When All That Glitters Isn't So Gold... (The Golden Couple psych suspense REVIEW)

Anyone who’s been in a relationship (so, the majority of people who’ve reached adulthood, however that’s defined these days) knows that there’s a fair bit of effort involved in keeping things on an even(-ish) keel. 

Another thing those with a relationship or two under their belts know is that things often look rather different to anyone not in that relationship (so, everyone else).

But what happens when someone outside knows just enough of the hidden bits and pieces—the secrets or lies, the silences or tears... the stuff that isn't all "happy families"  on display—to affect what happens next, in the relationship? When that someone purposefully manipulates things, for an outcome only he or she wants?

Writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen follow up their previous psychological thrillers (among them, The Wife Between Us, reviewed here, and You Are Not Alone, reviewed here) with a look at that scenario in their upcoming work, The Golden Couple.

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Marissa and Mathew Bishop are, indeed—to their friends, coworkers, and families—the golden couple. They have successful careers, are attractive and healthy, well-liked by their peers, and live in a beautiful house with their little boy. In other words, they’re the epitome of what a lot of couples aspire to be. 

But that’s only when viewed from the outside… because Marissa isn’t entirely happy with her life—more frequently feeling taken for granted or ignored by Mathew—which, eventually, results in her cheating on him. 

The guilt, afterward, gnaws away at her; she still loves Mathew and really doesn’t want to be that couple, destroyed by infidelity… but she can’t work out just how to tell him outright what she’s done. 

When a friend happens to mention an interesting article  about a counselor with a lot of buzz--one Avery Chambers, who promises to fix any marital issue via her own very specific ten-step series of sessions--Marissa decides it's worth a shot. 

The caveat (which the Bishops only find out once they’re each seated on the sofa in Avery’s office)? She requires carte blanche of her clients… meaning, unfettered access to all the details of their lives, whatever she deems necessary to understanding, addressing, and solving the problem(s). Marissa and Mathew warily agree. 

Once the sessions begin, though, and Avery starts to worm out not only what happened, by more importantly, the why of it all, a lot more than just the expected, underlying issues come to the surface… and to all three of them—couple and counselor—it gradually becomes frighteningly apparent that someone out there will do almost anything to prevent this particular marital problem from being successfully solved.

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Hendricks and Pekkanen continue to showcase their special brand of thrilling-because-it-feels-like-this-could-really-happen storytelling, in The Golden Couple. (Working parents with a kid… and problems? Yeah, this could totally happen, whether to you, or to someone you know well, right?)

Interestingly, I never really completely liked (or trusted) a single one of the main characters—nor any of the secondary ones—yet I still followed the tale eagerly. [So, pretty tight storytelling, to keep me engaged…] I’m not entirely sure if I was supposed to identify strongly with anyone, or if the writers’ goal was to keep the reader a bit off-kilter regarding everyone, the whole time. Either way, though, the story worked for me.

There’s a sub-plot that gets sorted a little too conveniently, as well, but again… I actually didn’t mind that much, so, kudos to Hendricks and Pekkanen, for crafting such a compelling story.

Will this be my favorite psychological suspense of the year? No… but I blazed through it in good time, and was (mostly) satisfied at the end, so I’m definitely put this one in the win—and the “definitely recommend”—column. :)

~GlamKitty

[The Golden Couple is actually set to drop in March 2022 (and holy moly, about writing THAT!), but I’m sharing it now, so you can put it on your Amazon buy-it-soon-as list (or wherever you purchase your books from, of course), because that’s a good thing, too, no? Something to look forward to… :)]