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A review by paulabrandon
The Widow by Fiona Barton
1.0
What a boring, stupid waste of time this one was! The Widow sells itself as a psychological thriller, but it's really just another police procedural. There are actually more chapters from the POV of Bob Sparkes, the detective who investigates the disappearance of 2 year old Bella than there are of the widow of the title! There is also a heavy, heavy, heavy, HEAVY emphasis on the journalism aspect - part of the story involves journalist Kate seeking an exclusive interview with Jean Taylor, the widow of Glen Taylor, the prime suspect in Bella's disappearance.
I don't hold journalists in very high regard. Sure, there are some who do good work, but they're in the minority. This book hit me over the head again and again and again with the scummy actions journalists take to get their story, when I was already well aware of their vile behaviours from years of, well, WATCHING THE NEWS!!! I thought The Widow might be an interesting glimpse into the mindset of that woman we all see on the news who stands behind her husband despite him being accused of all manner of terrible things.
But it was not to be. Instead, the narrative jumped from year to year and back again, across several different POVs, with the main emphasis being on Bob Sparkes' investigation and search for the truth. If you're after a police procedural with a heavy dose of the unethical, fear-mongering, slanderous nature of the world of trash journalism, that ends exactly how you expected it would from the opening chapters, maybe give this a try. The Widow relies entirely on a narrator who knows all the facts simply withholding information from the reader, and instead fills its pages with the other characters struggling to catch up. A total cheat, if you ask me, and not clever at all!
I won't be bothering with this author again!
I don't hold journalists in very high regard. Sure, there are some who do good work, but they're in the minority. This book hit me over the head again and again and again with the scummy actions journalists take to get their story, when I was already well aware of their vile behaviours from years of, well, WATCHING THE NEWS!!! I thought The Widow might be an interesting glimpse into the mindset of that woman we all see on the news who stands behind her husband despite him being accused of all manner of terrible things.
But it was not to be. Instead, the narrative jumped from year to year and back again, across several different POVs, with the main emphasis being on Bob Sparkes' investigation and search for the truth. If you're after a police procedural with a heavy dose of the unethical, fear-mongering, slanderous nature of the world of trash journalism, that ends exactly how you expected it would from the opening chapters, maybe give this a try. The Widow relies entirely on a narrator who knows all the facts simply withholding information from the reader, and instead fills its pages with the other characters struggling to catch up. A total cheat, if you ask me, and not clever at all!
I won't be bothering with this author again!