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The Almost Widow: A Novel
If the man you love went missing, how far would you go to find him? Someone is watching Piper, and she thinks she knows who it the bushman. But there’s more than one danger lurking in this temperate rainforest. Poachers are taking down old growth trees and jeopardizing plans for a park, a project Piper is passionate about. When she pressures her husband, Ben, a natural resources officer, to identify the culprits, he takes his drone into the wilderness to track them down. And then, just as a snowstorm hits, he goes missing. Refusing to believe her husband is gone, Piper begins a desperate search for him, one that continues long after the rescue team has given up. But as she begins to uncover what really happened to Ben, Piper is pursued by a stalker who may have taken her husband’s life and now threatens to take hers.
320 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2023
39 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
About the author
Gail Anderson-Dargatz
29 books339 followersWatch for Gail's new novel, The Almost Widow, a thriller, released May 2023.
GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller, The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and her most recent novel, The Almost Widow, is out in May 2023.
Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award.
She taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. Gail Anderson-Dargatz lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.
GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller, The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and her most recent novel, The Almost Widow, is out in May 2023.
Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award.
She taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. Gail Anderson-Dargatz lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
June 29, 2024
2.5 stars
Atmospheric and mysterious!
A husband goes missing in the wilderness, leaving his wife and son devastated and desperate to find him. Locals work together to try to find any trace of what happened to him.
This was a highly atmospheric, nature focused book. The wilderness theme was strong and palpable. The vivid earthy imagery was done well, drawing the reader easily into the vast, isolated, wintry forest landscape.
As great as the atmosphere was, the characters seemed to lack something for me. I never quite felt invested in what was happening to them. The suspense and worry should have drawn me into the situation, but it didn’t. I enjoyed following the story and finding out how it all came together in the end, but even the ending was lacking for me as it all tied up too neatly and felt somewhat cheesy.
Overall, this was a miss for me, but I’m glad I read it as I had been curious about it since its release.
Audio rating: 3 stars. The audio narrator was decent but didn’t stand out or enhance my overall enjoyment.
Thank you to my lovely local library for the audio loan!
Atmospheric and mysterious!
A husband goes missing in the wilderness, leaving his wife and son devastated and desperate to find him. Locals work together to try to find any trace of what happened to him.
This was a highly atmospheric, nature focused book. The wilderness theme was strong and palpable. The vivid earthy imagery was done well, drawing the reader easily into the vast, isolated, wintry forest landscape.
As great as the atmosphere was, the characters seemed to lack something for me. I never quite felt invested in what was happening to them. The suspense and worry should have drawn me into the situation, but it didn’t. I enjoyed following the story and finding out how it all came together in the end, but even the ending was lacking for me as it all tied up too neatly and felt somewhat cheesy.
Overall, this was a miss for me, but I’m glad I read it as I had been curious about it since its release.
Audio rating: 3 stars. The audio narrator was decent but didn’t stand out or enhance my overall enjoyment.
Thank you to my lovely local library for the audio loan!
April 26, 2023
Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s trademark style has been described as “Pacific Gothic” - and I’d agree!
Set against the backdrop of small-town BC, the author relies on her intimate knowledge of the setting to give readers an authentic glimpse into the delicate balance between a wilderness existence and the inevitable development/gentrification. The interplay with the small isolated community and eager developers/protectionists creates tension and brings to light an all too common problem here in the Pacific Northwest. Anderson-Dargatz highlights the atmospheric, spooky and ghostly; all common descriptors given to this isolated locale by those who’ve been lucky enough to experience it. There’s a real sense of foreboding in every sentence and her characters add to the atmosphere with every interaction. We get to see how the ‘almost widow’ experiences the woods and see how her state of mind is altered by this setting and weather. In addition to being a talented writer and mentor, Anderson-Dargatz’s knowledge of small-town BC life has added to the success of this story.
Patience is needed on the reader’s part while the author paints the backstory. Once this is done, the plot gains momentum as the mystery unfurls. Anderson-Dargatz’s gothic tropes are as well developed as her characters and readers will find themselves caught up in Piper’s quest to find Ben.
