Synopsis from Macmillan Publishers:
The second standalone thriller from the award-winning author of The Nowhere Child, Christian White.
Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives.
Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?
About: The Wife and the Widow is a mystery thriller written by Christian White. It will be published on 1/21/2020 by Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, 352 pages. The genres are mystery, thriller, and fiction. The author’s debut was called The Nowhere Child. According to Macmillan’s website, “Minotaur established in 1999, Minotaur is a premier publisher in the bestselling category of crime fiction. St. Martin’s Press has a long and respected history of publishing a solid and varied list. We are dedicated to publishing emerging new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres, while maintaining a diverse and interesting range of books.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.
My Experience: I started reading The Wife and the Widow on 12/6/2019 and finished it on 12/10/2019 at 12:10am. This book is an excellent read! What an interesting job to learn about: palliative care. I didn’t know but it makes sense someone has to do it. I love that example about releasing stress on a leaf down the stream. I also like learning the term taxidermy. I have seen many deer heads at my old boss’ office so now learning of the term is wonderful. In my other island reads, the story made it like living on an island is the best off season but this book brings out another light, one where the locals are low on cash without all the tourists to sell their overpriced wares. I like having this reminder.
This book started with a prologue told in the third person point of view following John, physician, as he is woken up by a sound of someone in the house. Then the story begins with Kate as she and her daughter wait for her husband John at the airport. He wasn’t on the plane home so she called his employer. From there she found out that he’s no longer with his employer doing palliative care for the past 3 months. Then Kate reported to the police that her husband was missing after she couldn’t get a hold of him. The alternating view is Abby who’s hobby is taxidermy. She lives in Belport Island, a tourist destination, with her husband and kids. One day, a body was found and it was of a person who owned a holiday home on the island. Abby’s view is in the past and Kate’s in the present, until the day they meet. One is a widow and the other is the wife. Two dead bodies twenty three years apart in the same location.
The Wife and the Widow is well written and a fast paced read! I enjoyed the suspense. I like how the story slowly connects the characters together. The thing about the dual perspectives are the mini cliffhangers. We readers have to wait until after the next chapter to read and it’s an excruciating wait! I also love the surprise turns of new clues. On page 255, I discovered that there should have been a timeline in Abby’s view. I’m not sure if that is left out deliberately or this early advance copy failed to label that. I love the twists! I loved this book so much that I read the author’s note at the end, and yes, I did flipped a few pages back to check if I had read it correctly because of the missing timeline. I highly recommend this read!
Pro: interesting job/hobby, fast paced, suspense, mystery, secrets, lies, mini cliffhangers
I rate it 5 stars!
Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Macmillan’s website
About the Author:
Christian White is an internationally bestselling and award-winning Australian author and screenwriter. His debut novel, The Nowhere Child, won the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and screen rights were quickly acquired by Anonymous Content (US) and Carver Films (Australia). He also co-wrote Relic, a feature film starring Emily Mortimer. Christian lives in Melbourne with his wife and their adopted greyhound. (Photo and info obtained from Macmillan’s website).
More Information about Minotaur Books
Website: https://us.macmillan.com/smp | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinotaurBooks | Twitter: https://twitter.com/MinotaurBooks | Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/minotaur_books
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine
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Terrific review! I really enjoyed the author’s first book. I will have to check this out too.
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Me too! Thanks Dee.
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