Beneath the Marigolds

by Emily C. Whitson

Overview

Playing on our universal fascination with reality TV, Emily Whitson’s Beneath the Marigolds is the Bachelor(ette) gone terribly wrong.

Reese Marigold saved Ann Stone from a life of addiction by introducing Ann to AA and serving as her sponsor in recovery. Despite their differences—Reese is a hopeless romantic, while Ann is a no-nonsense attorney—the women remain close ten years later. So when Reese goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles’ retreat off the coast of Hawaii, Ann infiltrates the retreat.

Quickly, Ann realizes there’s more to Last Chance than meets the eye. With its extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates, Ann begins to suspect the retreat is a front for a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe and sound, keeping a low profile until the premier, or did something more sinister occur? As Ann traces Reese’s last known movements, partakes in the unusual “journey,” and meets the other attendees who all have something to hide, she jeopardizes her career, her sanity, and her life to find her missing friend.

Told from the perspective of both Ann and Reese, Beneath the Marigolds is a fast-paced thriller that explores friendship, women in recovery, and the traditional marriage path idealized by today’s numerous dating and relationship reality shows.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780744304206
Publisher:	CamCat Publishing
Publication date:	09/21/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Emily Whitson received a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked as a marketing copywriter for six years before pursuing a career in fiction and education. She is currently getting her M.Ed. at Vanderbilt University, where she writes between classes.

She is particularly passionate about women’s education and female stories. This interest stems from her time at Harpeth Hall, an all-girls college preparatory school in Nashville, Tennessee. When she isn’t volunteering, writing, or in the classroom, Emily can usually be found with her dog, Hoss, in one of Nashville’s various parks. Beneath the Marigolds is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

07/05/2021

At the start of Whitson’s earnest debut, Nashville, Tenn., corporate lawyer Ann, a recovering alcoholic, worries when her closest friend and Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, lovelorn Reese Marigold, doesn’t return from Last Chance, an exclusive singles’ retreat on remote Phaux Island off the coast of Hawaii. As time passes and there’s no word from Reese, Ann contacts the police and tells them she’s sure something has happened to her friend. When the police investigation stalls, Ann decides to find out the truth about Reese’s disappearance by signing up for a stay at Last Chance. Phaux Island is indeed too good to be true, and everyone there is hiding a secret. Whitson’s sensitive treatment of such themes as love, loyalty, and addiction recovery makes up only in part for Ann’s one-note anxiety, a tad too many coincidences, and the superficial motivation of the chief villain. Straightforward prose, though, makes this easy reading for a lazy day. Whitson shows enough promise to suggest she can do better next time. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Cleverly plotted . . . Whitson’s debut novel is an intriguing new entry in the women’s suspense genre, driven by dual first-person narrators and tension-filled parallel timelines.” —Carmen Amato, Silver Falchion Award Finalist and Author of the Detective Emilia Cruz Mystery Series

From the Publisher