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The Widow
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The Widow
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The Widow
Audiobook10 hours

The Widow

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife.

When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...

But that woman's husband died last week. And Jean doesn't have to be her anymore.

There's a lot Jean hasn't said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.

Now there's no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.

The truth--that's all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…

List of Readers:
"The Mother" read by Jayne Entwistle
"The Detective" read by Nicholas Guy Smith
"The Widow" read by Hannah Curtis
"The Husband" read by Steve West
"The Reporter" read by Mandy Williams

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 16, 2016
ISBN9780147525185
Unavailable
The Widow

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Reviews for The Widow

Rating: 3.4849756260434055 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    How much do the wives of the men who commit terrible crimes actually know?

    I am a funny reader, at least according to my friends. You see, on one hand I loved Gone Girl and will pick up any book that is described "for fans of..." and on the other hand I hated The Girl on the Train and go out of my way to avoid books related to it, but The Widow grabbed my attention. Listed as for fans of both, the synopsis captured my attention right away, because I have also wondered about the significant others of criminals, especially of murderers. I watch all the shows, I read books about it, and I frequently look up stories that I feel my news hasn't covered enough. When I was given the chance to read The Widow I couldn't say no and I was not disappointed. In fact, the moment I finished I called my mom and demanded she buy it upon release.

    With multiple POV's and suspense, The Widow is the immersive story of Jean Taylor, the widow of well-known Glen Taylor, the man charged and acquitted of the murder of a local three year old girl. Having never spoken to reporters before, the death of her husband has brought the reporters to her door and Jean finds herself talking, for the first time in years. Jean is the kind of character you will both like and dislike, she's been held back for so long, but as she finally comes to be her own person again it isn't who anyone thought she was. I loved the glimpses into the secrets of her marriage, some she kept to herself, others she shared with the world. I really enjoyed the flashbacks into her relationship with Glen, from marriage, to days after he was first questioned, to finally the fateful day when he lost his life. Mixed in with Jean's story is the perspective of detective Bob, reporter Jean, the young girls mother, and even at times, Glen's. It is unputdownable, these characters are less than perfect, but they want to know the same truth as us, what did happen, and who's been covering it all up? Told over four years, you will find yourself just as obsessed with finding out where Baby Bella is.

    With incredible detail, Fiona Barton creates a believable storyline, fascinating characters, and a thought-provoking psychological thriller. The pace is fast, the twists aplenty, and the final outcome will shock you. I loved the changes in the characters are more information came to light and the progression of the criminal case. I enjoyed looking at a crime from the perspective of the person who is often ignored, the doting partner who preaches innocence. This book is haunting and the character's thoughts will chill your spine, but the look into this suburban couple's secret life should move it right to the top of your to-be-read list. I could absolutely see this as a book club book and hope to have discussions about it with others as soon as I can.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book had a great premise, and was billed as suspenseful, for fans of “Gone Girl on a…” type books. Which, knowing how I feel about those books, and books that are recommended as similar to, I pretty much knew what I had coming. And I was right. Good premise, lots of possibility, but it kind of fell flat. It could have been more disturbing and more suspenseful, but didn’t deliver. Not a bad read, but I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The main suspect whom the courts release as innocent, in the disappearance of a toddler is killed by a bus. The police, the news reporter and everyone in the country is trying to get her talk. Did her husband kill Bella or not? What I didn't like was the timeline. It jumped around too much and I found myself going back to the beginning of the chapters to remember what month/year this chapter was currently in. I also didn't like the use of the main character's name. It seemed like all conversations with Jean had her name in every sentence. It seemed condescending to me. I did however like the other characters. Bob, the inspector, made this case personal and I felt for him. Kate, the news reporter, who followed the story from the abduction, by befriending the mother till the death of the suspect, and getting the scoop from the widow.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An enjoyable read but not a page-turner. The characters are typical given the storyline. It's about a missing girl. It's about the reporter, Kate Waters It's about the police investigation. The resolution is not what you expect. That is the most interesting about the story. Give it a try.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The worst has happened to Dawn, a young mother, her daughter is gone. Taken from the front garden. Is she alive? Did she wander off on her own?

