Q&A with Tess Gerritsen

 

Photo by Josh Gerritsen

 

Tess Gerritsen is the author of the new novel The Summer Guests. Her many other books include The Spy Coast. She is also a physician and a filmmaker, and she lives in Maine.

 

Q: This is the second in your series (following The Spy Coast) featuring retired CIA operative Maggie Bird. Do you think she’s changed at all from one novel to the next?

 

A: There's been one big change: Maggie's now aware of Declan Rose's feelings toward her, and she has to decide whether she's ready to move on from just friendship to something deeper.

 

She'll always be haunted by what happened to her husband Danny, but maybe now she's come to accept the loss. And to feel more connected than ever to her circle of friends in Purity, Maine.

 

Q: What inspired the plot of The Summer Guests?

 

A: There's always been tension between local Mainers and the wealthy visitors who come every summer, and I wanted to explore the conflicts that arise between the haves and the have-nots here.

 

The flashpoint in this story is the disappearance of a teenage girl from one of the wealthy summer families. Suddenly there's finger-pointing and mistrust on both sides, which local police chief Jo (Joanna) Thibodeau must now navigate.

 

Complicating matters is interference by my lovable "Martini Club," whom Jo finds both helpful and also maddening. Adding to the mystery is some local lore about the CIA and what they may have been doing here in Maine during the ‘50s – ‘70s.

Q: While The Spy Coast was set during wintertime in Maine, this novel is set in a warmer season. How does that factor into the novel’s ambience?

 

A: Summertime is when visitors show up in Maine (sometimes to our chagrin!) and it's a glorious season, with people splashing in our lakes and hiking our woods and mountains.

 

I wanted to capture some of those long, golden days that can be so idyllic - until your child suddenly goes missing. I was drawn by the juxtaposition of a perfect summer and every mother's nightmare.

 

Q: What do you see as the dynamic between Maggie and police chief Jo Thibodeau?

 

A: Jo's starting to see the value of working with Maggie and crew - and the Martini Club is now trusting Jo with more and more of their secrets. Jo is also learning to appreciate some of their quirks, from their love of whisky to their excellent potlucks.

 

I love watching their evolving partnership, with all its growing pains and its ups and downs. There'll always be conflicts, of course; Jo is honest to a fault, while Maggie and friends have spent their careers telling lies.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm working on the third in the Martini Club series. This one focuses on Ingrid's past, which comes into sharp focus after an invited speaker dies at Purity's global affairs conference. When they find out he was poisoned with Polonium, and Ingrid suddenly vanishes, the group wonders if they really can trust each other - or if there's a traitor in their midst.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Development of the television series based on The Spy Coast is still on track at Amazon studios!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Tess Gerritsen.