A

debut novel in the vein of Liane Moriarty and Tom Perrotta, about dark

secrets brought to life after the mysterious death of a handsome and

charismatic trainer to the elite women in Santa Monica.

On

the western edge of Los Angeles is the gorgeous beachside city of Santa Monica,

where the sun-kissed, wealthy residents seem to inhabit real-life California

dreams. When movie-star-handsome heartthrob fitness coach Zack Doheny, is found

dead on the floor of his gym, the tragedy shocks the elite community,

especially those who’d spent many hours each week exercising with the

charismatic trainer.

As

the narrative flashes back to the months leading up to Zack’s death, it quickly

becomes clear that things in this coastal paradise are not as glittering as

they seem. Lettie – Zack’s secret half-sister and an undocumented housekeeper

for the toned, entitled women of Santa Monica – holds her brother responsible

for a horrific family accident, and desperately needs his money to prevent her

deportation. Regina, type-A exercise addict and entrepreneur, will do anything

to get out of debt and to claim Zack for herself. And Mel – a New York City

transplant who finds herself forty pounds heavier and far more cynical than the

lithe women of Santa Monica – discovers an electric attraction to Zack that

threatens to disrupt his bond with Regina and upend Mel’s own marriage. As

these residents of Santa Monica begin to crack under the stress of their

secrets, one question hangs above it all: what really happened to Zack

Doheny?

As

addictively suspenseful as it is sharply observed, hilarious, and

compassionate, Santa Monica is the

rare novel that captures readers with propulsive storytelling alongside

emotional urgency, irresistible characters, ambitious themes, and a vivid sense

of place.