In the distance Leah heard sirens. She ignored them. Right now, her daughter needed her and Emily was just out of reach, curled up under the bed, her eyes closed, desperately shaking. Leah did the only thing any mother would do. She crawled through the blood to get to her daughter. When Detective Luka Jericho is called to a family home in rural Pennsylvania, he’s shocked to find six-year old … to find six-year old Emily Wright is the only witness to her father’s murder. Her mother, Dr Leah Wright, returned home from work to find Emily huddled under the bed behind the body, and Luka is desperate to find out what Emily witnessed. He knows that the killer could still be out there, waiting to strike again.
But Leah is hesitant to ask Emily to relive what she saw. She knows that Emily could be haunted by those memories forever. Until the same red roses Leah was sent on the night of her husband’s murder are found in Emily’s hospital room and the family is attacked again…
Luka must race against time to unravel Leah’s family secrets, as he battles painful reminders of his own fiancée’s death. But he has no idea just how close the killer is. Will he be able to keep Leah and her daughter safe?
Fans of Karin Slaughter, Kendra Elliot and Tess Gerritsen will devour this fast-paced and chilling new crime series from New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons. You won’t be able to put this book down.
What readers say about The Next Widow:
“Wow!… I have been completely unable to put this one down… There is absolutely no predicting where the author is taking the story which has made this a gripping and exciting read. I absolutely loved this.” Little Miss Book Lover 87, 5 stars
‘Incredible! If you pick up one book this year then make it this one! Dark, twisted and bloody brilliant! If you haven’t read a book by CJ Lyons before then you’re in for a treat.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh my goodness, what a brilliant start to a new series! Everything about this book just epitomises why I love the crime thriller genre so much! It is a fast paced, intense read, that is filled with so much tension and suspense and I could not get enough of it! It really is an outstanding piece of work that will consume you’ Once Upon a Time Book Blog, 5 stars
‘Blew me out of the water… I starting reading at bedtime, I was so enthralled in the story, next thing I knew it was 3am as I was turning the last page on my Kindle… Compelling, captivating, suspenseful, heart wrenching, all the good stuff you want in a crime thriller.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“This book has more twists and turns than a mountain road but eventually the truth comes out in an exciting climax… One of the best mysteries of the season.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“Such a page-turner and gripping and so gritty, I loved how the story progressed with all its twists turns and mysteries. Definitely recommend.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“Wow… This book grabbed my attention from the first page!… I loved every bit of it! The character’s just come alive! I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good thriller read like I do!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“AMAZING read… Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout… From the beginning, with the blood filled house, to the daughter under the bed, to the investigator, and then to everything pointing to the mother being the one who was at fault, this book just got better and better.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
I really liked this one in the beginning and middle and the beginning of the end – then, well, it was the beginning of the end… I found the pacing and revelations and misdirection fascinating and edge-of-your-seat compelling for so much of this book. I honestly didn’t know who the baddies and the goodies were – or if there were honestly any of each (beyond the named characters in the series title, who obviously weren’t going to turn out to be the evil-doers, or there wouldn’t have been much of a series).
Then when the Big Revelations started rolling out things felt like they veered out of the realm of a *real* horror story and into that of a movie one. It felt like they went too dark, too fast and it stretched the bounds of credulity for me. I still read it, mind you, and flipped pages pretty furiously – but it felt a little overdone compared to the more subtle psychological cat-and-mouse teaser of the vast majority of the book.
I’m still a fan – this was a horrifying nightmare of a story, but in a very readable (even if I sometimes wanted to half-close my eyes while doing so) way. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more from CJ Lyons…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
This book is honestly a page-turner, and like most of the murder mysteries I’ve read, I enjoyed the storyline and tried to avoid analyzing or critiquing the author’s writing as much as possible. However, the word “actor” jumped out at me whenever it was used. My husband worked in Law Enforcement for years and according to him, that word has never been used to describe a suspect. But putting that aside, the twists and turns in this gritty story were awesome, to say the least!
Pediatric emergency physician and popular author CJ Lyons gives us a plot-twisting medical thriller that introduces intriguing characters, ER doc Leah Wright and detective Luka Jericho–brought together not only by a horrific murder, but by complementary life histories. In the wake of unspeakable tragedy, how do you know who to trust? Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Prolific author CJ Lyons has started a new series; the Jericho and Wright thrillers. Yep, scared me! I am not a fan of hospitals and now I have more reasons not to like them. Great read. I am looking forward to the sequel. Cheers Lynda L. Lock (Isla Mujeres Mysteries)
The Next Widow by CJ Lyons is the first in the new series, Jericho and Wright thrillers. Jericho is Luka Jericho, a murder detective who has never used his gun. He is still missing his fiancée, who was killed years ago, and lives with his grandfather, who is struggling with old age. Wright is Dr. Leah Wright who is an emergency room physician, who does her best to save a life, no matter what. It is Valentine’s Day, and Leah is working her normal noon to midnight shift. She takes a break at 8 to call her husband and daughter, as is her routine. He husband plans to wait up as he has a surprise for her. As she is living the hospital, she picks up a dozen roses that have been left at the desk for her, the card, repeating the promise of a surprise at home. When she arrives, she enters through an open back door and immediately sees blood. She follows the blood to see the butchered body of her husband and discovers her daughter hiding under the bed. She crawls through the blood to get to her daughter, calls 911, and begins the nightmare of the next 24 hours.
