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The Black Widow
Jack Hunter is cheering for runners at the finish line of the Boston Marathon with the love of his life, Catherine Crewes, when two explosions smash the beautiful day to smithereens.
As the head of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, Jack does his best to track down the terrorists who planted the bombs, organizing a big manhunt in the Boston area.
But there's more going on than meets the eye. When Catherine's aunt, Sybil Crewes, investigates a mysterious murder, she wonders if this murder is connected to the terrorists as well.
As the head of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, Jack does his best to track down the terrorists who planted the bombs, organizing a big manhunt in the Boston area.
But there's more going on than meets the eye. When Catherine's aunt, Sybil Crewes, investigates a mysterious murder, she wonders if this murder is connected to the terrorists as well.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2016
About the author
Cynthia Fridsma
26 books25 followersAs far back as she can remember, Cynthia has been listening to exciting stories told by her mother. She grew up reading books from Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, and Philip K. Dick, among others.
It was Cynthia’s mother who inspired her to start telling—and writing—her own stories.
Ms. Fridsma’s writing career started after a handicap in 2014—she has a tremor in her right hand, numbness in the fingers, and pain in her wrist. She had to give up her other creative outlets, such as photography, computer programming, and gave up on juggling, so focused on what she could do rather than what she couldn’t do.
Besides writing, she sometimes plays guitar—in Jimi Hendrix style.
Cynthia lives with her husband and pet rabbit Max in Amsterdam
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 2, 2023
Dit deel was aanzienlijk beter dan deel 1 (De Uitverkorene)! Niet meer zo rommelig waardoor het veel vlotter las. Vooral nadat ik de helft had bereikt kon ik het niet meer wegleggen om vervolgens te eindigen met een cliffhanger aargh! Dus nu even mopperen dat de andere delen hoogstwaarschijnlijk niet in het Nederlands verschijnen en moet gaan switchen naar Engels :(
Anyhow ik hou van deze vibe dus als je nog soortgelijke urban bovennatuurlijke fantasy weet let me know :)
Anyhow ik hou van deze vibe dus als je nog soortgelijke urban bovennatuurlijke fantasy weet let me know :)
May 25, 2020
Dit is het tweede boek van Cynthia Fridsma dat ik lees, dit deel speelt zich af in Boston. Tijdens de marathon op 15 april 2013 werd er een bomaanslag gepleegd. Politieman Jack Hunter is daar om de deelnemers aan de marathon aan te moedigen, maar kan meteen jacht maken op de daders. Hij belt de ATU, de Anti Terrorism Unit. Er wordt gefluisterd dat de terroristen samen zouden werken met vampiers..Hij schakelt daarom de hulp in van Nightbird, een organisatie die jacht maakt op vampiers en weerwolven. Kunnen ze de dader of dader vinden?
Sybil Crewes is de leider van Nightbird. Ze is zelf vampier maar wil liever gewoon mens zijn en mensen redden. Ze heeft het daarom moeilijk met deze opdracht. Maar de Zwarte Weduwe moet gevonden worden. Samen met haar mede vampiers en collega gaat ze de strijd aan.
Sybil is een apart tante, ze is zo anders dan “gewone” vampiers. Ik mag haar wel.
Catherine, haar nichtje is heel anders, zij heeft ook haar eigenaardigheden. Soms begrijp ik haar niet.
In dit deel komen heel veel nieuwe personages voor, Nathalie is daar een van. Zij heeft een belangrijke rol.
Het verhaal is een zelfstandig te lezen verhaal, de karakters uit deel 1 komen wel voor in dit deel maar ze worden goed genoeg omschreven om je in te kunnen leven als het eerste deel niet gelezen hebt.
Het verhaal leest vlot. Het boek is opgebouwd uit drie delen. In elk deel komt je meer te weten over de dader(s) en over wie of wat de Zwarte Weduwe is.Spanning wordt gecombineerd met horror en humor. Ik moet soms smakelijk lachen om Sybil.
