The Good Life

When marriage gets in the way of attraction, something’s got to give

Perry Langham grew up an outsider looking in. He wanted to join Manhattan high society, be invited to those parties, wear those clothes, and drive those cars. He is a man with only one endowment, and he pledges to use it to achieve his dream by any means necessary. He finally gets the opportunity he has always wanted when he is swept into the world of millionaire Billy Vernon—a place where anything seems possible.

In order to keep the fun going, Perry marries Billy’s beautiful young daughter Bettina. And that’s when the wheels fall off. Billy can’t reconcile his attraction to young men with his new marriage, and he goes down a dark path from which there may be no return.

Based on the true story of a high-society murder case that drew international attention to its story of shocking crime and outrageous sex, The Good Life is Gordon Merrick’s posthumous final novel, cowritten with his partner, Charles G. Hulse—a fitting cap to an illustrious career.