First published 1990
Rob Marshall staggers home with blood on his head, claiming his wife Maria has been brutally killed. The residents of Toms River, New Jersey rally around their golden family. Rob commands respect as the town's successful breadwinner and country club leader. Maria was known for her striking beauty and devotion to their three children. The Marshalls represented everything their community aspired to achieve. But sympathy turns to suspicion as investigators uncover disturbing details. The perfect marriage masks a web of infidelity and financial desperation. Rob's gambling addiction has consumed the family's wealth. His affairs have shattered their domestic facade. Drug connections emerge from the shadows of their privileged life. The town that once celebrated Rob Marshall must confront an ugly truth about their hero. McGinniss exposes how a community's faith in appearances can blind them to the darkness beneath respectability.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Toms River, New Jersey
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · Time Warner Paperbacks
Content warnings: addiction