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The Third Mrs. Durst
by
A twisted Cinderella story from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Ann Aguirre
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 ...more
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 ...more
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Ho-ly shit, I loved this book so much.
Now, if you are a person who gets upset when you see rape & abuse in books, then you may want to steer clear of this one. There's a lot of casual awfulness that happens to our Marlena.
This isn't the story of a victim, though.
This is the story of an apex predator.
It was complete revenge porn and it was lovely.
Ok, so you know how in a lot of books (or movies) when the main character tries to set things right, they do it by following the rules? Maybe they ben ...more
Now, if you are a person who gets upset when you see rape & abuse in books, then you may want to steer clear of this one. There's a lot of casual awfulness that happens to our Marlena.
This isn't the story of a victim, though.
This is the story of an apex predator.
It was complete revenge porn and it was lovely.
Ok, so you know how in a lot of books (or movies) when the main character tries to set things right, they do it by following the rules? Maybe they ben ...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
2.5 stars
"Some people just need killing"
I fluctuated between a 2 and a 3-star rating for this book depending on where I was at in the story, so at its conclusion, I settled on a 2.5 star rating. This twisted Cinderella tale was a fast read and yet it was not the book for me. We, as readers, can't love them all and although some are loving this book, I just didn't get there. There were points in this book where I thought "No, just no" and other times I thought "Now, things are beginning to get in ...more
"Some people just need killing"
I fluctuated between a 2 and a 3-star rating for this book depending on where I was at in the story, so at its conclusion, I settled on a 2.5 star rating. This twisted Cinderella tale was a fast read and yet it was not the book for me. We, as readers, can't love them all and although some are loving this book, I just didn't get there. There were points in this book where I thought "No, just no" and other times I thought "Now, things are beginning to get in ...more
You can also watch this video on YouTube.
*malicious grin*
This book is everything.
You don’t even fucking KNOW.
I just finished it and my fingers are actually shaking as I try to type out this review. Because adrenaline.
Real talk, if you are a super sweet person that has never once contemplated doing serious bodily harm to another human being, this book is probably not for you. This is more geared toward those of us who fall closer to the “keep an eye on that” end of the sociopath spectrum.
The blu ...more
Aug 02, 2019
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
rated it
really liked it
EXCERPT: Some people just need killing. And maybe I'm one of them.
My husband certainly thinks 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.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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, so nobody would believe her.
Her C ...more
My husband certainly thinks 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.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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, so nobody would believe her.
Her C ...more
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 engagin ...more
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 engagin ...more
I’d been looking forward to reading Ann Aguirre’s The Third Mrs. Durst for a while after I saw some early publicity featuring it. The premise is fantastic—“Some people just need killing.”
When it arrived in the mail, I was beyond excited. That weekend I was staying at a friend’s house and I was up early on Sunday morning. There was a huge thunderstorm in Chicago (knocked out power to a bunch of areas), and it was pouring rain. I sat on my friend’s front porch for hours with a key lime bubbly drin ...more
When it arrived in the mail, I was beyond excited. That weekend I was staying at a friend’s house and I was up early on Sunday morning. There was a huge thunderstorm in Chicago (knocked out power to a bunch of areas), and it was pouring rain. I sat on my friend’s front porch for hours with a key lime bubbly drin ...more
The Third Mrs. Durst, a mystery thriller, was a solid 4 stars. The book centers around Marlena-a young woman who had a rough upbringing. With a druggie mother, multiple siblings by different fathers and little money-Marlena catches the eye of the rich and powerful Mr. Durst and later becomes his third wife (the previous two being deceased).
Sounds like a dream come true, or is it?! No spoilers but there is much more going on than just dealing with a narcissistic/abusive husband.
The Third Mrs. D ...more
Sounds like a dream come true, or is it?! No spoilers but there is much more going on than just dealing with a narcissistic/abusive husband.
The Third Mrs. D ...more
Great psychological thriller about Marlena and her difficult life which doesn’t end after leaving family home. Cinderella story gone wrong. Very quick read with twists and turns till the end. I definitely have to check other books by Ann Aguirre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
”Sometimes the horizon is bright because it’s on fire”
I’ve had the eARC for “The third Mrs. Durst” sitting in my kindle for more than a year, but as you fellow Netgalley enthusiasts will know, when you’re on a requesting spree you can find yourself with quite the number of books on your TBR and some of them stay there forgotten for a long time... Now I’m chastising myself for not reading it before! That was FUN!!
Probably one of my favorite genres is the female revenge stories, and if it’s driven ...more
I’ve had the eARC for “The third Mrs. Durst” sitting in my kindle for more than a year, but as you fellow Netgalley enthusiasts will know, when you’re on a requesting spree you can find yourself with quite the number of books on your TBR and some of them stay there forgotten for a long time... Now I’m chastising myself for not reading it before! That was FUN!!
