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.

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.

"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.

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.

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 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.

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,

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

This was a super interesting book and I enjoyed reading it a lot. It's unfortunate that there are people like Will Jordan exist and do these terrible things to others. However, there were parts of the book that I found repetitive and some instances of jumping around in time for no reason - it didn't make the timeline easier to understand. The writing was good, though, and made it so much easier to get through a somewhat convoluted tale.

I wish that Mary had found the answers to some of the less relevant (though most interesting) questions, like how Will knew about those videos before they were released to the media. Those little things really intrigued me. I liked Mary's writing style, if she ever writes any fiction I'd be happy to give it a try.

What would you do if you found out your husband was actually a CIA agent? And then you found out he was actually just married to someone else and that was a cover - or was it? This book is legit crazy - I cannot believe this guy got away with all of this .Disgusting and yet beautifully written. I am glad this woman got her life back. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*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.

HOLY MOLY! This book is crazy! The writing is fine, but it wasn’t the style I expected. This is a first person narrative of crazy town!!! I couldn’t step away from it because the more you read, the more bizarre it becomes.

Throughout this book I just kept thinking how badly I felt for what the author endured during those 6 years. I also wanted to yell run, get out!
She believed everything that her husband told her, even when I was thinking how could you believe that? I needed to remind myself that this was someones real life that got taken over and was a victim of lies and manipulation from someone that they loved. Love does make us blind to peoples faults
I flew through this book needing to know what happened to Mary and also hoping that the psychopath got put behind bars for a long time.
I will definitely be reading the follow to this called The Psychopath when it is released next year!
Sadly this isn't just a really well written fiction book but real life, this can definitely be taken as a cautionary tale.
Thanks to netgalley and the author/publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review

I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

What a totally intriguing read, I wanted to think she was daft at the beginning and couldn't believe she fell for all his lies, but reading on I realise how manipulative Will was, a really great read

Well, I wasn’t expecting that! I don’t know what I was expecting but this blew my mind. The Bigamist is one of the best true crime novels I’ve ever read. Mary Turner Thomson tells her devastatingly sad story with passion and pride. Yes she was seriously taken in by a wicked man, but it shows just how easily anyone can be controlled without knowing it. I’m thankful for Mary telling her story and I have huge respect for her.

Hard to believe this is a true story, a thoroughly good read, very thought provoking and extremely well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

With so many scammers being seen. on dating sites I think this book had to be told.
Was a though provoking book with some good advice at the end.

Thanks to the publisher, net galley and the author for an early release of this book.

I received The Bigamist as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Mary Turner Thomson is a single mother when Will Jordan appears in her life. Dashing, charismatic, and involved in covert operations for the CIA, Mary is soon swept up by the mysterious American, marrying and having two children with him. However, their happiness is short-lived, as Will is constantly away from the family on mysterious missions, perennially short of money, and supposedly being targeted by shadowy forces in the intelligence world. The truth, however, is even harder for Mary to accept--that the man she married and built a life with--was a liar, fraud, scammer and probable psychopath.

This was an enthralling read that I gobbled up in less than a day. Reading it, I couldn't believe that someone wouldn't have just said "Screw this" and thrown in the towel long before she did, but it's really a testament to how powerful psychological manipulation is. I was disappointed that we never found out quite what Will's deal was--how he knew the information he did, how he produced the supposed proof of his identity, and how he kept his multiple lives straight for so long. It's quite a ride.

This book details the true story of the author's betrayl by her bigamist husband. It gets to the heart for how much do we trust someone who seems too good to be true and how long do we believe in love when your gut tells you otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I really don’t know where to begin with this book.

I went into it knowing nothing about the story, having been very young when it happened and was in the news. The book, although very true, read like a fiction, I think this is in part due to how crazy and unbelievable some of the things that happened are.

I struggled to put it down as I just wanted to know more and more.

I cannot fault this book in any way, the way it is written is so gripping and I did have to take a minute to remember that it is real, which is incredibly hard to do.

