Stuck at a train station on a delayed commute home one evening, I decided to pick up some literary entertainment to keep me amused for the two hour slog ahead. WH Smith served up The Widow by Fiona Barton. The front cover highlighted that the novel was a Sunday Times Bestseller and with a recommendation from Stephen King on the front, it wasn’t difficult to choose.
The novel follows Jean, whose husband is accused of a terrible crime, and explores how much she knows about his supposed misdeeds. It jumps back and forth through time as you learn more about each character. It also features the timeline of a journalist called Kate who hounds Jean for the full story after her husband dies and a detective who is determined to find out the truth. You journey throughout the novel not knowing whether the husband is really guilty or not but with a great suspicion that he is.
The story is a roller coaster of emotions and I found myself changing my mind about Jean’s culpability as I got further on in the book. Jean certainly has some character flaws and you spend a large portion of time flipping between sympathy for a downtrodden wife to doubt about a potentially complicit spouse.
This sort of novel is right up my street. I love a mystery, crime, detective, thriller story and this was all four in one. I didn’t realise at the time of buying but it closely mirrors the format I would like my novel* to take with flashbacks and different character perspectives all part of the plan.
I read this in less than a week and kind of regret getting through it so swiftly. If you’re looking for your next book to read, you’ve found it! Pick it up for just £3.85 on Amazon here.
* Mini novel update – the idea is there; it just needs to jump from my mind to some paper!
Live, Love, Savour 