    The story is narrated by three different characters: Jean is the widow of the main suspect, Kate is a reporter hoping to get an exclusive, and Bob Sparkes is the detective assigned to the case. Jean's husband, Glen, is the main suspect in the story. When he is killed by a bus, everyone is sure that Jean will now tell them where they can find Bella's body. They are sure she has known all along that her husband snatched and killed young Bella. The story switched between past and present with the tale of how Glen became a suspect, his arrest, trial and release. This was an unusual premise for a story and I was expecting great things, especially after reading all the reviews, but unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. There were not the expected twists to the story. Once Glen was singled out, the story went according to plan with one minor twist at the end. Pedophiles is an important part of this story, with several characters involved with child pornography, but it is not graphically described. The writing was good and it moved relatively quickly and I liked the bits and pieces that were revealed along the way about the characters. It was a good story and I will read others by this author, but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped to.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought this book was really well done. I have had this book for several years but never got around to reading for one reason or another. When I noticed that a copy of the audiobook was available and it featured a large cast of narrators, I decided it was time to see what this book was all about. I was hooked by the story right away and there were times that I didn't want to put it down. I really did enjoy this book in the end.This is a book that jumps around in time a bit with several different points of view. I think that the way the book was set up helped to add to the mystery. From the start of the book, I had an idea of where things might go but I was never quite sure. This is a rather sad book in a lot of ways largely because the story felt so realistic and a crime against a small child is at its core. How many little boys and girls go missing every year without a lot to go on? It happens all too often based on what I see on my local news. I wanted a happy ending in this book (don't I always?) but I got a more realistic one instead.Much of this story is told from Jean's point of view. We hear from her both during her marriage to Glen and after his death. I wasn't quite sure if she was hiding something or covering for her husband. Was she the clueless wife, was she involved, was he an innocent man? I can't really say that I really liked Jean but I did feel somewhat sympathetic to her at times. Then there's the reporter who was probably one of the more likable characters in the book. She wants the story but is pretty competent in her quest to find answers. The detective was determined to solve this case. It was the one that kept him up at night and he was willing to do what needed to be done to get some resolution. We do hear from Bella's mother and Glen and while those points of view are short they are powerful.There are quite a few narrators that lend their voices to this audiobook and I thought that they all did a great job with the story. The bulk of the work fell on just a few narrators since most of the story was told from their character's point of view. I found all of the narrators to be easy to listen to and I believe that their performances added to my enjoyment of the story.I would recommend this book to fans of mystery thrillers. I think that this story felt very authentic and the way the story was presented kept me guessing. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love a good thriller/mystery and this certainly delivered for me. I cheated a little bit and got this title on audio---but I think that elevated my excitement for the story! The reading - done in the proper accents - had me hanging on to every word and when the truth was finally revealed it was incredible! The change of perspective between the Widow, the Inspector, the Reporter (and even the Husband!) added to the suspense for me. Just as I became used to one character's "voice" the direction would change and I'd be jolted again.
    This was just wonderful! A dark and horrible subject in a thrilling story that you can't put down.
    100% recommended!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The book cover for this debut novel by Fiona Barton says to compare it to Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Even though it's good, no way does it compare to those two novels. I did stay with it to the end because it started out very good, but went downhill about half way.The widow is Jean who was married to a controlling man, Greg, a pedophile. When a two-year-old girl goes missing, the search begins for the kidnapper. Jeans knows her husband is somehow involved but supports him refusing to admit he could have committed this crime. The press is ugly and deceiving as they try to one-up each other on the latest developments.There were time switches back and forth between when the child disappeared and later after Greg has died and Jean is now a conniving widow. It was annoying to constantly be looking for the date when a new chapter was started. I liked the narration with the different points-of-view mostly by Jean and the lead detective investigating the child's disappearance. But also included were the points-of-view by a reporter, the missing child's mother, and Greg. Not much of a surprise at the end, it was close to what I was expecting.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Meh. I found this very repetitive and not at all shocking or original.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Widow is Jean Taylor. Her husband just died and the police, reporters, everyone wants to know if Jean will finally talk her might of husband done. He has been accused of kidnapping a child, but he assures his wife that it's all a misunderstanding and the police are setting him up. She finds out some disturbing things about her husband along the way and begins questioning her judgement about the man she knew. The story goes back and forth between the investigation and the interview Jean does after the husband's death and it is told from Jean's perspective, reporter, police, and the mother of the missing girl. The book started off really good and kept me reading, but around 200 page mark it started to feel like it was dragging. It became clear what happened with slow revealing of information of the details for the rest of the book. The characters are very one dimensional, the only way Jean could be described was timid and that's it. I liked the plot and I do recommend reading this book if you like mystery thrillers, I just feel it could of been written better.