Andrea Bartz, the New York Times bestselling author of THE SPARE ROOM and the Reese’s Book Club pick WE WERE NEVER HERE, is back with another twisty, suspenseful thriller. This time, she takes her fiction abroad to the Mexican Caribbean, where secrets roll in as sneakily as the waves.

It has been four months since Abby heard the most terrifying words a person can hear from their long-term partner: I need to tell you something. Abby’s fiancée, Eszter --- a bright MBA student who was hard at work on her capstone project --- was taking some much-deserved time off at a remote island off the coast of Mexico, and Abby was set to join her in only a few short weeks. Newly engaged and dealing with Eszter’s parents’ homophobia and high standards, they thought that life was finally heading toward something they could call routine or normalcy.

However, if Abby thought those words threw her stomach into knots, what followed was even worse. Alone in her Airbnb, far from everyone who loved her, Eszter died from anaphylactic shock after an allergic reaction. Abby knows that Eszter was cautious, nearly militant, when it came to avoiding foods to which she was allergic. Accidents happen, though, especially while traveling and navigating language barriers and unfamiliar foods. But what Abby can’t explain is how Eszter died a mere 20 feet from her EpiPen.

"Just as she did in WE WERE NEVER HERE, [Bartz] delivers not just an intriguing mystery in THE LAST FERRY OUT, but a meditative, thoughtful rumination on grief, homophobia, ecoterrorism and responsible tourism."

When we meet Abby, she is riding the very same ferry that eventually carried Eszter to her death. She has traveled to Isla Colel, population 250, to gain some closure on Eszter’s passing, a task made somehow even more difficult in America, where Eszter’s close-knit family is unwilling to speak to their late daughter’s lesbian lover. She doesn’t have much to go on. Since Abby planned on joining Eszter soon and was dealing with her own workload, she asked her to “save it all” for when she got there. All she has to go on is a photograph of Eszter with various expats who call the island home.

Fortunately, on an island as small as Isla Colel, everyone knows everyone, and Abby quickly identifies and meets Eszter’s friends: Pedro, a cranky “ecoterrorist” tree hugger; Hilde, a sparkly Swede; Brady, a delightful Aussie twink; Amari, a cool, sexy lesbian; and Rita, the “house mother” of the group, who is welcoming and nurturing. The expats tell Abby that they all adored Eszter, and she’s not surprised. Who wouldn’t love her brilliant fiancée? But they also drop some surprises on her lap.

Despite Eszter’s claim that she discovered the island at random, Amari tells Abby that Eszter was there two or three times before her death. When questioning Eszter’s Airbnb host, Abby learns that Eszter didn’t just book a few weeks at the cozy villa --- she paid for an entire year at Airbnb rates, up front and in cash. Eszter’s family is “comfortable,” sure, but Eszter certainly didn’t have $20,000 to drop on a random rental, especially not with a new engagement to celebrate, a partner to cohabitate with, and a wedding to plan. Unless she never actually intended to do those things.

Paired with her ominous final message, these suspicious clues lead Abby to more questions than answers. The expats are all kind and generous with their knowledge, but Pedro’s prickly nature raises the hairs on Abby’s neck. Still, it is not until Brady, who obviously is struggling with his own issues, tells Abby that she “deserves to know the truth” about Eszter that Abby starts to wonder if her fiancée’s death was no simple allergic reaction. And then Brady goes missing.

Isla Colel is “home” to vagabonds and wanderers, and the expat group is quick to write off Brady’s disappearance as inevitable --- just another part of the backpacker, hostel-dweller lifestyle. But when Abby starts to receive her own warnings about the island, she knows it’s time to go. There’s just one problem, and it presents itself in big, painted blue letters: FERRY CANCELADO. Storms have cut off all exits from the island, and with its tourism decimated by hurricanes, it’s not exactly a destination with lots of ways in or out. Abby is stuck on the island, and finding out what happened to Eszter may be the only way she will make it home alive.

Andrea Bartz is one of the freshest, most stylish thriller writers working today. Just as she did in WE WERE NEVER HERE, she delivers not just an intriguing mystery in THE LAST FERRY OUT, but a meditative, thoughtful rumination on grief, homophobia, ecoterrorism and responsible tourism. It’s clear that Bartz draws upon her own journalistic forays and travel to places like the fictional Isla Colel. But what’s even more impressive is how seamlessly she weaves these little anecdotes and facts into her narrative, subtly educating readers as she treats them to a wickedly twisted story of suspense.

In Abby, Bartz writes not just a wannabe PI, but a grieving, confused partner desperate for answers and the truth. Abby’s grief is palpable, adding an air of unreliable narrator to this fresh take on a locked-room thriller. Using the island and its menagerie of expats as her lock and key, Bartz pens a mystery that is so cleverly, meticulously crafted that every twist sends you spiraling in a different direction, only to find out that the truth was staring you in the face the whole time.

A perfect pairing for your own summer vacation (or staycation; why not let Bartz whisk you away?), THE LAST FERRY OUT is a shocking, tense thriller from an author at the top of her game.