The Widow

Ireland #1

by Carla Neggers

Four days after Abigail Browning's wedding, her life changed her husband was fatally shot along the rocky Mount Desert Island coast. Was it a random act of violence, or could someone have wanted Christopher dead?

That's the question that has haunted Abigail, now a homicide detective, for the past seven years. Determined to find her husband's killer, she returns to the foggy Maine island after receiving an anonymous tip. Is it just another false lead, or can she finally prove that Chris was murdered?

Owen Garrison, the search-and-rescue worker who located Chris too late to save him, still carries guilt from that fateful night. As he helps Abigail unravel the mystery, they learn that the layers of deceit and lies are even thicker than they could have imagined. Now it's up to Abigail and Owen to keep pushing for the truth—and stop a killer from striking again….

Genres: Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2006

About the author

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, and the popular Swift River Valley series set in the small, fictional New England town of Knights Bridge. With many bestsellers to her credit, Carla loves to write now as much as she did when she climbed a tree at age eleven with a pad and pen and spun stories perched on her favorite branch.

A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.

Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seven years ago, Abigail Browning's husband Chris was murdered after only four days of marriage. No arrests were ever made. Abigail quit her job and joined the police academy. Now a cop with the Boston Police Department, she receives an anonymous tip about her husband's death. Abigail decides to take time off from her job and return to Mount Desert Island, Maine, to see if she can solve her husband's murder. Owen Garrison still lives on the island. He heads the local search and rescue team. Owen was Chris' best friend and the person who found Chris' body. Now he teams up with Abigail to find the killer.

This story didn't work for me. The first half of the story we were introduced to many characters, all of whom were on the Island when Chris was murdered. We flashed back to Abigail and Chris' honeymoon and the mysterious things that were happening during that time. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Carol Monda. I had a hard time figuring out if we were flashing back to the past or if we were in the present. There were also two characters that I thought were fourteen-year-old teenagers. Turns out they were adults who just talked and acted like teenagers. The romance between Owen and Abigail seemed to come out of nowhere. They've known each other for years, but suddenly they are in love. I will not be continuing this series. My rating: 2 Stars.

[jenjn79 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually fell asleep yesterday while reading this book. That should tell you something. It was just a completely lackluster story. The plot was dull, the romance utterly dull, and the characters moderately dull. There wasn't really anything I found particularly interesting.

The Widow is about a widowed woman (shocker, right?) who is now a Boston homicide cop. Seven years ago, on their honeymoon, her FBI agent husband was murdered while they stayed in his childhood home on an island in Maine. Abigail has never been able to forget what happened back then. She's never stopped wanting to know who cold-bloodedly killed her husband and why it happened. But in the seven years, she's never been able to discover anything. Then on the anniversary of their wedding, she gets a mysterious phone call that makes her more determined than ever. So she decides to head back to Mt Desert to see what she can find out. Once their, she runs into Owen Garrison, a man with as much tragedy in his past as she has. And he seems to be the only one around who doesn't want her gone. But as Abigail searches for answers, things only seem to get more confusing.

For me, this book was only barely interesting and engaging. Mostly, it just bored me and I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up and keep reading.

The book as a whole was just really slow-moving and never seeming to get anywhere. I kept reading and reading and nothing was happening except these small little things that don't give the plot any momentum. You could probably cut out the middle of the book and not miss anything important because basically the story just goes around and around the same information. And I got tired of hearing the same facts stated over and over again. Even the suspense regarding the antagonist identity didn't work for me. The author put so much effort directing attention to one specific character that when it turns out to be someone else, it was just like, ummm...okay? And the reason why? Well, that was out of the blue. Some clues to that earlier in the book would have been nice.

Even worse, though, was that the romance was completely and utterly flat. It's like 250 pages (out of 330+) before anything interesting happens between them, and even then, it was just awkward. I think they shared one kiss earlier and when it happened, all I could think was 'that was weird' because it came from nowhere. I didn't feel any build up between them, and almost no chemistry. And they're acting like there's this thing developing between them and I didn't feel it at all. Then the ending between them was really lame and didn't give me any sense as to where they were headed as a couple.

It didn't help that I found the characters (Abigail and Owen) a bit dull and one-dimensional as well. I mean, you knew all these facts about them, but it was surface stuff. I never felt like I really knew these two characters. Which didn't help the romance aspect either because I didn't know them real well, and they didn't know each other much either.

So overall, this book flopped for me. It wasn't so utterly awful that I wanted to throw it against the wall and add to my small DNF pile, but it's not a book I'd recommend to others. And it'll make me think twice before reading this author again (which sucks because I have at 2 more of her books in my TBR mountain...)

