Black Widows
Ratings5
Average rating4.4
"An absolutely thrilling novel. I devoured it over a weekend, unable to put it down. It's a clever and completely original take on a domestic thriller."--Alex Michaelides, author of the #1 New York Timesbestseller The Silent Patient "Original, informative, suspenseful--the big three in a literary slam bang."--New York Journal of Books Blake's dead. They say his wife killed him. If so... which one? Polygamist Blake Nelson built a homestead on a hidden stretch of land--a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah--where he lived with his three wives: Rachel, the first wife, obedient and doting to a fault, with a past she'd prefer to keep quiet. Tina, the rebel wife, everything Rachel isn't, straight from rehab and the Vegas strip. And Emily, the young wife, naïve and scared, estranged from her Catholic family. The only thing that they had in common was Blake. Until all three are accused of his murder. When Blake is found dead under the desert sun, all three wives become suspect--not only to the police, but to each other. As the investigation draws them closer, each wife must decide who can be trusted. With stories surfacing of a notorious cult tucked away in the hills, whispers flying about a fourth wife, and evidence that can't quite explain what had been keeping Blake busy, the three widows face a reckoning that might shatter all they know to be true. For fans of The Wife Between Usand The Drycomes a chilling murder mystery that takes a domestic thriller's classic question--"Did his wife kill him?"--and twists it into an completely new type of suspense.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
5 Stars
“Blake's dead, his wife killed him. The question is... what one?”
A murder. Cults. Dark themes. An absolute thrilling and interesting read. I liked each perspective we got from Tina, Rachel, and Emily. We learn how they came to meet Blake, and live together. I love how different they are and how they grow throughout the book. I liked the friendship they didnt have and then they did.
Lots of triggering subjects as well.
Very enjoyable book. A true twisty mystery that keeps you guessing. I read 60% of the book in one afternoon and night, the day I started it, because the twists and turns didn't let up. I only wrenched myself away because it was nearly 1am and even then my brain kept me up thinking about everything that happened. I did dream of the three wives that night and that tells you how invested I was in the story because that rarely happens.
I can't speak to the LDS/Mormon side of things but it didn't feel like a stereotypical depiction of them but what do I know? A particular character helped with that and they also were the reader-surrogate into a world I know very little about.
I quite like the ending. After all the set up I thought I would be disappointed at the reveal but it really fit the whole vibe of the book. There were still puzzle pieces falling into place even at the end.
I recommend this book to any mystery story lover and anyone who has a passing interest in a Western-y and religious vibe to their mysteries. There are a few CWs potential readers should know about the book so I'll list them below.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
CWs for physical and mental abuse of children and adults, SA of minors, murder, incest, child death, drug use and recovery from addiction, cults, controlling behaviour, brainwashing, religious ‘justification' for all CWs listed here except the drug use and recovery
