The Getaway/Kieran Scott
Thomas & Mercer/September 1, 2026
In The Getaway, Kieran Scott’s latest effort in the Rich-People-Problems thriller subgenre, a collection of friends and frenemies gather at the behest of billionaire Lincoln Foster for a party weekend at his lavish Hamptons Estate. Everyone has mixed feelings about this excursion–from Marley, Lincoln’s sister-in-law who is devastated at her husband’s recent decision that they should stop childbearing efforts; to Suzy, who has been blackmailing Lincoln due to her financial trouble; to Gemma, who tags along with her husband to support his efforts to do business with Lincoln. But, tradition is tradition, and agendas can be motivating; so everyone grits their teeth and accepts their glass of champagne.
Soon this seemingly ordinary (i.e., ridiculously opulent) weekend gets tense. Each guest finds blue envelopes in their room containing notes of a very personal nature which reveal their host’s dirty deeds (or their own secrets, relative to Lincoln). Everyone’s on their toes–what is their purpose? is this the weekend of reckoning?
The appearance of the envelopes is particularly unsettling because of the one glaring absence from this party–Lily, Lincoln’s wife whom he divorced to marry the much-younger Hazel. The ladies of the core group feel guilty about staying in their friend’s former castle without her, but not guilty enough to pass on the invitation. Lily is supposed to be staying at a facility for “rest,” but her whereabouts can’t be confirmed.
The night of Lincoln’s big soiree, one secret on a blue card makes two guests resort to blows. Lincoln orders everyone out when a nasty storm sets in, and everyone is counting the minutes until it’s safe to leave. This proves impossible when the group discovers Lincoln’s waterlogged body in the pool, which at first the guests (inexplicably) dismiss as an accident but later realize was murder. With the roads not traversable and the storm raging outside, there’s no going anywhere . . even though it seems clear that one of them must be the killer.
As is typical when a body is found after a booze-filled night, events devolve into a hot mess. Someone else dies–a minor character, of course–in a more grotesque way than Lincoln. A weapon is discovered and hidden away for future use. A luxury car is crashed. People get mad about adultery. Another crime is caught on video. Fingers point, voices raise. It’s very extra, and it’s fun; but it’s not anything that hasn’t been done before. Still, Scott pulls off A LOT–almost as if she’s consulting a list of things that can happen in a Rich-People-Problems book and checking off every one.
And honestly, people–there’s a reason reality T.V. and Housewives of Orange County are so popular. Train wrecks are interesting. Scott leans in. No one trusts anyone (of course), no one knows what is going on (why would they?), and no one seems to understand the horror movie rule of everyone sticking together.
Be warned, however, that it can get a little crowded in this locked room thriller. In addition to the four “core couples,” there are others such as the various help staff, Gemma and Grant’s six-foot Instagram-star daughters, and a random person who stayed on after the party ended. There’s even a dog in the mix–a yappy little chihuahua that acts as the effective therapy dog for the most morally bankrupt of Lincoln’s guests. But, while having all these perspectives can somewhat detract from the momentum, it also works in the book’s favor. More people means more opportunities to clash and to fight. And so, they do.
Books like The Getaway are like popcorn. You can get them often and anywhere, but we want them all the time so that’s fine. The Getaway will appeal to thriller fans who like the action spicy and the characters back-stabby.
