In D.L. Blanchard’s Blue Moon Bench, the triangle between Jessica, her husband Alex, and his longtime friend Mac shows how quickly trust can twist into betrayal, turning companionship into a dangerous game.

Alex and Mac share more than just professional ties as anthropologists. They share years of history, travel, and discovery. Their friendship is built on common passions, yet it is complicated by something far more personal: Rachel, Alex’s late wife. Her mysterious death haunts both men, but in very different ways. For Alex, Rachel is a memory he cannot fully release. For Mac, she is a wound that festers—part loss, part jealousy, part unresolved desire. Into this tangled web steps Jessica, who becomes both participant and witness to a friendship straining under the weight of secrets.

At first, Mac presents himself as a protector. He warns Jessica of dangers she cannot yet see, hints that Rachel’s death was no accident, and suggests that Alex’s alibi may not be as solid as it seems. His words shake her, but they also leave her uncertain. Is Mac truly looking out for her, or is he using her vulnerability to drive a wedge between husband and wife? The ambiguity is unsettling—much like real life, where not every friend who claims to protect us is free of hidden motives.

Jessica’s struggle is deeply human. Many readers will recognize the unsettling moment when a friend or confidant plants doubt, forcing them to question who they can trust. She wants to believe in her husband’s integrity, yet Mac’s sincerity feels convincing. The very foundation of friendship—trust—becomes the weapon used against her.

The tragedy of this triangle lies in how loyalty collides with resentment. Alex, wrapped in silence about his past, sees Mac as a companion, even if sometimes a difficult one. Mac, however, sees Alex as a rival who has always had the advantage: wealth, love, and recognition. The simmering jealousy underneath their friendship eventually leaks into every word, every sideways glance, every carefully timed comment.

Blanchard captures how fragile friendships can be when tested by grief, love, and ambition. The bond between Alex and Mac might once have been genuine, but the intrusion of Rachel’s death and Jessica’s arrival tips the balance. What was once companionship becomes rivalry, and what was once trust becomes suspicion.

In Blue Moon Bench by D.L. Blanchard, the friendship between Alex, Mac, and Jessica serves as a warning that not all bonds can survive betrayal. It reminds us that friendship, like love, demands honesty—and when honesty is replaced with secrecy, even the strongest ties can snap. For Jessica, the realization that a trusted friend might be an enemy is more than unsettling. It is life-threatening.

Friendship can be a lifeline. But as this story shows, when jealousy, grief, and desire creep in, it can also become the deadliest trap of all.

Click Here to Purchase Blue Moon Bench, a Mystery novel of the southwest