I was frantically trying to finish this book before it got dark because I knew any sound I heard while alone in the house would put my anxiety over the top. I had to know if Piper’s instincts were reliable or it something sinister was at play. It certainly had me questioning how long and how far I’d go to find my husband if he was lost in the wilderness and all professional help was ‘calling it a day.’
I was gifted this book by Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Set against the backdrop of small-town BC, the author relies on her intimate knowledge of the setting to give readers an authentic glimpse into the delicate balance between a wilderness existence and the inevitable development/gentrification. The interplay with the small isolated community and eager developers/protectionists creates tension and brings to light an all too common problem here in the Pacific Northwest. Anderson-Dargatz highlights the atmospheric, spooky and ghostly; all common descriptors given to this isolated locale by those who’ve been lucky enough to experience it. There’s a real sense of foreboding in every sentence and her characters add to the atmosphere with every interaction. We get to see how the ‘almost widow’ experiences the woods and see how her state of mind is altered by this setting and weather. In addition to being a talented writer and mentor, Anderson-Dargatz’s knowledge of small-town BC life has added to the success of this story.
Patience is needed on the reader’s part while the author paints the backstory. Once this is done, the plot gains momentum as the mystery unfurls. Anderson-Dargatz’s gothic tropes are as well developed as her characters and readers will find themselves caught up in Piper’s quest to find Ben.
I was frantically trying to finish this book before it got dark because I knew any sound I heard while alone in the house would put my anxiety over the top. I had to know if Piper’s instincts were reliable or it something sinister was at play. It certainly had me questioning how long and how far I’d go to find my husband if he was lost in the wilderness and all professional help was ‘calling it a day.’
I was gifted this book by Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
February 6, 2023
One of my favorite writers of all time returns with THE ALMOST WIDOW. Gail Anderson-Dargatz has created an exceptional story of love and resilience; trauma and pain, set against the captivating backdrop of a small wilderness community at odds over its development. Both haunting and hopeful, this gorgeously written, brilliantly paced thriller will stun you with its exquisite prose and terrify you with its chilling undercurrent of fear and desperation. I was mesmerized and petrified until I turned the last glorious page.
December 15, 2022
In THE ALMOST WIDOW, Gail Anderson-Dargatz has penned a taut, fast-paced and breathtaking story that had me furiously flipping the pages until the very end. The snowy small-town setting provides an incredible backdrop, becoming a character in its own right, and you’ll find yourself on tenterhooks to find out what happened there, and why. THE ALMOST WIDOW is a masterclass in suspense and the perfect binge-read.
May 11, 2023
I really enjoyed this pulse-pounding thriller that sees a wife determined to find her missing husband even when the search and rescue teams have given him up for dead. The Canadian bush setting was great in this book, I liked learning more about that culture and the drone, feral bear and mysterious crazy man in the woods all kept me guessing!
There was an interesting paranormal element to the book too that I enjoyed with the wife being able to see visions of her husband and get 'feelings' that kept her looking for him. Recommended for fans of books like The first husband by Laura Dave and great on audio narrated by Erin Bennett. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
There was an interesting paranormal element to the book too that I enjoyed with the wife being able to see visions of her husband and get 'feelings' that kept her looking for him. Recommended for fans of books like The first husband by Laura Dave and great on audio narrated by Erin Bennett. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
April 6, 2023
[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Almost Widow releases May 9, 2023
“Each time he went into the wilderness alone, the same thought entered my mind: This could be it. This might be the last time I see him alive.”
An atmospheric and chilling one-sitting read — I can easily see this thriller becoming a limited tv series!
Set in a small fictional town in Canada, this story spans one week and starts out in a forest where the main character Piper has this eerie and spine tingling feeling that someone is watching her. Is it the Bushman? Or is it just her imagination?
Along with some others, Piper is a contributor to a Park Proposal that would keep the integrity of the old-growth forest in their community. However, they’re facing pushback from long-standing residents in the town — loggers, mill workers, and tree poachers.
