"The Wife Did It!" "But Which Wife?"

"A Circle of Wives" by Alice LaPlante   Atlantic Monthly Press   310 pages   $25

After the characters introduce themselves, the next thing to happen is the death of a prominent pediatric surgeon in a hotel room.  He is alone; it looks like he might have had a heart attack and in falling to the floor, hit his head on an end table.  His wife is notified; she is in their Palo Alto mansion. 

But imagine the surprise of MJ, a former hippy turned accountant, when she reads about his demise in the newspaper.  She's been married to him for nearly eight years!  They own a house with a beautiful garden that both have worked hard on to make it beautiful and serene.

Helen is a pediatric oncologist at a hospital in Los Angeles.  They've only been married for six months and work keeps them separated much of the time.

Detective Samantha Adams - she's heard all of the Sam Adams jokes, thank you - isn't so sure that it was "just" a heart attack and it turns out she's right.     

I found this to be a very interesting tale.  How did he get away with polygamy? 
Wife #1 won't give him a divorce; I get that, but in this day and age, I don't think you can be held hostage to a marriage.

This is LaPlante's second book and I will be seeking out her first - "Turn of Mind."