Vanaf de eerste bladzijde wil je weten hoe het zit en je kan niet anders dan doorlezen.
Als je van vampieren en horror houdt, is dit echt een aanrader .
5 sterren
Sybil Crewes is de leider van Nightbird. Ze is zelf vampier maar wil liever gewoon mens zijn en mensen redden. Ze heeft het daarom moeilijk met deze opdracht. Maar de Zwarte Weduwe moet gevonden worden. Samen met haar mede vampiers en collega gaat ze de strijd aan.
Sybil is een apart tante, ze is zo anders dan “gewone” vampiers. Ik mag haar wel.
Catherine, haar nichtje is heel anders, zij heeft ook haar eigenaardigheden. Soms begrijp ik haar niet.
In dit deel komen heel veel nieuwe personages voor, Nathalie is daar een van. Zij heeft een belangrijke rol.
Het verhaal is een zelfstandig te lezen verhaal, de karakters uit deel 1 komen wel voor in dit deel maar ze worden goed genoeg omschreven om je in te kunnen leven als het eerste deel niet gelezen hebt.
Het verhaal leest vlot. Het boek is opgebouwd uit drie delen. In elk deel komt je meer te weten over de dader(s) en over wie of wat de Zwarte Weduwe is.Spanning wordt gecombineerd met horror en humor. Ik moet soms smakelijk lachen om Sybil.
Vanaf de eerste bladzijde wil je weten hoe het zit en je kan niet anders dan doorlezen.
Als je van vampieren en horror houdt, is dit echt een aanrader .
5 sterren
October 27, 2017
Loved it
If you can watch shows like CSI NCIS or any other murder investigation shows then this book shouldn't bother you. And if you love vampire books as much as me…
If you do get to a part that’s too gory for you just skip over it because the story is worth the read.
I’m sure you already read what the book was about but the book description does not do this book justice. You probably read the black widow was behind the brothers setting off the bombs at the Boston marathon. The black widows next plan is to have the two brothers set off a biological-viral bomb that will kill thousands. But will they actually succeed before they get caught?
Jack is a part of ATU Anti terrorism unit. His girlfriend Catherine is a part of Nightbird unit. I had no idea what that was at first. Sybil was the woman who founded Nightbird. It receives government funding to protect the country from supernatural events and things as vampires.
They named the black widow as Sally who’s love was killed and she blames the whole USA. Now she wants to make an army of vampires and take over the world.
Frank and Sybil are chasing and trying to catch who they think is the black widow. But is it actually her?
This book has so many twists and turns to keep it interesting. It is hard to review without any spoilers. I won't tell anymore and ruin the book for anyone. I enjoyed this book and do recommended it. It is very interesting.
If you can watch shows like CSI NCIS or any other murder investigation shows then this book shouldn't bother you. And if you love vampire books as much as me…
If you do get to a part that’s too gory for you just skip over it because the story is worth the read.
I’m sure you already read what the book was about but the book description does not do this book justice. You probably read the black widow was behind the brothers setting off the bombs at the Boston marathon. The black widows next plan is to have the two brothers set off a biological-viral bomb that will kill thousands. But will they actually succeed before they get caught?
Jack is a part of ATU Anti terrorism unit. His girlfriend Catherine is a part of Nightbird unit. I had no idea what that was at first. Sybil was the woman who founded Nightbird. It receives government funding to protect the country from supernatural events and things as vampires.
They named the black widow as Sally who’s love was killed and she blames the whole USA. Now she wants to make an army of vampires and take over the world.
Frank and Sybil are chasing and trying to catch who they think is the black widow. But is it actually her?
This book has so many twists and turns to keep it interesting. It is hard to review without any spoilers. I won't tell anymore and ruin the book for anyone. I enjoyed this book and do recommended it. It is very interesting.
November 8, 2016
During the New York Marathon on 13th April 2013, two bombs were detonated a mere 12 seconds apart near the finishing line, followed by related shootings. The explosions killed 3 civilians and injured a further 264 others. This is the setting for Cynthia Fridsma’s second novel The Black Widow.
