Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton


Note: This ARC was provided by Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

The Widow is the debut novel of Fiona Barton and is a psychological thriller but it isn't one that's necessarily focused on merely the widow in the story, Jean Taylor. The story is told from the third person perspectives of several main characters--the Widow (Jean), the Reporter (Kate Waters), the Detective (Bob Sparkes), the Husband (Glen Taylor), and the Mother (Dawn Elliott)--giving readers an interesting look at what they were thinking and feeling as two separate but life-altering events occurred: the abduction and death of a toddler named Bella Elliott in 2006 and the accidental death of Jean's husband, Glen, in 2010. The story held my attention and I was turning the pages, trying to figure out what was going on in the heads of the characters concerned as everything played out. It was paced fairly well throughout.

The book has been touted as the next Gone Girl--which I read but wasn't necessarily a fan of--and The Girl on the Train--which has yet to capture my attention and it isn't on my to-be-read list either. Obviously, I can't really compare The Widow to either of those books, so I'm going to leave that up to readers who have read all three titles. On its own, this debut novel was entertaining enough, and the titular character was interesting, although I wouldn't consider Jean Taylor the most interesting one among all the main characters in the story. The life Jean leads is of her own making, choosing to do whatever she believed was necessary to keep perpetuating the lie that was her marriage. But she was never manipulated nor forced to make the choices that she did, and to be honest, she isn't some innocent victim in the whole sordid affair.

There are a few twists in the story that should keep readers on their toes, especially when it comes to how certain characters are tied together. This is a good book and one I would suggest for fans of psychological thrillers and for those who may want something different from the usual fare the romance genre has to offer. The writing is solid and this was truly a more than admirable effort from a first-time novelist, one whom I hope will hear more from in the future. My recommendation, though, is to go into it with an open mind and not have any expectations other than to it to be a good read, especially if you've read either of the books it's been compared to. After all, to pit against bestsellers that have such an avid following would be unfair. Overall, The Widow does its job as a story that makes you closer at what's going on. Four stars. ♥

Release Date: February 16, 2016

Date Read: February 16, 2016

Learn more about Fiona Barton.

Purchase The Widow on Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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