The second standalone thriller from the award-winning author of The Nowhere Child, Christian White. Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned … local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives.
Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?
more
A well-written and tautly-paced story that keeps you reading. The author is a master of the end of chapter hook. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of the widow and the wife, and the author uses a brilliant literary device which I can’t disclose without giving away the ending.
Great book!! Go a surprise at the end. I was shocked.
I was liking this book more until I got to the homosexual parts. Then I tried to just focus on the mystery instead of that detail of the mystery, so I was doing better. But then I was like, “Wait. We were never told there was a time gap,” and I got fairly disgusted about that because I felt confused and kind of betrayed or something. I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, and it ended up being okay, but it was pretty gross and could’ve been a lot better, says me–this is my review. I went into it blind, so it’s my fault, because now that I’ve read it there were some warnings, but I didn’t want to know ANYTHING, so yep, that happened. I may or may not read the other Christian White book that I just heard exists. I did like the Author’s Note and the bit about how he eventually got it all straight with how to develop the time gap. I also liked a sentence in the book about how it was claustrophobic but yet also an endless void. I’m not quoting that and I’m probably even botching it, but maybe you’ll know the part I’m talking about if you’ve read it. I won’t be keeping this book, but I’ll give it away in a Little Free Library so other people can give it a read and pass it on and see what they think about it. Oh, and I liked that taxidermy was in this book. The author did a good job there.
If you want a page-turning mystery, this one might just be for you.
This story set on a fictitious island off the Bellarine Peninsula and those of us from Melbourne will be familiar with some of the landmarks mentioned. It is told from two points of view, There is the widow, Kate whose husband is missing. When he fails to arrive home from an international conference, and is instead discovered dead on the island, Kate tries to navigate around her grief to find out what happened and instead unravels her husband’s secrets. The other point of view is the wife, Abby, a local who lives on the island and is forced to face the possibility that her husband could be a murderer.
The blurb itself is surely already intriguing enough to capture your interest and if you’ve read The Nowhere Child, you’ll understand that not all is what it seems. Indeed, I didn’t see the twist coming and when it came, I confess to scratching my head trying to work out what happened. It is quite brilliant.
Both female characters are well developed and the reader feels for them. The author weaves in themes of family, grief, and secrets and has us wondering how well one person can know another.
Give this whodunnit a go.
This one really had me from the very first page and I can say that the plot twist was something totally unexpected. A masterful tale of complex characters with plenty of secrets to hide.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and it was really good. I devoured this book in one day. I can’t tell you the last time that has happened. I thought I had the plot figured out but I was SO wrong. The twists in this story are something else. I had to reread the last few chapters and when it finally clicked I was stunned. This was a very unique plot and I highly recommend going into this story blind. Make sure to pay attention to the clues. After reading I remembered things that now make sense. I will also be checking out other books by this author as he has left me very impressed with his storytelling.
Kate Keddie’s husband, John, is a physician working at a palliative care hospice center. John was supposed to have been at a symposium for two weeks in Melbourne, but when he does not return as promised, Kate begins to investigate. She discovers that John has not been employed by the hospice for the last three months. Now, she has learned that he has been found dead on the island where they owned a vacation home. Along with her father-in-law, Fisher, they try to find some answers on the island.
Abby Gilpin is marred to Ray and has two children. They have lived for years on the island and Ray has been a maintenance man while Abby works at the local grocery store.
From this point, we watch this story build where all these people’s lives come together that tells a story of secrets, parental love, and murder. It is a compelling story that keeps the reader glued to the book turning pages. I found it sad in many ways, but also understood how a parent will do anything to protect their child. Hope I’ve not given out too many spoilers but Instead grabbed your interest to read this book.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Wow! This was such a good book! An original and very well composed story. I read and reread a couple of parts, just to make sure I understood what was actually happening. I loved the characters and the description of the area where the story takes place. I don’t want to give anything away on this one, but this is an outstanding read and I am going to get myself Mr. White’s first book “The Nowhere Child”, which also sounds like a terrific read.
