Another thing Jeanie wants desperately and has expected to happen for them is the birth of a child. The fact that it has not happened is a crushing disappointment to her. However, the worst is yet to come into her life when Glen is accused of a horrific crime. Of course, he denies it and Jeanie stands by him through all of the police interrogations and trials. In addition, they have reporters camped out on their doorstep constantly as well as hounding them everywhere they go.

Finally, things begin to calm down. Just as they do, though, Glen is suddenly dead. Jeanie is left alone. The reporters are back as are the police. Jeanie holds a terrible secret regarding her husband and the crime he was accused of committing. She has been harboring this secret for so long, and now she feels she is about to explode if she continues to keep this secret much longer. She might be ready to share her secret with the world.

Fiona Barton has created a tense, mesmerizing story in THE WIDOW. Told from the viewpoints of the widow Jeanie, the reporter Kate Waters, the police detective Bob Sparkes, and a few other key players in the plots, I was drawn into this tale from the very first page. THE WIDOW tells its story without giving away the full secret until the end. The facts are there and the way the emotions were involved for all of the characters made me a part of things. I felt as if I was right there with each character as they enacted their individual roles.

It is clear that Fiona Barton is a writer to watch in the future. She is a genius at spinning a tale of mystery and keeping her readers on the edge of their seats as they are led down the path she wants them to travel. THE WIDOW is everything a great mystery should be, and I consumed it properly and with relish. There were moments I could not wait to see how everything would end and would sit up into the night reading.

Reading THE WIDOW is an exercise in pleasure for that detective who resides somewhere in all of us. Do yourself a supreme favor and pick up a copy today. You might not get any sleep tonight, but it will be well worth it.

Book Summary