My only comment is I don’t understand why this is the third time this book has been published? I haven’t read the others so I am not sure if they are materially different, but I doubt that they can be given it’s a true story?

An absolute must read. Absolutely shocking, I had to keep reminding myself this was a true story. The absolute hell Mary Thomson has been through is abhorrent. Such an incredible read and humbling to see how truly brave she was.

This was a very intersecting read. It’s based on a true story of the author’s real life experience with a con man. Mary is a single mother in Edinburgh who has a supportive family network, owns her own flat, has a good job but longs for a relationship.
She decides to give online dating a try which is where she meets Will. He’s single, an attentive listener and a great communicator. From the beginning of the relationship Will proves to be unreliable. Mary dismisses this based on the great connection they have. Despite some red flags Mary presses forward with the relationship that begins a journey that will change her life forever.

I was immediately captivated by this story. I found the writing easy to follow and felt myself having to put the book down to call a friend to discuss what had transpired or ask would you call for that if a man said or did something similar to the acts described in the novel. At times I found myself judging Mary without mercy but in a situation we often see what we want to see , what we want to believe. I felt the book was pretty fast paced until the section where Will gets arrested. This is where I felt the pacing slowed a bit. The introduction of the other wives and the telling of their experience was interesting as well as scenes where employers told how Will had dupe them out of thousands of pounds. If felt some of the retelling I’d Wills escapades was redundant in the later section as it was done with the same level of detail when it was originally told from Mary’s point of view. The trial and recovery sections were great at bringing closure to the whole saga. With the proliferation of social media as a tool to interact and possible meet others, this story is a cautionary tale advising to exercise caution as you may not really know the person as well as you thought. I’d recommend this. It’s timely and entertaining.

A cautionary tale that is relevant in these modern times. Intriguing and horrifying; based on a true story of the author's own experience with a scheming con man. The Bigamist is the story of how one man's selfishness and deceipt had devastating consequences for the women that fell for his charms. Engaging and thrilling; a fantastic retelling. Highly recommend for lovers of true crime. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.

Wow! I could NOT believe that this is a true story. It is a truly mind-blowing account of how dangerous some people can be and the lengths they can go to in order to deceive and ultimately destroy other people.

From the blurb:

From whirlwind romance to gaslighting campaign: this is truth far stranger than fiction.

When Mary met Will Jordan online, she was a single mother who’d given up trying to find Mr Right. And yet here he suddenly was: articulate and attractive, with a fascinating background. Soon they were in love, and when he proposed after a month it seemed recklessly romantic.

Caught up in a whirlwind, Mary accepted that Will’s work often took him away from home, out of contact. She was his rock, supporting him emotionally when a misunderstanding led to criminal charges, and even selling everything when blackmailers threatened to kidnap their children. Together, they took on the world.

And then one day the phone rang, and a woman introduced herself as ‘the other Mrs Jordan’…

WAIT! What? The OTHER Mrs Jordan...this is where the book title kicks in.

For a book that is a true account it's written so well that you will devour it like a novel, I could not stop reading this book as more and more it just got so incredibly intense and I had to keep reminding myself this was not fiction. What Mary Turner Thompson went through and her survival is nothing short of commendable. This is a story that could happen to anyone. You sure need to be careful on those dating sites! You have been warned.

I don't want to reveal too much about Will and his secrets. I can say that they will absolutely blow your mind. The level of deceipt and cruelty is phenomenal. The book created a lot of emotions in me from shock to great empathy and anger. This is a book to just grab and lock away with. Escape from the world and enter this world of the ultimate betrayal(s). I can't rave enough.

