The Islanders

Teens undergoing rigorous training on a remote island off Maine’s coast uncover deadly secrets and struggle to survive in this tale of survival & friendship.

“An engrossing story and a timely, urgent warning: what will happen when the one percent decide to pull up the rope ladder behind them?” —Kate Christensen, author of Welcome Home, Stranger

Shaken by problems at home, confused by the motives of a new love, and reeling from a public meltdown, high school hockey star Walt McNamara joins an exclusive new leadership program controlled by the ultra-wealthy summer residents of Whaleback Island, a granite and spruce oasis off the coast of Maine. But this is no paradise; secrets lurk in its murky waters.

As Walt and his fellow misfits, including the determined Aubrey and fierce Tess, are pushed physically and mentally by ex-military instructors, exposed truths from the island's past and present slowly reveal the reasons behind their intense training. With danger mounting, Walt, Aubrey, Tess, and the others must use their new skills to sort friend from foe and find a way to survive.

In The Islanders, award-winning author Lewis Robinson has crafted his most irresistible book yet: a suspenseful reckoning of class conflict in America, with a vivid tale of friendship and family at its heart.

“A first-rate, often lyrical page-turner that is, at heart, a coming-of-age story, character-driven and suspenseful.” — Joan Silverman, Portland Press Herald

“Robinson is tremendously adept at building menace slowly, quietly, and the shocks as these stories unfold is one of their greatest pleasures.” —Esquire

“Robinson is at his expansive best. . . . I was enthralled from first page to last, and couldn’t wait to get back to the island.” —Monica Wood, author of How to Read a Book