DRAWING HOME

Having grown up in Sag Harbor, a historic Long Island town dependent on summer tourism, Emma Mapson thrives on hard work. But when a near stranger bequeaths his multimillion dollar estate to her daughter, Emma’s world spins out of control.

Years of long shifts at The American Hotel left Emma with little time for her 14-year-old daughter, Penny, who suffers from OCD and anxiety. Penny’s absentee father, Mark, who divorced Emma to pursue his dreams of acting and producing, hasn’t helped much; even his child support payments are late. Luckily for Emma, they have Angus, an elderly neighbor who moved in with them after the death of his wife. Luckily for Penny, she has Henry Wyatt, an artist who fled the New York scene for serenity in Sag Harbor and who has taken her under his wing, teaching her to draw while she teaches him about graphic novels. When Henry dies unexpectedly, he inexplicably leaves Windsong, his gorgeous house full of priceless artwork, to Penny, not his longtime manager and estranged best friend, Bea Winstead. And Bea is angry. She sweeps into town with her reluctant assistant, Kyle, who seems more interested in Emma and ship renovation than Bea’s crusade. While threatening Emma with a lawsuit, Bea illegally takes up residence in Windsong. She soon discovers, however, that Henry had been giving his drawings away to the residents of Sag Harbor, and those drawings might just tell a story explaining why Henry left Windsong to the wrong person. Brenner (The Husband Hour, 2018, etc.) skillfully ratchets up the tension as Bea searches for answers and the Mapsons struggle to gain control of not only the estate, but also Penny’s OCD. And then Mark shows up, ready to fight dirty for custody and money.

Smart, full of curveballs, and perfect for the beach.