laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
The Widow
3 Stars
Seven years following the murder of her FBI agent husband on Mount Desert Island, Abigail Browning, now a detective with Boston PD, receives an anonymous phone call suggesting that strange things are happening in the quiet island community. With the help of search and rescue expert, Owen Garrison, Abigail stirs up old memories and old ghosts in her determination to expose a dangerous killer. Will she discover the truth before she becomes the next victim?
More of a mystery than romantic suspense.
Nothing much happens for the first 2/3 of the book as various characters are introduced, and their relationships with each other and their connections to Chris Browning are rehashed over and over. The investigation is rather lackluster as neither the local police nor the FBI seem particularly interested in capturing Chris’s killer. Although minor clues are interspersed haphazardly throughout the narrative, the obvious red herring distracts from these and make it difficult to determine the killer’s identity and motive.
Owen and Abigail’s romance is secondary and there is no real foundation to their attraction. Their chemistry is non-existent and they mostly appear to be going through the motions of falling in love without actually doing so. There is a wonderful potential for conflict stemming from Abigail’s unresolved feelings for her murdered husband and the fact that Owen is one of his oldest friends, but this never materializes.
All in all, a good premise but the execution is dull and uninspired. This author is not for me.
3 Stars
Seven years following the murder of her FBI agent husband on Mount Desert Island, Abigail Browning, now a detective with Boston PD, receives an anonymous phone call suggesting that strange things are happening in the quiet island community. With the help of search and rescue expert, Owen Garrison, Abigail stirs up old memories and old ghosts in her determination to expose a dangerous killer. Will she discover the truth before she becomes the next victim?
More of a mystery than romantic suspense.
Nothing much happens for the first 2/3 of the book as various characters are introduced, and their relationships with each other and their connections to Chris Browning are rehashed over and over. The investigation is rather lackluster as neither the local police nor the FBI seem particularly interested in capturing Chris’s killer. Although minor clues are interspersed haphazardly throughout the narrative, the obvious red herring distracts from these and make it difficult to determine the killer’s identity and motive.
Owen and Abigail’s romance is secondary and there is no real foundation to their attraction. Their chemistry is non-existent and they mostly appear to be going through the motions of falling in love without actually doing so. There is a wonderful potential for conflict stemming from Abigail’s unresolved feelings for her murdered husband and the fact that Owen is one of his oldest friends, but this never materializes.
All in all, a good premise but the execution is dull and uninspired. This author is not for me.
jfr_wi's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. Mystery, some romance, without the drawn-out descriptive love scenes. A little hard to follow the character lineup through the first few chapters.
rosemaryc64's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
holl3640's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
whaney's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down. First time book for this author. A friend had read these and we like similar books, so thought I'd give it a try. I will definitely read more by this author.
It did start out a bit tough and where throwing out so many names and relationships... which for the most part weren't all the important to the whole book.
A good mystery, a tough woman cop, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. What more could I ask for in a bootk. :-)
It did start out a bit tough and where throwing out so many names and relationships... which for the most part weren't all the important to the whole book.
A good mystery, a tough woman cop, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. What more could I ask for in a bootk. :-)
mackenzierm's review
4.0
When I first read the little blurb about the book I really wanted to read The Widow and when finally I bought this book I was absolutely dying to read it. I made myself wait for awhile and read books I've had lying around for quite a long time first. Now that I've finally read it, I did enjoy it but not as much as I had hoped I would.
The plot was interesting to a certain point. The way Neggers started the book had me kind of confused as to how things were going to get rolling but she wrote it in such a way that made me want to continue reading.
Abigail Browning was an interesting character, I didn't find that she was portrayed so much as those "tough as nails" female cops that other suspense/mystery authors create; which I found interesting. It made the storyline more believable, I find.
The main relationship in this book was anything from romantic. In fact, I found it almost dull. There didn't seem to be altogether that much chemistry between Owen and Abigail, thus making their relationship a tad boring.
Abigail's dead husband, Chris Browning, was killed seven years before but it sort of surprised me that his killer didn't kill any others in that time. The killer seemed to be normal, as in not a killer type of person. :)
The reason I gave this book four stars is because of the way Neggers kept me wondering who the killer was. It wasn't until she unveiled the killer that I realized it made sense and all fit together.
The plot was interesting to a certain point. The way Neggers started the book had me kind of confused as to how things were going to get rolling but she wrote it in such a way that made me want to continue reading.
Abigail Browning was an interesting character, I didn't find that she was portrayed so much as those "tough as nails" female cops that other suspense/mystery authors create; which I found interesting. It made the storyline more believable, I find.
The main relationship in this book was anything from romantic. In fact, I found it almost dull. There didn't seem to be altogether that much chemistry between Owen and Abigail, thus making their relationship a tad boring.
Abigail's dead husband, Chris Browning, was killed seven years before but it sort of surprised me that his killer didn't kill any others in that time. The killer seemed to be normal, as in not a killer type of person. :)
The reason I gave this book four stars is because of the way Neggers kept me wondering who the killer was. It wasn't until she unveiled the killer that I realized it made sense and all fit together.
maggietoussaint55's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book. The situation felt so plausible, the emotions and settings so real. Well done, Ms. Neggers!
janels03's review
5.0
Really enjoyed this book. Great storyline and plot kept me guessing. Will definitely read more books by Carla Neggers.
lavenderspark's review
2.0
I finished it in a few days. It was an ok book. The romance side was a little too blatant for me, but everything else was ok.
canadianbookworm's review
3.0
Abigail Brownings husband Christopher was murdered four days into their honeymoon. Seven years later the case is still unsolved and Abigail can't let it go. Her husband was an FBI agent and her father a senior staff member at the FBI. She wonders if her family connection had anything to do with his death. When Christopher died she was a law student, but after his death she quit law school and joined the police force in Boston. She is now a detective and has many friends on the force who value her instincts and skill at her job. When she receives a cryptic phone call on the anniversary of her husband's death, she is drawn back to the cottage she still owns, where he grew up and was killed. Many of those who were there seven years ago are still there and she asks questions of all of them to try to get to the truth behind his death.
Both her drive and her emotionally state show clearly here and while her heart is now free to pursue new relationships, she feels a duty to her late husband to find out what really happened.
A good character, with many good supporting characters that have more than just simple motivations driving them as well. Enjoyable and engrossing.
Both her drive and her emotionally state show clearly here and while her heart is now free to pursue new relationships, she feels a duty to her late husband to find out what really happened.
A good character, with many good supporting characters that have more than just simple motivations driving them as well. Enjoyable and engrossing.