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Widow
3 Stars

Seven years following the murder of her FBI agent husband on Mount Desert Island, Abigail Browning, now a detective with Boston PD, receives an anonymous phone call suggesting that strange things are happening in the quiet island community. With the help of search and rescue expert, Owen Garrison, Abigail stirs up old memories and old ghosts in her determination to expose a dangerous killer. Will she discover the truth before she becomes the next victim?

More of a mystery than romantic suspense.

Nothing much happens for the first 2/3 of the book as various characters are introduced, and their relationships with each other and their connections to Chris Browning are rehashed over and over. The investigation is rather lackluster as neither the local police nor the FBI seem particularly interested in capturing Chris’s killer. Although minor clues are interspersed haphazardly throughout the narrative, the obvious red herring distracts from these and make it difficult to determine the killer’s identity and motive.

Owen and Abigail’s romance is secondary and there is no real foundation to their attraction. Their chemistry is non-existent and they mostly appear to be going through the motions of falling in love without actually doing so. There is a wonderful potential for conflict stemming from Abigail’s unresolved feelings for her murdered husband and the fact that Owen is one of his oldest friends, but this never materializes.

All in all, a good premise but the execution is dull and uninspired. This author is not for me.

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook - 9:37 hours - Narrator: Carol Monda
Goodreads lists the book thus: "The Widow (Boston Police/FBI #1)" - so I thought I'd give it a go.
The opening words of this book described it thus:
"Recorded Books Romance Presents ..."
The dreaded word "Romance" almost made me delete this file immediately, but I let it wander for a while ... *sigh*.
I skipped through disc 01 a bit, listening here and there but each time that bl**dy word "Romance" kept flashing in my poor benighted brain, so ... to the DNF shelf it flies ..!
Yes, Matt - another one! :)

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. On her honeymoon in Maine seven years ago, Abigail Browning's FBI husband was shot and killed. Since then, she's become a homicide detective and she's never given up searching for answers.

There wasn't anything wrong with this romantic suspense from 2007 but for me, it was light and unremarkable.

[Lisa Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked everything about this book. I loved the New England setting, and the cast of both rich and not-so-wealthy characters. I especially liked Abigail—too often in thrillers like this the heroine is too perfect to be believable, but while Abigail was impressive, she always seemed real.

[David Freas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having never read a Carla Neggers novel before, I have no way to compare this book to her other work. But if this is one of her best, I’d hate to see her worst.

The Widow seemed scattered, as if Neggers threw in anything she had on hand. Part of the problem is none of the characters were distinct enough to stand out, so I had trouble keeping them straight. Constant shifting points of view – including a scattered few from the bad guy’s – kept me from getting ‘close’ to any of them, even her main characters.

Abigail didn’t seem driven to find her husband’s killer. She wants to find who murdered him, yes, but she doesn’t have the ‘fire’ a main character should have. The local police and the FBI, too, seemed indifferent to his murder, or at least lackadaisical. In the real world, the murder of an FBI agent would have brought the FBI down on the island like the plagues of Egypt.

There seemed to be no real foundation for the attraction between Owen and Abigail. She’s been visiting the island since her marriage seven years ago (and possibly before then) but it isn’t until now that Owen is suddenly attracted to her? Sorry. Guys don’t work that way. If he thinks she’s attractive now, he’s been thinking it for seven years. So why didn’t he act on it before this?

Tension in a suspense novel should build slowly and steadily (with brief respites) from page one. The first 300+ pages of this novel are wheel-spinning – lots of motion with no forward progress. It’s only in the last 50 or 60 pages that things start happening all at once. Some of the things uncovered in those pages should have been uncovered earlier in this novel. In the real world, they would have been exposed long before this.

The end result is a novel of romantic suspense that is neither romantic nor suspenseful. And Neggers misses the boat on too many things she should have gotten right.

Sorry, Carla Neggers, I won’t be back.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail Browning has a tragic honeymoon as her FBI agent husband is killed. Severn years later, she has become a police detective for Boston but yet returns to the samll Maine island every year. She is searching for her husbands killer. Interesting, suspensful and even some romance thrown in. Good characters and even better read.

[Jane(Janelba) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Great storyline and plot kept me guessing. Will definitely read more books by Carla Neggers.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carla Neggers is one of those authors that is able to spin a tale with many characters and have you end the story feeling as if you know everyone. That rates high with me as many authors will bandy people around willy nilly and I feel completely worn out or worse feel as if I need to keep notes so I know whose who. That is not the case here. Two families, lots of police and still I followed it and absolutely loved it!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story!! I enjoy this author! She always keeps me guessing until the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Widow is about Abigail, a Boston detective, who returns to the small Maine town where her husband, Chris, was killed seven years earlier on their honeymoon. The locals are not happy that Abigail has returned because they don't want her to start digging into the past once again. Owen, the one who found Chris's body, has returned to his home town as well for some rest and relaxation, but ends up being drawn into the investigation. Together they piece together the mystery surrounding Chris's murder and also solve the long ago drowning of Owen's sister.