Whether you like true stories, true crime or a darn good novel this will keep you fascinated and shocked from page one. I am eager to read the sequel to Mary's book which follows on from where her story leaves off in this book. A solid five stars for such a well-written account of her horrendous journey and her ultimate escape through things that would break so many. A must read!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy. All review opinions are my own and totally unbiased.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

My heart went out to Mary and she was certainly brave to put herself out there and write a book about her experience. I think she was a little naive and gullible and maybe a little lonely. Will certainly took advantage of her vulnerability...and she was a sucker for it. I don't mean to put her down but seriously? I am not sure how someone <b>AND</b> their family could fall for this. When the money situation had become so bad she should have known right then and there he was too good to be true and to fall for it <b>TWICE</b>? Maybe she wanted to believe...no one knows what goes on in someone else's head.

With all that being said...it was a well written account and such an interesting read. I understand that Mary has other books published and I look forward to enjoying those as well. Kudos to Mary for her strength and resilience to go forward and I wish her and her children all the best.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are min

I picked this not realising this was based on a true story - WOW - this is an incredible read
Still can't get over the fact that this is a true story - an absolute must read

This book was good but at times confusing. I think the main problem with this book is that Mary wasn't an author in the typical sense before setting pen to paper - she had no practice and a very specific, wandering, convoluted story to tell. I do feel bad for her and the other victims of Will. I am also interested in reading her new book, The Psychopath - I'm hoping that that one will flow a little smoother. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

A compelling page turner. Absolutely unreal, yet very real at the same time. The reader's sympathy is there from the start. We are rooting for her! I will definitely recommend this title.

Interesting enough, I suppose. But it seemed to me she not only had a lot of clues something was wrong with him but she picked up on it. It's not that I dont have sympathy but it seemed so obvious he had someone else.

That said, it was entertaining to read.

I remember reading about this in the press a few years and being keen to know more. This book was astonishing - how on earth did William Jordan keep ever keep all of his lies straight? How he managed to dupe so many women with his lies and not feel any remorse for anything he did is devastating to the women and children left in his wake. My heart breaks for everyone left behind. It was such a twisting and turning tale to read that no longer Mary was taken in for so long. Definitely recommended for anyone considering internet dating.

Having read quite a few psychological thrillers this was different as it is real,you can hardly believe this man did this,a real insight into the world of ‘the bigamist’,although at times I did think surely she must have guessed....always easier to say that looking into a situation of course, a good read

I wrote my review in bullet points as they came up in the book. It helped me work out my thoughts.

I understand the honeymoon phases of a relationship and I got into the book and requested it because I wanted to see if it was easy to be tricked. One of my biggest fears is being tricked like this or being tricked into joining a cult and this book was very eye opening.

The excuses were plausible until he said he worked with the CIA, which I would have laughed at when someone told me that but I understand that love is blind.

The hardest part about this book for me was that it’s non fiction, at some points I was rolling my eyes because it was so soap opera ish but this was someone’s life so I am trying to be fair with the review. I do feel for the author and she took so many steps to make sure her daughters life was entangled with some strange man.

Wow! A very interesting premise - and this book turned out to be even more so.'

Was Will really everything he displayed to Mary - or was he a fantastical liar?

A true story that I can believe. In love, as Mary was, she tended to overlook the other person's (Will's) faults. He still displayed a lot of positives for Mary...But being late, a no-show date, seemed to be Will's major faults. However, when Will really describes his job to Mary, she still feels a niggle of doubt. No?

This was a read that was difficult to put down - especially due to the fast pace and wild characters!

RECOMMEND!

Many Thanks to Little A, Seattle & NetGalley for a great read.

What a journey reading this book was. I loved it and read it in one sitting staying up to the early hours to finish it. Seeing how easy it is to be taken in by a con man who is able to manipulate women and be so believable I think that this should be available to girls in school before they leave so that discussions could be held with friends and teachers to hopefully help them to avoid these menaces.
After I read this and the notes at the back I did some research of my own and discovered that after prison here, Bill/William was deported and did exactly the same to at least one American young lady. He needs locking up and the key thrown away To protect the society That he chases. Single parents with young children have enough to cope with without someone like him around.
Fantastic book, well written, characters and all situations so clearly documented. I found that all the way through I was trying to think about myself and would I have fallen for these lies. I am a very strong, well educated lady who as an IT Director for a large company should be more savvy but I cannot say that I would not have fallen for this set of circumstances. I do however wonder how many other conmen might hea4 about this story and think it a great idea to copy.
As a final note I have to say that I have already ordered copies of this book for the girls in my family so that they are prepared a bit for this type of man. I have also told all my friends about this and recommended that they encourage their female family members to read it.