Probably one of my favorite genres is the female revenge stories, and if it’s driven ...more
Jul 27, 2019
Mandy White (mandylovestoread)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
net-galley,
z-read-in-2019
"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 ...more
It starts with a young girl Marlena making the decision to make something of herself by getting out of the small country ...more
Stories often surprise me, but The Third Mrs. Durst really surprised me. I love an excellent twist here and there. This is a dark menacing thriller about a young backwoods girl who escapes that life of extreme poverty. Instead, she becomes a model and attracts the attention of an older man, Mr. Durst. She wants the life that will come from being this rich man's wife. At least, that's what she thinks at first. He's not the same behind closed doors. He's every married woman's nightmare, the contro
...more
The premise of this storyline "Some people just need killing" was the hook line and sinker that made me hit that request button.
Unfortunately, this was a disappointment for me. I found it so difficult to like the main character! She was calculating. This books tries to be a sexy and hot version of a triangle of women rooting to kill the husband Mr. Durst.
The sex scenes in here are just pretty awful and not sexy AT ALL. The scenes are just plain let's have sex with zero buildup. Yikes... no than ...more
Unfortunately, this was a disappointment for me. I found it so difficult to like the main character! She was calculating. This books tries to be a sexy and hot version of a triangle of women rooting to kill the husband Mr. Durst.
The sex scenes in here are just pretty awful and not sexy AT ALL. The scenes are just plain let's have sex with zero buildup. Yikes... no than ...more
Marlena left her home at sixteen to escape her tough life. She landed a modeling contract, and worked steadily until her big break. After a particularly successful job, she was offered more jobs, including an opportunity to move to Germany. That is where she was courted by Michael Durst. Now married, they lead the perfect life in public, but behind closed doors he is demanding and cruel.
Told from Marlena's viewpoint, she recalls her young days as a model up until her present life. Marlena wants ...more
Told from Marlena's viewpoint, she recalls her young days as a model up until her present life. Marlena wants ...more
4.5 stars
Marlena came from a very poor family, with a drug addicted mother, an absent father and several younger half brothers and sisters. Her older sister left several years ago and has never looked back.
At 16, she gathered up her meager belongings and leaves for the big city. She lucks into modeling and becomes quite well known and wealthy. She now leads a fairy tale life.
She meets and marries a very rich man who will give her everything she deserves. But if comes with a price. He controls he ...more
Marlena came from a very poor family, with a drug addicted mother, an absent father and several younger half brothers and sisters. Her older sister left several years ago and has never looked back.
At 16, she gathered up her meager belongings and leaves for the big city. She lucks into modeling and becomes quite well known and wealthy. She now leads a fairy tale life.
She meets and marries a very rich man who will give her everything she deserves. But if comes with a price. He controls he ...more
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre for my honest review.
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 sh ...more
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 sh ...more
This book is delicious! I grabbed this book on a whim because I loved the cover and the synopsis. There were no reviews and zero buzz about it. But something about it made me throw caution to the wind and give it a go. I am so glad I did!
While this book isn’t anything ground breaking and has zero twists, it is so devious and entertaining that I finished this book in a day. It’s fast paced and thrilling ; a little bit of Behind Closed Doors meets Maestra.
Thank you to Midnight Ink for my copy of ...more
While this book isn’t anything ground breaking and has zero twists, it is so devious and entertaining that I finished this book in a day. It’s fast paced and thrilling ; a little bit of Behind Closed Doors meets Maestra.
Thank you to Midnight Ink for my copy of ...more
“I chose the road that looked prettiest from a distance, but I didn’t know then – sometimes the horizon is bright because it’s on fire.”
Foreshadowing at its finest, yes?
So, the concept of The Third Mrs. Durst is fun, though really overdone the past few years. I've read this story many, many times. That's not to say I can't still be surprised...but this book appears to be lacking a twist, which quite defeats the purpose, in my opinion.
A cat and mouse Cinderella story gone awry, the entire n ...more
Foreshadowing at its finest, yes?
So, the concept of The Third Mrs. Durst is fun, though really overdone the past few years. I've read this story many, many times. That's not to say I can't still be surprised...but this book appears to be lacking a twist, which quite defeats the purpose, in my opinion.
A cat and mouse Cinderella story gone awry, the entire n ...more
I went into this novel with an idea that it would be a light, somewhat entertaining Young Adult read, and boy was I incredibly WRONG! This was a very mature, sometimes hard to read, thriller that I will not soon forget. Where has Aguirre been in my life?! If anyone has read The Last Mrs. Parrish, written by Liv Constantine, this story will read similar, with some starkly different plot lines. I liked 'Parrish,' and I really liked this story about a young, vulnerable, somewhat naive third wife na
...more
Unfortunately, this narrative was a struggle to get through. The storyline was scattered and the characters development felt disproportionate to the plot. It felt dark and depraved but not in that good thriller kind of way. This title would be better marketed under the erotica genre as nothing about it rang true to the mystery or thriller genre. 1 star.
