Slow burn thriller set in Washington DC

5th May 2022

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, slow burn thriller set in Washington DC.

These two writers do work well together, They create a nicely turned story, with plenty of twists and turns and the writing style is smooth and immersive, and basically, easy-to-read.

The Golden Couple of the title comprise  Marissa and Mathew Bishop, who are going through a tricky patch in their marriage. Marissa has dabbled outside the relationship and Mathew is on the verge of wanting a separation. They decide upon Avery, a therapist who has lost her licence to practise and has created her own 10 step programme. I guess the couple – and Marissa in particular – is desperate to save what remains and therefore is drawn to the maverick practitioner.

Avery sets exercises and the couple has to follow the programme designed specifically for them. She checks on whether they are behaving accordingly by secretly trailing them. And I guess as a trained therapist myself, this is where I struggled to suspend my disbelief. This simply wouldn’t happen (here in the UK, anyway, but perhaps it might in the States these days, who knows). The therapist wouldn’t have insurance and imagine how things can go very wrong when you are dealing with the delicate issues of the mind!

This is a well written story and it is put together in a gripping way. The story felt so outside my reality that I could appreciate the writing style but just couldn’t connect with the basic premise of the story. Wherever it was going to end, I struggled to go along for the ride.

There are a good few red herrings, nothing is what it seems and if you don’t get hung up, like I did, on the tenet of the story, then you will certainly be in for an avant-garde ride. Plenty of readers truly loved this novel.

The setting isn’t particularly strong.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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