The Chaperones - by Amy Meyerson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the internationally bestselling author of The Water Lies comes a propulsive psychological thriller about privileged parents and their kids on an idyllic camping trip that turns deadly.

The third-grade parents at the elite Chester School don't do anything small--not their drama and certainly not their end-of-year trips. As they set out to the remote island of Santa Cruz off the coast of Southern California, where the only amenity is running water and help is a ninety-minute boat ride away, they may have finally gotten in over their heads.

Stranded by a sudden storm, the chaperones wake to find two children missing from their tents.

The search for the boys leads to a body--and a surfacing of secrets that were meant to stay buried.

Because there's someone else on the island. Someone with secrets of their own. Someone who shouldn't be there. And has every reason to stay.

The Chaperones is a locked room thriller that will keep readers guessing about who's dead and who's capable of murder, and whose secrets started it all.

(c) 2026 by Amy Meyerson, all rights reserved.

Review Quotes

"Both an irresistible locked-room thriller and an upstairs-downstairs drama of parents, teachers, and the children that anchor their orbit, The Chaperones is a deftly plotted delight. Meyerson ratchets up the tension with expert precision and makes astounding use of the Channel Islands setting. The result is so unsettling you'll wish you still had a night-light like the young students enrolled at the prestigious Chester School. Fans of Lucy Foley: Get ready to meet your new favorite author!" --Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters and Saltwater

"Perfectly plotted and artfully paced, The Chaperones is a master class in ratcheting up suspense and tension, page by page. Meyerson delivers a rich ensemble cast of characters interwoven with juicy drama, personal vendettas, and complicated histories, a tinderbox ready to ignite. A satisfying thrill of a read!" --Sophie Stava, author of GMA Book Club pick and forthcoming Hulu series Count My Lies

"Amy Meyerson once again proves herself a masterful thriller writer with this atmospheric locked-room mystery set amid the wild beauty of California's Channel Islands. The national park setting feels fresh, pairing rugged isolation with a fascinating glimpse into the ranger community. Meyerson juggles an impressive ensemble cast, using their tangled relationships to deliver sharp observations about modern parenthood and the competitiveness simmering beneath affluent school communities. With razor-sharp pacing and escalating suspense, the novel builds to a final twist I never saw coming." --Stephanie Wrobel, internationally bestselling author of The Hitchcock Hotel

"The Chaperones is everything I want in a thriller: smart, sexy, and written in prose as luminous as it is suspenseful. Amy Meyerson captures the tensions simmering beneath privilege and the PTA with razor-sharp insight, which ignite spectacularly on one fateful field trip to the Channel Islands. Sharper than Big Little Lies, I couldn't put The Chaperones down!" --Halley Sutton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hurricane Blonde

"Equal parts sun-drenched and claustrophobic, The Chaperones transforms an idyllic Channel Islands camping trip for LA's prestigious Chester School into a twisty, deeply layered, impossible-to-put-down thriller. Meyerson masterfully weaves together a full cast of parents, teachers, and park rangers to build toward a finale that rewards every single breadcrumb meticulously planted along the way. You'll never look at a school field trip the same way again." --Amanda Pellegrino, author of The Social Climber