Wish You Were Gone

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell, this “captivating thriller full of twists and surprises” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author)—about what happens when the death of a husband and father isn’t the tragedy everyone believes—is perfect for fans of the Netflix original series Dead to Me.

Emma Walsh has finally worked up the courage to confront her husband James about his drinking—his alcoholic rages, his blackouts, and the fear his behavior has created for her and their two kids. But James never shows up to meet her as planned, and all her righteous words go unsaid. And unsaid they remain, because the next time Emma sees James, his body lies crumpled amidst the wreckage of his flashy car, which has been smashed to its final resting place halfway through the back wall of their suburban house’s roomy garage.

In the aftermath of the fatal crash, Emma and her teenage children begin to embrace life without James’s looming, volcanic presence. Buoyed by the support of her two closest friends, she struggles to deal with her grief, complicated by the knowledge that her husband’s legacy as an upstanding business owner and family man shines only because so many people, for so long, were so willing to keep his secrets—secrets that twist into new and unexpected shapes as the mysterious details of his last day of life begin to come to light.

A sinister and suspenseful domestic thriller, lauded as “stylish” by Publishers Weekly and “delicious” by Booklist, Wish You Were Gone will keep you guessing “until not just the last page, but the last paragraph” (Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author).

Kieran Scott has written more than fifty novels for children and teens, eight of which (under the pseudonym Kate Brian) have been New York Times bestsellers. She lives with her husband, two sons and one dog in New Jersey. She is also the author of Regrets Only and Wish You Were Gone. Follow her on Instagram @KieranScottAuthor.

ISBN: 9781982153984
Format: Hardback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: February 22, 2022

"Kieran Scott sharply unravels a web of secrets between friends and families at the heart of this suspenseful story. With hidden motives and complex relationships, Wish You Were Gone is a captivating thriller full of twists and surprises. I couldn’t put it down!"—Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl From Widow Hills and All The Missing Girls

"Equal parts murder mystery and complex relationship drama, Scott builds her house of cards with a steady hand using dirty secrets and tangled histories. I was holding my breath until not just the last page, but the last paragraph."—Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

"Wish You Were Gone lands at the sweet spot of domestic drama and high suspense. With assured writing and terrific details, Kieran Scott peels back the facade of a perfect-on-the-outside family, revealing explosive secrets." —Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of You Are Not Alone

"There are shades of Liane Moriarty in this tale of comfortable suburban lives thrown into upheaval by a mysterious death and the intertwining fates of those left behind. With twist after twist I didn’t see coming, Wish You Were Gone engaged me the whole way through and left me breathless at the end, the way the best domestic suspense fiction does."—Meg Mitchell Moore, author of Two Truths and a Lie

"A delicious thriller... [Wish You Were Gone] is a fine suspense story with some excellent surprises." —Booklist

"A stylish thriller... Scott's complex story lines come together in an explosive climax. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Liane Moriarty will welcome this new arrival on the domestic thriller scene." —Publishers Weekly

“[A] propulsive read. The short chapters only add to that momentum, as each one gives us brief insight into the characters while obscuring the revelations at the same time. This push-pull narration succeeds in building the tension to nearly breakneck speed by the end, as each twist and reveal careens into the next. Scott handles the momentum with a deft hand, entangling the reader into a complex web of lies so deep, we’re desperate to know more… Fans of thrillers with intimate family dynamics will love the intense emotional rollercoaster ride this book offers.” —The Nerd Daily

“Sharp and stylish… Wish You Were Gone has a fascinating mystery at its center, but it’s ultimately a character-driven story featuring real people with real problems.” —Bookpage (starred review)