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slacy116's review against another edition
5.0
The ending was definitely not what I expected! Cate Quinn’s writing is spectacular.
firestormwv's review against another edition
4.0
[a:Cate Quinn|20154067|Cate Quinn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] worked as a travel and lifestyle journalist for many newspapers and magazines, including The Times, The Guardian, and The Mirror, before releasing [b:Black Widows|52658299|Black Widows|Cate Quinn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632763793l/52658299._SY75_.jpg|78458995]. Her background in historical research earned her postgraduate funding from the British Art Council. [a:C.S. Quinn|8134484|C.S. Quinn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1410348937p2/8134484.jpg] and [a:Joanna Taylor|1114027|Joanna Taylor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] are two of her pen names.
I checked out Black Widows from the library for which I work.
The book Black Widows follows three sister wives who are accused of brutally murdering their husbands. The plot twists and turns until it reveals the truth.
Rachel, Emily, and Tina, the sister wives, appear to have nothing in common except their spouse Blake. Their diverse personalities add to the suspicion. Rachel, the first wife, is a former drug addict and sex worker from Utah, Emily, the second wife, is a young ex-Catholic, and Tina, the third wife, is a former drug addict and sex worker from Las Vegas. Blake grew up in a conservative LDS family, but he came to believe plural marriage was the pathway to Celestial Heaven. His views caused him to estrangement from his parents and siblings. He builds a homestead in remote Utah to live in his utopia. From the start through the disclosure of the murderer, the wives suspect one another.
I read this book in two sittings because I was anxious to see what happened next. I gave it four stars because the conclusion seemed to wrap up too cleanly and quickly. Throughout the novel, Quinn's writing held my attention. She depicts the location in such a way that the reader can visualize the scene in its entirety. I like how each of the wives was given their own distinct personalities. The wives' differences lend depth to the plot while also emphasizing their similarities. Some of the plot twists and turns may surprise and unsettle some readers. The killer's motivation is intriguing, although not completely unexpected.
This could be the book for you if you enjoy mysteries, investigating different spiritualities, and learning about different cultures. This will most likely not be your cup of tea if you are uncomfortable with plural marriages and kink.
I checked out Black Widows from the library for which I work.
The book Black Widows follows three sister wives who are accused of brutally murdering their husbands. The plot twists and turns until it reveals the truth.
Rachel, Emily, and Tina, the sister wives, appear to have nothing in common except their spouse Blake. Their diverse personalities add to the suspicion. Rachel, the first wife, is a former drug addict and sex worker from Utah, Emily, the second wife, is a young ex-Catholic, and Tina, the third wife, is a former drug addict and sex worker from Las Vegas. Blake grew up in a conservative LDS family, but he came to believe plural marriage was the pathway to Celestial Heaven. His views caused him to estrangement from his parents and siblings. He builds a homestead in remote Utah to live in his utopia. From the start through the disclosure of the murderer, the wives suspect one another.
I read this book in two sittings because I was anxious to see what happened next. I gave it four stars because the conclusion seemed to wrap up too cleanly and quickly. Throughout the novel, Quinn's writing held my attention. She depicts the location in such a way that the reader can visualize the scene in its entirety. I like how each of the wives was given their own distinct personalities. The wives' differences lend depth to the plot while also emphasizing their similarities. Some of the plot twists and turns may surprise and unsettle some readers. The killer's motivation is intriguing, although not completely unexpected.
This could be the book for you if you enjoy mysteries, investigating different spiritualities, and learning about different cultures. This will most likely not be your cup of tea if you are uncomfortable with plural marriages and kink.
murphy87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I didn't see the ending coming which was a nice surprise because I felt her other book The Clinic came together a bit sooner than it should have (still a good read). If the the LDS and FLDS fascinate you, you'll probably fly through this book. It draws heavily on the horrors associated and committed by Warren Jeff's FLDS compounds and crimes as references so be prepared for some triggering moments in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Medical trauma
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
4.0
What a dark and bumpy ride this was!
If you’ve followed my reviews for any length of time, you likely struggle to understand how I can label one book “dark and icky” and give it 1-2 stars and label another book “dark and icky” and give it 4-5 stars. Well, welcome to the dichotomy that is me. 😂
This one IS dark and it IS icky. Like “read sentences through your fingers over your eyes” icky. But it focuses on a topic I’ve always been deeply fascinated with - cults; and even more specifically, religious cults with a polygamy tie in. I can’t wrap my head around what interests people in them or how women get sucked in, so I find myself reading out of morbid curiosity.
This book centers on a man who was murdered and his three wives are under suspicion. From the outside, their arrangement seems downright concerning, and the more the detectives dig, the more they unearth. The story is told in equal parts by all three wives, and they couldn’t be more different.
This story unfolds quickly - and creepily. We learn more about the three wives and their histories as we race to figure out who murdered their husband. The ending was… satisfying.
Absolutely wild ride and I enjoyed most of it. There should be about 100 content warnings, and some of the content is a little too graphic for me (hence the 4 stars instead of 5), but this was an excellent mystery.
shanmcg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i liked the story for the most part but as a whole it was a slow read for me and it felt like too many ideas
kittey623's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the twists in this book. It really had me guessing what was going to happen next, and who the culprit really was. I felt the characters unfolded naturally, though some more than others. 4 stars because I thought it was a little too long - there was too much exposition and description that wasn't necessary to the story and detracted from the growth of the characters.
emmep's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good book. Learned a lot about the Mormon lifestyle and the Fundamentals polygamy as well. The three wives are all very interesting in their own selves. The ending was a total surprise. I'm glad my librarian recommended the book to me. Will definitely look into more by Ms. Quinn.
marissamally's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookedup83's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This could have been 200-230 pages shorter because it grew tedious in some places, but it was a well-crafted mystery with three of the most interesting unreliable narrators.
Blake's death was just the catalyst; this was a story of how three broken women found themselves together in an unconventional relationship/family. They don't trust each other, they don't like each other, but they're all they have.
Rachel, the first wife, grew up in a cult. Emily, the second wife, grew up with an abusive mother. And Tina, the third wife, grew up with a drug-addict mother and became an addict herself. Blake, good ol' American Mormon boy, seems like a godsend to each of them for various reasons. But being with a man who wants a plural marriage isn't as easy as they thought it'd be. Especially when said husband is an end-of-times survivalist as well as a religious fanatic.
Told through alternating POVs, the mystery of the murder and each woman's past is revealed. And all three of them had reasons to want their husband dead.
Blake's death was just the catalyst; this was a story of how three broken women found themselves together in an unconventional relationship/family. They don't trust each other, they don't like each other, but they're all they have.
Rachel, the first wife, grew up in a cult. Emily, the second wife, grew up with an abusive mother. And Tina, the third wife, grew up with a drug-addict mother and became an addict herself. Blake, good ol' American Mormon boy, seems like a godsend to each of them for various reasons. But being with a man who wants a plural marriage isn't as easy as they thought it'd be. Especially when said husband is an end-of-times survivalist as well as a religious fanatic.
Told through alternating POVs, the mystery of the murder and each woman's past is revealed. And all three of them had reasons to want their husband dead.
ncarlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25