A Circle of Wives

When a prominent plastic surgeon is found dead in a hotel room, Detective Samantha Adams discovers he led a complex double life - he was married to three different women in three different cities. The investigation brings her face-to-face with these wives who knew nothing of each other's existence. Each wife represents a different facet of Dr. John Taylor's life: Helen the society wife, MJ the accountant, and Deborah the oncologist. Through alternating perspectives, their individual relationships with Taylor come into focus as Detective Adams works to determine if his death was murder. The investigation exposes the mechanisms of deception and self-deception, as Detective Adams must untangle not only the circumstances of Taylor's death but also the web of relationships he maintained. The story moves between past and present, examining how these intelligent women could find themselves in such an unthinkable situation. At its core, this psychological suspense novel explores questions of identity, marriage, and how well we can truly know another person. The book challenges assumptions about relationships and considers what people will believe when they want to believe it.

Readers found this mystery suspenseful but somewhat predictable, with strong character development of the three wives but a resolution that many felt fell flat. The psychological aspects and complex relationships between the women drew readers in more than the murder investigation itself. Liked: - Deep exploration of marriage and relationships - Multiple narrative perspectives that reveal different truths - Strong character development, especially of the wives - Fast-paced opening chapters Disliked: - Predictable ending - Detective character feels underdeveloped - Middle section drags - Some plot points strain credibility Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (11,000+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (450+ ratings) Common reader comments mention being "hooked by the premise but let down by the resolution" and that "the wives' stories were more compelling than the actual mystery." Several note they "figured out the killer early on" but kept reading to learn more about the complex characters.

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🔍 Author Alice LaPlante taught creative writing at both Stanford University and San Francisco State University for over 20 years before becoming a full-time novelist. 📚 The book explores polyandry (one woman married to multiple men), which is one of the rarest forms of marriage globally, practiced by less than 1% of societies worldwide. 💑 The novel was partly inspired by real-life cases of bigamy, including that of Thomas Randolph, who married six times and was investigated for the deaths of multiple wives. 🏆 LaPlante's previous psychological thriller, "Turn of Mind," won the Wellcome Trust Book Prize and was the first work of fiction to receive this prestigious award. 🔮 Each wife in the story represents a different archetype of femininity common in noir fiction: the society wife, the earth mother, and the career woman—but LaPlante deliberately subverts these traditional stereotypes throughout the novel.