A little more bloody than what I normally read, The Next Widow is so compelling it forces the reader to keep reading. Not out of fascination, really, but out of a need to know. There certainly are crazy people in the world and we meet several of them in the process of solving this crime. There are good things, too. Good people. The plot was convoluted, but quite good, and the characters were well written, with deep backgrounds. There were a number of excellent subplots, more than enough to keep the story interesting. Most of them were about the people in this very character driven novel. The conclusion was satisfying and I look forward to more. I recommend it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of The Next Widow by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thenextwidow
I always love the excitement of a new series. If this book is any indication, the Jericho and Wright series promises to be quite thrilling, indeed. I liked how the author seemed to have no problem just jumping in and running with the story. The story sort of switched gears through the middle of the book and became very “cat and mouse,” before an explosive ending. There were some things that didn’t ring true and felt forced. But overall, I liked where the plot ultimately ended up. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, C.J. Lyons, and Bookouture. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend C.J. Lyons to friends and family. She writes an excellent, compelling thriller with personable protagonists and her story is fast-paced and enthralling. The first of a series, The Next Widow is completely stand-alone and an excellent ‘teaser’. I will be first in line for Book 2.
Dr. Leah Wright returned to her childhood home in rural Cambria City, Pennsylvania with her husband Ian and 5-year-old daughter Emily to care for her great aunt, Tillie, the woman who raised Leah. Tillie is dying and needs care, which they are easily able to provide. Ian has the summer off from his job, a Ph.D. Professor of cybersecurity at Cambria College and he also consults with CERT, a national government security system set up for security oversight on many government departments. Leah takes over as the family breadwinner working as a medical doctor at the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital. Now that Aunt Tillie is gone, her shifts grow longer and swing, so much of the raising of their daughter Emily falls into Ian’s hands, but they all agree that staying in Cambria City is an excellent idea, rather than returning to the big city.
And then Ian is brutally murdered in the middle of the night in front of his young daughter, Emily. Detective Sergeant Luka Jericho is puzzled – this murder could be tied into Ian’s CERT work, a home invasion (nothing is missing), or perhaps the wife – who has an alibi as she was working at the time of the murder – perhaps she hired someone to take out her husband… First rule in the murder book is look to the spouse and loved ones before wasting time with strangers…
A really good start to this new series. Made me think about the possibilities of mind control in this age of A.I. and technology. Will definitely read the next book.
The Next Widow is a heart pounding and edge of your seat thriller. Dr. Leah Wright returns home from a shift in the ER to find her front door open and a blood trail throughout the house. Following the blood, Leah finds her husband dead in their daughter’s bedroom floor and her daughter balled up under the bed in shock. As the cops investigate, Leah quickly finds herself the leading suspect as she still finds herself under threat from an unknown source. Full of suspense, the story unfolds quickly and I could not find a stopping place to put the story down. The single minded determination of the police to look at Leah as the suspect had me wanting to scream as a mother must learn to protect herself and her child. Twisty and turning, the story keeps smacking you upside the head with some new development just when you think you have it all figured out. I really liked Leah but found myself wanting to smack Detective Luka Jericho with frustration and wondering how the team up will work out in the series to come. But you can betcha I will be reading the next book to find out. My voluntary, unbiased review is base upon a review copy from Netgalley.
What a great start to a new series with Luka and Leah .
Leah is an ER doctor who goes home to find her husband covered in blood and her daughter hiding under the bed.
Luka is called in to investigate, he is fair, open minded and has his own family he is dealing with.
Twists and turns keep those pages turning to the very end.
I half guessed and that’s the fun in a book like this.
Cant wait for the second in the series, no pressure.
Off to read more of this author’s books, how have I not read her before.?
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an entertaining read.
I loved The Next Widow (Jericho and Wright Thrillers Book 1). CJ Lyons spins a great medical suspense crime drama. Leah Wright goes home after her shift as an Emergency Department physician. When she get home she is met with a horrific nightmare. Her husband has been murdered and her 6 year old daughter was the only witness. As much as Leah wants to find out who killed her husband, she also wants to protect her young traumatized daughter. Great medical-crime drama with an excellent medical back drop. I would definitely recommend this book.
If you’ve never read a C.J.Lyons book before you are missing out. New series but same gripping suspense this author is known for.
Leah is devastated by the murder of her husband and will do anything to protect her 6 year old daughter who was a witness. I hope in future books that Jericho who is the detective in charge of the investigation is a stronger lead. He kind of let everyone run over him.
I did figure out who was behind everything before the end but it was still a good read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc for my honest opinion.
Really enjoyed this newest from CJ Lyons. Some parts dragged a little bit, but overall an enjoyable mystery/thriller. I would recommend this to anyone who likes this genre and I look forward to the next one in the series.
Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for this eARC.