The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Synopsis
Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple . . . until Marissa cheats. In a desperate attempt to repair her family, Marissa takes a chance on maverick therapist Avery Chambers, who lost her licence due to controversial methods.

If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in ten sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. She helps people overcome everything, from domineering parents to assault. Her successes almost help her absorb the emptiness she feels since her husband’s death.

When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course they never expected. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger. Not all of them are who they seem, and matters are about to turn deadly…

Review
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are now synonymous with tense and addictive psychological thrillers so I was excited to be offered the chance to take part in the blog tour for their new book The Golden Couple. This duo really do put the psychological in psychological thriller, getting into the minds of their characters and creating scintilating plots to their books. The Golden Couple is the story of therapist Avery, and her clients Marissa and Matthew Bishop, seemingly the perfect couple. However behind their polished veneer cracks have appeared in their marriage resulting in an infidelity that threatens to tear them apart. As Avery becomes embroiled in Marissa and Matthew’s lives secrets threaten to put them all in danger. This is a slow burner, that sizzles with suspence and menace.

The Golden Couple is narrated in alternate chapters by Avery and Marissa, giving the dual perspective of the therapist and the client. From the outset we learn that Avery is unorthatdox in her approach as a therapist, with her ten step plan that has seen her struck off as a therapist, so uses the term consultant. Avery is succesful in her work, but maybe lonely in her personal life after being widowed. I found her very personable, thorough in her work, she really cares about her clients even putting herself in danger to help them in soe cases. Marissa is married with the seemingly perfect life, with a wonderful son and a handsome and successful husband, so why would she have a one night affair and risk it all. It is one of those situations where she feels the need to unburden the guilt she feels. I found Marissa and Matthew relatable, both leading busy lives, tryng to juggle work and parenthood whilst leaving little time for themselves as a couple. It is this mundane of life, the pressures of marriage and life that draw you in and make this thriller even more shocking.

The writing of Hendricks and Pekkanen is flawless, in plot construction, characters and prose. They have the ability to get your attention from the first page, and even though this is a slow burner they keep you hooked all the way to the dramatic conclusion. I was completely immersed, taking in each morsel of detail that was slowly revealed, trying to put the clues together as my heartrate rose as I moved towards the conclusion. The dynamic between the characters was mesmerising and as I stated earlier, Hendricks and Pekkanen take the psychological thriller to the next level in their understanding of the human psyche, getting to the nitty gritty of relationships with others and with ourselves; how we lie to make ourselves feel and look better to others.

I highly recommed adding The Golden Couple to your reading list, it is a masterclass in how to write a psychological thriller from Hendricks and Pekkanen. I loved how they drip fed details, adding to the suspense of the plot, and drawing you in to the lives of the characters. There is a sinister element that underpinns the whole book as the secrets and lies of the characters are slowly revealed. Perfectly formed, this is another intelligent and flawless thriller from Hendricks and Pekkanen.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for my invite to be part of the blog tour in return for my honest review.