Sunday Times bestseller
The Marriage Pact
A heart-stopping psychological thriller about a secret marriage society. Available in 31 languages.
“A tense, twisting, quirky novel of growing dread—and a love story with a richly imagined relationship between a wife and husband.”
Dean Koontz, #1 New York Times bestselling author
About the Book
Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.
The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter . . .
Never mention The Pact to anyone.
Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples. And then one of them breaks the rules.
The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.
Read a Sample
Chapter One
The Marriage Pact
By Michelle Richmond
I come to on a Cessna, bumping through the air. My head is throbbing, and there is blood on my shirt. I have no idea how much time has passed. I look at my hands, expecting to see restraints, but there are none. Just an ordinary seatbelt looped around my waist. Who strapped me in? I don’t even remember boarding the plane.
Through the open door of the cockpit, I see the back of the pilot’s head. It’s just the two of us. There is snow in the mountains, wind buffeting the plane. The pilot seems completely focused on his controls, shoulders tense.
I reach up and touch my head. The blood has dried, leaving a sticky mess. My stomach rumbles. The last thing I ate was the French toast. How long ago was that? On the seat beside me, I find water and a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. I open the bottle and drink.
I unwrap my sandwich—ham and Swiss—and take a bite. Shit. My jaw hurts too much to chew. Someone must have punched me in the face after I hit the ground.
“Are we going home?” I ask the pilot.
“Depends on what you call home. We’re headed to Half Moon Bay.”
“They didn’t tell you anything about me?”
“First name, destination, that’s about it. I’m just a taxi driver, Jake.”
“But you’re a member, right?”
“Sure,” he says, his tone unreadable. “Fidelity to the Spouse, Loyalty to The Pact. Till death do us part.” He turns back just long enough to give me a look that warns me not to ask any more questions.
We hit an air pocket so hard my sandwich goes flying. An urgent beeping erupts. The pilot curses and frantically pushes buttons. He shouts something to air traffic control. We’re descending fast, and I’m clutching the armrests, thinking of Alice, going over our final conversation, wishing I’d said so many things.
Then, suddenly, the plane levels out, we gain altitude, and all appears to be well. I gather the pieces of my sandwich from the floor, wrap the whole mess back up in the wax paper, and set it on the seat beside me.
“Sorry for the turbulence,” the pilot says.
“Not your fault. Good save.”
Over sunny Sacramento, he finally relaxes, and we talk about the Golden State Warriors and their surprising run this season.
“What day is it?” I ask.
“Tuesday.”
I’m relieved to see the familiar coastline out my window, grateful for the sight of the little Half Moon Bay Airport. The landing is smooth. Once we touch down, the pilot turns and says, “Don’t make it a habit, right?”
“Don’t plan to.”
I grab my bag and step outside. Without killing the engines, the pilot closes the door, swings the plane around, and takes off again.
I walk into the airport café, order hot chocolate, and text Alice. It’s two p.m. on a weekday, so she’s probably embroiled in a thousand meetings. I don’t want to bother her, but I really need to see her.
A text reply arrives. Where are you?
Back in HMB.
Will leave in 5.
It’s more than twenty miles from Alice’s office to Half Moon Bay. She texts about traffic downtown, so I order food, almost the whole left side of the menu. The café is empty. The perky waitress in the perfectly pressed uniform hovers. When I pay the check, she says, “Have a good day, Friend.”
I go outside and sit on a bench to wait. It’s cold, the fog coming down in waves. By the time Alice’s old Jaguar pulls up, I’m frozen. I stand up, and as I’m checking to make sure I have everything, Alice walks over to the bench. She’s wearing a serious suit, but she has changed out of heels into sneakers for the drive. Her black hair is damp in the fog. Her lips are dark red, and I wonder if she did this for me. I hope so.
She rises on her tiptoes to kiss me. Only then do I realize how desperately I’ve missed her. Then she steps back and looks me up and down.
“At least you’re in one piece.” She reaches up and touches my jaw gently. “What happened?”
“Not sure.”
I wrap my arms around her.
“So why were you summoned?”
There’s so much I want to tell her, but I’m scared. The more she knows, the more dangerous it will be for her. Also, let’s face it, the truth is going to piss her off.
What I’d give to go back to the beginning—before the wedding, before Finnegan, before The Pact turned our lives upside down.
Praise
“Riveting psychological suspense.”
Lisa Gardner, NYT bestselling author of Find Her“A brilliant premise for a novel of psychological suspense, tautly plotted and deftly written.”
JP Delaney, NYT bestselling author of The Girl Before“Truly chilling… it ranks with The Stepford Wives and Gone Girl.”
Joseph Finder, NYT bestselling author of Guilty Minds“Strong writing, intriguing characters, and a compelling conceit.”
Library Journal, starred review“Michelle Richmond is, simply put, a great storyteller. And The Marriage Pact, without gimmick or tricks, is a twisting, suspenseful, keep-you-up-all-night thriller.”
Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author
Recognition
A Sunday Times bestseller and winner of the Palle Rosenkrantz Prize for the best crime novel published in Denmark, the Audiofile Earphones Award, an Indie Next pick, an Entertainment Weekly “Must List” pick, and a Richard & Judy Book Club pick.
“Set in Silicon Valley, in a world of privilege driven by exclusivity, The Marriage Pact is a break-neck thriller to match Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.”
Kepler’s, Menlo Park
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Subscribe on SubstackPraise for The Marriage Pact
“First class suspense! You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.”
Paula Daly, author of The Mistake I Made“A pace page-turner of a novel…grippingly thought provoking.”
Richard & Judy Book Club, UK“A standout summer read. Think Stephen King’s story ‘Quitters Inc.,’ but for marriage. Richmond expertly keeps the suspense at a can’t-stop-reading pace…”
The Charlotte Observer“This fast-paced nail-biter goes in unpredictable directions…recommended as a fresh voice for readers of Gillian Flynn or Ruth Ware.”
Library Journal, starred review“A high-concept, fast-moving thriller…a gripping and intriguing read.”
The Sunday Mirror“An original premise…gripping to the end.”
The Sun“Creepy and engrossing.”
Booklist“Thought-provoking, trippy, and tense.”
The Parkersburg News & Sentinel“Pacey, well-written, and refreshingly unique, this is a very smart thriller.”
Isabelle Broom for Heat Magazine, UK“The Marriage Pact is a quintessential page turner; there’s an incipient sense of dread from word one.”
Janet Webb for Criminal Element“THE MARRIAGE PACT doubles down on the promise of Richmond’s previous works in a tale that is by turns cautionary, parabolic and metaphoric.”
Joe Hartlaub for Bookreporter“A fast-paced, intelligent book…a genuine thriller.”
Don Noble for Alabama Public Radio“A deep, insightful, nearly voyeuristic view into the modern marriage…a smart, engrossing, scary read!”
Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter“‘Till death do us part’ takes on an entirely scary new meaning when newlyweds Jake and Alice join a cultish group whose shared mission is to uphold the sanctity of marriage.”
Darcy Jacobs for Family Circle“Truly chilling…it ranks with The Stepford Wives and Gone Girl as a terrifying look at what it really means to say ‘I do.'”
Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Guilty Minds“An absolutely riveting, spine-tingling and frightening read. A roller-coaster of a novel, an audacious mix of a high-concept thriller with gorgeous writing.”
Karen Perry, bestselling author of Girl Unknown“Every page of The Marriage Pact hummed with suspense. A daringly original novel about the best and worst of love.”
Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret“Clever and original…as smart as it is scary.”
Gin Phillips, bestselling author of Fierce Kingdom“This sometimes disturbing, always thought-provoking, stunner of a novel will keep you reading far too late into the night.”
Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s DaughterPraise for The Marriage Pact
“First class suspense! You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.”
Paula Daly, author of The Mistake I Made“A pace page-turner of a novel…grippingly thought provoking.”
Richard & Judy Book Club, UK“A standout summer read. Think Stephen King’s story ‘Quitters Inc.,’ but for marriage. Richmond expertly keeps the suspense at a can’t-stop-reading pace…”
The Charlotte Observer“This fast-paced nail-biter goes in unpredictable directions…recommended as a fresh voice for readers of Gillian Flynn or Ruth Ware.”
Library Journal, starred review“A high-concept, fast-moving thriller…a gripping and intriguing read.”
The Sunday Mirror“An original premise…gripping to the end.”
The Sun“Creepy and engrossing.”
Booklist“Thought-provoking, trippy, and tense.”
The Parkersburg News & Sentinel“Pacey, well-written, and refreshingly unique, this is a very smart thriller.”
Isabelle Broom for Heat Magazine, UK“The Marriage Pact is a quintessential page turner; there’s an incipient sense of dread from word one.”
Janet Webb for Criminal Element“THE MARRIAGE PACT doubles down on the promise of Richmond’s previous works in a tale that is by turns cautionary, parabolic and metaphoric.”
Joe Hartlaub for Bookreporter“A fast-paced, intelligent book…a genuine thriller.”
Don Noble for Alabama Public Radio“A deep, insightful, nearly voyeuristic view into the modern marriage…a smart, engrossing, scary read!”
Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter“‘Till death do us part’ takes on an entirely scary new meaning when newlyweds Jake and Alice join a cultish group whose shared mission is to uphold the sanctity of marriage.”
Darcy Jacobs for Family Circle“Truly chilling…it ranks with The Stepford Wives and Gone Girl as a terrifying look at what it really means to say ‘I do.'”
Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Guilty Minds“An absolutely riveting, spine-tingling and frightening read. A roller-coaster of a novel, an audacious mix of a high-concept thriller with gorgeous writing.”
Karen Perry, bestselling author of Girl Unknown“Every page of The Marriage Pact hummed with suspense. A daringly original novel about the best and worst of love.”
Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret“Clever and original…as smart as it is scary.”
Gin Phillips, bestselling author of Fierce Kingdom“This sometimes disturbing, always thought-provoking, stunner of a novel will keep you reading far too late into the night.”
Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter