A Circle of Wives

When I first read this five years ago, I was entranced by the author's descriptions and marveled that she could flip back and forth between POVs so skillfully. I had no idea who the murderer was, and enjoyed the book a ton.
I've uh, discovered a wide variety of books since then (thank you BookTube and Goodreads; you have introduced me to so many amazing books, concepts and people). I remembered a lot from the first read, however, and was eager to read it again. I read it cover to cover and pouted over the fact that it was -predictable- largely. Even if it were my first time reading it, I could have predicted accurately how many of the characters' stories do indeed turn out. That's not a bad thing. Sometimes I really like being able to. show more This time--Deborah and Helen were the strongest characters. I want a novel with Deborah or someone like her, as a detective! show less

I loved Alice LaPlante's award winning debut novel - Turn of Mind. It was a mystery told through the eyes of woman in the clutches of Alzheimer's disease.

Her newest book A Circle of Wives is another mystery that keeps us guessing. Who is telling the truth? Who can be believed?

Renowned and wealthy surgeon Dr. John Taylor is found dead of an apparent heart attack. But when an autopsy reveals suggestions of foul play, the case is handed over to Detective Samantha Adams. This is her first serious case.

The immediate suspect is of course the person closest to the victim - in this case, Taylor's wife Deborah. Or perhaps it's his other wife MJ? When a newspaper runs a story on the doctor's death, that's when MJ discovers Taylor's bigamy. show more And then a third wife pops up.

"What's going on is the inaugural meeting of John Taylor's spouses, says Deborah. Would we qualify as a coven? A harem? What is the term for a group of wives? Circle. We are a circle of wives."

Was it one of his wives who ended Dr. Taylor's life? Which one of them hated Taylor enough to kill him? Did one of the wives suspect he had more than one spouse?

LaPlante tells her story from the viewpoint of each of the wives as well as Samantha, the detective.

LaPlante has written an excellent mystery. But just as good are the character studies of each main player. They all have reasons to want John dead and each has their own secrets to keep. LaPlante fleshes them out, leaving us to ponder just which one of them is capable of murder and cunning enough to get away with it. I quite liked Samantha as a protagonist. Her struggle to be taken seriously, her dogged determination and her own personal life provided a great secondary story line.

Another thoroughly enjoyable read from LaPlante. show less

What a pleasant surprise! Alice LaPlante is able to make a man with three wives (a circle of wives) sympathetic.

LaPlante first asks, who would want to murder this man? The answer seems obvious when it is learned that he had three wives. So the next question is, which wife? As we learn more and more about each wife, the answer to that question is less and less conclusive. All three seem to have motive, and with each chapter, your guess will change.

The majority of A CIRCLE OF WIVES is worthy of a five-star recommendation. So why only four? The ending to this book is lame. That is the biggest reason. Also, though, the chapter near the end in which all the details of the crime are put together is such a disappointment and gives more show more credit to the detective than seems likely.

I enjoyed A CIRCLE OF WIVES; most everyone will. So I feel fortunate to have won the book through goodreads.com. show less

This is not usually the kind of book I would pick up for myself. It was for my Book Club, although I am sort of glad I did read it.

For the most part I found the plot of this book really interesting and found myself wanting to keep turning the page. Getting the point of view of each wife and the detective really helped put everything together while also not making the women out to be monsters. I was so nervous that this book was going to turn into a Lifetime movie type novel but was pleasantly surprised.

My only real complaint is that the ending turned into more of an Agatha Christie novel with how Sam put everything together. There also really isn't any conclusion. It also felt weird that the last chapter focused on a sub plot that show more really took away from figuring out who murdered John Taylor. I understood what the author was trying to say with this but it just left the ending very messy and annoying. show less

"A Circle of Wives" is an entertaining book, almost un-put-downable. A prominent doctor is found dead in a hotel room from an apparent heart attack. His death reveals that he had been living multiple secret lives, with 3 wives in 3 different locations. The book is told from the points of view of each wife, as well as the female police detective in charge of the investigation. Each person has her own personal issues, and it is interesting to hear all of them speak in their own voices. The only part that disappointed me was the end. Almost everything was neatly resolved. Almost. And that's why it wasn't 100% satisfying. It ended with unresolved issues for Samantha the police detective, not so much a cliffhanger as a "why tease the reader show more with that?" I suppose that Alice LaPlante is planning to write another novel with Samantha in it, and in that future novel Samantha's issues will be dealt with at greater length. But I would rather LaPlante had left out that ending part about Samantha and just let me feel satisfied that the case was closed. show less

Lots of twists and turns. You don't find out what really happened to John until the end. John has three wives who don't know about each other until he is murdered. Very well written and interesting.

A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante had such promise, but for this reader, fell flat. The investigation into the death of a prominent, well-respected, philanthropic, reconstructive surgeon that leads to the discovery of his secret, polygamist life should have been an engaging, exciting read, and for a time it was, but then it seemed to lose momentum. Perhaps it was the lack of any real outbursts, neither ones of rage nor heartbreak, or the somewhat unrealistic actions and attitudes of his first legitimate wife. The most likable character is the one character that the reader never hears from, Dr. John Taylor; he is the one that the reader needs to hear from the most. Why would this educated, apparently kindly man do such a thing, and why show more aren't the wives more devastated or enraged? For such an emotional storyline, there is a lack of passion. Yes, the characters were sad and hurt, but in a very mild manner.

I loved the alternating chapters presenting the story from each of the wive's point of view as well as the detective assigned to the case. The mystery surrounding Dr. Taylor's death was also interesting and engaging and enhanced the story by allowing facts to be revealed as the detective uncovers them. But, the ending was not satisfying. show less