Thank you to @netgalley and Midnight Ink for this free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was only three stars for me... I disliked the characters and there was no character development at all and even though I loved the writing I can't justify a higher rating
🔸I really loved the writing and the way I was hooked throughout the story
🔸I really didn't like any of the characters...
🔸The characters I thought were going to be good turned out bad and I honestly don't really know how I feel about it - it was a gripping story but there was just too much plotting for my liking, there was entirely a lot less truth than I wanted
🔸I didn't like the epilogue - that doesn't sit well with me at all

I got into this story right off the bat, but then it started to lose me to where I forwarded right to the end. It was just too predictable.
The story surrounds Marlena, a young poor but beautiful girl who runs away from home in order to try to make it rich by modeling. Along the way she meets Michael Durst, a wealthy businessman, ala "Christian Grey' type. Of course Marlena falls prey to Mr. Durst, eventually becoming his wife.
Where the story lost me was when I read how everyone told Marlena exactly what type of man Michael was (controlling, egotistical, violent) but she continued to ignore their warnings. It just started going the route of every other story of marital abuse to where I felt like I was reading a book I had already read. I felt like Marlena was made to just be this stupid girl who put money and power above her own safety and well being. I hated that she was made to be so powerless and dumb. Save your money. Just watch an episode of SVU or something instead. Same concept

I really enjoyed this book. It is not very "realistic", but it was a dark, enjoyable read. I liked the revenge aspect of it. I liked Marlena just for the simple fact she felt the need to avenge her old friend. It made me root for her. I think this is a great beach read for summer.

Wow, it seems like people either love or hate this book?!? I thought it was clever. Did it have some questionable happenings? Sure, but it’s fiction!

I knew why this was happening right from the beginning. If read a lot of thrillers then you will too. It didn’t distract me from wanting to see how the story would play out.

There are a lot of reviews that also talk about the sex in the book. I didn’t find it over the top, or dwelled upon really. Did it add much to the story? Not really, but it didn’t detract anything from it on my end anyway.

Probably my biggest issue with the book was the “swan song” at the end. It wasn’t necessary and took away from the story in my opinion. Regardless, I was very entertained by this book and would definitely read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Midnight Ink for a copy in exchange for a review.

From the blurb, I thought this book was about a young woman who was plucked from obscurity by an older, more sophisticated, wealthy man who turned out to be an abuser and then the young woman would rescue herself from the situation and take him down in the process. In reality, this book was anything but that. The main character, Marlena reveals about halfway through that she sought him out to avenge the first Mrs. Durst whom she knew as a sister even though she only lived with Marlena's family for a few years. Somehow, from a postcard sent by this sister saying her life was wonderful, Marlena gleans that Michael Durst was an abusive monster who arranged for the deaths of his first two wives. She grows up in some tiny little town in Kentucky where birth records are not really kept, but the public library has an ancient computer with an internet connection where she parlays her eighth grade education into learning all she can about this man before running off to Nashville of all places to become a model and catch his eye and then get revenge.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. Unfortunately, the story was too implausible, the characters were flat and the motivation for all of it was never clearly defined. Maybe if Marlena had a collection of letters sent home from Dee which detailed how she ended up being married to this man and the terror that ensued it would have added to the story. Other than the fact that he knows shady people and hires out his abuse, Michael is a paper doll cut out of a villain.

I think I kept reading in the hopes that the author would somehow save this story with a good flashback or something, but that never happened.

This is similar to The Last Mrs Parrish. That was my favourite book of all time. The third mrs Durst is a fascinating insight into hillbilly America, which I would now like to know more about. The sign of a good book is one which awakens your curiosity. The title is clever and the characters are well rounded, deep and multi-layered. The relationship between Marlena, Vin and Jenny is pure and erotic in its context which is a testament to the authors excellent character development. Excellent book

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for honest review.

I thought this sounded like it would be very good, but, honestly,I didn't like it very much. They was no attachment to the main character. She wasn't very likeable. I think if the author had gone into her past in more depth, and explained in more detail the relationship with Durst and Deb, there would have been more empathy for Marlena. And she seemed, in some ways, like she was a bad as him. The ending had a little twist to it, but almost like, really? Too much too late and not really surprising.

The Third Mrs. Durst is diabolical- the first Mrs. Durst and the second Mrs. Durst are dead.

Very suspenseful novel, with of course a twist that I won’t reveal here. Of course, Mr. Durst is the villain, but what about the third Mrs. Durst, who, at first, comes across as sweet and naive?

Nothing is quite as it seems in this novel - exactly how I like it!

“Some people just need killing.”.... yeah, with an opener like that, you know where this one is headed. Excellent character development, even better plot, with corners and turns you may see coming, but have no idea where they lead until you arrive. I could not put this one down, lost many hours of sleep, and it was worth every word. I thoroughly enjoyed Aguirre/Marlena’s voice- she is sarcastic, witty and refreshing, this was a twisted, suspenseful and satisfying story that you have to read.

The Third Mrs. Durst by, Ann Aguirre is a fast moving, well written Mystery Thriller. I consider it a definite 4 star book. I was completely hooked by the time I had finished the second paragraph. The characters fascinated me with their back stories. I always seem to love stories that contain narcissistic, abusive, and psychopathic men. Thank goodness I didn’t marry one. I am so grateful for NetGalley for allowing me the
privilege of reading a copy of this mesmerizing book in exchange for my truthful review.

