Though I found this to be a fast-paced and engrossing read, I have to say the complete impossibility of it took away a lot of enjoyment for me. It's the story of a dirt poor girl who runs away, becomes a world-famous model, and marries a multi-millionaire. The husband is likely responsible for the deaths of his previous two wives, and makes it known that any perceived transgressions by his new trophy wife will lead to her murder.

Additionally, even the main character who was abused but rather unlikable. She was scheming all along and it made her hard to like.

The other part that made this novel hard to read was the extreme violence. It features sexual assault and brutal violence against women and men. Most of it felt gratuitous and unnecessary.

Some people just need killing ...

If that one sentence doesn’t entice you , then there’s something wrong . Quite a dark read and i found the early part of the book a bit slow but it did pick up . A story of control and an abusive husband is one that’s been done many times before, but still I did enjoy this book rating it at 3.75. The third Mrs Durst will want you finding out what happened to the first and second Mrs Durst.If you like domestic thrillers them you’ll enjoy this one, I would of liked a little more suspense and this might of pushed it to 4 star.

This was not the type of book that I expected from this author, but it was an interesting change of pace from her. (I haven't read her in years though, so she may have ventured into this genre before and I just didn't know it)

Had I bought this book, I think I would have sent it back based on the fact that the synopsis doesn't quite do it justice. As an ARC I get the same synopsis that Amazon and Goodread publishes, and I got the impression that it was going to pretty much, be the typical southern 'damsel in distress with rotten husband' book with a bit of a twist. Little did I know that it was going to be the twisted blood fest that it was.

It took me about half of the book to finally realize what was going on (yes, I guess I'm slow!) and even though I know from the title page that "some people just need killing" the hate and violence and subterfuge just made my stomach roil. It didn't stop me from finishing the book though!!!

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

"Some people just need killing" That line had me needing to read this book - and it did not disappoint. The Third Mrs Durst was a fast read that was fun but very dark. It was a book that you just want to keep reading because anything is possible in this story. None of the characters are particularly likeable but you do start to feel for them - and not all of it is nice though.

It starts with a young girl Marlena making the decision to make something of herself by getting out of the small country town she lives in. She becomes a model and an actress and this is where she meets Michael Durst. After their second meeting in Germany Michael sweeps her off her feet and gives her the Cinderella life she always dreamed of. But on the inside Marlena's life is fair from the fairytale. Michael is abusive and controlling and she is just a token wife. The only way to get away from him is for one of them to die...

Thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I just could not get into this book. The characters were so 2 dimensional and the story was predictable. I will be in the minority here but it was not for me . The story is very intriguing girl leaves poor home in Kentucky and becomes model video star and hooks herself a rich handsome cruel man . But haven’t we read this many many times before ?

Book Info
Hardcover, 312 pages
Expected publication: August 8th 2019 by Midnight Ink
ISBN 0738761311 (ISBN13: 9780738761312)
Other Editions (1)
Source:Netgalley EARC
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BOOK BLURB

Some people just need killing.

Marlena Altizer Durst lives in her husband's shadow. He controls her every move--what she wears, the food she eats, and the friends she's allowed to make. If she disobeys, there are...consequences. And he has all the power.

To outsiders, it seems that she leads a fairy-tale life. But nobody ever wonders if Cinderella was happy after she married the prince. Marlena has traded freedom and safety for luxurious imprisonment, and most days, that seems like a bad bargain. Death may be the only exit she's allowed. Just like his first wife. And his second. Unless she flips the script.

Some people just need killing.

Praise:

“The Third Mrs. Durst is a slow, dark burn that leads to a fantastic explosion of an ending."--Victoria Helen Stone, bestselling author of Jane Doe

My Thoughts


A narcissistic/abusive older husband, a younger wife are a combination that became even more of a volatile mix the deeper into the book one gets. By the ending reveal the reader knows what will happen but has to finish the story to get the full details of why exactly things play out the way they do.

