Precious Friends:
Murder in Sag Harbor
June 2, 2026 | Spring
“A sharp, strange, well-observed murder mystery.” – Kirkus Reviews
The Most Precious Friends Hide the Darkest Secrets
"In the Hamptons, interlopers are as ubiquitous as deer ticks. The only way to remove one is to apply steady, even pressure on the head and pull."
JB Pulaski, a tenured sociology professor, thought surviving cancer was his greatest battle. Now, desperate to save his crumbling marriage, he retreats to his Sag Harbor summer home with his philandering husband Mike and teenage son Emilio.
Instead, he finds humiliation.
When Mike begins a public affair with Italian pianist Gianni Cuomo, JB becomes the summer's most whispered-about scandal—the cuckolded husband everyone pities but no one respects. But when Gianni is found murdered at an exclusive costume party, pity transforms into suspicion, and JB becomes the prime suspect.
Behind the gated driveways and manicured lawns lies a world where appearances are everything and loyalty is currency. As the investigation closes in, JB must confront not only a conspiracy designed to destroy him, but the darkness he's spent a lifetime suppressing. With his son's future hanging in the balance and his own violent impulses emerging, JB discovers that in the Hamptons, the most dangerous predators wear the most beautiful masks.
Book 3 in the Angelo Perrotta Mysteries—a standalone psychological thriller
Reviews
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Reviews 〰️
❋ Kirkus Reviews“The author is shrewd in his choice of setting, getting the most out of the collision of old money and new desperation at Hamptons dinner parties, the McMansions in Bridgehampton, and the farmstand tomato prices debated with genuine moral urgency (“cultural lubricants intertwined as naturally as Montauk oysters and mignonette”). Spinelli renders this world with affectionate contempt, and JB is the perfect narrator - erudite, self-lacerating, and possessed of a dark humor that functions as both shield and weapon.”
❋ An Absolute Delight“Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor is more than a suspenseful murder mystery. Full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this entertaining read is set in the high society of the Hamptons where public opinion turns deadly. Drama, romance, and mystery all rolled into an enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion.” – Ivanka Fear, author of Blue Water Mysteries and Jake and Mallory Thrillers
❋ Teases & Tempts Readers In“Precious Friends, teases, tempts, and then ropes the reader like a barbed-wire lasso. Sparkling with biting dialogue, posh locales, and razor-sharp narrative, Frank Spinelli’s gin-swilling characters are heroic or cruel or sexy or conniving…or all of the above. Precious Friends is seductive, precious fun.” – Nick Nolan, author of Tales from Ballena Beach
❋ What a Mystery!“So much going on that will keep you guessing until the end. The setting was perfect for the intrigue going on as the characters circle around each other, some in friendship, others in intrigue and murder thrown into the mix." - Erik S. Meyers, author of the Sally Witherspoon mystery series
❋ Beautifully Written “Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor is sharp, sophisticated, and shocking. Spinelli examines the exclusive world of the Hamptons to shine a light on the destructive effects of wealth, secrets and betrayal. A page-turner of the first order.” – Charles Gomez, author of, Eye of the Storm
❋ Twisting and Dark Ride“Frank Spinelli takes us on a romp through the rich and privileged society of the Hamptons in this twisting and dark ride that never lets up its pulse-pounding beat until the last page. Drama, mystery, suspense, metaphorical backstabbing, and literal baseball bat bashing drip from the pages in a collective ooze of decay set amid old friends, social ladder climbers, secret intrigues, and clandestine affairs. Interwoven into the debauchery swirling through Sag Harbor are tendrils of friendship, hope, honesty, and love that fight to gain a foothold in a tale of infidelity, blackmail, old grudges, and murder. Precious Friends is the modern and gay version of The Great Gatsby where power, prestige, and presence are at the forefront of society and gossip is the fuel that motors the action. Move this to the top of your pile of books, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.” - Matt Cost, award winning author of Glow Trap
❋ Plenty of Twists and Turns“Frank Spinelli takes the reader on a ride with plenty of twists and turns in an excellent mystery that exposes the seedy underbelly of the posh, Hamptons elite.” – Felice Stevens, Lambda Literary Award winning author of The Ghost and Charlie Muir
❋ Friends, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal“Precious Friends gives readers a glimpse of the glamorous, upper-middle-class gay society in the Hamptons. But it's not trying to be an LGBQT+ story; being gay is simply who these characters are, and they experience the same problems as straight people: philandering spouses, cancer diagnoses, raising teenagers. It's about friends, family, loyalty, and betrayal. And murder. When the latest lover of JB's philandering husband, Mike, is found dead in a swimming pool at a high-profile party, JB is the obvious suspect. JB has to prove his innocence, but could the killer be someone he loves?” – Sharon Marchisello, author of DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mysteries
❋ Psychological Suspense at its Finest“Compelling, complex, and utterly unputdownable.” – Ronek Patel, author of I Am Not Your Boy