A review by jmatkinson1
Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre
4.0
Surgeon Diana Jager had courted controversy in the past so when she exiled herself in Aberdeen the last thing she was looked for was romance, and definitely not with a hospital IT worker. However after a whirlwind relationship Diana is married and living with her husband Peter, whilst he tries to develop revolutionary software that will support them both. As time goes by Diana suspects things are not quite as rosy as they could be and when Peter disappears after a row and his car is found in the river, suddenly Diana is in the frame for murder. Asked by Peter's sister to look into the events surrounding this marriage, former investigative journalist Parlabane finds himself intrigued but what he discovers is much more than just the story of a 'black widow'.
It was only after reading reviews of this book in preparation for writing this one that I found out that this book is the latest in a series about Parlabane. I thought the book was a one-off about Diana Jager! It is a testament to the quality of Brookmyre's plotting that this bit of information did not diminish my enjoyment nor cause any confusion by my not knowing any background information. The story is very twisty, set across two timeframes and two narrators. Diana's story is that of an ambitious and emotionally distant woman who has been through the mill and is trying to come out of the other side, believing in true love and seeing the scales moved from her eyes over time. Parlabane is a dogged investigator who smells a rat and doesn't back down. In the end the denouement is somewhat expected but with enough surprise to leave this reader very satisfied
It was only after reading reviews of this book in preparation for writing this one that I found out that this book is the latest in a series about Parlabane. I thought the book was a one-off about Diana Jager! It is a testament to the quality of Brookmyre's plotting that this bit of information did not diminish my enjoyment nor cause any confusion by my not knowing any background information. The story is very twisty, set across two timeframes and two narrators. Diana's story is that of an ambitious and emotionally distant woman who has been through the mill and is trying to come out of the other side, believing in true love and seeing the scales moved from her eyes over time. Parlabane is a dogged investigator who smells a rat and doesn't back down. In the end the denouement is somewhat expected but with enough surprise to leave this reader very satisfied