The Widower

by Christobel Kent

He promised until death do us part.

When bossy, loving, sensible Kate dies suddenly, her little sister Rose dutifully returns from a carefree life abroad to help Kate's widower and the two children Rose has never met. But she is unsettled to see no trace of her warm-hearted sister in the remote, dilapidated house, nor in Kate's cold, distant partner, Evan.

After stumbling across a message that only her sister could have left for her, Rose's unease around the circumstances of Kate's death turns to open suspicion, but she knows better than to ask the grieving widower for answers.

Determined to discover the truth of her sister's terrible last days, Rose has no choice but to keep looking. Eventually, she senses, the dark house will give up its secrets. But she is not prepared to admit that whoever threatened Kate's life might now be coming after her...

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2021

About the author

Christobel Kent was born in London in 1962 and now lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children; in between she lived in Florence. She worked in publishing for several years, most recently as Publicity Director at Andre Deutsch. Her debut novel A Party in San Niccolo, was published in 2003.

Series:
* Sandro Cellini

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Widower is a domestic suspense novel mixed with a psychological thriller and surrounds the death of a woman under strange and suspicious circumstances and her husband’s odd behaviour during bereavement. 34-year-old Rose is currently an English teacher residing in Italy when she receives a telephone call from her older sister Kate’s husband, Evan. He informs her that the 41-year-old has died suddenly and unexpectedly of cancer. But apparently, according to Evan, no one else knew she was terminally ill, let alone Rose; why would her own sister keep such a crucial piece of information secret from her, and why if she was keeping it from her wouldn't she inform her when her time on the planet was coming closer to the tragic end? Now Evan says he needs Rose to come home and care for his children - toddler Jamie who was Kate’s son and daughter Serena, who is from Evan’s previous marriage. Rose feels like she must return home even if it's just to discover what really happened to her beloved sister as she finds it hard to believe she wouldn't have told anyone. Something stinks about Evan’s explanation and Rose resolves to find out what he's hiding.

When she arrives at the massive, dilapidated, sinister-looking, isolated house on the US East Coast, she instantly gets a chill up her spine; the place has an air of dread about it and reminds her of properties in horror movies. The remote nature of the area means there is no mobile phone service nearby and she finds herself thrown in at the deep end looking after the children as she becomes increasingly mentally affected. Over time she comes to notice that Evan and his equally cold, devious daughter aren't playing the grieving widower or stepdaughter very believably and her suspicions grow stronger. A short time later, Rose finds a message left for her by Kate and the big question that emanates from it is: why if she was so unwell was she not chaperoned to the doctor? This is a compelling and creepily atmospheric thriller, in fact, the narrative simply bubbles with chilling atmospherics and whilst this is not as enjoyable as some of Kent’s previous thrillers, I still found it a twisty and interesting read. It's haunting, heartbreaking and infused with a palpable tension that never lets up. If you enjoy slow-burn, unsettling family dramas this is quick and entertaining.

[Gizem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this novel was quite slow and incoherent with characters I felt indifferent about and the Narration had nearly zero pull. The cover, the blurb and the writing were endearing, but sadly for me personally - the story was not.

Thank you NetGalley / Little Brown Group UK Sphere for providing me with this arc in exchange of an honest review.

[Megan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

When bossy, loving, sensible Kate dies suddenly, her little sister Rose dutifully returns from a carefree life abroad to help Kate’s widower and the two children Rose has never met. But she is unsettled to see no trace of her warm-hearted sister in the remote, dilapidated house, nor in Kate’s cold, distant partner, Evan. After stumbling across a message that only her sister could have left for her, Rose’s unease around the circumstances of Kate’s death turns to open suspicion, but she knows better than to ask the grieving widower for answers. Determined to discover the truth of her sister’s terrible last days, Rose has no choice but to keep looking. Eventually, she senses, the dark house will give up its secrets. But she is not prepared to admit that whoever threatened Kate’s life might now be coming after her.

