*This is a review of an arc from NetGalley*

The Bigamist is a tragic story of so many lives torn apart due to the selfish acts of one man. Mary’s life was turned upside down by Will, a man who appeared to be everything she could ask for, and more. Although some things didn’t quiet add up, Will was always quick to explain and the explanations seemed kinda plausible. But there was much more to Will than met the eye: more lies, more wives, more children, and much much more trouble.

I’m giving this book a 3/5 because although the story was well told I found the writing a little troubling.


I found it difficult to read about all of the positives Mary saw in Will, but perhaps it was solely to help the reader understand why she felt the way she did about him? I know Mary has had much longer to process her life than the reader, but knowing the end of the story and seeing anything positive about Will made my stomach turn. Overall, I thought the book was a little slow and focused too much on the early relationship with Will. Honestly I would enjoy knowing more about Mary and appreciated Part 2 of the book far more than Part 1.

Thank you for giving my the opportunity to read this book. I am really enjoying this book and so far I would recommend it to others! I will update my review once I am finished the book.

A devastating account of lies, deception, betrayal and coming to terms with the past. Very intriguing.

Sometimes life is weirder than fiction. Mary Turner Thomson ´met´ Will Jordan on an online dating site. She, a single mother of one, he an attractive American. She fell in love with him, got married, and had two children together. Happily ever after, isn´t it?




Well, there are some little details missing: For instance, that Mr. Jordan insisted that he is a CIA agent with secret missions in Israel and Palestinian territories and he even was a life witness of the confrontations betweeen the Israeli Army and the Palestinians in Jenin (no offense, but the author took too much as truth what the leftist UK media said about the conflict, particularly The Guardian, but this is another part of the story). Mr. Jordan disappears for long periods of time, even after they married. Then, he started to ask money, a lot of it, until his wife sold her house and her life insurance and ended up living with her mom. ´Every week, there was a new emergency, another need for more money´.

Until, it comes the moment of truth, a very painful one. For instance, Mary Turner Thomson will discover that he has another family with many children. Initially, he told her that this is part of an arrangement of the agency. In fact, he fathered many other children in the UK and US. He was no CIA agent, but a con artist that took advantage of Mary and other women. He also had a couple of prison experiences part of his CV and a conviction of paedophilia. What exactly happened with the money was not sure, as it was also unclear his mental health situation, but in the end, he will be put on trial and sent to spend some years in prison.

Hurt, Mary Turner Thomson is trying to figure out not only the entire network of women that were Jordan´s victims - and there were many of them, both in the UK and US - but also how was it possible to happen to her. How was it possible to be so blind for six years and not see the truth, ending up heartbroken and bankrupt? She, an educated woman with a successful career and professional experience behind, with a close knitted family and a simple daily life, was conned for years by a man she was in love with.

For such a long time, he succeeded to build a very convincing story that excused - in Mary´s eyes, at least - his erratic behavior. ´It was like living with Superman: how could you complain about him not turning up to dinner when he was holding up a collapsing bridge and saving lives?´.

In a way, it was a story hard not to believe because why someone will lie at such an extent? Mary Turner Thomson was unlucky enough to deal with such a pathological case, but for the sake of her children, she was strong enough to grow out of this den of lies and live her life in dignity. The book - which can be also read as a warning to women at a crossroad in their sentimental life - is a testimony of her recovery.

The Bigamist is almost unbelievable: that a man could be that manipulative and that women could be that naive. Thomson fell for one of the best con men that I've ever read about. She had two children with a man who was allegedly infertile and who kept disappearing for long stretches. He used the classic employed by the CIA line. He was a first rate scumbag, user, narcissist, liar who was very skilled and adept at impregnating numerous women while fleecing them out of their money. The author was extremely gullible to believe his perpetual lies and kept scrambling to get him his money he demanded, something I couldn't understand. Why these women kept trusting this liar when they found evidence to the contrary.

Well there are some very strange people in this world, and this poor woman was completely taken in by one of them. It is all too easy to wonder what on earth she was thinking, but as she explains when you are tired, wanting to make a success of a relationship and manipulated by a master liar it is very difficult to see straight. Hats off to her for telling the story and exposing how criminals can come in all sorts of guises.
The prose was a bit clunky - but in a way this added to her voice, she is matter of fact and does not dress up what happened to her.

The Bigamist by Mary Turner Thomson. Hard to believe that the author was so trusting and naive. That she had the courage to share her experiences is admirable. However, the narrative is repetitive and hard to follow at times.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Imagine falling in love with the man/woman of your dreams, marrying them, having two children, then discovering that they were married and in relationships with many others. Hard to believe, but this actually happened to Mary Turner Thomson. Believing he was a CIA agent, Turner Thomson endured six years of elaborate lies and numerous absences, including missing their original wedding day and the pregnancies and births of their two children. Originally published in 2008, this new edition has a revised title and features the real names of the author's three children.