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After Gone Girl, I have been searching in vain for a book to match that caliber. And I think this book might be it. The Widow is a compulsive thriller that takes you on a journey from many different perspectives. You hear from the Widow (of course), the Inspector in charge of the case, and the main newspaper reporter. Through them, you see the different angles and effects that the crime has. Moreover, you cannot help but be curious about Jean Taylor. At first glance, she doesn't seem like the type who can do anything on her own. But as you read the novel, you will find that she is more than what she seems. Throughout the novel, I was speculating whether the husband had actually committed the crime or not. I was just as tense as the police force during their entire investigative process. And I discovered a new-found respect for journalists. I can definitely understand why this book is so coveted by everyone; it is definitely worth reading, no matter how long the wait!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the story of Jean Taylor who was married to GlenGlen dies in an accident, he was accused of killing a young toddler called Bella who was kidnapped from home.This book is divided into chapters telling the story from Jean, Police, Bella's mother and also the Reporter.Police cant prove Glen abducted Bella but he confesses to his wife he seen her.It turns out it was Jean who pushed Glen under the bus, she was fed up with his nonsense. Glen was very controlling. Poor Bella is never found. OK book, Ending is a bit of a let down though.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think The Widow is an excellent psychological mystery. It's not really a mystery, yet one wonders the entire time reading just what could have happened. It's told from the point of view of the widow of a child molester, the chief cop on the case, and the reporter writing it all up, over a period of years. I think it gives an excellent portrait of what it must be like to be married to someone who becomes infamous for doing a truly horrible thing. The points of view are all handled well, as are the descriptions of several people with obsessions in this story. It's British and the whole thing is pretty understated, but rings quite true to life to me, and I found it a fascinating read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good characters' description, however, it is very skim on the husband part and more than necessary on the reporter's side.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was ok. I kind of felt like it was a bit slow and I couldn't stand Jeanie. I actually didn't really care for any of the characters. By the halfway mark I felt like I was just reading this book to finish it and wasn't really enjoying it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This psychological thriller featuring an unreliable narrator (for extensive parts of the book) did not work for me. It's one of many that has been compared to Gone Girl since the success of that book, and in my opinion, (I enjoyed Gone Girl, but thought it a bit overhyped), The Widow does not come close, and is an utter failure.As it opens, Jean's husband has just been killed in a tragic bus accident. The press is clamoring outside her door--they want to know what Jean knows about the unresolved crime Jean's husband had been suspected of a few years before, the abduction and possible murder of a toddler. Jean presents herself as a clueless wife, dominated by her husband. Alternating sections of the novel are narrated from the point of view of a somewhat unscrupulous journalist trying to get Jean's story from her, the police inspector who had been assigned the case of the missing toddler, and the not-entirely-sympathetic mother of that toddler. Overall, it's very predictable, not suspenseful, and using Jean to narrate portions of the book is awkward and unbelievable. I recommend avoiding this one.1 1/2 stars
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Yasssssss this was a great one. The setup - "widow of a criminal who recently died" - made me wonder initially where the story would go, but everything's constantly in doubt: was he really a criminal? If not him, then who did the crime? What's the widow's involvement? Basically every person in this book becomes a suspect for something or other at some point which is the best kind of book, I think. Super great for fans of Girl on the Train, The Kind Worth Killing, Gone Girl et al
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fiona Barton's 'The Widow' is a well-received mystery with a lot of layers. It's essentially about a kidnapping of a young child and the search for the perpetrator, but it's told in narratives along different time slices and from different perspectives.The book opens with a young widow trying to fend off media coverage of her husband's (who happened to be the guy accused of kidnapping a little girl) accidental death. It's a feeding frenzy, but she manages to stave off the horde until a woman reporter barges her way in and ends up getting an agreement with her for an exclusive interview. The story then bounces back and forth in time, looking at the early days of her marriage to the accused kidnapper, the details around the little girl's kidnapping, the police investigation, and the interview by the media. It's an effective writing technique that keeps readers engaged by exposing bits and pieces of information that may or may not be relevant. It makes for a little bit of a 'claustrophobic' read in that the young woman is under the control of the interviewer, under her husband's thumb while he's still alive, and under ongoing scrutiny by the police. There's some disturbing content regarding pedophilia covered, but it's handled in a 'PG' manner. Barton's writing isn't exceptional, but she does a good job developing the characters and making them 3 dimensional. As the chapters shift in time and different perspectives are exposed, you get a real feel for the characters and begin to question your assumptions about each of them as the story moves along. 'The Widow' is a good read that's written in a creative manner that turned out to be an effective technique in ratcheting up and maintaining suspense. Definitely worth a read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I stayed up late just to finish this book. It definitely had mystery and twists throughout and kept my interest. It was a great story about a girl who is kidnapped from her front yard and the investigation leading up to the arrest of the person responsible, but you also get the added intrigue of the death of a woman's husband years later and the mystery surrounding it.

