Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2014
325 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
When Dr. John Taylor is found dead in a hotel room in his hometown, the local police find enough incriminating evidence to suspect foul play. Detective Samantha Adams, whose Palo Alto beat usually covers small-town crimes, is innocently thrown into a high-profile murder case that is more intricately intertwined than she could ever imagine. A renowned plastic surgeon, a respected family man, and an active community spokesman, Dr. Taylor was loved and admired. But, hidden from the public eye, he led a secret life - in fact, multiple lives. A closeted polygamist, Dr. Taylor was married to three very different women in three separate cities. And when these three unsuspecting women show up at his funeral, suspicions run high. Adams soon finds herself tracking down a murderer through a web of lies and marital discord.
With a rare combination of gripping storytelling, vivid prose, and remarkable insight into character, Alice LaPlante brings to life a story of passion and obsession that will haunt readers long after they turn the final page. A charged and provocative psychological thriller, A Circle of Wives dissects the dynamics of love and marriage, trust and jealousy, posing the terrifying question: How well do you really know your spouse?
An Indie Next Pick for March 2014
"If one can set aside the implausibility of the plot - a high profile doctor married to three intelligent women, two of whom live a few miles apart from each other, and all of whom know his true name and where he works; and believe that two of them could really remain oblivious of the fact that he has been married to someone else for years, and still is, then the story is okay. But sadly, this reader was unable to get past this fundamental plot flaw, that might have been credible if set in the Bay Area 30 years ago, but not in today's super-connected Silicon Valley." - BookBrowse
"LaPlante's engrossing second thriller... explores love, loss, control, the influence of past relationships, and passion... Captivating." - Publishers Weekly
"A page-turner that also offers much ironic commentary on the dynamics of love and marriage, emphasizing the great mystery at the heart of any romantic relationship." - Booklist
"In this literary character study built on a mystery's framework, LaPlante ingeniously constructs characters distinct and original." - Kirkus
This information about A Circle of Wives was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo credit: Anne Knudsen
Alice LaPlante is an award-winning writer who teaches at San Francisco State University and Stanford University, where she was awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship and held a Jones Lectureship. Raised in Chicago, she now lives with her family in Northern California.
Author Interview
Link to Alice LaPlante's Website
Name Pronunciation
Alice LaPlante: La Plant (the final 'e' is silent)
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