dead husband

Review: Alice’s Island by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo

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Stories about dead spouses with secret lives are a dime a dozen. Can’t name one off the top of my head because that’s how common they are, how they all seem to run together. So it was with a bit of hesitation that I picked this one up. And I’m glad I did. Because it’s both familiar and different at the same time.

Alice has a good life. Great job, loving husband, beautiful daughter with another child on the way. And then it all changes in an instant. When her husband, Chris, dies in a car accident she’s shattered. Imagining life as a young widow is tragic. But even worse is the realization that Chris died far from where he was supposed to be.

So Alice begins digging. And she digs some more. Eventually her curiosity leads her to an island she’s never even heard of. Soon she finds herself living a new life as she continues her quest to discover who her husband truly was and what secrets he was keeping from her. But at what cost to both Alice and her children?

I enjoyed this story a lot. While the main plot is one that I’ve heard before, the author takes a unique twist with it. The characters are intriguing, and there’s an underlying vein of humor throughout the story. It’s a bit long and wordy at times but all in all a great story.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Alice’s Island

Review: The Good Widow by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

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Twisty.  That’s the best possible way to describe this engaging psychological thriller.

Jacqueline has a pretty good life.  She enjoys her job as a teacher.  And if asked to describe her marriage of eight years, she’d probably say it was pretty good.  All that comes to a screeching halt, however, when two police officers show up at her door with the worst possible news.  Her husband has been killed in a tragic accident.  Well, actually, that’s not the worst part of it.  He wasn’t where he was supposed to be, and he definitely wasn’t supposed to be with the woman who died with him.

Confusion reigns as she tries to make sense of what happened.  So when Nick, the fiance of the mystery woman, persuades her to join him on his quest to find answers she willingly joins him.  But answers lead to more questions, and she finds herself no closer to the truth.

Nice little mystery with a neat little twist at the end.  A great, quick read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Good Widow

Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

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I love it when an author, especially in a debut novel, is able to write a story that’s so compelling, so suspenseful that you flip page after page to finally get to the ending.  For me, the best thrillers are the ones where it’s drawn out until almost the very end.  You think you know who dunnit but you’re never completely convinced until that last chapter. That’s what you get with this mesmerizing book from Fiona Barton.

We know from the get go that something bad has happened.  When Jean’s husband is killed, the media immediately are at her door.  They want her story.  But they don’t want the sympathetic story of a grieving widow devastated by the loss of her husband.  They want to know exactly what happened years ago.  That’s when Glen was accused of a crime so horrific that surely he’d be locked away forever.

Somehow, though, that didn’t happen.  And for reasons unknown to the reader until deep into the story, he and Jean have half-heartedly attempted to rebuild their lives.  But the past refuses to let them.  When Glen is no longer in the picture, surely Jean will finally get some peace and quiet.  Too many secrets left buried won’t let that happen, though.  Is Jean the one who can finally shed light on the tragedy that changed so many lives?

This was a classic thriller in all the best ways.  There are horrible crimes, secrets buried, and of course death.  Each chapter was rampant with an undertone of something big about to happen.  As I turned each page, I just knew that finally I’d find it all out.  But alas, it was not to be.  Not until almost the very end.  Yes, I guessed correctly on several things.  On others, not so much.  Grab this one and see if you can do better!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Widow