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." This sentence alone was enough for me to pick up this book... That and I love a good domestic thriller! Great book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves thrillers just as much as I do!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheThirdMrsDurst
Pub Date: 08 Aug 2019

I found this story interesting, but surprising. Talk about dedication to get to a final goal of revenge. Enough suspense throughout the story.

I liked the novel although there was some issues that hampered the strength of the storyline. It was a bit slow moving at first. However, as the novel progresses, the story heated up, and I found myself unable to put the book down in anticipation to see how it would end. I was disappointed in the character development of the supporting characters, especially Michael Durst. It would have been interesting to learn more about his background and get some insight into how he became the man he was. I think if there had been some chapters where the story was told through his voice, it would have added to the depth of the narrative.
Jenny Song's persona could have been more developed as well. There simply didn't seem enough characterization to fully understand her extreme loyalty and attachment to Marlena. Also, she is only fourteen when her character is introduced in the book. What made her run away at such an early age and how was she able to survive on the streets before meeting up with Marlena? There could have been some more insight into Vin Rivera’s character as well. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

A very good thriller, engrossing and entertaining.
I found the plot enthralling and well developed, the characters fleshed out and the plot kept me on the edge till the last page.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Third Mrs. Durst is a psychological mystery thriller. The book centers around Marlena – a young woman who had a hard life growing up but made a successful career as a model. When she catches the eye of the wealthy and powerful Mr. Durst she trades her modeling career and independence for the lavish lifestyle of her husband. Mr. Durst turns out to be a controlling narcissist who no longer allows Marlena to do what she wants or wear what she wants. He is also very abusive if she “gets out of line”. Is the money and the power worth it?

Marlena is smart, smarter than anyone gives her credit for and there is more to the story than just what is on the surface. I highly recommend to those who love the genre. It kept me guessing until the startling conclusion.

Starts slow and continues slow, but well worth it! I really enjoyed this book. Once I got through the first few chapters, it had me hooked!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher!

Title... medium....cover ..... high. Very pretty

I'm not usually into these stories. But I enjoy an evil spouse....then mean eye my husband.

Lots of twists and turns but a few predictable. Good representation of its genre. A bit of rags to riches story .

This book was OK, but just OK. Maybe it's because it seems I've read a lot of "controlling, bad, evil spouse" books lately? I just didn't connect to the story line or any of the characters. It certainly wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.
Thanks to Ann Aguirre, Midnight Ink and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

Absolutely loved this book thrilling and twisty!!

Fantastic characters and the story moved with so much pace!!

Cannot wait for more from this author!

I've read a few of Ann Aguirre's science fiction books and really enjoyed them. This psychological thriller was a complete departure from her other books, but I really enjoyed it. It's a bit of a rags-to-riches story but there are a lot of layers. There's much more to Marlena than it seems. Just a heads-up - there were quite a few scenes depicting emotional and physical abuse - they were difficult to read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review!

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy. I enjoyed this book. It was a little predictable but it was a fun read. It kept you guessing and it twisted a little.

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?

I recommend the Third Mrs. Durst as one of my favorite books of the year! This is a great beach read with a twisting plot that you can't put down. I absolutely loved the plot twist and didn't see it coming!

The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre, domestic thriller is extraordinarily suspenseful with unforeseen twists. Nail biter; a must read! 5 stars!

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book.

Marlena Altizer runs away from home as fast as she can, leaving her younger siblings behind with an Oxy addicted Mama. Marlena is following in the footsteps of one who went before her named Deborah. Deborah wasn't really her sister, but Mama took her in so she could take advantage of free babysitting.

Marlena runs off to the city and meets up with Jenny who is also living on the streets, working where she can for her next meal.

Marlena ends up being discovered as a model, but will only accept work if Jenny can get work also. Marlena works hard and catches the eye of millionaire, Michael Durst. He wines her and dines her and makes her feel like a real life Pretty Woman. Next thing she knows, Marlena has married Michael, and things aren't quite the same. She discovers that she's not just Michael's second wife, she's actually the third Mrs. Durst.