The author kept me guessing with regard to the mystery/murder aspect, however, the romance was lacking. There was no chemistry between Abigail and Owen. They rarely spent time alone together, and when they did they mostly spoke about Abigail's dead husband or Owen's dead sister. Their personal relationship never really developed before they ended up in bed together, and when they did it was uneventful.

[Barbara (The Bibliophage) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Figured out the mysteries about 100 pages before the characters did ... Never a good sign. Thank goodness it was a free book for my Kindle.

[Maria FantastikaRomance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mordutredaren Abigail Brownings make var FBI agent och dolde delar av sitt liv för henne. Sju år efter hans mord får Abigail ett mystiskt telefonsamtal om händelser kring det oupplösta fallet. Med hjälp av sina polisvänner samt Owen Garrison, en search and rescue-expert, återvänder Abigail till Mount Desert Island, Maine och börjar lufta gamla byk hos makens vänner och ovänner.

Det finns författare som är unika i sina böcker. Som, trots romancegenrens begränsningar om att kärleksberättelsen ska vara central, lyckas skriva spännande, roliga, gripande böcker eller böcker som ger läsaren en härlig varm känsla i magen.

Sen finns det hantverkare. De som har alla verktygen men som saknar den där extra gnistan som gör att deras texter lyfter. Den känslan får jag när jag läser Carla Neggers bok The Widow. Boken är långsam, vi blir matade med samma ledtrådar gång på gång likt en karusell. Karaktärerna saknar djup. Det hade inte skadat om Abigail hade haft mera driv, att hon varit mer reflekterande kring sin besatthet över att hitta mördaren. Nu är hon ganska ljummen. Några gånger funderade jag på om Owen ändå var mördaren. Det hade gett boken lite krydda men som den romance den är visste jag samtidigt att så inte var fallet.
Motivet till ett gammalt dödsfall, en äldre man som var förälskad i en elva år yngre flicka, var intressant och hade kunnat utvecklats mer då det var viktigt för huvudspåret.

När jag läser en romantisk thriller vill jag bli överraskad. Falska ledtrådar ska kasta mina misstankar än hit, än dit. Det blev jag inte då jag visste vem mördaren var efter halva boken. Jag vill bita på naglarna både för jakten på mördaren och för kärleken mellan huvudpersonerna. Men, nej. Boken är kompetent skriven men ganska tråkig och färglös.

Svenska titeln Mördare okänd är utgiven av Harlequin förlag.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done WHO Done It!

I always enjoy Carla Negger’s books, and this one is no exception.
This is a story with all the things I like to read in a murder mystery; a woman determined to find who murdered her husband, no matter how long it takes; a cast of characters who, from appearances had no reason to want him dead; many police officers and FBI Agents who investigated at the time, and badly wanted to solve his murder, those same people waiting to jump on any new clue or information on the seven year old cold case, and lastly just the right amount of romance.
The author deftly wove the past with the present, including the death of a fourteen year old girl, whose death happened very close to the murdered FBI agents last moments. Was there any connection, or was it coincidence?
While reading the book, my suspicions kept jumping all over the place, and I was taken completely by surprise when the killer was revealed.
That is what makes a great murder mystery for me!

[Jean Boobar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The characters represented money and prestige on Mt. Desert Island in Maine, where newlywed Abigail's husband Chris was killed. She is a detective now, and determined to spend some time on the Island to resolve questions about his death. Tensions are high between most of the residents and Abigail, and she is pressured in a variety of ways to "get outta town." Another death on the Island had been a young girl. Abigail finds an alliance with the brother of that victim and ultimately the mystery is solved. Neggers builds tensions toward "who dun it" but then slashes them down with new revelations. I was surprised that the author is from Vermont. I would read her again.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After only four days of marriage and on her honeymoon Abigail Browning's husband was shot and killed. Christopher was a hometown boy and had many childhood friends in the place they honeymooned. Seven years later and Abigail is now a homicide detective and has returned determined to hunt down her husband's killer. Abigail's father is head of the FBI. Abigail returned to the Maine Island after receiving a mysterious phone call from a stranger. A lot of people have tried to find clues and answers to Chris's murder but no further clues have turned up. Owen was one of Chris's friends and he helps Abigail unravel this mystery but it is all very disturbing for some of the residents of the Island. Twists and turns in the suspects in this book.