An enjoyable, fast paced thrilling read. A book of sheer suspense and pure revenge. Marlena, gets swept off her feet by a rich, older man. After becoming Mrs. Durst, she discovers she isn't the first Mrs. Durst. She is actually the third Mrs. Durst.

So, what happened to the first and second Mrs. Durst you ask? You will need to read the book. Will Marlena end up like the previous wives or will she fight back?

Having read and enjoyed the YA works as well as the other adult genre series written by this author and having a series in her Sci-Fi books on my to-be-read shelves this was a departure from what most fans consider her forte.

For me it was a lesson in exactly how twisted an authors imagination can be to create a tale beyond longtime fans expectations in a genre heretofore not one she has touched upon.

Thank you NetGalley and the books Publisher for the advanced copy of The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre for my honest review.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.

A small-town girl Marlena learned a very valid life lesson early in life - in order to have a good life one has to work hard towards their goals. And Marlena has a very specific goal. In order to achieve it, she follows the steps of a very close friend she admires the most. Marlena starts her carrier at a modeling agency, where she meets tall, dark and handsome Mr. Durst. A few years later, the couple reconnects in Germany, and soon after tied the knot.

Now, Marlena is living a Cinderella life, but only a few people are aware of a rough price she has to pay to carry the Durst name. Old saying states - it takes two to tango... and it would take a while for Michael Durst to realize that he is not the one leading the dance.

The novel is divided into three parts. The first two parts were phenomenal pageturners, however, the final part has disappointed me. I was expecting a much stronger finale. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the storyline. Thank you NetGalley and Midnight Ink publishers for an advanced free copy of the novel.

This was quite the page-turner! Cancel any plans because you won’t be able to stop reading once you start. Lots of twists and surprises make this thriller a must-read!

"Some people just need killing. And maybe I'm one of them.
My husband certainly seems to think so, but then, he feels that way about most women. I may not survive his style of love.
His first wife didn't. Neither did his second.
The flames are everywhere now. It's getting hard to breathe.
We'll see who dies today."

The novel opens with this intriguing prologue that drew me in. Unfortunately the rest of the book didn't live up to this early promise for me. Where I was hoping for a clever and engaging sparring match between two smart and crafty spouses, I found a cliched plot, over the top violence and cardboard characters.

Briefly Marlena, a poor backwoods girl escapes into a world of modelling then grooms herself to marry a wealthy business man who turns out to be a controlling, violent monster with underworld connections who treats his wives as disposable commoditites. After two years of being more or less held prisoner in their swanky apartment, beaten nearly to death as punishment for minor faults, Marlena knows her use by date is fast approaching but as the prologue (and the book description) tells us, Marlena has another plan.

I found it difficult to engage with any of the characters. Marlena is not easy to like and I just couldn't get interested in her fate. I also felt the book description and prologue gave too much away and a different handling of the plot and characters could have improved this thriller. However, I seem to be in the minority, so if you're interested in the novel do read it and make up your own mind.

This was one rollercoaster ride of a book! There were so many ups and downs that it kept me on the edge of my seat the majority of the way through. This was a really well written psychological suspense. Can't wait to read more by Ann Aguirre.

Some people just need killing.

This was the line that sold me on this book. The jacket description drew me in, but this was the hook!
Living the fairy tale life is only a fairy tale to those on the outside looking in. When your options come down to him or me...why not choose him? The current Mrs Durst finds herself in the same position as the two former Mrs Durst...that alone should have triggered some warning bells...with decisions to make. The story line in this book is not original or unique, but the writing is fresh, exciting and very dramatical. It really made the book a great one.

"Some people just need killing.

Marlena Altizer Durst lives in her husband's shadow. He controls her every move - what she wears, the food she eats, and the friends she's allowed to make. If she disobeys, there are...consequences. And he has all the power.

