Reviews

The Widow by Fiona Barton

sydneeelliott's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

namitakhanna's review

4.0

Let me first start by saying this is not another Gone Girl or Girl On The Train .I enjoyed the book as I went into it without any expectations . It's a simple story , well written with clearly defined characters.I would put in the mystery genre .
Little Bella is kidnapped from her backyard and Glen is suspected of the crime .DI Bob Sparks investigates the crime and gets personally involved with the case . Did Glen commit the crime or not and was his wife Jean involved in it ?
I found the book an easy read without lots of twists and turns and would rate it 3 1/2 stars .

mfishvt's review

3.0

Meh. The writing was a bit confusing at times, went between talking in 1st & 3rd person, & The Widow was a boring confusing character. I did read it fairly quickly & it kept my focus so it wasn’t bad, I guess I just feel like it was dull there was no mystery to it. I’m interested in reading the Kate Waters series so I’ll definitely give the author another try.

hartas's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

nina_gauri's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

karina_loves_cats's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

chelseatm's review against another edition

2.0

I loved the book throughout but didn't find the ending very satisfying. Felt it went out with a flicker instead of a bang.

lurker_stalker's review

3.0

I was browsing the available audio books on Overdrive and remembered seeing The Widow being shelved by a few of the people I follow on Goodreads. I didn't know what it was about except it was in the mystery category and that was good enough for me at that moment.

The story was interesting and engaging. For anyone who is hesitant about reading it for fear of graphic descriptions of crimes, have no fear, there aren't any. The POVs switch between several people who are involved in the crime and the investigation so there's a lot of information to absorb but it never felt overwhelming. This isn't a fast-paced "who dunnit" but more of a slow reveal.

I definitely enjoyed the book but didn't feel any sort of urgency in reading it. I could have easily set it aside and probably not thought about it again. The widow was certainly an interesting character. I would have liked to have spent more time in her head. I wanted to get back to her whenever another character's POV took over.

If you're looking for a lighter mystery that deals with potentially upsetting themes but doesn't go into graphic detail, this might be for you.

lainzzz's review

1.0

I feel sick to my stomach after reading this book. It is beyond disturbing. I kept reading, hoping there would be some sort of twist. A twist never comes. If you’re going to write about something so awful, there should be some type of hint at the subject on the book. I’ve enjoyed Barton’s other books, but the subject of this one was just too disgusting for me.

maninthebox's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25