The Widower

by D.L. Fisher

Just when I thought I’d got my life back together, a handsome stranger moves in across the street. He says he lost his wife six months ago. He says he’s here for a fresh start. But I think he might be a killer.

Three months ago, a serial killer tore through our perfect little community. But he’s dead now, and I’m doing my best to pretend everything’s normal — pot roasts, Pilates, and that my stepson TJ didn’t upend our lives the minute he arrived.

That was before the new neighbor moved in.

Damian Mankiewicz is a goodlooking, friendly, charming widower. But there’s something off about him. The box in his hallway marked Do Not Open. The house he bought — the one where a girl was found murdered. And the way he always seems to be watching.

When a local teenager goes missing, the whispers start all over again. About TJ. About me. About what really happened here.

I’ve already been through hell once. I’m not doing it again. If the widower is hiding something, I’ll find out — before someone else disappears for good.

The bestselling sequel to The Stepson, which can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

262 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2025

Reviews

[Emily West · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not really sure how I feel about this book; it’s a very easy read with its short chapters and fast pace, it keeps you guessing as to who everyone really is and what their motives are but I also found the characters to be melodramatic and the story to be really far fetched. The ending felt like the author was told they had 10 minutes to finish the book as there was no logic to the conclusion and no explanation.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made no sense. I need to stop expecting too much from free books on audible.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Widower by D.L. Fisher, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. You never truly know your neighbors and friends in your estate. This was an an engaging read.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and suspenseful, The Widower kept me at the edge of my seat. Who is the new, handsome, and widowed neighbor and what is he hiding? Who is rattling the lives of the people in the small suburban community? Loved the short chapters and the easy flow of the narrative

Recommended

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC!

[*ੈ❀joanna (BUSY AT WORK) ₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁·ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at 50% — this book doesn’t deserve me spending my time to write a review.

pre-read: i didn’t like the other book that much… but i’m still waiting for my library card to be approved and since i’m still on audible premium and i need smth to listen to at work so why not.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those stories that didn't capture my interest. Didn't care for any of the characters and the story felt weird.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I’ve ever read.

[Catherine Holmes · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF simply awful, story , the whining voices throughout, also most of the story is in Carries mind !

[Kyreadsthrillers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Widower is juicy, dramatic, and a total popcorn thriller that feels straight out of a Desperate Housewives episode. Behind the picture perfect homes and manicured lawns is a community filled with gossip, suspicion, and secrets waiting to explode.

This book is packed with neighborhood drama, tension, and plenty of scandal to keep you glued to the pages. I loved how fast paced it was and the short chapters made it so easy to binge. Every character is flawed in the best way which makes the mystery even more fun because you are never sure who can be trusted.

Although this is a sequel to The Stepson, it can still be read on its own. I do think reading the first book gives more context and makes the relationships here even juicier.

Overall, The Widower is the perfect popcorn thriller! fast, dramatic, and loaded with secrets that refuse to stay buried.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

the ending left way too many questions unanswered. I would not recommend.

[Edie Kennard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

What really made it for me was seeing the characters and storyline carry over from the previous book. D.L. Fisher does an incredible job of deepening the world they’ve built, making the stakes feel so much higher because you’re already emotionally invested in the cast.

Why I loved it:
The Emotional Rollercoaster: I spent a significant amount of time actually yelling at the book! The tension is palpable, and the author knows exactly how to get under your skin.

The "I Knew It" Factor: I actually suspected the culprit back in the first book, but that didn't take away from the experience at all. In fact, seeing exactly how the author twisted the narrative to reveal them as the true villain was brilliant and incredibly satisfying.

Non-Stop Twists: Just when you think you have a handle on where things are going, another turn sends you spinning.

The writing is sharp, the pacing is perfect, and the payoff is worth every second of stress. I couldn't put it down!

[Nicola Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. The story was strong and I enjoyed it. The cover is good. I like the silhouette in the window. It's a little creepy and works beautifully. The story is very well written and flows nicely. The writing had me on edge. It's got a brilliant twist, and I could not put this book down. The setting was good, and it worked. The characters were excellent. Damien was interesting, and I love what he did in this story. I definitely recommend this.

