People Will Talk

by Kieran Scott

Overview

Kieran Scott brings her distinctive “sharp and stylish” (BookPage, starred review) prose to this breathlessly suspenseful novel that combines Glass Onion with Big Little Lies as three women are implicated in a murder after a wedding goes horribly wrong.

When the Frank family throws their annual clambake at their gorgeous beachside home on Cape May, the seafood is always delivered to white-clothed tables on fine bone china. And Peter Frank, the beloved son and perennial heartbreaker, will make the rounds, charming every woman on the guest list.

Top of that list this year are Maya, his tennis star girlfriend just coming off the high of winning Wimbledon; Catherine, his high school sweetheart turned wildly successful wedding planner and influencer; and Leanne, the fiercely protective aunt and legal guardian of his only son. When Maya, Catherine, and Leanne arrive expecting an extravagant feast, they’re instead lured into a room together by a mysterious text to find Peter and...Tilly.

Tilly, all golden blonde hair and perfectly tan skin, explains to the three women that she and Peter plan to get married that night, that Maya and Peter are through, that Peter will no longer be investing in Catherine’s company, and that Leanne must give up guardianship of her nephew. The enraged women attend the impromptu wedding, but when a chandelier falls and crushes the bride, suddenly they’re three likely suspects with three perfect motives. Now they’ll have to work together to figure out who really did kill Tilly, and fast—because maintaining a good reputation in this crowd can be murder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668038109
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	07/30/2024
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kieran Scott has written more than fifty novels for children and teens, eight of which (under the pseudonym Kate Brian) have been New York Times bestsellers. She lives with her husband, two sons and one dog in New Jersey. She is also the author of Regrets Only and Wish You Were Gone. Follow her on Instagram @KieranScottAuthor.

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2024

Bestseller Scott’s frothy latest (after Regrets Only) drops readers into the rarified world of 34-year-old playboy Peter Frank. Each year, Peter’s mother throws a clambake for the upper crust of New Jersey’s Cape May. This year’s event includes a bombshell—Peter’s impromptu wedding to family friend Tilly Danforth. The news comes as a particular shock to three women on the guest list: tennis star Maya Romero, Peter’s girlfriend; wedding planner Catherine Farr, his high school ex; and Leanne Gladstone, the aunt of his son from a previous relationship. When Tilly is found crushed to death beneath a chandelier, Catherine, who fancies herself an amateur sleuth, starts poking around. Before long, she learns that Peter’s potential investment in her business has placed her at the top of the suspect list, with Maya’s jealousy and Leanne’s entanglement in a custody battle with Peter putting them close behind. To avoid scandal and clear their names, the three women band together to solve Tilly’s murder. Scott keeps things fleet-footed and effervescent, allowing the investigation to float by on a cloud of petty betrayals and vicarious consumption. The result is ideal poolside reading. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

“Breathlessly suspenseful novel that combines Glass Onion with Big Little Lies...People Will Talk certainly has all the thrills and reversals of a perfectly juicy beach read with which to close out the summer."

—Criminal Element

"[F]un, fast, modern whodunit mystery ride... A fun book to read for the next beach trip."

Booklist

"A sparkling, clever whodunit that will leave you guessing until the very end."

New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes

Three narrators deliver this mystery told from the viewpoints of three women who are connected to a groom named Peter whose secret fiancée is murdered during their surprise wedding. All of them have a motive to have killed the bride. Austenne Grey portrays Catherine, an event planner who is Peter's first love. Cindy Kay voices Leanne, legal guardian of Peter's son, who is embroiled in a custody battle. Dana Wing Lau voices Maya, a tennis star who was Peter's current girlfriend. Kay's and Lau's ranges create great character differentiation. Lau's energetic performance is perfect for Maya, and Kay builds emotional tension with her nuanced portrayal of Leanne. There are plenty of twists in this story, but all comes together by the end. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2024 - AudioFile

2024-04-19
Three women linked to the same man attend his wedding, then try to figure out who’s framing them for his new bride’s murder.

Maya Romero, estranged daughter of a mobster, is a tennis star who’s just won Wimbledon. She hasn’t spoken to her boyfriend, Peter Frank, in a week, but she’s been invited to a party at his parents’ house. What she doesn’t know is that it’s a wedding between her boyfriend and another woman, Tilly Dansforth. Catherine Farr has also been invited to the party. She broke up with Peter 12 years earlier when he cheated on her with another woman, Monica, but she knows they’re destined to be together, so whenever he’s needed her, she’s come running. Monica’s sister, Leanne Gladstone, is tied to Peter because of the child Monica and Peter had as a result of their affair. When Monica died in a car accident, Leanne and her husband took in Hudson, now 11. Hours before her surprise wedding, Tilly calls all three women to Peter’s room and tells them to back off—he will no longer be in their lives. When Tilly turns up dead the next morning, all three are left scrambling, trying to figure out why there’s incriminating evidence pointing to them. Peter’s ability to string all three women along with his lies—that he loves Maya and Catherine, that he will be granting Leanne full custody of Hudson—begins to unravel as they confer with one another and realize his playboy ways. Of course, there’s a satisfying twist at the end as all is revealed. Love, betrayal, and the choices that women are willing to make to protect the people they love are deliciously unpacked.

A fun little murderous romp.

Kirkus Reviews