Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Happy Marriage by AR Torre Narrator: Paige Reisenfeld, Charlotte Lobdell, Jonathon Davis
Published by Brilliance Audio on June 24, 2025
Genres: Thriller
Length: 7 hours, 28 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
Los Angeles homicide detective Dinah Marino may have a complicated relationship with her family, but her psychiatrist husband, Joe, makes her feel safe, secure, and happy. She couldn’t want for a more loving or trusting man. But throughout their ten-year marriage, she’s been keeping a secret from him—a secret she’d take to the grave.
Dr. Joe Marino loves his wife more than anything in this world, but there are things he’s learned to keep close to the chest. When a missing woman tied to his wife’s latest case is admitted to his hospital, doctor-patient confidentiality lands their marriage on some new and uneven ground.
A Happy Marriage sounded like an interesting setup with Dinah, a detective and her husband Joe, a psychiatrist. With the title, I thought it would have aspects of how they make their careers work and still keep a close relationship. They do that and are successful in their careers but that’s not this story.
We start with Dinah who has a new death, a woman with a terminal disease, Reese. She has a trainee riding with her and she collects the evidence but she says is most likely suicide. The woman’s daughter, Jessica, is also missing. The trainee, Freddy, keeps bringing up aspects to check like insurance policies, etc. Dinah seems overly frustrated at this and always has the information and explains how it doesn’t change her impression about suicide. I felt defensive for Dinah but really, either she is a lousy trainer (she is), or her ego is huge (it is) or she has something to hide (she does).
Dinah focuses a lot on her husband what he expects and what she will tell him. She enjoys their time together, the comfortable things he does for her like making her food or holding her hand. She does things like that for him also. Even with this case going on she heads out for the weekend with Joe to the “cabin.”
I’m not going to spoil the story for you but it is a psychological thriller more than a police procedural. It is a fast track to looney tunes. All three characters felt like the unreliable narrator which is not my favorite thing. It’s a happy ending of sorts, with a definitive ending.
Narration:
The narrators gave us the primary points of view with Dinah, Joe and Jessica. The voices sounded appropriate in tone and I was comfortable enough to stay in the story. The sections of the story were from one of the three’s perspective and that chapter was all voiced by their narrator. I was able to listen at 1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
Now I’m curious. I’m usually not a fan of an unreliable narrator either, but sometimes they can work. Glad to know there was a happy ending, of sorts…
I’m not sorry I read most books. I didn’t like the characters much. It was a fascinating twisty story. It felt like a Ponzi scheme where everything was built on quicksand.
Oh, I love thrillers! I’ll definitely be taking note of this book.
https://embracethepandemonium.wordpress.com/
Thanks for visiting Roxanne. It’s twisty with plenty of unlikable characters.
“…a fast track to looney tunes.” Love that and completely agree, Anne💜
Thank you Jonetta. There were some real twists for sure.
Oh this sounds like an interesting concept. I like the premise. What a challenge for the couple on so many levels.
This was very twisty and the characters were not too likeable.
I like this author a lot!
It was my first try. I have to be careful about psychological thrillers because I don’t like some of them.
Definitely not my type of read as I don’t really enjoy stories about married couples often with my eternally single status, lol. But it sounds like you enjoyed it! Great review!
Thanks. Not all of this type work for me. This couple was bizarre.