This was a very atmospheric novel, which was probably helped by being set during a real event. The descriptions were vivid, detailed and being written in the first person definitely helped pack an emotional punch and made the characters’ emotions and motivations relatable.
It was an interesting idea, mixing a factual event with the supernatural and was almost bordering on alternative historical fiction; but at points throughout the novel it felt like there was too much going on, and the two different strands of plot didn’t always seem to fit together seamlessly.
There were a lot of characters and it was occasionally difficult to remember who was who and how they were connected to each other.
I’m not sure this was necessarily for me, but was definitely a confidently written novel that I found to be a very good mixture of both action and character driven.
This was a very atmospheric novel, which was probably helped by being set during a real event. The descriptions were vivid, detailed and being written in the first person definitely helped pack an emotional punch and made the characters’ emotions and motivations relatable.
It was an interesting idea, mixing a factual event with the supernatural and was almost bordering on alternative historical fiction; but at points throughout the novel it felt like there was too much going on, and the two different strands of plot didn’t always seem to fit together seamlessly.
There were a lot of characters and it was occasionally difficult to remember who was who and how they were connected to each other.
I’m not sure this was necessarily for me, but was definitely a confidently written novel that I found to be a very good mixture of both action and character driven.
May 23, 2016
We begin the story at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where two of our heroes stand at the finishing line.
Little do they know of the horror that will strike just as the runners begin to cross the line.
As the regular human law enforcement agencies get to work, Sybil and her team at Nightbird intervene when one of their own is killed by a new foe; the Black Widow!
How is she linked with the attack? Will the bombers be brought to justice? And what are the Black Widow's true motives? You'll have to read the story to find out!
The story is fast paced and the action is well described. Zombies, werewolves and even time travel feature in this intriguing tale of two teams of vampires locked in a bitter struggle, and the fate of the living world hangs in the balance!
While the writing could benefit from a subtle re-draft, the core narrative shines through.
I can't wait for the next story in the series!
Little do they know of the horror that will strike just as the runners begin to cross the line.
As the regular human law enforcement agencies get to work, Sybil and her team at Nightbird intervene when one of their own is killed by a new foe; the Black Widow!
How is she linked with the attack? Will the bombers be brought to justice? And what are the Black Widow's true motives? You'll have to read the story to find out!
The story is fast paced and the action is well described. Zombies, werewolves and even time travel feature in this intriguing tale of two teams of vampires locked in a bitter struggle, and the fate of the living world hangs in the balance!
While the writing could benefit from a subtle re-draft, the core narrative shines through.
I can't wait for the next story in the series!
May 17, 2016
A bomb goes off at the Boston Marathon and Jack and Catherine find themselves at the centre of the carnage. Jack works for the ATU while Catherine works for an altogether different organisation that deals in the supernatural. They must find out who planted the bombs and if a murder has anything to do with it.
When I started reading, I thought the book was a thriller/spy novel and it is but with a supernatural spin too. The characters are interesting and work well together. I like how the story progressed and enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it.
When I started reading, I thought the book was a thriller/spy novel and it is but with a supernatural spin too. The characters are interesting and work well together. I like how the story progressed and enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it.
May 27, 2016
Cynthia Fridsma has put a wonderful paranormal spin in this novel. It deals with the world of terrorism & vampires. What a combination. Her writing style is smooth & she has a knack of keeping you interested in getting to the next chapter. It is a crime/ thriller with a hint of paranormal. Not everyone can do this but Cynthia Fridsma can & does. I highly recommend this book. Thank you, Cynthia for the opportunity to read an ARC for review.
May 13, 2016
Ms. Fridma brilliantly weaves the paranormal and "normal", and fact, fiction, and fantasy in this suspenseful novel of vampires and domestic terrorism...and how many books can say that? The novel takes the Boston marathon bombings as a starting point, and races towards and unforeseen finish line.
May 13, 2016
Struggled a bit with this book as I thought if was crime/thriller type of story but it involved vampires and stuff, probably great book if that's your thing
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews