Monday, June 12, 2017

Audio Book Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow by Fiona Barton book cover and review
The Widow is a well crafted detective story that strings you along bit by bit to the conclusion.

The multiple perspectives and time frames are used effectively.  We get the perspective of the widow, the reporter and the detective for much of the book. And a bit from the mother and even the husband (the accused) towards the end.

A two-year-old child, Bella, has been abducted from her yard (or "the garden" as it is called in Britain.) We learn about Jean and her husband's past--how they met, the courtship and their marriage.  At the beginning of the book, Jean's husband has died, and she's being hounded by reporters to tell her story.  You see, her husband was accused of taking Bella.

The best thing about The Widow is the way it is told.  We, as readers, are slowly and carefully fed bits of the story, from the past and the present, and from multiple perspectives. Slowly the secrets and details of the twisted life are revealed.  It's masterfully done.

The slight disappointment is that I kept waiting for "the twist," or the huge surprise.  There really isn't one. The resolution is what I expected. So the comparisons to Gone Girl and those types of books doesn't really ring true.

Each perspective gets a different audio narrator, and they were all excellent.  It was a great way to keep the changing perspectives clear.

The Widow definitely kept my interest, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy a  detective story that is told in a very entertaining way.

Published by Berkley, 2016 (Penquin Audio)
Copy obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 4/5
 





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2 comments:

  1. I have this one on my TBR list but I read a review of her newest, The Child and I am completely sold, think I will go with the new. Hope you are well Annette.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like books where the story is told from different perspectives and I do love a good detective book!

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