Nicki`s Life of Crime : BLOGTOUR, BOOK REVIEW

BOOK SYNOPSIS

My husband was not a monster. No matter what they say…

The day my husband, Michael, stepped in front of a lorry after being questioned by the police, my world fell apart. He was devoted to me and our six-year-old daughter. But they’d connected him to the disappearance of a young mother from our tiny village.

Now I stand at Michael’s funeral, clutching my little girl’s hand, with tears in my eyes as I insist to all our friends that he died an innocent man. Yet the questions have started, and nothing I say will stop them digging for the truth.

But none of them can read the secrets in my heart, or know about the phone I found hidden in his toolbox…

I’m determined that my daughter will not remember her father as a monster. I will erase any hint of wrongdoing in this house whatever the cost.

Because to keep my daughter safe, the last thing I need is for people to start looking at me…

A completely gripping psychological thriller from the author of the number one bestseller The Marriage. If you like Gone Girl, The Girl on The Train and The Wife Between Us then you will love The Widow.

Kate and Michael Shaw along with their six year old daughter Tansy lived in the tiny picture box village of Lynwick, the type of place where you couldn't sneeze without the news spreading faster than a wildfire. Michael was the property and land manager at Wadebridge estate which was situated on the outskirts of the village and owned by elderly widow Irene Wadebridge and Kate was a temporary teaching assistant at the village school. The village was a tight knit community and the family lead a happy life but their idyllic world was suddenly turned into a living nightmare when a young mum who lived in one of the cottages on the Wadebridge estate mysteriously disappeared. The police suspected that Michael was involved in the young woman's disappearance and as the investigation progressed even Kate began to have doubts about her husband's innocence. Then one evening after he had just left the police station, tragedy struck and Michael was killed leaving Kate with unanswered questions. Whilst struggling with her grief and trying to do what she thought was best to protect her innocent daughter, Kate finds herself the victim of vicious gossip and conjecture and ostracized by the people who were once so warm and friendly. Had Michael been hiding his true nature behind the mask of a devoted husband and loving father? There is more than one secret hiding within the pages of this gripping thriller, secrets that are both shocking and unexpected and have tree like roots that stretch back into the not too distant past.

The story which occasionally slips back in and and is set in both the UK and Poland is voiced from the perspectives of a number of characters including Kate, Irene and DI Helena Price who is in charge of the investigation into the young woman's disappearance and her colleague DS Brewster. As the story unfolded, I had conflicting about Kate and I struggled to understand why she remained friends with Donna. I know Donna had a tragic backstory and understand that it would have had a detrimental and lasting effect on her as a adult but I honestly thought that she was a very irritating, judgemental and untrustworthy individual. I loved the interactions between the two detectives and how Brewster had a element of Colombo about his character, he might of had a scruffy appearance but he was actually very intelligent. And,as for Irene and her mysterious box,well, let's just say that there was definitely more to that character than met the eye. The character I felt the most sympathy for was Aleks who was the young son of the missing young woman. Not only did he have to cope with not knowing where his mother was but also with being left alone in a strange country with virtual strangers most of whom only appeared to want to offload him as quickly as possible into the hands of social services. The young boy was Polish and throughout the story,the author had included interesting facts and information about the cultural differences between Poland and the UK.

The story included chapters that were set in the past and narrated from the perspective of a Polish man called Jabub who had made the journey over to the UK to make a better life for himself and then mysteriously disappeared. How did his story fit into the events that were unfolding in Kate's life?

K.L.Slater is a very talented author and most definitely one of the queens of the psychological thriller genre. Her books are always extremely well written,addictive reads that draw the reader into her character's fictional world from the first page, keep you captivated and frantically turning the pages. Her plots of her stories cover a wide range of relatable issues and her character's are always well rounded and realistic. I love this author's unputdownable books and The Widow was no exception. A incredible read and very very highly recommended.

Author Bio:

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

https://klslaterauthor.com/

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PUBLICATION DATE: 12th November 2021

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2ZTRKud

Apple: https://apple.co/3k3HXJ4

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3EGqnTt

Google: https://bit.ly/3bFpnlV

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