To outsiders, it seems that she leads a fairy-tale life. But nobody ever wonders if Cinderella was happy after she married the prince. Marlena has traded freedom and safety for luxurious imprisonment, and most days, that seems like a bad bargain. Death may be the only exit she's allowed. Just like his first wife. And his second. Unless she flips the script.

Some people just need killing."

Ann Aguirre writing in a new suspenseful genre? YAS!

What a tagline! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for offering this read. I think, had I not read two similar novels last summer (the delightful The Last Mrs. Parrish and the disappointing The Wife Between Us) I would be apt to rate this more highly. Though I find our main character, Marlena, to be far more of a person in her own right than the females in last summer's chillers, this just falls short for me. I expected more mystery behind the deaths of Mr.Durst's previous wives, more investigation, more noir.

At least Marlena has complex reasoning behind her plans for Mr. Durst. Not that you would know it, that motivation is an itch that is just barely scratched in the last few chapters. A more compelling novel would have let us in on the history there and let us see more planning, more cunning, even more depth to Marlena. Not everything has to be a "shocking surprise at the end!"

Marlena being more than just one-dimensional makes it a 4, the lack of integration of her motives makes it a 2. I'll settle on a 3, but still feel a bit guilty for not going lower given the derivative plot line.

(Thanks to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wish I could give a higher rating.)

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. It's psychological suspense, but I didn't feel much suspense or anticipation. Instead, I felt annoyed. 

A powerful, wealthy man controls his wife. His first two wives have died (presumably by murder) and the third wife thinks she's headed for the same fate unless she takes control. Interesting premise, but not terribly original. I knew that from the blurb.

But I wanted to see what Aguirre would add to the story. Gender/power dynamics are being explored in different, interesting ways in current fiction. Even an over-used premise can feel fresh if given the right spin.

Unfortunately, I didn't get that here. Instead, I felt like I was reading a book I'd read before. Different names, different circumstances, different author, but still, somehow, the same story.

My biggest issues? 
1. The cliched characters

About a quarter of the way through the book, Durst babbles to Marlena about how she's his greatest possession and he has to protect her. Ugh. His wife is his "possession"? She must be "perfect," he claims, to be "worthy" to be his wife. Double ugh. He decides everything, right down to when they will have a baby together. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Can you imagine being this man's child? Yikes.

Obviously, Durst is the antagonist. No one should like him. But he repeatedly states the need for perfection. References her as his possession. Fakes remorse after he abusing her. And each time, his words sound over the top. There's little subtlety or nuance in his character's portrayal. He is a cliche of the abusive alpha-male husband with ill-gotten wealth. I've encountered his type in fiction before. 

Marlena, for her part, is terrific at playing the beautiful wife whose seemingly fairy-tale life hides the living hell of her reality. A cliche. But the real Marlena is a scheming, manipulative person bent on revenge--another cliche. I've encountered this type in fiction far too many times in recent years. Again, there's nothing subtle in the characterization. 

Marlena is as horrible as her husband. I couldn't root for her, especially after her actions become as immoral as her husband's. Neither grows as a character. Together, their actions felt predictable, and the twists fell flat. Even the addition of bisexuality didn't add much to the book's depth.   

2. The cliched circumstances

Durst is wealthy. His riches come from multiple sources, some possibly illegal. He has the insecure arrogance of the nouveau riche who've fought and clawed their way to the upper echelons of society. Of course.

Marlena comes from a dirt-poor, barely-educated family. Think Third World-level poverty, complete with the junkie mom who's got several children by different men and can't care for her kids. Of course.  

Both backgrounds feel cliched.  

I've noticed that when genre fiction deals with abusive relationships, many times the abuser is extremely wealthy. He uses that money to pay off other authority figures or pull other shenanigans, like getting people thrown into jail or mental hospitals or faking documentation. The drop-dead gorgeous victim is often poor or limited in her financial resources.

