A Circle of Wives: A Novel Kindle Edition

I enjoyed this book, probably more than most of the other reviewers. The initial surprise of learning about Dr. Taylor's other wives intrigued me, and I was anxious to read on and learn WHO would dare murder this wonderful man who dedicated his work to children. We never "meet" Dr. Taylor because he is dead at the beginning of the book.The author presented her story in the first person, through the eyes of each of Dr. Taylor's wives and Samantha Adams, the investigating officer. The set-up of Dr. Taylor's bigamous life style rang true to me since, years ago, I knew a woman whose sister was married to a bigamist; she tolerated a terrible situation for the support of their children. So this story may seem bizarre to some, but I see a true probability here.All of Dr. Taylor's wives strongly state that they just truly loved him. There is no hatred when Dr. Taylor is murdered and they learn of the con, that they had been lied to and that their marriages (two of them) were never legitimate. Through the wives, we learn of this brilliant doctor's altruism and his kind heart and gentle ways. And it also seems, as we read, that investigator Samantha herself is forming a sort of bond with the mysterious dead Doctor: At one point in the book, she mentions that she could easily imagine herself as Wife Number Four.And I think that Samantha's own hidden thoughts are a clue to the success of this story. Her own passion is sketchily hinted at (but still very intriguing) -- Samantha's own subconscious yearning for a Dr. Taylor in her own life is the ultimate twist. She pursues this case with a vigor that exceeds her supervisor's approval. She damages and ultimately ruins her own relationship with Peter, the man she lives with, the man who wants to marry her--the man to whom she admits NOT being in love with him. I saw a shadowy side of Samantha, vaguely expressed, that was more in love with Dr. Taylor than could she ever be with Peter.The ending is intriguing as well. It's a dream of Samantha's...a dream about Dr. Taylor. And those last words! WHAT was her Dr. Taylor telling her? What does Samantha really deserve at the end of the investigation--after she has ruined her situation with Peter?A most fascinating study and a good mystery too! Recommend!

Alice LaPlant is a good writer who can interest a reader in the first few pages of a book. I was hooked right away when I realized the story is told from the point of view of four different women in each chapter. The story revolves around John Taylor who is a respected doctor who does plastic surgery on children who are deformed in some way. Three of the women are his wives and the fourth is the detective investigating his death. No, John Taylor is not a man who has sister wives living in the same house.The story is well crafted with interesting characters who are not your average people. There are several unexpected twists and three quarters of the way through the story I still didn't know who killed John Taylor. My favorite character is Samantha Adams the detective who won't give up. She is young,smart and delighted to be taken out of burglary division to head up this case. There is a weird dream at the end of the book I didn't understand and that is why I gave the book a four star rating.

This author must have a fabulous publicist! There has been a lot of buzz about this book and it sounded really great. Sadly, it falls very short. I did finish it, but before I was very long into it, there was sort of a "so what?" feeling.None of the characters are likeable so it's hard to warm up to them. Even the female detective (Sam) who is investigating the doctor's death is a mess. There doesn't seem to be any part of her life that is working. She has bounced around careers...even went into law enforcement because she saw a sign in the police department that they were hiring. Her live-in boyfriend treats her with what I considered verbal abuse. So as she investigates the three women married to the same doctor, her disdain for them seems hypocritical.By the end of the book, Sam says that she, too, could have fallen for John Taylor but part of the issue I have is that it is not really clear WHY any of these women wanted him. His first wife liked the status but she talks of him with disgust and even helped arrange the details of his marrying other women. He is described (by the women who supposedly loved him) as controlling, demanding, overweight and not very attractive. Go figure.It seemed like the author was trying to find a way to tie it all up so she introduces a FOURTH woman into the equation...not a wife but a fiancée. Yikes. And then the ending (and reveal of the murderer) is complicated and stretches credibility.If you see the publicity about this book you'll probably be tempted to buy it. Hope you like it better than I did!

The first part of the book we get through Samantha, the detective, the author's Social Justice point of view. I’m not interested in these issues when I’m reading a mystery novel. Rex Stout, Christie, Wodehouse don’t let their POV contain social justice issues. Tell the story without editorial comments. Publishers and editorsPul-leeze, winnow out the extraneous to the story personal opinions of the author. A true mystery reader isn’t interested in reading that sort of content. The author also tries using folksy saying interspersed in the book. Like my grandmother used to say, "butter my butt and call it a biscuit." Seriously? There are several plot line discrepancies such as Helen being lured into a serious conversation with the stranger next store who is a not very well disguised reporter. The "typist" is getting a scoop on Helen's story. Another annoying plot line is the author letting the reader know she has a college education. She does this by dropping in quotes from English 101 class. I read up to chapter 45 when I perceived the story was not moving along and basically going nowhere. I read the final chapters where Sam, just couldn’t let the case go because it didn’t seem right. I’m very sorry I wasted $2 on this not very well written mystery. I use the term mystery, advisedly.

I love the way Alice writes. Really intriguing story!

I suspected the ending just because of the characters sensibilities but the ending still took me by surprise.a good read