Title: The Wife and the Widow
Author: Christian White
Published: January 2020, Minotaur Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
The second standalone thriller from the award-winning author of The Nowhere Child, Christian White.
Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow
is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow
whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s
secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when
she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But
nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women
come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their
lives.
Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?
My thoughts: This is the first novel I’ve read by Christian White, however it will certainly not be the last. I was completely captivated by this book, reading it in one day, not being able to put it down. This book is the type of mystery that totally consumes you and you cannot do anything but keep reading until you get to the end to see how it all plays out and I absolutely love books like that!
This book is all about the lengths people will go in order to protect those they love as well as asking how well do we even know them. It’s also a book that is probably best to go into as blind as possible in order to fully appreciate this book. I will say that it’s brilliantly crafted and will totally hook you right from the start. There are quite a few surprises along the way, some that may completely floor you and that is the beauty of this book.
I loved the way the story was told, alternating between Kate, the widow, and Abby, the wife. You immediately become invested in both their stories and are left wondering just how these stories are connected as the layers are slowly peeled back. I’m always amazed at how authors know just the right moment to make certain revelations.
This is a fast-paced, well written, smart mystery that will keep you engaged and thinking all the way through. I cannot wait to read Christian White’s debut novel, The Nowhere Child, and will definitely be recommending The Wife and the Widow to everyone!