In real life, abusers and their victims come from all socio-economic levels. They aren't all fairy-tale beautiful, either. Having an ugly, poor victim does not make the horror of domestic violence any less horrible. So why do many novels seem to rely on the beauty/wealth tropes in genre fiction about abuse?    

What DID I like? For one thing, I enjoyed the musings about fairy tales/classic stories

There were times, especially in the beginning, when Marlena muses on classic stories like Cinderella or Pygmalion. I enjoyed these. I liked these explorations of gender power dynamics: both genders can work to gain power over their partners. One might manipulate the other, but in such a way that the other believes he/she is still in control, that some desired action was his/her idea in the first place. 

The repeated references to fairy tales and myths emphasize the way others might view Marlena's marital life, but they also frame Marlena's view of the world. I like that she views these tales in a subversive way rather than in a straight-forward manner. Still, this has been explored in other novels.

Does this novel add anything to the current discussion of gender and power dynamics? Does it even want to add more?

The book left me frustrated. It had the potential to be much more than a standard thriller-with-a-twist, but it didn't fulfill its potential. For me, it was an average-level suspense novel. I wish I could give it a better review.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The review will be run on my blog, MeredithRankin.com (https://meredithrankin.com/the-third-mrs-durst-ann-aguirre/) on July 29, 2019.

This is quite the psychological thriller, went on a road trip and my Kindle read this to me with VoiceView. I found it to be an entertaining yarn and I would say, especially for this one, things do not always tend to be as they appear. Plenty of surprises in store.
Unfortunately, there are a couple things I have to bring to light, first, there are several sex scenes, if this bothers you, pick another book. Second, I think it would be very difficult to use a baton to smash the controller on a generator outside a window when your hands are taped behind your back, not sure how you can explain that one, unless I did not quite understand the entire scene.
I did enjoy the story, if I overlooked the unbelievable scenes. Michael Durst is a piece of work, but then again, so was “The Third Mrs. Durst”. This one gets 4****’s.
I thank Midnight Ink and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book for my honest review.

This book was absolutely fun to read. I love these types of novels and this is probably the best one I've read recently. I loved figuring out what the main character was scheming, but there were twists that left me shocked. This novel is a quick read and I'd recommend it.

Marlena is the wife of a very wealthy, very powerful man. He showers her with expensive gifts and clothing, but is it worth dealing with his bad side? She quickly finds out he wasn’t jut married before, but married twice, and both wives passed away. Were their deaths really as they seemed? Her only escape from this Cinderella nightmare may be death.

I feel like there is a new thriller in town! I have read several books with similar themes recently. I won’t say what it is because I don’t want to spoil-but I’m loving them! This book kept my guessing and on the edge of my seat wondering if Marlena was going to escape this terrible man.

While the actual premise is very cool - original and suspense building to the end, I wish there was more explanation as to how they pulled it off in the end - its so abrupt that it takes away from some of the suspense, but overall an enjoyable book that was a quick read - great for the beach!

I liked this book, but it definitely had its faults. There was just a whole lot of nothing happening at the beginning of the book and then the end had some pretty improbable events (or told of some very improbably events from the past).

The plot, of a woman marrying a wealthy man even though he was abusive, had a lot more promise than was fulfilled. The wife appears to be trying to get information that will bring him down, but, again, that doesn't happen.

The author seems to be trying to have a big twist at the end, a la "Gone Girl". That failed miserably to me.

Still, I liked it. I am torn between 3 and 4 stars.

This book started out rather slow for me and I think that maybe only my love for other books by Ann Aguirre kept me going. I'm glad I stuck it out, though, because when this book picked up, it turned into a bonkers fun fest. I would encourage anyone who starts this book and wonders where it's going to keep with it, because the payoff is worth making it through the first third of the novel. In retrospect, it's easy to see how the small clues add up to something larger. Ms. Aguirre is a deft plotter and juggled several vital plot points with a delicate hand. I highly recommend this book to lovers of mystery and of characters who play the long game.