The Widow

Carla Neggers is one of those authors that is able to spin a tale with many characters and have you end the story feeling as if you know everyone. That rates high with me as many authors will bandy people around willy nilly and I feel completely worn out or worse feel as if I need to keep notes so I know whose who. That is not the case here. Two families, lots of police and still I followed it and absolutely loved it!

Although this was published by a Harlequin imprint, the focus is primarily on Abigail solving the mystery of her husband's death and coming to terms with her grief. The focus on the thriller aspects of the story doesn't mean that the love story is neglected, though. There is a certain rightness in how the romance between Owen and Abigail just clicks into place.

Their feelings have slowly been growing over the last seven years despite grief and distance, and when they finally acknowledge how they feel, things just spring into place for them. It wasn't fairy-tale simple, but they also didn't have to overcome a ton of internal conflict or issues - that wasn't the point of the story.

As to the mystery, I thought it was nicely done. It wasn't show more overly telegraphed, But looking back there was background laid for it. I might have caught on had I been trying harder. All in all, I thought it was a good suspenseful read,

More at my blog. show less

Abigail Browning was widowed 4 days after her marriage when her husband was shot along the Maine coast where he grew up and they honeymooned. Now, 7 years later, she is getting phone calls regarding the unsolved murder. She returns to the cottage to try to search for answers. Owen Garrison, search and rescue expert and her husband’s best friend, helps her in order to get his own closure. Three closely intertwined families are the source of much of the suspicion and interaction. This was a good start to a suspense series. I particularly liked it for its setting, having spent many vacations on Mt. Desert.

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 show more 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. show less

This is the first of a trilogy that I picked up because the premise sounded interesting, if a bit light. I found the story slow to start, but once I was involved in the storyline, it moved faster. If anything, I think this book is to light for the storyline. Much more could have been done with it. I have the other two, and will give them a chance to see if the story picks up. If you fancy a light read....a few steps above a harlequin romance, try this one on for size.

a mildly entertaining lightly suspenseful novel. It was given to me, and it was set on the coast of Maine, so I gave it a try. Didn't take long to read, and I will have utterly forgotten it this time next year.

Abigail returns to Maine to find the killer of her murdered husband, Chris. After only being married for 4 days, he was gunned down. Abigail is determined to solve this case that has remained open for 7 years.

I chose this book to fulfill the "N" Author requirement for the A ~ Z Reading Challenge. I only finished it for that purpose as well, because under other circumstances this would have become a DNF read. The storyline seemed like something I would enjoy, but the manner in which it was solved was not. The characters were unappealing and the assumptions made throughout the book were hard to swallow. I will not even attempt to read another Neggers book. (2/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."