Black Widows By Cate Quinn

‘Black Widows’ is the latest book by Cate Quinn.

Blake Nelson moved into a hidden stretch of land – a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah – where he lived with his three wives/ Rachel, the chief wife, obedient and doting to a fault. Tina, the other wife, who is everything Rachel isn’t. And Emily, the youngest wife, who knows little else. When their husband is found dead under the desert sun, the questions pile up. But none of the widows know who would want to kill a good man like Blake. Or, at least, that’s what they’ll tell the police…

This book kept me awake into the early hours of last night and I grabbed every spare minute I had today to finish it off. This book was gripping with a capital G.

The story is seen from the narrative of 3 wives/sisters called Rachel, Tina and Emily who were all married to Blake who is brutally murdered. With no clue as to the who the murderer is, the police suspect all women could be capable as they all have motives. The women are Mormons and are outcasts of the town, whilst Blake worked and the women stayed at home away from disapproving eyes.

Through the narrative in the story, we see the different sides to the women. Rachel, the first and older wife is committed to her marriage and her religion, she’s jealous of the other younger women who share her husband’s bed and spends most of her day canning food in preparation for the end of days. She’s haunted by memories of her childhood that she’s trying to suppress but as the police delve further into her past, she’s finding it harder to run away. Tina, also comes from a troubled background of hardship and saw Blake as her hero unaware of the life that she’s leaving behind, she’s outspoken with a brash side but in another way she’s quite protective of the other wives and is determined to prove their innocence particularly Emily. Emily the youngest and most naive of the trio and thinks admitting to the murder will bring her to heaven to be with Blake.

All the women are fascinatingly complex characters, all from broken homes and all looking for love and all think that Blake is their knight in shining armour. Even though this book, is a great read, it’s very unsettling in parts, as it focuses on religious cults and child abuse and this can make for traumatic reading at times.

A story of jealousy, friendship and revenge and filled with drama, twists and plenty of attitude, ‘Black Widows’ is a cleverly written thriller set on the cusp of Nevada with the glitzy lights of Las Vegas as its background.

You can buy ‘Black Widows’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.