A Good Marriage

Bestseller McCreight (Reconstructing Amelia) expertly blends domestic drama with a gripping murder mystery. Lizzie Kitsakis, a senior associate at a prestigious Manhattan law firm, receives a phone call while working late one night from Zach Grayson, an old law school friend who’s being held at Rikers for assaulting a police officer. Zach reveals that he’s also the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Amanda, in their swanky Brooklyn brownstone. Insisting that he’s innocent, Zach begs Lizzie to represent him as his defense attorney. Reluctantly, Lizzie takes on the case and soon unravels secrets of childhood abuse found in Amanda’s journals and of a loveless marriage after speaking to Amanda’s circle of neighborhood friends. Meanwhile, Lizzie’s alcoholic husband, Sam, recently had a car accident and must pay a large settlement. The two plots intertwine when Lizzie discovers a missing earring in Sam’s messenger bag that belongs to Amanda. Filled with credible plot twists and realistically flawed characters, McCreight’s page-turner presses readers to question everything they think makes a “good” marriage. This will stay with the reader long after the finish. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, WME. (May)