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.Onthe western edge of Los Angeles is the gorgeous beachside city of Santa Monica,where the sun-kissed, wealthy residents seem to inhabit real-life Californiadreams. When movie-star-handsome heartthrob fitness coach Zack Doheny, is founddead on the floor of his gym, the tragedy shocks the elite community,especially those who’d spent many hours each week exercising with thecharismatic trainer. Asthe narrative flashes back to the months leading up to Zack’s death, it quicklybecomes clear that things in this coastal paradise are not as glittering asthey seem. Lettie – Zack’s secret half-sister and an undocumented housekeeperfor the toned, entitled women of Santa Monica – holds her brother responsiblefor a horrific family accident, and desperately needs his money to prevent herdeportation. Regina, type-A exercise addict and entrepreneur, will do anythingto get out of debt and to claim Zack for herself. And Mel – a New York Citytransplant who finds herself forty pounds heavier and far more cynical than thelithe women of Santa Monica – discovers an electric attraction to Zack thatthreatens to disrupt his bond with Regina and upend Mel’s own marriage. Asthese residents of Santa Monica begin to crack under the stress of theirsecrets, one question hangs above it all: what really happened to ZackDoheny? Asaddictively suspenseful as it is sharply observed, hilarious, andcompassionate, Santa Monica is therare novel that captures readers with propulsive storytelling alongsideemotional urgency, irresistible characters, ambitious themes, and a vivid senseof place.