The Golden Cage

A Novel

By: Camilla Läckberg, Neil Smith - translator

Narrated by: Ann Richardson

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

An over-the-top psychological thriller that tells the story of the scorned wife of a billionaire and her delicious plot to get revenge and bring him to his knees—a "sexy, deliciously dark journey" (Los Angeles Times) from a global superstar.

Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school. Jack, the perpetual golden boy, grew up wealthy, unlike Faye, who has worked hard to bury a dark past. When Jack needed help launching a new company, Faye left school to support him, waitressing by day and working as his strategist by night. When the business took off, Faye stayed home and cared for their daughter.

Now, she is wealthier than she ever imagined, but more and more removed from the excitement of the business world. And none of the perks of wealth make up for the fact that Jack has begun to treat her coldly. When Faye discovers that he's having an affair, the polished façade of their life cracks wide open. Faye is alone, emotionally shattered, and financially devastated—but hell hath no fury like a woman with a violent past bent on vengeance. Jack is about to get exactly what he deserves—and so much more. In this splashy, electrifying story of sex, betrayal, and secrets, a woman's revenge is a brutal but beautiful thing.

©2020 Camilla Läckberg and Neil Smith (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A Parade Best Book of the Summer
An O Magazine Best Book of the Summer
A Glamour Best Book of 2020
A PopSugar Most Anticipated Book of the Year

"The Golden Cage is a fast-paced psychological thriller about betrayal, sex, money, and a scorned wife’s revenge à la Gone Girl."— Dana Vogel, Buzzfeed

"The doyenne of Swedish crime fiction serves up a propulsive tale of a scorned woman who seeks to crush the husband who betrayed her and gets back at him by surreptitiously stealing his multimillion-dollar company out from under him. There’s enough haute couture, Cava, and hot sex to sate a devotee of romance fiction, but the real satisfaction comes in watching our heroine reclaim her fierceness.”— O Magazine

"At long last, the thriller genre is serving up a novel that truly deserves to be mentioned alongside Gone Girl. Camilla Läckberg's The Golden Cage is a riveting story of female revenge that centers on Faye, the wife of a billionaire who brings her husband to his knees after she discovers his infidelity.”— PopSugar

Don’t fall for the first impression you get of Faye. Wait for it.

It seems like this author was inspired by all of the domestic thrillers that have been coming from the US and U.K. over the past few years.

I’ve read reviews in which people complained about Faye- I tried not to read too many reviews because people were giving too many details and I wanted to enjoy the story.

I had some trouble understanding the dynamic between Faye and, well, everyone. It was confusing as we were introduced to a woman not dissimilar to the first Mrs. Parish (The Last Mrs. Parish) I can’t recall the wife’s name... but I am referring to the type of woman who discovers the man she married is different than the man she has fallen in love with etc...

Oh and in my opinion there were too many erotic scenes. Kinda cringeworthy...
I’ll just make this simple:
Not every woman is a victim.
Not ever woman is virtuous and compassionate.
Not every woman has to be a heroine.
Some women are Antiheroes

Too much gratuitous sex, not enough character development

I was disappointed with this book - the writing was even quite cheesy much of the time. Maybe something was lost in the translation to English? Poor character development and WAY TOO much gratuitous sex! Detailed sex scenes for no apparent reason. I'm not a prude, but the narrator's frequent use and tone of voice when throwing out the F-bombs was just plain gross! For the first time in a very long time, I feel like my time was wasted!

revenge is sweet!

“The Golden Cage” by Swedish author Camilla Lackberg, is an amusing story of female revenge. For all you women who have been burned by a male lover (not only divorced women), this is a satisfying story. I doubt this novel was written with men readers in mind.

The story opens with Faye’s (the protagonist) discovery from the police that her ex-husband has most likely killed her daughter, Julienne. Lackberg choses two-time frames to tell her story. In current time, Lackberg tells Faye’s story in first person. We learn of her marriage to Jack and how she became a prisoner in a golden cage. Yes, she had money and all that money can buy, but her husband is controlling, cruel, and a cheat.

Nest we learn of young Faye. This is in second person. She is strong and independent. Only one event warns the reader of Faye’s capability for revenge.

This is a fun romp., although the sex scenes were a bit much for this 62-year-old woman LOL. I don’t think some of the financial events or legal events are realistic fiction. But the revenge portion is something that every scorned gal out there has at least dreamed of. I would have loved to have read this after one of those degrading breakups. It’s not reality, but it’s fun to dream.

I listened to the audio production narrated by Ann Richardson. Richardson did a fine job.

Page turner!

While the introduction was a bit startling (😅) , I was really intrigued. The golden cage did not disappoint. I think I listened to it within a few days, I was hooked! I can’t wait to discuss it at my book club. The main character had many sides which I enjoyed. I also liked the inside look at the Swedish, upper class lifestyle. I look forward to more from this author!

Disappointing

**SPOILER ALERT** I was really excited to read this because it was recommended. The book portrays the main character as the victim, which is hard to swallow in light of what she does to the one guy in the story who actually seems to love her. Also, her plot for revenge was a little over the top. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it just never did. Overall, this just didn’t work for me.

Hang in there, it gets better

I almost quit listening to this book. I absolutely hated the main character, her idiocy and weakness. It was the most absurd character, but I trudged on. The story was interesting and she eventually became slightly more tolerable, but I still disliked her even when she pulled herself together. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, the suspense and the narration was fantastic. Don’t give up. Get over the hump and you’ll be satisfied.

So Good!

This book held my attention the whole way through ( my main barometer for reviews!). Towards the end I couldn't wait to get back to it and sometimes I would just sit in my car and listen! I was hesitant about this one because I've read some reviews that made the abuse sound horrifying. Dont get me wrong, he is awful; A narcissistic SOB! But in the Domestic Thriller Universe, it wasn't that bad!

Absolutely wonderful book!

I couldn't stop listening! The author kept me intrigued the whole time. I enjoyed the narration also.

What a Ride!

This is a fantasy, in a good way. If you can suspend disbelief, go for the ride. The plot is farfetched in what the protagonist accomplishes is such a short time, but if it WAS possible, WOW! So that makes it fun. I don't think the sex was gratuitous at all, I think if fit the characters perfectly and the author didn't shy away from showing it in realistic terms. Although the plot is out there, she addresses some very real situations women find themselves in and it's worth reading for that. The characterizations were good but the author needed to do certain things to make the plot work. This took place in Sweden but it seems universal.

outstanding mystery. hurray for strong women

I couldn't wait to get in my car to listen. I needed to know what happened next. some Swedish words were unknown, but the story was gripping. Narrator perfect