The Widow
The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller
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4.1 • 229 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK
'If you liked GONE GIRL and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, you might want to pick up THE WIDOW by Fiona Barton. Engrossing. Suspenseful' Stephen King
We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime.
But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs - the wife who stands by him?
Jean Taylor's life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she'd ever wanted: her Prince Charming.
Until he became that man accused, that monster on the front page. Jean was married to a man everyone thought capable of unimaginable evil.
But now Glen is dead and she's alone for the first time, free to tell her story on her own terms.
Jean Taylor is going to tell us what she knows.
***** 'The book really got under my skin and had me turning pages at a rate of knots, unable to tear myself away.'
***** 'An utterly addictive read that I couldn't put down.'
***** 'Clever twists and turns . . . kept me on my toes until the end.'
Read Fiona Barton's other tantalising thrillers: THE CHILD, THE SUSPECT and LOCAL GONE MISSING - out now.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Fiona Barton's much anticipated psychological thriller will leave fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train on the edge of their seats. Widow Jeanie Taylor is being hounded by the press—her late husband, Glen, was suspected (but never convicted) of abducting a child years ago. Bouncing between the present day and the years around the crime that disrupted the couple's lives, Barton makes us question Glen and Jeanie’s involvement at every turn. A suspenseful mystery told from multiple (and often unreliable) perspectives and packed with red herrings, The Widow kept us turning pages well into the night.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What would you do if your spouse suddenly became the prime suspect in the kidnapping of a two-year-old girl? That's the stomach-churning prospect that confronts London hairdresser Jean Taylor in this exceptional debut from British journalist Barton, who circles her story as if it were a lurking panther, unseen but viscerally sensed. The main action occurs in 2010, with flashbacks to little Bella Elliott's headline-dominating disappearance from her home in Southampton in 2006. Multiple narrators maximize suspense, with perspectives switching among tough-to-read Jean, whose husband, Glen, has just been fatally hit by a bus at the book's start; haunted Det. Insp. Bob Sparkes, the lead investigator, whose career the case jeopardizes; and tabloid reporter Kate Waters, most resourceful of the frenzied journalistic pack chasing the story. Though Barton stumbles slightly down the homestretch, tipping what should be her biggest bombshell, she tells her tale with a realism and restraint that add to its shattering impact. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
Very well written
Enjoyed reading this book very hard to put it down 🙂
Great read, not so great finish
Bought this book after reading the sample and was gripped! It was a real page turning that kept me committed until the end. This was the disappointment, the end seemed hurried and not within the story of the characters. Shame really as that is the only reason that stops this being an excellent read.
Average
Was waiting for the interesting plot twists that never really came