    Now with all its greatness, there is a reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. The story not only changes perspective often, but it also goes back and forth through time. Normally, I would be okay with that, if it's consistent, which its not. I actually found myself having to look back to keep up with the timeline a few times.

    All in all, a great story with great writing. I can't wait to The Child, which I'm planning to get at some point.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a fast paced read which explored a child abduction case in England. Alternating view points, from the accused wife, the reporter, the detective and the mother made for some interesting elements. The author, Fiona Barton, was a journalist for the Daily Mail and other papers and used her experiences and insights to flesh out the various aspects of a case like this, notably the quest for a reporter to get the prized interview and the life engulfing investigation that practically ruins a detective's career. The journalist and the investigator appear to be ready for a second book by this author as well. This is not my general choice for reading, but it did past the time pleasurably.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I received this eARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
    People have been comparing this book to Gone Girl and Girl On The Train. While I haven't read the latter, I really enjoyed Gone Girl. Sadly I was not so thrilled by this book. It was rather dull to be honest. It opens with Jean watching her husband get run over by a bus. Throughout the book she tries to pretend that it upset her but in reality she is happy he is gone. The chapters bounce between 2010 after he dies and 2006 when he is accused of kidnapping and murdering a little girl named Bella Elliot. The main problem with this book for me was that it was predictable and the main character, Jean AKA the widow, was completely uninteresting. I think I was more interested in the reporter, Kate, than I was in Jean. I mainly didn't like this book because I felt like I had read this exact same story before. While I didn't like the actual story, the writer did a good job at portraying certain characters and setting the scene.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. This did not effect my opinion of the book or my review.The Widow is being billed as the next The Girl on the Train , and for good reason. It too features a female narrator who may not know the whole truth, or may be choosing not to tell all that she knows.The narrator in this case is Jean Taylor, whose husband, Glen, may have committed a terrible crime years ago. The prime suspect, Glen has recently died, leaving Jean weighing the decision that it may finally be time to tell her side of the story.While Jean is the primary narrator, readers also hear from a detective and a journalist, who remain deeply involved in a case that continues to haunt them. These alternating perspectives amp up the tension, as readers put together bits and pieces of the puzzle right along with the characters.This is one of those books that is so good, it flies right by. I looked down at my Kindle to suddenly realize I was over three quarters of the way through. This is a book that grabs you and refuses to let go. You have to keep reading, because you have to know what happens. You have to find out what the crime was, who was responsible, and what Jean knew then and knows now.I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and The Widow is a welcome addition to the genre. This is a book I would highly recommend, especially to those who loved Before I Go to Sleep and The Girl on the Train.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this mystery, crime story that involved the kidnapping of a little girl. The flow from one character to another as they told their perspective was easy to read and follow. I was never quite sure who had committed the crime until the end when it was revealed. It wasn't gripping however I found it an easy and enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A pretty standard psychological thriller of the kind that's become very popular in the past couple of years; a little heavy on the stranger danger / evil Internet chat rooms for my taste, and a not entirely plausible ending, but good popcorn reading if this is the sort of thing you like for popcorn reading (which I very much do).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A husband is accused of kidnapping a neighbor's 3-4 year old little girl. The girl was playing in their yard unsupervised for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the husband's wife is desperately wanting a child. After many tests, the doctors come to the conclusion that she is infertile.All the characters are brought into the police station where they are being investigated for the kidnapping of the child. Nobody confesses to this event, so this is brought to trial.Which one kidnapped the little girl? Is the mother covering up for someone? Is it the infertile wife? Or the wife's husband?This is a debut novel that moves rather slowly in the beginning but the pace picks up toward the end.I enjoyed reading it and will look forward to reading her second book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A child goes missing. The story is revealed through the alternating perspectives of the detective, the journalist and the wife of the accused.Pacy and page-turning as expected from an author who had been a journalist.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Meh. After the glowing reviews, I had hoped for more. Predictable, but still entertaining enough.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The widow in question was the wife of a suspected pedophlile and child kidnapper. Although he was found not guilty due to police misconduct, the police and the press have continued to pursue the case and harass the couple for years. Now the husband has died in an accident and the widow agrees to sell her story to the press at the urging of Kate, one of the newspaper reporters who had reported on the original disappearance of the toddler. Before I started reading this book, I had not realized that it was related to "The Child" by the same author. Not only is Kate in both books, but the structure of the two books is identical. The story in each book is told in alternate chapters from the pov of various characters shifting back and forth in time. They also both involve missing children and the tone of the books is identical. Even though I read the ebook of "The Child" and listened to the audiobook of "The Widow", the books "sounded" alike, to an extent surprising even considering that they were written by the same author. If you liked one of these books you will probably like the other. However, I preferred "The Child" because the subject of "The Widow" is so unsavory and Kate was definitely more ruthless and obnoxious in this book. Also, the novelty of the books' structure has definitely worn off for me. This was a good psychological suspense story, but I don't like reading the same book over and over. I hope in the author's next book she branches out a little more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story is told in alternating chapters by Jean (the widow), a reporter, a detective, a mother of a missing child (have I missed any?), and jumps around in time. Did Jean's deceased husband kidnap and kill the little girl? Is the little girl even dead? Does Jean know more than she is saying? Is she telling the truth? Is the reporter ethical? Are the police following the rules? As you can see, the story raises lots of questions, which is what kept me reading. The ending, somewhat abrupt, isn't really a surprise.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Written by an award winning British journalist. Kept me guessing to the end. Psychological suspense.