Marlena grew up in a redneck backwoods country to a mother who likes to have male acquaintances and sometimes neglected her children. Her older sister Dee made it out, and now it's Marlena's turn as it's now or never. Marlena buys a bus ticket and hightails it out of the country to New York. World of opportunities. Here she meets a friend Jenny, and the two become close. At the cafe they work at, they heard of a guy who scouts for talent and models. Marlena gets herself noticed by him, and along with Jenny as they are a twofer, their lives start to change . Marlena being the more attractive finds her career soaring and fast too. This leads her to go overseas and to become a big name and to put her in the eye of Michael Durst. He is the one everyone wants, the big cheese and being with Michael for models is a dream come true. The thing though is the Cinderella fairytale life comes with a hefty price tag that no money can buy as Marlena is about to discover in the form of complete control and abuse. During the book, Marlena does research and finds that the previous two Mrs. Durst's died after a short time being married to Marlena and when it looks like someone else has Michael's interest, Marlena knows it's only a matter of time for her. With the help of Vince and Jenny and a newfound friend, Marlena will try to bring Michael down once and for all before she ends up being another casualty. I did like the twist of this book when we discovered the workings of Marlena's brain and her connection to the previous Mrs. Durst.
This was also a new step for Ann Aguirre as she is more known for her YA Dystopian books and I have to admit as a thriller/mystery fan she did an excellent job with The Third Mrs. Durst.

I went back and forth with how I felt about this book. There times I thought it was going to be excellent, and times I thought it was average. Ultimately, I decided on a 3 star rating, as I found this book to be a mediocre telling of a tired story.

The first 20 percent of the book didn't satisfy me. There was very little buildup to explain Marlena's decision to marry Durst, and there was very little buildup to Durst's true evil character. Then, right around 20 percent into it, the character's motivations are explained. I flipped back in the book and realized I missed some clues meant to explain Marlena's actions. I was all in at that point, eager to find out what would happen.

I loved that Marlena starts out as a poor, country girl who's pretty enough to twirl men around her finger, but vulnerable enough to be used and abused along the way. She's not perfect, but she's desperate to escape the crap life she's been given. She decides to use her looks and her perceived vulnerability to advantage. She has a plan. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned who has a plan!

However, and I hate to write this, this book didn't hold my interest consistently. The author doesn't give us much to hold onto. I wasn't rooting for Marlena as much as I should have, especially in light of the stupid, reckless decisions she made along the way. And the middle of the book is literally just Marlena waiting it out, keeping the reader hostage with her while she waits. So little really happens to keep the reader interested.

The end of the book enraged me. It's hard to not spoil this part, but it's the part that most deserves criticism. If Marlena was so smart, with SUCH a cunning plan, why did she ultimately decide on such a ridiculous course of action? She only got lucky that her dumb decision didn't kill her. Maybe the author intended to imply to the reader that Marlena KNEW she would not be killed, but with a first person narrative, that simply doesn't work.

A true page-turner, The Third Mrs. Durst is a fast-paced domestic thriller.
Michael Durst is a rich, controlling and abusive husband. His wife Marlena seemed to walk willingly into this horrible marriage and plays the part of the submissive wife. Does she have a plan to put a stop to the abuse from Michael? Some people just need to be killed...

Loved this book. Not sure I would share it with my class but for a personal read it was great. Gripping.

Marlena Altizer Durst is a beautiful former model living in luxury with her successful husband. To outsiders, it seems like she that she leads a fairy-tale life, but not everything is always what it seems. Mrs. Durst lives in her husband's shadow. He controls her entire life, from what she wears, to how much she weighs, to the friends she's allowed to make. And when she does not follow his rules, there are consequences. But what if Mrs. Durst knew what she was getting into before she married her controlling, manipulative husband?

The Third Mrs. Durst shows just how far someone will go to get what they want, even if it means killing someone. Told from the perspective of the calculated, cunning Marlena, The Third Mrs. Durst had me on the edge of my seat until the final page.

There is a lot to like about this book, and somethings not so much.

Its a clever premise and set up- one that at first I didn't see. Escaping from a rural and desoulate future, Marlena gets to the big city. With determination, she works her way up until she meets a handsome and rich man. Despite warnings for others, she goes ahead with a marriage to a increasingly pathologic control freak.

As the story goes along, there is some foreshadowing that I only saw in retrospect, and some that is really blatant. I generally don't like this approach, but I can see its necessity.

The usual horrors occur - and the bad guys seem to have limitless funds, a gigantic sinister network that observes everyone and everything. The abuse and sheer violence that this woman endures is shocking and her tolerance for pain is remarkable.

The ending was nice, satisfying in some ways and didn't really hold together in others. I can suspend credulity only so far. But I did like it.

One comment: it bothered me that all the conspicuous cruelty, sadism, violence - some of it really awful- is described as being by ' that animal', and his acts were those of an animal. Only humans plot and manipulate and create huge complex structures designed only to hurt, maim or kill. Animals may be violent at times, when they need to, but never they way these bad guys do. They are thugs, and monsters and psychopaths, but they are not animals.

I really enjoyed this book! In a sea of psychological thrillers, I thought this one had a great new perspective and the author did a great job of unfolding the story. Once I got into the story, I really had trouble putting it down - it kept a great pace! I ended up being completely absorbed in the next twist! I full expected to know where the story was headed and was thrilled when it went in a direction I didn't foresee.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy - this book was a pleasure!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more
highly rated

The Third Mrs. Durst is a twisty, fascinating, and edgy read with an engrossing plot and characters. Worth the read.

It took awhile for the author to give backstory - until then it was hard to sympathize with Marlena. It lagged, writing was decent.
It was a quick read but hard to finish. Ending was predictable.