The Other Widow
by Susan H. Crawford
Why did you choose this book? The cover, then the synopsis
When did you read this book? October 2017
Who should read this book? Readers who enjoy mystery-suspense
Source: library ebook
My Rating: ✰✰✰✰ 4 Stars
Everybody’s luck runs out. This time it could be theirs . . .
It isn’t safe. That’s what Joe tells her when he ends their affair—moments before their car skids off an icy road in a blinding snowstorm and hits a tree. Desperate to keep her life intact—her job, her husband, and her precious daughter, Lily—Dorrie will do everything she can to protect herself, even if it means walking away from the wreckage. Dorrie has always been a good actress, pretending to be someone else: the dutiful daughter, the satisfied wife, the woman who can handle anything. Now she’s going to put on the most challenging performance of her life. But details about the accident leave her feeling uneasy and afraid. Why didn’t Joe’s airbag work? Why was his car door open before the EMTs arrived? And now suddenly someone is calling her from her dead lover’s burner phone. . . .
Joe’s death has left his wife in free fall as well. Karen knew Joe was cheating—she found some suspicious e-mails. Trying to cope with grief is devastating enough without the constant fear that has overtaken her—this feeling she can’t shake that someone is watching her. And with Joe gone and the kids grown, she’s vulnerable . . . and on her own.
Insurance investigator Maggie Devlin is suspicious of the latest claim that’s landed on her desk—a man dying on an icy road shortly after buying a lucrative life insurance policy. Maggie doesn’t believe in coincidences. The former cop knows that things—and people—are never what they seem to be.
As the fates of these three women become more tightly entwined, layers of lies and deception begin to peel away, pushing them dangerously to the edge . . . closer to each other . . . to a terrifying truth . . . to a shocking end.
Book Club Review
My original review appeared on this blog earlier this year on February 21. As I mentioned in that review, I thought I knew what was going on at the end…..UNTIL I started reading other Goodreads reviews and questions. At that point, I was completely confused. There is a passage in the book that can be read in at least two different ways, giving alternate possible interpretations. (The relevant passage is that last paragraph of the last Karen chapter, page 327 in the hardcover, for anyone reading along). Because I was still confused, and my book club was looking for a good read, I suggested we read the book so that I could tap their brains about this. We all THOUGHT we knew what had happened; and then I pointed out that passage! The verdict — we are STILL confused!
I’m not going to actually review the book here; you can read my thoughts on my earlier review. But I do want to say that as I predicted, this was a GREAT selection for our book club. We used the discussion questions found on Reading Group Guides, but we also found other topics to discuss. The Other Widow is one of the few books that our group has read and rated highly by everyone. Usually someone likes a book very much and someone else could hardly finish it. The only other book I can remember having such consistantly high ratings with our group is The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard.
If your group hasn’t yet read this one, you should add it to your list! The book is fast paced with lots to talk about….especially that ending! And after you’ve discussed it, please let me know what you thought!
My rating — 4 Stars
Book Club rating — 4 Stars
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