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A review by daniellecherny
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Lizzie Kitsakis was once an exceedingly intelligent, well-respected federal prosecutor, but cracks in her marriage forced her to leave her dream job and take a position as a well-paid defense attorney. Lizzie spent her law school years dreaming of protecting the innocent, but until she repairs the damage to her marriage—and overcomes the financial ramifications of one drunken mistake—she is forced to defend the guilty. While eagerly gluing together the pieces of her shattered personal life, she receives a call from Zach, a close friend from law school she hasn't seen in years.
Zach Grayson is desperate for Lizzie's help. An inmate at Rikers, he has been charged with assaulting a police officer at the crime scene where his wife, Amanda, was murdered. Believing Zach is the murderer, the judge agrees to hold him without granting bail, but Zach swears he's innocent—and Lizzie trusts him, choosing to believe the friend she grew close to couldn't possibly be the monster who committed such a horrific attack.
But the longer Lizzie is on the case, the more dirty secrets she discovers. Everyone in Amanda's social circle is hiding something, from Zach to their friends to Amanda herself. Unable to stop until she proves her friend's innocence, it takes no time at all for Lizzie to become a victim herself, but this time, she might not be smart or savvy enough to free herself from the grave she has dug while searching for the truth.
Seamlessly threaded together, story lines seeping with red herrings, A Good Marriage is quite the ambitious feat, but the author handles each chapter with enviable ease. The story is told in four parts: Lizzie's point of view (POV), Amanda's POV during the days leading up to her death, transcripts from the grand jury testimony, and confidential reports from a security analytics company.
A perfect combination of domestic suspense and legal thriller, A Good Marriage should be on everyone's summer reading list. This one has everything you could want in an unputdownable story: an immersive plot, questionable characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.
Zach Grayson is desperate for Lizzie's help. An inmate at Rikers, he has been charged with assaulting a police officer at the crime scene where his wife, Amanda, was murdered. Believing Zach is the murderer, the judge agrees to hold him without granting bail, but Zach swears he's innocent—and Lizzie trusts him, choosing to believe the friend she grew close to couldn't possibly be the monster who committed such a horrific attack.
But the longer Lizzie is on the case, the more dirty secrets she discovers. Everyone in Amanda's social circle is hiding something, from Zach to their friends to Amanda herself. Unable to stop until she proves her friend's innocence, it takes no time at all for Lizzie to become a victim herself, but this time, she might not be smart or savvy enough to free herself from the grave she has dug while searching for the truth.
Seamlessly threaded together, story lines seeping with red herrings, A Good Marriage is quite the ambitious feat, but the author handles each chapter with enviable ease. The story is told in four parts: Lizzie's point of view (POV), Amanda's POV during the days leading up to her death, transcripts from the grand jury testimony, and confidential reports from a security analytics company.
A perfect combination of domestic suspense and legal thriller, A Good Marriage should be on everyone's summer reading list. This one has everything you could want in an unputdownable story: an immersive plot, questionable characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.