's end, finds herself guarding many more secrets than she'd bargained for.

Rachel can't compete with Lauren and Jen, with their successful husbands and sweet kids. But at least she is a better tennis player than they are, or so she plans to prove at the annual tournament. The tennis courts at the yacht club are where old rivalries are sweated over and new rivalries emerge, with seniors like Larry Higgins and Susan Steinhagen representing the old guard, their dwindling numbers giving way to a new breed of summer resident. Susan is Robert Heyworth's hawk-eyed boss, overseeing the tennis program with formidable efficiency. Nothing even remotely fishy can get by Susan, a fact that Stanford-educated Robert, frustrated by his lack of career and financial success, ends up realizing far too late.

Micah Holt is the youngest of Rosenblum's characters and also the most astute. His summer job as the yacht club bartender offers him the perfect perch from which to observe not only the suspicious, late-night wanderings of Jason, but also Robert's disgruntled vibe, Rachel's dangerous restlessness and the oddly threatening energy emanating from the usually laid-back Sam. Simmering tensions between characters boil over when Jen's lover is revealed and spiral out of control as the impact ricochets across Salcombe. Bad Summer People enters the realm of sublimely deep noir when Micah, caught in a late August storm, finds himself a witness to something he can't quite understand, but he knows will haunt him forever.

Rosenblum is a master of understated social satire, and her gift for capturing human follies and the dark, emotional depth of her characters through artfully rendered details make Bad Summer People a seriously compulsive read. Rosenblum's cheeky familiarity with Salcombe summer rituals--she grew up vacationing on Fire Island--add to this delightfully escapist melodrama, one that is perfect for fans of the television series White Lotus. --Shahina Piyarali

(photo: Nyra Lang)

Emma Rosenblum is chief content officer at BDG (Bustle Digital Group), overseeing content and strategy for the lifestyle, parenting and culture & innovation portfolios. Prior to BDG, Rosenblum served as executive editor of Elle magazine. She joined Elle from Bloomberg, where she was the editorial director of Bloomberg Pursuits, having served as a senior editor at Bloomberg Businessweek and a senior editor at Glamour. She spent her childhood years summering at her family's vacation home on Fire Island, the setting for her debut novel about wealthy people behaving badly and a mysterious death, Bad Summer People (Flatiron Books, May 23, 2023).

Where did the idea for Bad Summer People originate?

Over the years, I'd considered writing a book, but didn't think I'd have time for a nonfiction project. I'd grown up going to Fire Island during the summers, and was back as an adult with children in 2021. While there, it occurred to me that it would be the perfect place to set a novel. It's so beautiful and insular--you have to take a ferry to get there! So I decided to give fiction a go, and started with the idea of a death that happens at the end of the summer. Then I went from there.

You do a marvelous job of describing the different perspectives of those characters who grew up summering on an island and those who didn't. As someone who is an insider when it comes to the summer island community, how did you develop the outsider lens of characters like Lauren and Robert?

As a journalist, I've learned how to observe as an outsider, regardless of circumstances. I also had fun watching my husband, who's British, experience Fire Island for the first time. It reminded me of how singular a place it really is.

Is there a character in the book whose creation you enjoyed the most?

They were all fun to write, but I probably enjoyed Rachel Woolf the most. She's so specifically sad. Through no fault of her own, she's not lived up to the arbitrary goalposts that women are supposed to meet by a certain age (marriage, kids, money) and that eats away at her to disastrous consequences.

In your opinion, who is the most redeemable of your characters? 

Ha! Without giving anything away, Micah is the best of the bunch. He's young enough to not have been corrupted (yet). Though, of course, as in life, none of the characters think they're bad people.

Bad Summer People offers thoughtful commentary on the corrupting influence of money and the ways in which the moneyed can be blind to the plight of those with far less. If the success of your novel catapults you to millionaire status, what are some of the ways in which your approach to life will differ from that of Lauren, Jason and others? 

This would be a good problem to have! I hope that many people enjoy reading the book, and that it finds success. I also don't think any amount of money could turn me into one of the characters in Bad Summer People.... They're on an entirely different planet. 

Tennis is the medium through which Rachel competes with other women on the island. What is it about the game that makes perfectly average players so competitive with each other? 

The most amazing thing about tennis is that you can play it your entire life. And unlike, say, golf, tennis is a game in which you're actively trying to beat your opponent. So you have grownups tapping into that playground mentality of winning, mano a mano, in a way that they don't get to in their normal, adult-y lives. And that makes some people, er, go overboard.

Did your journalism skills and training supply built-in tools that proved helpful in writing a novel?

Yes! Firstly, as someone who has written and edited profiles, I knew how to identify those small, illuminating details that could quickly convey a person's worldview. In a novel that switches perspective, that was useful. I'd also learned a lot about story structure, about beginnings and middles and ends, and pacing, all of which I incorporated into my first draft. And finally, I've worked with many brilliant, merciless editors throughout my career, and had been trained to preemptively cut anything that was boring or extraneous or, God forbid, flowery. That impulse kept Bad Summer People tight!

How did you find the time to craft your novel while juggling the demands of a career and family? What is your advice for aspiring writers who can't find the time to write? 

I tried to write in the mornings for an hour or so, after my kids were off to school and before my work calls started, around 10 a.m. Then I'd bring up the draft in between Zooms, or on the weekends, when my boys were playing (my husband was very helpful in this regard). I don't need silence to focus. I'm also lucky in that I'm a fast, decisive writer. I make choices, go with them, and engineer them into the other side.

My advice for time-strapped writers is to set reasonable goals and think of them as part of your job. I tried to finish 5,000 words a week, and held myself to that. Get good at meeting self-imposed deadlines. Imagine there's an editor out there, breathing down your neck for your finished draft. 

Can readers expect a juicy sequel to Bad Summer People?

I think I'm done with Salcombe for the time being! But I invite everyone to imagine what happens next. And I will have another book out in the near future, so please be on the lookout. --Shahina Piyarali