The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
Published by St. Martin's Press
Publication date: March 8, 2022
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Bookshop
On Monday I reviewed a suspense novel I appreciated. Today I’m back with another one: The Golden Couple, the latest from thriller power duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
In today’s America of instant gratification why spend years on therapy when there’s a therapist who can solve your problem in ten sessions? That’s Avery Chambers’ hook and her unusual methods and promise is drawing in new patients. For Marissa Bishop Avery feels like the only chance she has to save her marriage. She cheated on her husband, Matthew and knows she needs to tell him but is afraid of what will happen. Avery is her last hope.
For Avery, the Bishops look tailor made for her methods. They are a golden couple—youngish, wealthy, with the kind of upscale, curated life that often hides less polished truths easily fixed. Because while Avery calls herself a therapist, a significant portion of her work is more invasive. She demands access to every aspect of her patients’ lives whatever she deems necessary to ensure success. Her belief is that patients are not honest and often conceal truths she needs to know so they must be willing to open their lives to her completely. This operating principle is what got her license revoked, but it hasn’t slowed the stream of patients and accolades.
But from the Bishops’ first session onward things don’t go as planned. The more Avery uncovers the less she understands. At the same time, she’s dealing with the fallout from another patient that has had personal ramifications for her. The twists pile up as the plot speeds forward.
The Golden Couple follows the Hendricks/Pekkanen tried and true formula—sharp, clear details covering muddy motives. Their thrillers are psychological, most often divided into two viewpoints (in this case Marissa and Avery), and the premise that every character is guilty. This lends itself to a pervasive feeling of distrust, keeping the reader off-balance which is the goal, but in The Golden Couple the breadth of suspects got tiring. If you’re a diehard fan of the duo then it’s an easy yes because they are sticking to their formula. I preferred You Are Not Alone, one of their previous novels, but this is fast, easy reading. Like not love.
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*I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Books in exchange for an honest review.*
I felt similarly. When I read it a few months ago I thought it would be a forgettable read, and here I am forgetting even the major plot points a few months later. It was easy reading but not my favorite.
I get their popularity, but I feel as if they’re stuck in a niche. A bit predictable.
I am supposed to be getting this book any day now. I am hit or miss with these writers. I dnf’d their last book so we will see.