The Widow
The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller
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4.1 • 100 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
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
The Widow
Great read, very entertaining.
Gets the job done
Author
British. Highly experienced, award winning journalist. Apparently, the idea for this, her debut novel, was rattling around in the author's head for years before she finally put pen to paper. It received received plenty of attention when released: this year's 'Gone Girl' and this year's' Girl On The Train.' Ho hum?
Plot
The titular character, Jean, was recently widowed after her husband Glen fell under a bus, although there might have been more than simple clumsiness involved. You see, during the preceding four years, he was a figure of press and public attention, labelled a pedophile and charged with abducting and killing a photogenic toddler. Although Glen was acquitted due to lack of evidence, public and police suspicion persisted. Jean stood by her domineering spouse through the ordeal, which cost both of them their jobs and their lifestyle. After the accusations started flying, she kept saying, "Glen couldn't have done it. Glen loves children." With fava beans and a fine chianti, perhaps? Needless to say, the couple never had sprogs of their own due to Glen's low sperm count. "Doesn't matter, love. We've got each other," he kept telling her, and which she accepted dutifully, even after she found out about the porn on his computer. Now he's gone, everyone thinks Jean might finally spill the beans, fava or otherwise. She thinks she might too, at least those of which she's aware.
Narrative
Shifts back and forth in time between the alleged crime in 2006 and Glen's demise in 2010. Five narrators and the author helpfully labels each chapter "The Husband," "The Widow," "The Detective," "The Reporter,"and "The Mother of The Victim," so the reader doesn't get confused (or more confused than usual in my case). Apart from the controlling porn-addicted husband and his submissive wife, the other narrators all have "issues" as well. I liked the reporter Kate Waters best. Not surprisingly, that character was probably easiest for Ms Barton to create, which is why she's the lead in Ms B's two follow-up novels The Child (2017) and The Suspect (2019).
Characters
Glen made a convincing perv, but Jean the widow was an annoying wimp.
Prose
Not much tension ever develops and there are no major plot twists. Despite that, the prose was crisp and things moved along well enough, even though the conclusion came as no surprise.
Bottom line
Gets the job done without ever threatening to knock the lights out.
Worth the read
Amazing book!!! Could not put it down!!!