I do not think I have anything positive to say about this. Save yourselves a few hours by not reading this I would say. The plot is a tried and tested one that usually works; two estranged sister, one marries and has a child and then suddenly dies, enter the estranged sister who suspects there is more to it. On paper this sounds great but none of this translated to the book. I did not get a sense of mystery or suspicion, Evan, the husband, did not come across particularly malicious or secretive and it just felt like Kent knew what she wanted the ending to be but did not know how to get there. This felt like a confusing, disjointed mess and it was just not enjoyable.

The plot is very slow-paced and there is no thrilling, exhilarating action to be seen. Right at the end, and I mean right at the very end, Kent suddenly ramps up the action but it comes from nowhere and there is little explanation. That is my other issue with this read, nothing is explained very well, Kent presents actions and behaviours with no real backstory and I just kept thinking why is this all happening. The book is sadly, not well though out.

I do not want to have to tear the characters apart as well, but I found them under developed and hard to connect to. It did not matter to me that they were not especially likeable but I needed to have some form of connection to one of them and have someone to root for but this was lacking and it really impacted my experience of reading this.

‘The Widower’ just was not for me. This was dull, confusing and not very well explained.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose's older sister, Kate dies suddenly so Rose returns home to help Kate’s husband, Evan and her children - toddler Jamie, Kate’s son and Evan's daughter, Serena - even though she never met them. The house is in a state of disrepair and Evan seems to be behaving strangely. It’s only after Rose finds a message that Kate has left for her that she decides to look into Kate's death. What really happened to her beloved sister?

The Widower is a creepy atmospheric thriller and the narrative roils with chills that definitely gave me shivers. There were a few twists and it was laced with tension. It's a great choice for anyone who enjoys unsettling family dramas.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Little, Brown Book/ Sphere via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Georgina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good writing, but the plot was incredibly disjointed, and very slow - there wasn’t really any tension being built up, but instead just a sudden dump of information to try and create a suspenseful ending. Not for me I’m afraid.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own

[Tamsin Preece · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rose rushes to England when her sister, Kate, dies suddenly. But why hadn’t she told her she was ill? It doesn’t take long for Rose to realise that things are not as they seem.

I found this book quite slow and a bit disjointed. It seemed to rely on a few too many coincidences for my liking! It did pick up pace towards the end, but I wasn’t sure of the story as a whole. I didn’t really like any of the characters and was ambivalent about their stories. It was a satisfactory read, but it didn’t grab me as others in this genre have.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

[Morgan Schulman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one just didn't grab me. I've enjoyed a lot of this author's books in the past, but the characters just merged together, the plot didn't really keep me in suspense, and I was just eager to get through it and onto the next book

[Louise Mullins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The Crooked House and The Missing Husband but this just didn't cut it I'm afraid. The writing is disjointed, the dialogue filled with interrupted speech, the story slow and plotless, the relationship between Evan and Rose and the motive and method of murder ridiculous, nonsensical, the ending predictable. There were no redeeming features. I was thoroughly disappointed.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Rose receives a call from her sister's husband to tell her that she has died, Rose is dumbstruck. Kate hadn't told Rose she was ill; she hadn't told anyone. Rose flies back from Rome immediately to be with her sister's small family: husband Evan, new baby Jamie, and teenage stepdaughter Serena. But Rose is walking into a minefield of secrets: who knows what? And what secrets will she uncover if she starts digging?

I liked this book for the most part: it was well written and I liked the backstory of the two sisters, hinted at as it was. Where it fell a little flat for me was the narrative, which was incredibly slow, right up until the final chapters. The prologue also set me off on the wrong foot - the trope of the ghostly narrator from the afterlife being one of of my least favourite tropes. If it was a gothic/horror novel , fine, but I want a domestic thriller to be a domestic thriller, and bringing in that element of the supernatural ruins the credibility of the story for me.