The day after she gets yet another graffiti threat on her truck, her husband Ben treks out to find proof that Owen (the man they’re suspicious of) has been poaching trees. Only, Ben doesn’t make it home in time for dinner like he said he would, and a snow storm is already making significant headway. Since there’s already limited cell service where they live, getting in touch with him is an unlikely probability.
What happened to Ben? And will they find him in time before hypothermia has a chance to set in or he encounters a bear (both literal and metaphorically)?
This had a slower start, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed the direction this story went in and the many themes it touched on.
Not sure if cozy is the correct word to use here, but the small intimate setting was really immersive and had you keeping an eye on every character mentioned in case they were the possible villain.
There was also the element of having an unreliable narrator as Piper had frequent nightmares, some past trauma, and started to see ghosts/figments of her imagination soon after Ben went missing.
CW: mentions of an alcoholic and physically abusive parent (both in the past and currently for a side character) as well as past parent/spouse death due to cancer, mental health/grief, and a mention of a past suicide attempt.
As a resident of BC like the author, I can easily see where the inspiration struck for this, which made it all the more enjoyable! I definitely recommend this to those that like an outdoorsy/environmental type thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Almost Widow releases May 9, 2023
“Each time he went into the wilderness alone, the same thought entered my mind: This could be it. This might be the last time I see him alive.”
An atmospheric and chilling one-sitting read — I can easily see this thriller becoming a limited tv series!
Set in a small fictional town in Canada, this story spans one week and starts out in a forest where the main character Piper has this eerie and spine tingling feeling that someone is watching her. Is it the Bushman? Or is it just her imagination?
Along with some others, Piper is a contributor to a Park Proposal that would keep the integrity of the old-growth forest in their community. However, they’re facing pushback from long-standing residents in the town — loggers, mill workers, and tree poachers.
The day after she gets yet another graffiti threat on her truck, her husband Ben treks out to find proof that Owen (the man they’re suspicious of) has been poaching trees. Only, Ben doesn’t make it home in time for dinner like he said he would, and a snow storm is already making significant headway. Since there’s already limited cell service where they live, getting in touch with him is an unlikely probability.
What happened to Ben? And will they find him in time before hypothermia has a chance to set in or he encounters a bear (both literal and metaphorically)?
This had a slower start, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed the direction this story went in and the many themes it touched on.
Not sure if cozy is the correct word to use here, but the small intimate setting was really immersive and had you keeping an eye on every character mentioned in case they were the possible villain.
There was also the element of having an unreliable narrator as Piper had frequent nightmares, some past trauma, and started to see ghosts/figments of her imagination soon after Ben went missing.
CW: mentions of an alcoholic and physically abusive parent (both in the past and currently for a side character) as well as past parent/spouse death due to cancer, mental health/grief, and a mention of a past suicide attempt.
As a resident of BC like the author, I can easily see where the inspiration struck for this, which made it all the more enjoyable! I definitely recommend this to those that like an outdoorsy/environmental type thriller.
May 23, 2023
This book was hyped up in a group I belong to which is for thriller novel enthusiasts. The synopsis grabbed my attention and the fact it takes place in Canada - BC to be exact, sealed the deal. I love a good thriller novel taking place in my motherland.
Categorized as a thriller, it is... but more so to me, better as a mystery. The beginning of the book is a bit slow but gives the reader time to get to know the characters, the scene and set the mood. The book for me had a darkness to it, like I am envisioning dark cloudy days, the landscape setting in right before winter falls when it is just a dull colour, nothing sunshine and roses about the book, just gloom.
Quick overview:
Piper, her husband Ben and Ben's son Noah reside in a rural area of British Columbia. Piper is an advocate for keeping the lands sacred amidst poachers who are chopping down trees. She wants to find out who the poachers are and as her husband is a Natural Resources Officer, she hopes he can help.
Ben heads out into the wild to see what he can find out and does not return. With inclement weather, rough terrain and few resources to help, a team of volunteers set out to try and find him. It is hard to fathom Ben can survive the elements for so long and hopes of finding him alive decrease as time goes by.
