> Skip to content
Play sample
  • Published: 12 May 2022
  • ISBN: 9781405949996
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416

Summer Fever

The hottest psychological suspense of the summer




A hot Italian summer. Two seemingly happy couples. And one dark secret that, once spilled, could ruin them all...

Laura's marriage is at a crossroads.
When she discovers Villa Luna Rossa, a crumbling villa in the Italian countryside, she convinces her husband Nick to embark on a new life there.
But as the intense summer heat rises, Laura quickly realises that her issues with Nick haven't been left behind.
So it's a relief when their first guests arrive - a glamorous American couple.
Laura can't help but be drawn to these strangers.
As she gets closer to the couple, though, she realises that everyone at Villa Luna Rossa is hiding something. And as the summer draws to a close, no secret will be safe...

  • Published: 12 May 2022
  • ISBN: 9781405949996
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416

About the author

Kate Riordan

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She started out as an editorial assistant at the Guardian, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of Time Out. She now works freelance and lives in the Cotswolds, where she is currently working on her next novel.

Also by Kate Riordan

See all

Praise for Summer Fever

Intimate, intense and utterly addictive, Summer Fever is a rare treat of a novel, combining elegant writing with astute psychology and a thrilling plot. Riordan excels in drawing us close and keeping us there, witness to her characters' simmering desires and hidden betrayals, as secrets from the past begin to creep through the walls of Villa Luna Rossa. I enjoyed every minute of this beautiful story. Days after finishing it, I'm still shaking off the spell.

Emma Stonex

A sexy, sultry, immersive read

Harriet Tyce

An emotionally rich and keenly observed novel, full of astute observations on desire and disappointment. Summer Fever is utterly compelling and transporting, with a delicious sense of ever-building unease. I loved it

Emylia Hall

Sultry, seductive and unsettlingly honest, Summer Fever explores the lies that we tell ourselves, the truths that desire blinds us to, and the bonds of friendship that can reveal them all

Claire McGlasson

This is the perfect summer read. The tension sizzles off the pages, and the sense of foreboding and danger never lets up. I devoured this feverishly, well into the early hours, wishing I was basking in the Mediterranean sun. Sexy, moreish... dazzlingly good

Jack Jordan

Beautifully written, totally immersive, the believable characters and stunning but menacing setting will keep you reading way after lights out

Katie Fforde

A scorching portrait of obsessive lust and a marriage in danger, in a setting that is both beautiful and hostile. I love Kate Riordan's sharp insight into the nuances of the relationships between the four protagonists, as their moods shift and the tension rises. She creates such a detailed, immersive world, you can feel the simmering heat and repressed passion in your bones. Summer Fever is a totally addictive, moreish summer treat, like a long, cool Aperol Spritz on a sweltering day

Gill Paul

Sultry, sexy, and suspenseful - Summer Fever is scorched with tension. Psychologically complex characters and a beautifully evoked Italian setting make this an utterly page-turning summer read

Lucy Clarke

Summer Fever steams with longing and menace, and takes us on one woman's dangerous, suspense-filled journey towards self-discovery. Kate Riordan's magnificent prose dazzles with astute observations on the psychology of female desire, even as we hold our breath

Jane Bailey

Steamy, febrile, hypnotic. Kate Riordan is the Queen of the sexy summer psychological drama

Tammy Cohen

You can practically feel the heat coming off the pages; the simmering tension in this novel is almost unbearable yet absolutely delicious. I loved it

Jackie Kabler

A creeping, dreamlike drama unravelling in the perfect setting, Summer Fever reminds me why Kate Riordan is one of my favourite suspense writers

Anna Bailey

The characters leapt from the page, and yet they have such nuance and depth, Kate really knows how to get under their skin; and the villa and setting, that brooding Italian charm with and edge of menace. Laura, Nick, Bastian and Madison will stay with me, their relationships authentically complicated and compelling

Amanda Reynolds

Another scorcher from brilliant writer Kate Riordan. Written in an urgent, breathless style with a fascinating structure, Italy is evoked in all its sultry beauty, while drama throbs and secrets surface. A quintessential summer read

Becca Mascull

A sexy summer read with a twist. If you're looking for a summer read to devour by the pool or on the beach, look no further

Evening Standard

Tense and atmospheric. A dark, sultry, summer read

Jane Fallon

Sexy and atmospheric - incredibly smart escapism. I was gripped throughout and so surprised and delighted by the ending

Daisy Buchanan

If you enjoyed Kate Riordan's South of France set novel The Heatwave, then you're guaranteed to love Summer Fever , which transports readers to a crumbling villa in the Italian countryside . . . Full of forbidden desire and dark secrets, this sultry psychological thriller pulses with suspense and simmering tension

Culturefly

A compelling and unsettling read with summer written all over it

Woman & Home

Evocative, compelling, intoxicating. I loved it

Tammy Cohen

Praise for Kate Riordan

A sultry, gorgeously written and hugely atmospheric thriller with a dark, compelling mystery at its heart

Lucy Foley

A tense psychological drama...terrific summer escapism

Daily Mail

Sultry, atmospheric and unsettling - a book to lose yourself in this summer

Erin Kelly

This red-hot book will have you gripped

Sun