The Third Wife is my first Jasmine Cresswell novel.  It might be my last.  It offered nothing beyond the simple, unrealistic, mystery/romance novel.  All along, I kept waiting for the "big payoff", but it never came.

Anna Langtry - 17 years old - and being forced into a polygamous marriage she doesn't want.  Deciding to rebel against the only family and religion she's ever known, she takes off, never intending to look back.

15 years later, Anna has done quite well for herself, considering her difficult beginnings.  She's a parole officer, hoping to make a difference in the lives of the ex-convicts she counsels.  When new client Joe Mackenzie walks through her office door, Anna's life changes forever.  Because Anna can't help but believe Joe's claims that he was innocent all along, a victim of a clever frame-up. 

Now the two of them are on the run - working to figure out who framed Joe all those years ago, trying to avoid the law officers coming after them, and trying to stay alive. And, of course, falling for each other along the way. 

The book had several problems.  The first thing I noticed is that when Anna ran from her childhood, she didn't run very far.  She didn't even leave the state, let alone trek thousands of miles away, like I would have.  My first thought was "that's silly - now for sure you'll bump into people from your childhood". 

My next problem is the instant attraction that occurred between Anna and Joe, upon their first meeting.  Wouldn't you think a parole officer would be able to keep her professionalism intact for more than five minutes?  I was truly embarrassed for her, getting all gushy over her client before she has any clue who he really is.  Even after he behaves very badly towards her, she still justifies his actions away, and places her career - maybe even her life - in jeopardy for him.  It just didn't ring true.

Then there's the mother of all coincidences.  As Joe starts to open up to Anna about his past, wouldn't you know it, there's a tie to Anna's past.  Thus, in order to help Joe, she has to face her own childhood demons.  Bringing Anna back to her past was necessary, in order for her to grow, but the ridiculous coincidence that forces the encounter was a bit too much.

I don't mean to imply that this book is all bad; it isn't.  I acutally liked how Ms. Cresswell handled the whole polygamy issue.  She did a good job explaining why the lifestyle works for some people, and how the community manages to "get away" with it, in a country where polygamy is obviously illegal. 

And, I found myself quite interested in Anna's actions, and wanting to know how it would all work out.  Especially knowing how many laws Anna broke, in the name of helping Joe, I wondered whether she would ever have to pay the piper. Unfortunately, the resolution is rushed at the end - we're given a very quick epilogue that doesn't really give justice to everything that had to have taken place. 

The book just felt "amateurish" to me - too many flaws, without a bit payoff.  I don't recommend it.



Update: I did, indeed, read another Jasmine Cresswell story, and this one didn't fare much better:

The Daughter

Recommended: No