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheThirdMrsDurst
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheThirdMrsDurst
Aug 07, 2019
Kat Dietrich
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
read-in-2019,
netg-edel-author-publisher
The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirreis a psychological thriller.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Midnight Ink, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Marlena Altizer left her home in Kentucky when she was 16 years old. Her mother was an addict, she never knew her father, and there were another 5 "youngers" still at home.
Findin ...more
Three and a half
This is by an author I used to associate primarily with sci fi so I was interested in what she would bring to this more suspense driven genre.
Mrs Durst is not at all what the world perceive her to be. She plays the innocent, manipulated pawn and in reality she’s pulling all the strings. I did have huge amounts of sympathy for her as her Svengali type husband is absolutely vile ! This isn’t a happy ever after romance she has bought into but an abusive relationship that just esca ...more
This is by an author I used to associate primarily with sci fi so I was interested in what she would bring to this more suspense driven genre.
Mrs Durst is not at all what the world perceive her to be. She plays the innocent, manipulated pawn and in reality she’s pulling all the strings. I did have huge amounts of sympathy for her as her Svengali type husband is absolutely vile ! This isn’t a happy ever after romance she has bought into but an abusive relationship that just esca ...more
3.5 Stars
Some people just need killing. My husband thinks I’m one of them. We’ll see who dies today.
Ann Aguirre has a way of grabbing a hold of you with her writing and this new book is no different. In her latest novel, Ann Aguirre knows exactly how to keep the reader on edge the entire time. The Third Mrs. Durst had a way of making me want to keep reading at the end of each chapter and I ended up reading this in one sitting, that says a lot about how much I enjoyed this.
I was ...more
Ok ladies and gentlemen and lovers of thrillers around. This is a hard one to review for me as an avid thriller reader. It'll be a hit or miss amongst us lovers of the thrills and chills and all around twisty goodness we all look for in our reads in this genre. Here's the reasons why:
You need to suspend some belief and let this story just tell itself. And that is what it does. It's completely plot driven. There's very minimal, to no, character building. I found myself asking questions when it tu ...more
You need to suspend some belief and let this story just tell itself. And that is what it does. It's completely plot driven. There's very minimal, to no, character building. I found myself asking questions when it tu ...more
Marlena Altizer was born into poverty. With a mother who was a drug addict, a long gone father and many siblings, her only dream was to get out of this horrible situation and make it big. Anyway she could.
Enter Michael Durst, a handsome, wealthy, New York businessman who takes a liking to Marlena. Although she realizes he has been married twice before, and she quickly begins to understand Durst is very controlling and perhaps pathological in some ways, she feels as if she can handle him.
And at f ...more
Enter Michael Durst, a handsome, wealthy, New York businessman who takes a liking to Marlena. Although she realizes he has been married twice before, and she quickly begins to understand Durst is very controlling and perhaps pathological in some ways, she feels as if she can handle him.
And at f ...more
DNF at 31%
I was all in for this story. The synopsis, the cover, and the fact that it was written by Ann. I was excited for so much of this. Sadly, the content made it impossible for me to continue.
In the section that I did read, there were several mentions of rape and what stopped me from continuing was Marlena getting strapped down and whipped with a belt.
I did skip to the end of the book and read the last chapter and epilogue and I was intrigued, but I refuse to read any escalating scenes.
* ...more
I was all in for this story. The synopsis, the cover, and the fact that it was written by Ann. I was excited for so much of this. Sadly, the content made it impossible for me to continue.
In the section that I did read, there were several mentions of rape and what stopped me from continuing was Marlena getting strapped down and whipped with a belt.
I did skip to the end of the book and read the last chapter and epilogue and I was intrigued, but I refuse to read any escalating scenes.
* ...more
The Third Mrs. Durst was an interesting read. If I wasn't busy with work I would have read it in one sitting. The plot was engaging, the main character had one of my favorite motives in stories, the writing was good. Some parts of this book were really hard to read because of the violence though, so keep that in mind. I gave it 4 * because at times the stuff Michael Dirst could get away with was unbelievable to me. I highly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Thank you to netgal ...more
Thank you to netgal ...more
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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. Marlen ...more
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. Marlen ...more
3.5★'s rounded up. RTF
...more
Wow this is one deliciously twisted story! I was gripped right from the start and was completely caught up in the drama of it all. It is a very chilling and intense read, that at times is quite confronting with very graphic scenes of physical abuse, which is a trigger warning to readers that are sensitive to this, but at the same time is also very compelling.
The plot of this book spins a twist on a tale that you may have read before, but what makes this one stand out above the rest, is the power ...more
The plot of this book spins a twist on a tale that you may have read before, but what makes this one stand out above the rest, is the power ...more
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.
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