People Will Talk

May 1, 2024
In her third adult novel, Scott takes us on a fun, fast, modern whodunit mystery ride in Cape May, New Jersey. Three women are implicated in the murder of rich heiress Tilly Danforth, new wife to the handsome, rich, and promiscuous Peter Frank. First is Catherine, the wedding planner-influencer and college ex-lover. Second is Leanne, aunt (and acting mother fighting for custody) to Peter's 11-year-old son. Lastly is Maya, tennis player extraordinaire and Peter's current girlfriend. Each woman has a connection to Peter and a motive to get rid of his new bride. The tale is told in short chapters with varying points of view from all three women as everything becomes much more complicated than expected. All of them are linked in more ways than they realize. As the investigation continues, lies are told and betrayals are revealed. Although there is not a lot of depth to the characters, the plot goes quickly, which will keep readers interested and rushing to the reveal. A fun summer read.

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May 15, 2024
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.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 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.