This is the second book I've read recently about women falling for men who aren't what they seem (the other being Stephanie Wood's Fake). I've discovered that despite getting pulled into these stories and lapping up the details of the lies and deceit, I get bored once the true identity of the jerk is revealed and then the aftermath is examined for the second half of the book. I just get so frustrated with how an intelligent, confident person could fall for this. If your lover regularly disappears or stands you up and asks for money, that's a deal breaker. Stating that the reason they're absent is because of their job in the CIA, well, that's the icing on the bullshit cake.

It is easy to say that "this would never happen to me" though. These criminals prey upon the most vulnerable for a reason - in this case, single mothers - when they may be at a stage in their lives where they are feeling lonely, isolated and craving some attention. As Thomson admits: "I had little choice other than to believe him. The alternative was just unthinkable".

The Bigamist is not a bad read and would no doubt be a comfort to people who have been duped, ghosted and cheated. It also serves as a warning to those embarking on online dating for the first time.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

A true story a marriage that turned into a nightmare.Mary thought she had finally met the man of her dreams.Happily married or so she thought till she gets a phone call from a woman claiming to be his wife the mother of his children.Mary discovers she’s married to a true psychopath and her life is a nightmare..Unputdownable shocking scary a book I raced through,#netgalley#thebigamist

4 stars
The Bigamist by Mary Turner Thomson
This is a fascinating book about the true account of the bigamist and convicted pedophile Will Jordan. It is unfathomable to me how this many women fell for his lies and manipulation; however, I have never been in their position. I do believe it is human nature to believe whom you love so this book makes more sense looking at it from that perspective.
The author has written an utterly compelling tale of her time being conned by this man while truly believing she was building a family and a life with him.
I do recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.

This is a very sad tale of how easy it is to believe the lies being told by someone we love. From the onset you can see where this is going, the lies, missing dates or events of importance, but that is because we read the description. Would we have seen that quickly if we had not known?? This story made me mad while I was reading it also in one sitting. I obviously had empathy for Mary and the children. The lies are unbelievable but what have we all done in the name of love. Accomplished liars have gotten away with horrendous acts and most people are easily conned into accepting them as truths. Look at our leaders in government for examples throughout history. I am glad Mary was able to break free and move on to build a new and better life for herself and children,

In short, The Bigamist is the true story of Mary Turner Thomson's relationship with serial liar and cheat Will Jordan.

I was a few chapters into this book when I realised I'd heard this story before (most likely an interview on This Morning!). However, it didn't spoil the storyline, and I finished the book in three days - which is quick for me!

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did... it was a real page turner. The lies kept building and I had to know what elaborate stories he would come up with next. I liked the way the book was written... at first it is told chronologically throughout their relationship, followed by an overview of Will's past, and then finally bringing the reader up to present day.

In the beginning I was in disbelief that Mary continued to forgive and make excuses for him. However, by the end I felt incredibly sorry for her... it must have been so worrying, and absolutely terrifying at times.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading shocking real-life stories in magazines! I'm glad that Mary found the strength to tell her story and rid herself of this awful man!.

This is a genuinely terrifying true story. It plays on everything each of us hold dear, family, love, trust, and tears them apart. I cannot imagine how strong the author has had to be and I am incredibly impressed by her bravery and courage.

I kept reading because I had to know what happened but the entire time. I wondered how someone could really just shell out money to a conman and listen to the lies. I mean mind blown.

I raced through this book as I couldn’t actually believe that it was a true story.
You see stories like this in newspapers and they seem so extreme, however this book made it so relatable. I can understand why Mary was taken in and trusted him when you find out the full story.
An interesting and unique read that I would recommend.

This was such an insane book to read. Mary Turner Thompson went through a serious ordeal and she worded it so beautiful. I'm excited to see it come back to publication with a new look and feel.

"The Bigamist" was exactly the type of true crime story I live for.

While I'm practically addicted to reading true crime books and documentaries, their most common denominator is a serial killer which, although chilling to the bone, makes people think that one would have to be really unlucky to encounter such a monster. On the other hand, accounts of psychopaths of con men are a different type of story - a scarily realistic one. In this memoir, Mary reveals how she found out that the man she had been married to and had two children with actually had another wife and five more children. Her husband, Will Jordan, was not only a liar and master manipulator, but also a man who solicited £200,000 from Mary, a smart, educated woman.... just like you and me.

That's the thing, while killers or rapists are the most despicable trash of our society, nobody frowns upon people who simply date, marry, have children and use their spouses' money. I think this was the most incredible part of this memoir - that any woman could have been Mary as long as she dates and looks for love and acceptance. Like just about anyone.

4 big stars for this winner. It would have been 5 for me if it was written with more suspense, so that it would read like a thriller.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read? It's hard to believe this is a true story, it's so convulted and hard to follow! At times I found the story hard to follow because of all the detail the author goes into. This is not to say that I doubt the veracity of the story, just that the detail often gets in the way of clarity and ease of reading.
I'm glad that Mary Turner Thomson got out, along with several other women who were conned by Mr. Jordan. Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Turner Thomson. I wish you all the best!

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

WOW!
i just sat and read through this whole book and honestly cannot believe what the author endured for six long years! So glad she was able to get away from such a sociopath and a great warning to other young women about the dangers of internet dating.
4 stars because the editing wasnt my favorite and some sentences started with lowercase letters.