The Mystery:
Piper and Noah are not convinced Ben is dead. They both are convinced they are seeing images and visions of Ben. This is a bit of a supernatural element. I can see if one person was having these visions it could be easily chalked up to just trauma and emotion but they both were which I found a bit creepy. (For my family: Please don't visit me ever in visions or apparitions. Like ever. K, thanks!)
The mysterious man living in the mountains. Is he good? Is he evil? How does he survive? He's been spotted but how come no one has ever found where he lives on the mountain? How is he so stealth? Ah, so many questions about this mystery man....or is he really a man? Maybe he's like a sasquatch. lol
The poachers - are they behind this? Will they go to any extreme to stop the people trying to stop them?
Final Answer:
Despite a slow start, the book picks up in the second half and I found myself a part of their race to find Ben. I had my suspicions about who was behind everything but was not prepared for how the pieces fit together. I always envision a book playing out as a movie in my head as I read and the vivid descriptions in this novel were on point.
4 solid stars.
Categorized as a thriller, it is... but more so to me, better as a mystery. The beginning of the book is a bit slow but gives the reader time to get to know the characters, the scene and set the mood. The book for me had a darkness to it, like I am envisioning dark cloudy days, the landscape setting in right before winter falls when it is just a dull colour, nothing sunshine and roses about the book, just gloom.
Quick overview:
Piper, her husband Ben and Ben's son Noah reside in a rural area of British Columbia. Piper is an advocate for keeping the lands sacred amidst poachers who are chopping down trees. She wants to find out who the poachers are and as her husband is a Natural Resources Officer, she hopes he can help.
Ben heads out into the wild to see what he can find out and does not return. With inclement weather, rough terrain and few resources to help, a team of volunteers set out to try and find him. It is hard to fathom Ben can survive the elements for so long and hopes of finding him alive decrease as time goes by.
The Mystery:
Piper and Noah are not convinced Ben is dead. They both are convinced they are seeing images and visions of Ben. This is a bit of a supernatural element. I can see if one person was having these visions it could be easily chalked up to just trauma and emotion but they both were which I found a bit creepy. (For my family: Please don't visit me ever in visions or apparitions. Like ever. K, thanks!)
The mysterious man living in the mountains. Is he good? Is he evil? How does he survive? He's been spotted but how come no one has ever found where he lives on the mountain? How is he so stealth? Ah, so many questions about this mystery man....or is he really a man? Maybe he's like a sasquatch. lol
The poachers - are they behind this? Will they go to any extreme to stop the people trying to stop them?
Final Answer:
Despite a slow start, the book picks up in the second half and I found myself a part of their race to find Ben. I had my suspicions about who was behind everything but was not prepared for how the pieces fit together. I always envision a book playing out as a movie in my head as I read and the vivid descriptions in this novel were on point.
4 solid stars.
August 20, 2023
BC is indeed beautiful. I am blessed to live here and spend time in its spectacular beauty. Spoiled almost.
Piper is an annoying little creature. A creative who thinks that somehow minimum wage + tips jobs in tourism are better than real wages in logging or mining. I guess peanuts for Owen are better than nothing. The conservationist, earth scientist I am knows that responsible exploitation is a winning strategy. Tourism and natural resource development can work in tandem.
Will they like the town Moston becomes when they open it up to the worst kind of exploitation? Imagine Disney-esque Banff. Removing the one thing - its natural untouched beauty- that makes that place special? Gosh. The grotesque experience I recently had of Jasper when I foolishly misplanned my travel dates. Scenic hikes so packed with people that the scenery was not even visible. People out of their cars (causing traffic jams) taking selfies with wild animals (endangering the animals) despite all the warning against doing such idiotic and annoying things.
Judgemental Piper, super ranger Ben, heroic Jackson. Gag. Not people I enjoyed spending my time with.
PS. Does Piper even know how to properly use bear spray? In what circumstances it is to be employed? I don't think so. Her described behaviors would not have help her. Plus, she sees a bear, and runs, even when she knows that's the wrong thing to do.
And that beautiful cinnamon sow should have been destroyed because her behavior was not typical. Grizzlies shouldn't randomly stalk, attack, and eat people unless something is very wrong - or the humans did somethIng very wrong.
