Wealth. Marriages teetering on the edge. And desperate decisions.

There's something uniquely satisfying about watching people who have it all discover that money can't save them from themselves.

Give me a gorgeous setting, seemingly happy couples, and the potential to ruin each other, and I'm in.

It's why I fell madly in love with books like Big Little Lies and TV shows like The White Lotus. Beneath the privilege and gorgeous scenery are people dealing with the same problems the rest of us have: jealousy, marriage troubles, ambition, resentment, betrayal, and fear.

They just get to fall apart somewhere regular people can only dream of seeing.

If that's your particular reading weakness too, here are some books to try.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Obviously, this is the book to start with, since it's the book that started the domestic thriller genre. Nobody can do little social observations that make you laugh and cringe at the same time like Ms. Moriarty.

Big Little Lies gives us women-centered stories about motherhood, marriages, friendship, status, secrets, and a death hanging over everything—and makes us desperate to find out who dies.

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

 If envy, wealth, and social climbing are on your list of must-haves, The Last Mrs. Parrish is for you.

The glamorous marriage at the centre of the story looks very different depending on who is looking at it—and, as with most good domestic suspense, knowing more doesn't necessarily mean understanding everything.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 Sally Hepworth is particularly good at taking ordinary domestic relationships and turning the pressure up until you're desperate to know what these people aren't saying.

The Soulmate begins with a marriage, a beautiful home and a death, then gradually makes you reconsider what you thought you understood about all three.

Hepworth's emotional storytelling, complicated women, and suspense make her one of my favourite authors to recommend.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Remote island wedding? Check.

Loads of glamor? Check.

Ensemble cast of characters with old resentments and dangerous secrets? Obviously.

The Guest List is perfect for those who love the closed-circle mysteries in places you'd be dying to visit.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

The Club takes us inside an elite members-only world populated by the rich and famous, where ambition, status, and secrecy don't exactly mix.

It's the perfect reminder that the more carefully controlled an image appears to be, the more delicious it is when the truth starts to show through.

The Awful Truth by Melanie Summers

 Okay, I had to do it. (You know...since it's my blog and all.)

Three sinfully rich couples board a luxury yacht for a week on the Adriatic during a heat wave. They're the kind of rich where the rules don't apply and problems tend to magically disappear.

Antonia and Ted, who have built a global brand around their supposedly perfect relationship, can barely stand one another. Mercy has spent years saving her powerful husband from the consequences of his behaviour. Winslow is hiding something that could destroy his career, while his husband, Miguel, has news of his own that could end their marriage.

The first night, juicy gossip flows as quickly as the drinks.

When they wake, they realize the problem with saying too much on a yacht is that you can't escape each other in the morning. 

By the third day, one marriage is as good as over. One guest is desperate enough to do something irreversible. And Mercy is realizing the man she loved was all for show—and the man she fears is who he really is.

Before any of them set foot on solid ground again, one of them will be dead in the water.

Privilege has protected them from consequences for years. But desperation can make even very comfortable people do terrible things.

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

A spectacular wedding on Nantucket, a powerful, wealthy family, and a body discovered just when the celebration is about to begin.

Elin Hilderbrand's murder mystery is full of family secrets and people desperately attempting to maintain appearances. Because people who have a lot, also have a lot to lose.

Check out these great titles, and my first book in the Glass Houses Collection, Until the Truth Comes Out. It's a story about the rise and fall of one of the biggest rock bands in history. It's also about the women who loved them, who fell and then rose. 

Until next time, I wish you all the best,

mel