The motto must be “Ladies Beware!”

You have to read this book. Reading it you think naw this is just fiction but it's not. It's so fascinating to read an account of something you would never expect to happen to you. The writing is spot on. I highly recommend it. Happy reading!

This true story feels like reading a fictional story. Will Jordan is a professional conman, and he knows exactly what he's doing and what kind of woman he's going to con next. This book is Mary's story about her time with Will, it goes into detail about her six years with him and also how she dealt with the awful situation he left her in.

This book is a fascinating look into just how a sociopath/psychopath (I'm not an expert, and not sure which category Will Jordan falls into) can completely upend a person's life. This true story hooked me from the beginning, thinking "how can this woman be falling for this?!" The author (and therefore the reader) have hindsight on their side and aren't wading through the emotional fog of falling in love which lets this story unfold with a certain amount of candor or objectivity. I would definitely recommend for those who like a peek into how smart people get sucked into the vortex of someone like Will Jordan.

This is the third edition of Thomson’s memoir of her marriage to a psychopath. Her story is a wild ride. Reading other reviews, I knew everyone would ask, “how could she not know?” but all of us can be deceived by people we love. Yes, she had a lot of red flags thrown at her but she thought she had evidence of the “truth” he was telling. Plus, psychopaths like Will are really good at manipulating people’s emotions. I wish she would have described more her state of mind and the time period each “incident” took place so the reader could be more sympathetic. There is so much going on in this book and it’s a fast paced read so all the warnings the reader sees, and Thomson can see in hindsight, Thomson could easily overlook especially with three small children. As a reader, it is frustrating to see her go through everything she did, to lose everything she had for him. I wish the end had more information about where Thomson is now. Especially since it’s the third edition, it’d be nice to have more information.

This autobiography follows Mary Turner Thomson, a single mother who signed up for an online dating site and believed she had met her soulmate in Will Jordan. Unfortunately, the man she fell in love with was all that he first appeared to be. Will would disappear for long periods of time with no way of contacting him. Eventually, he revealed to mary that he was working for the CIA. This was only the start of what would snowball into years of manipulation, abuse, and thievery.

Mary has a very strong voice, which carried this book and kept me intrigued even when I felt like the story tended to get repetitive. This book read like a true crime and/or thriller novel and there was something oddly fascinating about watching Will try to string together this outrageously tangled web of deceit.

I think the greatest thing this book has to offer is its ability to elicit empathy from its reader. While listening to Mary’s tale, you may find yourself wondering how she found herself in this situation. "I would never do that," you may think. "God, how could she have been so stupid? It’s so obvious!" I know all these thoughts ran through my head at one point. Nut mary explained it best when she said that such a thing could truly happen to anyone. Will figured out her weaknesses and exploited them deftly. He was such a master manipulator, Mary didn’t realize how low she’d sunk until she was sitting at the bottom of the pit.

The Bigamist is the captivating and shocking true story of William Jordan, who had two wives, several girlfriends, and at least 13 children. He led many lives, defrauding his wives and girlfriends and bilking them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The author, Mary Turner Thomson, was one of his wives. She explains the web of lies and deceit that Jordan spun, and its aftermath, better than anyone else could.

Readers of true crime stories should check this one out. It will leave you speechless and horrified at the selfish and cruel acts of this man which harmed so many women and children.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

This is a true story. I was fascinated by this book. At first I had doubts I’d get into it but I’m glad I stuck with it.