Thank you very much to Netgalley, the author Christian White, and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this excellent book and in the bargain add another favorite author to my list. This is my honest opinion.
A cunning thriller set in Australia: you’ll be certain you’ve predicted the plot and chances are, you will be wrong. Breezy writing.
A big thank you to Minotaur for my gifted copy! I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Wife And The Widow
By: Christian White
*REVIEW*
From the first page, I was glued to this book. Every spare second I had was spent reading a bit here and there. Kate and Abby, the two narrators, are women at a crossroads in their lives. Kate is filled with sorrow. Abby is filled with suspicion. I felt trepidation about everything, on pins and needles dying to know who was guilty. I really thought I had solved this puzzle when the author pulled the rug out from under me. What an amazing and innovative twist! I never even thought about the ending like that. My only complaint is the taxidermy because I’m just squeamish. Otherwise, this was a fast paced, dramatic and insightful read. I cared about the characters because they were so genuine and easy to empathize with in both situations-suffering because of the lies of men. I love a book that surprises me, and The Wife And The Widow definitely accomplished it. I look forward to more from Christian White!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This psychological thriller is like no other! Fasten your seat belts because you are on the ride of your life. “The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?” Enjoy!
Wow, this was an excellent read. At first I thought things were a little too obvious; thought I had it all figured out but it turned out nothings quite as it seemed to be. Well written with great twist and surprises. Highly recommend. Also, thank you to the author, publisher, and Goodreads for providing this ARC of The Wife and the Widow. Fantastic.
I read Mr. White’s debut novel, The Nowhere Child and loved it so I was very excited to see he had another release coming out. The Wife and the Widow drew me in from the first page and had me glued to the pages all the way to the end. I had so many questions and thoughts while I was reading. I really didn’t accomplish much of anything else while I was engrossed in this book.
Mr. White does a great job of leading the reader through these two women’s lives. I really thought I was following along really well, completely invested in what was going on with these two women and their lives. I was invested in what was transpiring in the story, following the story and the details of what was happening, the twists and turns taking place, thinking I was figuring out exactly what was going on with Kate’s (the widow) husband and how Abby’s (the wife) husband played into it all. Then I got to this twist and was Gobsmacked that I didn’t figure it out!
Initially I thought the story was going to go in another direction based on something Kate’s husband said in the beginning:
If we don’t talk about the monsters in this world, we won’t be ready for them when they jump out from under the bed.
Add in the prologue and my mind went in a totally different direction. But Mr. White surprised me with the story that rolled out on the pages. As I said in the beginning, I was glued to this book. I still have a few questions that I would love to have answers to, but I think they were left that way for the reader to form their own opinions.
A very entertaining read, I can’t wait to see what Mr. White brings us next!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this title in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Kate Keddie is married to John, a physician working in palliative care, and they have a 10-year-old daughter named Mia. John is supposed to be at a convention and Kate goes to the airport to pick him up as a surprise. John does not come home and he is found dead a couple days later on the island where they have a summer home. Abby Gilpin is married to Ray and they have two teenagers, Lori and Eddie. The Gilpins live on the island where Ray is caretaker for the vacation homes. Abby works at the local grocery store and money is tight. The story goes back and forth from Kate’s POV to Abby’s. There are lots of surprises and twists in this book that I enjoyed very much. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this highly suspenseful read that kept me on the edge of my seat.
You know when you get your earbuds out of your bag and they’re so tightly tangled…well that’s this story. Bit by bit it started to unravel, then tangled again. I admit I got a little lost between the characters and place but by the end it all made sense. The author was very tricky with this tale of lies. Two families torn apart by the past and present murders.
Brilliant tale, I’m not saying anymore to ruin it for you.
I also loved the setting, close to home for me.
#librarybook