Welcome back to Jen’s Jewels – your go-to destination for the hottest new fiction releases. Today, I’m shining the spotlight on THE GETAWAY by Kieran Scott. This twist-filled Hamptons whodunit is the perfect book to close out your summer reading list. Whether you’re relaxing by the pool, soaking up the sun at the beach, or escaping for a weekend getaway, this unputdownable thriller deserves a spot in your beach bag.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What’s your favorite way to spend a slow August afternoon?
This will probably come as no surprise, but I love to sit by a pool or a lake or a beach and read. I can totally lose myself in a book and I like to be able to get up, take a dip, and go right back to reading. If not that, then I really enjoy going to the movies in the middle of the day in the summer. Something about getting out of the heat and into the dark air-conditioned theater with a bucket of popcorn and getting swept away.
What snack, drink, or sweet treat always finds its way to your desk when writing?
I mostly write in the morning, so it’s either a Starbucks cold brew or a giant cup of hot coffee, depending on the season. I also eat a lot of cereal when I’m writing – at all times of the day. Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, Cocoa Pebbles if I’m feeling naughty. . . I really love cereal with ice cold milk.
What’s one thing that instantly helps you slip into a creative mindset?
This is an interesting psychological trick – if I’m really stuck or don’t want to write, I take out one of a handful of albums I listened to while studying in college. It’s like my brain lights up and says, “Oh! It’s work time!” There’s this one Sting album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, that does the trick every time. I must have had it on repeat in the dorm!
THE LATE-SUMMER SPARK
What was the very first image, line, or idea that sparked this book?
I was in the library and saw Maureen Johnson’s Little Blue Envelopes, which is a YA novel that I love and highly recommend. It’s about a girl who gets all these little blue envelopes from her aunt after her aunt passes and they’re filled with instructions that take her on a coming-of-age journey through Europe. I loved the idea of secret, unexpected messages and started wondering how I could tailor that to my genre. This story is nothing like that lovely, sweet, emotional book, but that’s what got me thinking.
Tell us about a scene that changed significantly from your first draft to your final version. What made you rethink it?
This isn’t a specific scene, but I had a different murderer in mind when I started writing, but I ended up liking them so much I couldn’t make them a killer. That was a really hard one because you build the whole mystery around this one person and then have to change it all. I also realized I needed another death to up the ante, so I actually wrote in a character just so I could kill them off. I’m laughing as I write this, by the way. It seems like I enjoy making things harder on myself!
Many authors say their characters “talk back.” Did any character surprise you or take the story somewhere unexpected?
There’s one character, Suzy, who I decided was going to be the woman-of-action from the beginning. She doesn’t take no for an answer and is pretty self-centered. Everything is about her and what she or her kids (who are away at camp) want or need in any given moment. Even knowing this going in, she ended up making some choices that surprised me. She’s pretty daring in the end. You’ll have to read it to find out what I mean!
Setting can shape a story in powerful ways. What role does the setting play in your book, and what inspired you to choose it?
This book takes place entirely inside a huge mansion in the Hamptons over the course of just a few days. The characters are trapped there by a hurricane, so the setting was really important. My characters have been coming to this house every summer for many years, and it holds a special place in their hearts, but this year, things are a bit different, which makes it feel off to them – an important bit of foreshadowing that something is wrong. I also needed to make it feel realistic that people could wander off and get themselves killed. I constructed certain rooms so that they would be convenient for murder, which was fun. The Hamptons, as a locale, don’t really play into it since they’re stuck in the house the entire time – it could really be a gigantic mansion anywhere – but I did use the specific natural elements of the Hamptons to my advantage as well. I won’t say more than that!
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
What’s a behind-the-scenes detail about writing this book that readers might never guess?
I wrote a giant chunk of this book while away with my son for a hockey tournament. There’s so much downtime because he has to get to the rink an hour before any game starts, so I sit in the car or the lobby of the ice rink and lock in. He had four games that weekend, so that was great, and there was also plenty of time in the hotel when he was off with his friends and I was just writing. I have a crazy ability to block out what’s going on around me when I’m on deadline. When my older son was in Tae Kwon Do in grade school I used to sit in the tiny lobby and write. I think the other parents thought I was insane.
