The Chaperones

by Amy Meyerson

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.

Genres: Thriller

Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 1, 2026

About the author

Amy Meyerson is the internationally bestselling author of The Water Lies, The Bookshop of Yesterdays, The Imperfects, and The Love Scribe. Her books are being translated into over a dozen languages and are frequently chosen for best-of lists, including lists from Good Morning America, People Magazine, Publishers Weekly, The Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Texas Library Association’s Lariat List, among others. Meyerson completed her graduate work in creative writing at the University of Southern California, where she now teaches in the writing department. Her next suspense novel, The Chaperones, will be published by Thomas & Mercer.

Reviews

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parents from the Chester School have organized a school camping trip on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California, and there’s way too much drama for these families of third graders. Theft, affairs, accusations – it’s all here. Not hard to believe there’s a lack of likable characters in this bunch. One of the main narrators, Emmy, is probably the only decent person involved in the story. There are a few different sets of parents that the story revolves around, and we see from the perspective of almost all of them. The action picks up when two of the boys are missing from their tents in the middle of the night, and everyone goes looking for them. At that point, a body is found, and that’s the big mystery for the bulk of the book – who is the body and what happened?

It’s pretty slow burn up until then because there’s a ton of backstory. Which there has to be, since there are about 5 main-character narratives to keep up with. Except for Emmy, I kept disliking everyone more and more as the secrets are divulged and poor decisions made everywhere. These are the least responsible parents ever, drinking and smoking cannabis right in front of their kids who are old enough to know exactly what’s going on.

The island itself is beautifully described and was easy to envision with the different trails and views it offers. I’m not a camper, but even I could see the appeal of a trip like this. Except not with these people! And for such unlikeable characters, the book was enjoyable and entertaining – proof again that it takes the right author to make horrible people tolerable enough to put up with for a few hundred pages.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free advanced reading copy of this book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of this title.
The premise of an island field trip gone wrong establishes a heavy, atmospheric tone right from the start. The story jumps between the group’s initial arrival on the island and fourteen hours later when two third-graders go missing. The narrative spends eighty percent of the time setting the scene, focusing heavily on who did what to whom and why before the actual kidnapping takes place. There are very few sections dedicated to the disappearance itself and the aftermath.
The shifting perspectives do provide a wide view of the escalating drama among the parents, and I found some of the character arcs quite strong. Charles stood out as a genuinely good guy making poor choices while grappling with his waning writing career. His desperate desire to recapture the feeling of his past success makes him a compelling, sympathetic figure even when he falters.
Despite those positive character moments, the story leans heavily into suspense rather than operating as a fast-paced thriller. When the thrilling moments finally arrive, that section is short and rushes by quickly. I reached the final page feeling that there were simply too many questions left unanswered to provide proper closure. If you like isolated island settings, intense parent drama, and shifting perspectives, then you may enjoy this book. #TheChaperones #NetGalley

Spoilers drop on release day at www.spoiltheplot.com. Until then, explore the site to find your next great thriller!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chaperones was a pretty good thriller. I liked the setting of the island/national park and the concept of a mystery that takes place on a third grade school camping field trip. That was unique enough to be interesting. The characters are a fairly well drawn conglomeration of diverse parent types from the school. Decent amount of drama in and amongst the crew. I did have some issues with all the jumping around of voice and time. That caused me to forget who was who at the beginning. There are a fair amount of parents and kids to keep track of just like on a real field trip. The pace is solid and parts of it keep you guessing until the reveal. A decent read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ecopy for honest review.

[Casey Reads 🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A camping trip told from multiple POVs as frightening things begin to happen.

Enjoyed the other book I read by this author and gave it 5 stars, so I was excited for this one, but this one didn’t have the same vibes in my opinion. I think it was a little confusing from the different POVs and it seemed a little like someone was just rambling on. I struggled to connect with the writing.

There were some interesting relationship developments (won’t spoil that) and moments that kept me reading, but overall I didn’t connect with this one, but it might just be me.

I would still read this author again as I loved the other book I read, but I would give this one like a 2.5 rounded up.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chaperones is a third grade class goes on a camping trip on an island which turns deadly. The setting is beautiful but the drama of both the parents and children starts from the very beginning. I really enjoyed this books with the twists and turns in the plot as well as the different character perspectives.
On top of that there was so much information about each characters background and relationships with the other characters. I loved that you couldn't predicted what may happened next. I found it really hard to put down and finished in one sitting once I was into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer by the ARC.

[Allie Wensman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

I was excited for the premise of this book as a island field trip gone horribly wrong. The book jumps between the group's arrival on the island, and hours later after some kids go missing.

I found this book to be more suspenseful rather than a thriller. I would have liked a little more closure in the ending. However, I did feel like the author did a great job creating a setting that made me feel like I was right there on the island with everyone, and it was hard to put down. This would be a fun beach read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC!

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many things on this tick my wish list.
School parents fighting.
A remote island you can't leave.
Incoming storm.
Secrets and lies.
Badly behaved adults.


It's a fab beach read type of book, though maybe not if you finish it in a day like I did.
Some nice twists in there, and some great tension.
It raised a smile or two too.
It's got a lot going on that I very much enjoyed.
Right to the last page.
I don't think you'd regret picking this one up.

Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a real page turner! I found myself staying up late to read one more chapter. It kept me guessing throughout and there were surprises around every corner. The author did a great job creating a setting which made me feel like I was on the island with the characters. I would highly recommend this book!

[Katy Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect closed room suspense for readers of Lucy Foley, I adored being trapped on the channel islands with this camping trip of third graders and their unhinged, feuding, and deeply intertwined parents! If you loved Big Little Lies, this one is for you.

[Halley Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous and twisty and unforgettable.

[Pam Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent character development. The end was a complete surprise. Quick and enjoyable read.