I guess I hated this book.
Piper is an annoying little creature. A creative who thinks that somehow minimum wage + tips jobs in tourism are better than real wages in logging or mining. I guess peanuts for Owen are better than nothing. The conservationist, earth scientist I am knows that responsible exploitation is a winning strategy. Tourism and natural resource development can work in tandem.
Will they like the town Moston becomes when they open it up to the worst kind of exploitation? Imagine Disney-esque Banff. Removing the one thing - its natural untouched beauty- that makes that place special? Gosh. The grotesque experience I recently had of Jasper when I foolishly misplanned my travel dates. Scenic hikes so packed with people that the scenery was not even visible. People out of their cars (causing traffic jams) taking selfies with wild animals (endangering the animals) despite all the warning against doing such idiotic and annoying things.
Judgemental Piper, super ranger Ben, heroic Jackson. Gag. Not people I enjoyed spending my time with.
PS. Does Piper even know how to properly use bear spray? In what circumstances it is to be employed? I don't think so. Her described behaviors would not have help her. Plus, she sees a bear, and runs, even when she knows that's the wrong thing to do.
And that beautiful cinnamon sow should have been destroyed because her behavior was not typical. Grizzlies shouldn't randomly stalk, attack, and eat people unless something is very wrong - or the humans did somethIng very wrong.
I guess I hated this book.
July 28, 2023
This thriller is set in British Columbia Canada. Ben is presumed dead after vanishing in the remote wilderness. Did he go missing, or did something sinister happen to him. There are bears, poachers, and the green man who has been seen by many. Predictable thriller, slow to start but picked up in the end.
April 15, 2023
Dark, haunting, beautiful and captivating, “The Almost Widow” by Gail Anderson-Dargatz took me by complete surprise and did a number of my emotional heart strings .. in the best way a thriller could!
BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
Piper is part of a community in her small town in British Columbia that is fighting for the protection of its old growth forest from the town’s loggers and tree poachers. However, many of the townspeople are not happy with this protection group and soon enough Piper begins receiving threats and intimidation to back down from the cause.
Her husband Ben is a Natural Resources Officer and he sets off deep into the forest to set up a drone to try to keep an eye on the offenders. But then he does not make it home for dinner 🤔! As a wild snowstorm approaches, Piper starts to spiral! IS Ben in horrible danger?? And is she next??
This emotional and tense story follows a wife’s DESPERATE search for her missing husband. The snow storm and the forest atmosphere creates a LOOMING effect on you while you are reading that is just perfect! I am always down to read anything with a Canadian setting and I can totally picture the forests of BC and what could be lurking within the trees 🌲
Thank you kindly to Harper Collins Canada, Gail Anderson-Dargatz and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on May 9, 2023!
BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
Piper is part of a community in her small town in British Columbia that is fighting for the protection of its old growth forest from the town’s loggers and tree poachers. However, many of the townspeople are not happy with this protection group and soon enough Piper begins receiving threats and intimidation to back down from the cause.
Her husband Ben is a Natural Resources Officer and he sets off deep into the forest to set up a drone to try to keep an eye on the offenders. But then he does not make it home for dinner 🤔! As a wild snowstorm approaches, Piper starts to spiral! IS Ben in horrible danger?? And is she next??
This emotional and tense story follows a wife’s DESPERATE search for her missing husband. The snow storm and the forest atmosphere creates a LOOMING effect on you while you are reading that is just perfect! I am always down to read anything with a Canadian setting and I can totally picture the forests of BC and what could be lurking within the trees 🌲
Thank you kindly to Harper Collins Canada, Gail Anderson-Dargatz and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on May 9, 2023!
April 5, 2023
4.5 stars!
I want to first mention that having lived in BC, Canada my whole life, this book was really special. It took place in a small remote community in BC and the setting was so incredibly descriptive that, combined with my memories of visiting family every year in a small town in BC, it truly felt magical!
The beginning is a bit slow as the backstory is unfurling and you’re learning about different relationships between the characters, as well as just getting to know the characters themselves. However, it soon picks up speed and becomes absolutely unputdownable.
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for my #gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
I want to first mention that having lived in BC, Canada my whole life, this book was really special. It took place in a small remote community in BC and the setting was so incredibly descriptive that, combined with my memories of visiting family every year in a small town in BC, it truly felt magical!
The beginning is a bit slow as the backstory is unfurling and you’re learning about different relationships between the characters, as well as just getting to know the characters themselves. However, it soon picks up speed and becomes absolutely unputdownable.
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for my #gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
September 23, 2025
This author was new to me and has been chosen this fall for my neighbourhood book club. For the first half, I found it a bit repetitive in the story line however it did all come together in a suspenseful second half.
January 4, 2024
Like….. this was bad writing. We can all agree on that, right? The premise is good, and the story is suspenseful, but the writing? The writing fails this storyline. Don’t waste your time - read Small Game by Blair Braverman instead.
The main character is insufferable!! So out of touch and tactless. Like yeah, I get she has the drive to keep searching for her husband, but the whole abusive parents/need to help the abused kid storyline was just a little bit too much. And the side plot about her husband’s best friend maybe stalking her? Not necessary. OH and those little throwaway lines about maybe Tucker being on the autism spectrum? And him need psychiatric care? And how his dad’s house clearly had no woman living in it because it was messy? Bad and gross. Don’t read this book, seriously.
The main character is insufferable!! So out of touch and tactless. Like yeah, I get she has the drive to keep searching for her husband, but the whole abusive parents/need to help the abused kid storyline was just a little bit too much. And the side plot about her husband’s best friend maybe stalking her? Not necessary. OH and those little throwaway lines about maybe Tucker being on the autism spectrum? And him need psychiatric care? And how his dad’s house clearly had no woman living in it because it was messy? Bad and gross. Don’t read this book, seriously.
November 27, 2025
3.5 stars
How fun that was being transported to the Canadian pacific forest. I enjoyed my time in the wilderness with tree poachers, grizzlies and hermits living off the grid. And the mystery wasn't half bad either...
When Ben, a forest ranger, goes missing in the woods as winter approaches, his wife must pick up the slack once search and rescue is pulled out, and figure out what happened.
The mystery was on the simple side but had a good twist. The ending was also a little too polly Anna for my tastes but it was a pretty red bow. It was a solid nature thriller that kept me invested through the whole story. I would recommend primarily for the descriptive and atmospheric setting.
How fun that was being transported to the Canadian pacific forest. I enjoyed my time in the wilderness with tree poachers, grizzlies and hermits living off the grid. And the mystery wasn't half bad either...
When Ben, a forest ranger, goes missing in the woods as winter approaches, his wife must pick up the slack once search and rescue is pulled out, and figure out what happened.
The mystery was on the simple side but had a good twist. The ending was also a little too polly Anna for my tastes but it was a pretty red bow. It was a solid nature thriller that kept me invested through the whole story. I would recommend primarily for the descriptive and atmospheric setting.
May 13, 2023
A fast paced, engaging thriller. Themes of family dynamics, environmental activism and mental health/addiction issues made it an interesting read. Good twist at the end. Highly recommended.
May 16, 2023
It was a good read some parts for me was a slow burn. I liked the ‘almost widow’ perseverance in not giving up the search for her husband.
November 9, 2024
Gail is a favourite author of mine. Most that I’ve read before now have been set in the area I live in as she is from and currently lives here as well.
This book is set in more of a fictional town though still in BC and is the first I have rad that is more of a mystery. I love the mood that was set right away as well as the backstories of each character. It was the perfect book for the moody darker days of late fall/early winter.
This book is set in more of a fictional town though still in BC and is the first I have rad that is more of a mystery. I love the mood that was set right away as well as the backstories of each character. It was the perfect book for the moody darker days of late fall/early winter.
March 22, 2023
This thriller is an enjoyable and propulsive read. It was hard to put it down and turn off the light at night!
The characters were great — varied, flawed, three dimensional, and believable. Anderson-Dargatz skilfully reveals how her characters’ pasts impact their present actions. The author’s compassion and empathy makes her characters — even the not-so-nice ones — like real people we can believe in and, ultimately, root for.
The novel is also very much of its location — a small town in the British Columbia wilderness — which I LOVED! The landscape was both familiar and surprising, both beautiful and terrifying. And the story’s set in winter, which brings its own terrors. Environmental concerns and clashes infuse the story, without it ever feeling even the tiniest bit preachy.
I enjoyed the various interwoven threads of the story and how they all came together at the end. I did not predict the ending and it surprised me in all the right ways.
If you’re craving a tense, fast-paced read with genuine relationships at its core, pick up this thriller when it comes out in May!
Many thanks to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for an ARC.
The characters were great — varied, flawed, three dimensional, and believable. Anderson-Dargatz skilfully reveals how her characters’ pasts impact their present actions. The author’s compassion and empathy makes her characters — even the not-so-nice ones — like real people we can believe in and, ultimately, root for.
The novel is also very much of its location — a small town in the British Columbia wilderness — which I LOVED! The landscape was both familiar and surprising, both beautiful and terrifying. And the story’s set in winter, which brings its own terrors. Environmental concerns and clashes infuse the story, without it ever feeling even the tiniest bit preachy.
I enjoyed the various interwoven threads of the story and how they all came together at the end. I did not predict the ending and it surprised me in all the right ways.
If you’re craving a tense, fast-paced read with genuine relationships at its core, pick up this thriller when it comes out in May!
Many thanks to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for an ARC.
April 25, 2023
This is story of Piper, Ben and their son Noah. Piper’s world gets turned upside down when Ben doesn’t return from the site he was investigating. Piper doesn’t feel that Ben is dead, she strongly feels that he’s alive, but injured in the forest. Will they eventually find Ben or has he perished?
I didn’t get into this book until I was about 70% done.
The first half of the book was very descriptive and slow for me. The characters were interesting but didn’t have me captivated. I really only started caring about what was happening near the end of the novel. I’m happy I finished the book and enjoyed the ending.
*** Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I didn’t get into this book until I was about 70% done.
The first half of the book was very descriptive and slow for me. The characters were interesting but didn’t have me captivated. I really only started caring about what was happening near the end of the novel. I’m happy I finished the book and enjoyed the ending.
*** Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
April 30, 2023
The Almost Widow by Gail Anderson-Dargatz is a suspense/thriller novel set in a rural community in British Columbia.
When Piper's husband Ben doesnt return after a day in the forest hunting tree poachers, she is forced to confront her worst fears.
This atmospheric novel is full of trauma, resilience, love and perseverance.
When Piper's husband Ben doesnt return after a day in the forest hunting tree poachers, she is forced to confront her worst fears.
This atmospheric novel is full of trauma, resilience, love and perseverance.
March 25, 2024
INCREDIBLE! Could not stop reading. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time! A twist and turn at every corner. Each page leaves you hungry to find out more. Ending was perfect, beautifully tied up in a bow. My favorite!
July 17, 2023
Decent story - Anderson-Dargatz's writing never disappoints me.
August 12, 2023
Vraiment un bon thriller! Une fois que j’étais investie dans l’histoire, je pouvais pu arrêter de lire. Donne des spooky/fall/winter vibes. Je le recommande!
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December 28, 2023Meh. Some really cringy sentences/assumptions by this author whose previous work I had admired.
September 2, 2025
Great read! Reason I'm giving it 4/5 stars is it was a little predictable on some things but loved how the book just pulled you right into the forest. Loved the characters and especially the wife, for never giving up.
May 16, 2023
Gail Anderson-Dargatz can do no wrong.
November 20, 2023
Pretty okay. Not what I expected from this author. A solid if predictable thriller.
November 26, 2025
Set in the beautiful Province of British Columbia, where I live, this book was just OK for me probably because I'm a city girl not the outdoorsy type.
November 11, 2024
This was a really good mystery. I really enjoyed it.
November 24, 2024
A mystery thriller that certainly kept me engaged throughout!
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