She sets out to not be a victim of circumstances that wife numbers one and two fell to.
#NetGalley #TheThirdMrs.Durst

I love a good suspense thriller but this story just did not do it for me. It fell a bit flat. I felt it was a bit predictable and I couldn’t find a connection to the story or characters. While this may be a fantastic read for someone else it was not for me. Hopefully the next novel catches my attention and I look forward to seeing what else comes out.

This story is completely plot driven, which can work if done properly. However, that's hard to pull off when said plot is more tired than a sloth with narcolepsy.

On a more positive note, this is a very quick read, probably because there is less than zero character development.

This is a subpar non-thrilling thriller slash nothing mysterious mystery with nothing new to offer to the genre.

Lastly there are no surprises in this story. Don't let the other reviews fool you. I am telling you THERE IS NO TWIST.

I cannot recommend this book.


⭐⭐ because the writing is swift and to the point without being bogged down with unnecessary bullshit which is the only reason I was able to finish the book.


*** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

I always try to start with something positive so...this book has a great cover. I like the title, although it does remind me of The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Other than that...the synopsis did grab me - Marlena goes from poor as dirt in a small Kentucky town to international model. Knowing that Michael Durst has 2 dead wives already, she seduces and marries him - but why?

This book was a classic example of telling vs. showing. Everything was laid out for the reader; twists and turns were just spelled out instead of written in a way that the surprise dawns on the reader. Characters are not well-written, well-thought out, interesting enough for an investment.

If I had been reading a paperback, I may have thrown it across the room when Marlena "convinced" the police to let her see her husband - accused of attempted murder - HER attempted murder - in an interrogation room by herself, I may have thrown it across the room. Since I was reading it as a galley on my Kindle, I finished it - and it just got more silly and outlandish from there.

Thank you Netgalley for this preview - unfortunately this one was not for me.

** I generously received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review **

I just finished binge reading The Third Mrs. Durst, and my head is positively spinning. I am so freaking blown away, I wish I could have the experience of reading it for the first time all over again.

We first meet Marlena Altizer when she’s sixteen years old. She lives in extreme poverty with a drug addicted mother and several siblings in a backwoods, hillbilly town. Desperate not to fall into the same fate as her mother - old before her time, used by men for her body, stuck in that tiny town forever - she takes everything she has, packs up a backpack, and gets on a bus to go live on the streets of Nashville.

Marlena becomes close friends with another young girl like herself, Jenny. To their fortune, both girls are exceptionally pretty. Marlena engineers an encounter with a man known to other street kids for snapping up the pretty girls and putting them to work at his talent agency. Marlena quickly garners some success within the modeling industry.

She also attracts the attention of a man named Michael Durst. Michael Durst is by all accounts a very wealthy businessman, and he sets his sights on Marlena from the moment he first sees her. He likes young, malleable women he can mold into what he wants them to be. Before too much time has passed, and once Marlena is old enough, he’s courting her, then marrying her.

That’s when the real cat and mouse aspect of the story begins. You see, Marlena, for all her being a young, innocent looking girl from a backwoods town, is NOT naive. She has her own motives for marrying Michael Durst. And this girl? She has sharp claws.

I won’t give anything further away about the plot, because that would be doing both the book and its readers a grave injustice. I will say that I absolutely did not expect the insane twists and turns of this novel. It felt very much like being on a wild roller coaster ride at breakneck speed. The slow reveal was both shocking and incredibly satisfying and exciting. And the ending was everything I could have hoped.

This was an exceptional book, a true thriller, and everything a book in this genre should be. I give it my highest recommendation and a solid five out of five stars. I sincerely hope Ann Aguirre will write more books in this genre in the future, because I’m dying to read more. But I must say, this one will be very, very hard to top.