[Lisa Fremont · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you didn't think it could get worse after The Stepson, D.L. Fisher proves us wrong by dropping The Widower. Carrie Winter is not only extremely insufferable once again, but has also become the stupidest and most gullible protagonist I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Not only that, I found some of the narrative extremely lazy (like ending a chapter on an "Oh no, my item is missing" cliffhanger, just to start the next chapter with "Oh there it is, I just had to reach deeper") and other moments of this completely unbelievable. I truly regret giving so much time to this absolute nonsense, and recommend people steer away from not only this, but The Stepson as well.

[Donna Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up The Widower because it was free on Audible Plus and only realized after I started that it’s the second book in a series. Fortunately I’d already read the first one, though it’s probably not 100% necessary.

I didn’t find much depth here — the epilogue of book 1 already summarizes a lot of what unfolds, so many of the “revelations” felt repetitive. The characters aren’t very likable, and the neighbors’ relationships are so uncomfortable that it’s hard to believe they’d be friends.

There is a plot twist, but it isn’t worth the whole book. The amateur sleuthing by the neighbors and the way events unfold feel unrealistic, and the police officer in the story handles things inappropriately, which gives a bad name to police officers in general. But hey, it’s fiction, so you get what you get.

If you want a free, easy, mindless read that requires no effort, you might enjoy this; otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.

[Tamara Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst murder mystery I've ever read. The actions of the wife make no sense. She and her husband are supposedly very close but they never tell each other anything that's going on; they just stress out. There is never any correlation between how the character at the end who confronts a killer knows what they know. You never find out how police get some of the information that they get. Even the ending is inconclusive.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded to 4 stars for me. Carrie was hoping that nightmare in her neighborhood come to end. She's ready to move on ,and be there for her best friend who's a widow now. That is when new next-door neighbor moves in, and take a liking to Carrie friend. He's also a widower, but Carrie can't help but think he is hiding something. When a local girl disappear, it seems that her family again will be prime suspect.


Who is responsible this time?
Is her stepson innocent?
Who is the new neighbor ,and what he is really doing here?

It was good read, but I liked The Stepson more, in this one Bennett was acting all disconnected , Carrie was letting her friend to walk over her, and I was waiting for her to snap .The twists were good, and it did keep me engaged to the end, hope there will be one more book, so it could be all brought to a good conclusion.

If you like a quick read this psychological thriller will be a good choice.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for arc.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Widower is an engaging thriller. It is a sequel to The Stepson. I did not realize that and though this book technically works as a standalone I think it might have been even better if I had read the earlier book. The events that occurred before this book are referenced often.

The writing is well done. Short chapters that keep you turning the pages. All the characters feel like they could be suspects so you are not sure who to trust or who is reliable. The twists are unexpected but the ending felt rushed. It feels as though the author left if for a book 3.

This is my first book by this author but I would definitely read others.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc.

I think I missed a book before this one because I was a little lost. There was a lot of stuff that happened prior to this book that I didn't understand which made things a little more confusing.

I think the twist was done very well at the end but wished for more!

[Jennifer Sweeney · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars if it were an option. The Joffee books keep showing up as suggestions. So far, they’ve all been decently entertaining, though none have been stellar writing. This one was an ok read- I don’t like when the plot twist unravels right at the end so quickly… when the author takes time to unfold a story, then abruptly drops the bombs and it’s over - the ending then feels rushed.

[Kalyn de Caussin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book because I wanted to know how it ended. It’s an easy read, and decently engaging. There were a few things that were obviously supposed to sow doubt into who you suspected was the “bad guy”, but I felt like there were so many things going on that the narrator didn’t care to look into that I wasn’t invested in any singular person being guilty. The ending felt like it was trying to tie everything together while catching us all off guard, but it was so out of left field that I didn’t really care about it. It gave us so many answers that I felt were undeserved.