August is a wonderful time to squeeze in a few more summer reads. Which books are currently at the top of your TBR pile?
This is a good question for me right now because I’m going down the shore for a week and leaving tomorrow, which means I’m trying to figure out which books to bring! I love a good rom com and I just bought this book called FORTY LOVE by Jane Costello – a later-in-life tennis romance – which is perfect for me. (I’m a huge tennis fan.) I haven’t read Jane, but I have high hopes! I’m also bringing Lady Tremaine, because I’m halfway through it (it’s great so far). And I think Sarah Pekkanen’s THE LOCKED WARD will be my thriller pick. You can’t go wrong with Sarah!
If readers could step inside one scene from your book and experience it in real life, which scene would you choose and why?
Oh, I’d gift my readers the chance to go to Lincoln’s big party! It’s in the first third of the book and it’s a carnival theme. There’s incredible food, themed drinks, a dance floor built on top of the tennis court and A-list celebrity entertainment. Plus fabulous outfits. I think readers would enjoy that. They just need to get out of there before the hurricane and all the murder!
LOOKING AHEAD
Can you give readers a sneak peek into your next project, minus any spoilers?
My next adult thriller will be coming out next year and it’s the first book I’ve written in a very long while that has only one point of view. It’s about a single mom in a precarious financial situation who stumbles upon a not-entirely-legal way out. I don’t have a final title yet, but I’ll let you know when I do! In the meantime, I’m also working on a couple of YA rom coms under my pen name, Emma Harrison, so if you’re into adorable swoons, check those out!
Where can readers connect with you and keep up with your latest writing news? Please share your website, social media handles, newsletter, or other favorite places to connect.
I update my Instagram most often, so that’s an easy place to find me. Recently I started a newsletter on substack, sharing stories about writing and being a working author.
BONUS: The Author’s Playlist
Share 3–5 songs that capture the mood of your book or helped inspire you while writing.
This book was almost entirely written to Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo and Alessia Cara. No particular songs. I just queue them up and let Apple Music make the playlist. I have a thing for solo female pop stars.
THE GETAWAY by Kieran Scott
In a taut locked-room mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kieran Scott, a group of longtime friends confronts their darkest secrets—and deadliest impulses—on the brink of a hurricane.
For years, three couples have gathered at The Villa—billionaire Lincoln Foster’s Hamptons estate—for lavish weekends among friends. But this year, mysterious blue cards appear in each bedroom, exposing secrets: their host’s betrayals and the guests’ own dark deeds.
Everyone has something to hide. Marley and Marshall Foster. Suzy and Sean McTeague. Juliet and Josh Jacoby. Lincoln and his new wife, Hazel. Even uninvited guests hoping to be accepted among the elite.
With a hurricane bearing down, no one is getting out. When the revelations turn deadly, the trapped friends must confront what their lies have cost them—possibly their lives.
Thriller | Women’s Fiction Friendship [ Thomas & Mercer, On Sale: September 1, 2026, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662538520 / eISBN: 9781662538537 ]
Buy THE GETAWAY: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Kieran Scott
Kieran Scott is an American author of such chick lit books as The Princess and the Pauper, Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys, The Virginity Club, Sweet 16, Fake Boyfriend, and the Private series.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
About Jennifer Vido
Jennifer Vido is the author of The Gull Island Series, sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Serendipity by the Sea won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest, and Baltimore Magazine readers named her Best Local Author in 2024 and 2025.
A Vanderbilt graduate, Jennifer traded in teaching French to follow her dream of becoming an author. She loves discovering and sharing literary gems through her Jen’s Jewels column, celebrating the books that make her heart happy.
Jennifer lives in Maryland with her husband and is mom to two grown sons. Her rescue dog, Fripp, is her constant companion, though he’s better at napping than editing. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her at the beach with her toes in the sand, dreaming about her next romance.
No Comments
Comments are closed.