I did enjoy the book, though it really took a while to get going, and I felt it never really took off for me, it was low key all the way through with a couple of dramatic chapters at the end. That having been said, I enjoyed the author's writing style and would consider reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who gave me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Ellie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosie is living an enjoyable enough if insecure life in Italy when she receives a call from her sister's husband telling her that her sister is dead and that they (him, his toddler Jamie (Kate's son) and his older daughter by a previous marriage).
Somewhat implausibly, but grief hits people strangely, Rosie decides that she must leave immediately and stay for as long as needed in England.
Rosie has only met Evan, Kate's husband, once and has never met either of the children. Despite this she throws herself wholeheartedly into becoming part of their lives.
But.. is everything what it seems? Obviously not. Rosie's actions are often inexplicable and the only way I could make them plausible was to attribute them to her grief, but the author didn't do so.
It was a long book, but engaging enough. Ending was satisfactory, but I felt that the pacing was a bit off and the plot a bit threadbare.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read previous novels from CK based in Italy but this is the first I've read set in the UK. IT WOULD MAKE AN AMAZING TV DRAMA SO SOME SPARKY PRODUCER SHOULD OPTION IT. I found it a thriller in the real sense because I had no idea who would make it to the end of the book. I found it atmospheric and, as others have remarked, very creepy. Shades of Daphne Du Maurier's 'Rebecca' and any number of other ghost stories set in old houses in deserted marshlands. The finale actually took my breath away. Once I'd read it I did read through the other reviews. I was surprised that some readers found it slow but we each have our own ways of reading.

[Krystle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely slow moving but I was still drawn in by the potential. The characters were interesting but the house and setting itself was difficult to imagine. Unfortunately, the author set the home up as a significant piece of the story without providing adequate and clear descriptions. In addition, much of the language used in the story was repetitive which I found highly distracting. I enjoyed the read but found myself editing it in my mind and wishing some extra time and effort went into the end product!

[Kagan Goodliff · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing of this one did not work for me at all, I had to reread sentences because they were structured so strangely. I think it was meant to be a gothic type style but it didn’t flow at all. The dialogue was strange, the narration I guess was meant to be ethereal and otherworldly but it felt stilted and contrived. It was incredibly slow and there was no tension. They were setting it up that he was the baddie and he was. The end. I’m not sure I totally even understood why. Very odd book.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few of Kent's books,and they've all been good.
This one for me though,just is a bit too slow.
I felt we were almost at the end before anything really happened.
Some people love the slow burn,but it just didnt work for me this time.
However,the writing as always is always good,and characters relatable.

[Simon Gosden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and quite creepy novel. Rose’s older sister Kate dies suddenly and Rose returns to England to help at her exes house with his two children. It’s a strange and isolated old house on the edge of the marsh and things don’t seem quite right….. A proper page Turner.

[Gill Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was good but the authors writing is very confusing and disjointed, I had to go back several times to make out what was going on. I have found this before with this author.

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this could be any more wannabe gothic if it tried ... honestly, the ridiculous level of menace was doing my head in!!!

[Sarah Ingram · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow to get going and then a hectic race to the end. Creepy, very creepy.

[Monika Samoska · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, definitely not a page turner and a book you just can't put down. It didn't have atmosphere of ,, Rebecca'' or any gothic thriller, weak rushed ending.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Tracey · Rating 1 out of 5]

very slow and found hard to keep interested - quite a let down

[Denise Tannock · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a dark dark house in a foreboding place, evil lurks. Slow start, nearly gave up and decided thrilling enough for me.

[Emmaleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely a slow burn read.

I found the writing style somewhat annoying, because it would jump back and forth in time a bit.

Overall it was enjoyable though.

[Catalin Munteanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the action at times felt disconnected, the writing stood out as the most enjoyable aspect for me. Another noteworthy point is that the action remained unpredictable until the very end.

[Lisa Guiry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first thriller book that i read. The pace was very nice, always something happening to keep you engaged. I couldn't stop reading. I would definitely recommend this book