I found the narrator to be wildly unrelatable, as many of the things she said/did felt less like a real person and more like the author going: “wink wink nudge nudge this is what we all think a basic rich woman living in a beautiful mansion would say right haha she’s so silly with her Mercedes and her wine and expensive furniture”.

And how many times can an author write “Chinese food” without realizing you can use other words like dinner or takeout, or descriptive ones like chicken or noodles. Or just not talk about the Chinese food. She must’ve been hungry when writing that part because it was kind of ridiculous and frustrating how many times she mentioned it with it being not important at all. And now I want Chinese food.

[Diane Elizabeth Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a Carrie-on!
Carrie’s back, navigating life in The Estates and striving for normalcy after the previous traumas.
The arrival of a mysterious widower in the infamous murder house immediately raises red flags.
Best friend (sometimes) Marnie is extremely taken with him, but why? When a local teenage girl vanishes, Carrie’s stepson is again under the microscope, forcing Carrie to confront unsettling truths and conduct her own investigation (again) to protect her family.
This novel is a delightful fast paced read, packed with suspense and featuring a protagonist you can't help but root for. Carrie never fails to make me smile with her (sometimes misguided but always well meant) antics.
This is an ideal book for a beach read. I'd recommend reading the first book to understand the history.
My thanks to Joffe Books for the ARC. This is my own opinion.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

we are back on the block with carrie, marnie, bennett, and tj after the death if Mark Black... Marnies husband. Only there is a newcomer on the block Damien. He is chisled and Marnie is all over him. Then a girl goes missing and it is like deja vu for Carrie and the prime suspect again is her stepson TJ. Except this time Marnie isn't a helping hand she is doing everything she can to throw TJ under the bus. While Carrie is extra suspicious of the new guy on the block. As the story unfolds we learn new things about Damien, Marnie and Carries family. But what we don't know is that there are more secrets that are about to come out.

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twisty psychological thriller with Desperate Housewives suburban thriller vibes!

This one is full of drama, secrets and murder in a suburban neighborhood where you can’t trust anyone and all characters are unlikeable in that good suspenseful way! I loved the short chapters and pacing.

This is a sequel to The Stepson, but you could technically read it as a stand-alone, but I do think having the context from The Stepson is helpful.

Be sure to add this enjoyable and bingeable psychological domestic thriller to your TBR!

[Veronica M C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book annoying, but finished it anyways. What annoyed me?
1. None of the characters were very likeable.
2. The narrator was very dramatic and I got tired of hearing every thought in her head.
3. I can't see why Carrie would want to be best friends with Marley who had violent mood swings.
4. The voice actor said words wrong. Like pronouncing lol like it was a word instead of letters. Like saying a road was windy (wind like) instead of windy (twisty).
5. The book seemed to be more about the stepson, although the name of the book was The Widower.
6. People said Carrie's name way to much.
7. Repetitive phrases. How many times can she be so upset she couldn't eat?
8. Frail women. One hears about an accident and passes out. The other constantly feels like her legs are giving out from underneath her.
9. One minute she's afraid her stepson is going to kill her, then she's hiding evidence to protect him from the police.
Why did I finish? Just so I could share how annoying this book was! By the way, it was free on Audible.

[Katie Zuniga · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

I didn’t know this was a sequel until I was about halfway through the book. It annoyed me at first, but, besides a few references to a murder in book 1, this was totally readable as a standalone.

A fun thriller - it was fast paced and kept me intrigued! I even caught myself giggling a few times. However, the ending felt rushed and like there were too many revelations at once.

[Hannah Govang · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to give this author another chance, the first book I tried was a flop but wanted to see if it was just the book or the author in general. The writing is bad, the twists are pretty good but the characters are all horribly written and I despise them. Will not be consuming anymore literature written by her.

[Panna Szabó · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a light, fun read. The plot twist wasn’t anything special, and they dragged the stepson part for too long, but honestly, I didn’t expect more.

[Lu Whelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well explained in the first part. But then sped up at the end

[Samantha Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

MARNEY!!? What!!! I kind of figured that something was up with Tj… but damn near everyone in that estates was a killer

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️