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story was interesting. But something about it kept me from really liking it more.
The widow, who became that on her honeymoon, goes out to find out who killed her husband seven years ago. Although she is hindered by everyone she attempts to ask question to, her presents at the island where her husband was killed, creates friction among the people there. Many are holding back information to protect each other and their families. The police help, but are also angry and her interference. The killer is smart and cunning. Not many even thought he could even do such a thing.
Well, it's a good book, not great, but good.

[Sarah Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I simply did not like the writing style. The story was alright, and definitely kept me guessing till the end. I felt like she bounced around a lot, there were needless details in some areas, and not nearly enough details in others. The characters were meh. I couldn’t get into it. The last 50 pages or so were the most exciting (finding out who the real killer was and if he…or she…would strike again), but even then, it didn’t really grip me. I have one more of her books (picked the two paperbacks up used at a thrift store), so I guess I’ll see if there’s any improvement. I don’t believe I’ll be buying anymore, even if they are a buck a piece.

[Jocelyn Rhindress · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Carla Neggers read. It was ok. Honestly, I had a really hard time keeping track of characters and then I read another review that said they all blended together - yes - that was it - no one was distinct. There was a romance story - but it came from nothing basically two people that thought each other were hot for the last few years - not much substance. And....are we trying to investigate crimes? I mean Abigail is a detective out of jurisdiction breaking a lot of rules. I am not sure if I will continue with this series tbh. It wasn't terrible it just didn't offer a lot in terms of suspense, or mystery or romance - maybe it is trying to be too many things.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

So first off, I was all set to start The Mist, which STARTS in Ireland, and then I realized that it's part of a series, so I jumped to this one, and now I'm really confused why it's called "The Ireland" series. I had some trepidation about it being classified as a "romance" novel because sometimes that can be gushy, saccharine trash, but really it was a touch of romance, semi-trashy sex, but mostly decent mystery/ suspense.
THAT said, enjoyable mystery/ suspense. Somewhat predictable at moments but not without thought or interest. I will continue with the series.

[Kathy Blanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail Browning was determined to find the person who killed her husband seven years ago on their honeymoon. Chris was killed at his grandfather's home during his honeymoon. Abigail became a police detective after her husband's murder. She received a phone call telling her there were some surprises in Mt. Desert Island in Maine. She ran into a lot of resistance from friends of Chris'. Owen Garrison was attracted to Abigail and she was attracted to him. Together they worked to find out the truth.

[Annalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a romantic-suspense novel from 2007 that was tucked away in my vacation rental.

It’s a decent beach-read packed with dialogue so you don’t have to focus in on the cliché, word-vomit of New England scenery. Yes, it was fun and quick, but I would’ve appreciated the murderer being anyone other than a grumpy man that only made an appearance in the beginning of the book and (realistically) didn’t have much motive. Would’ve loved for it to have been Grace, especially after everyone kept using “he” when there was no evidence suggesting the murderer was a man!

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abigail Browning's husband Chris, a FBI agent is shot and killed on their honeymoon in Maine while they were at his family's home. Seven years later she is still trying to discover who killed him. She is now a detective in Boston and goes back to Maine to track down the killer. These short sentences seem as though it should really be an interesting story but it is rather lackluster and hard to stay interested in.

[Mel Schanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I enjoyed the characters and story tremendously.

Miss Neggers did a great job giving depth to each character. Toward the back half of the novel, I found I thought the killer could be one of three people. It wasn't until a certain word was spoken from the killer where I figured it out.

I think the author did an excellent job keeping the suspense. I'll definitely be continuing the series.

[Ian Schagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of a genre of thrillers where a female protagonist is trying to solve a murder mystery and is threatened by the unknown killer, but is saved at the last moment by her male love interest (perhaps someone could try it the other way - male victim and female rescuer? Or even gay?). The best writer of these is Mary Higgins Clark, and this book is not quite up to her standard. It is too long and discursive, and sex schemes are unnecessary. However, it was a fairly good read.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for some light early summer reading, I came across this mystery featuring a Maine setting. Really liked the Bar Harbor references. Neggers obviously has spent many a time climbing the same rocks we all did. However, I was not too fond of the way the book was written. It did not seem to flow and the dialog was rather choppy.

[Beth Lechman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abigail Browning's husband Chris was murdered on their honeymoon 7 years ago. She vowed she wouldn't quit looking until his killer was brought to justice. she is back in Maine on Mt. Desert Island on the 7th Anniversary of his death and now her life could be in danger. A good Romantic Suspense read although not as gripping as some I have read.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a intense drama about a woman whose husband was killed during their honeymoon on Mount Desert Island, Maine where he had grown up. His murder has not been solved in seven years and on their anniversary, Boston detective, Abigail Browning starts getting calls from someone says “ things are happening on the island” drawing her back to the scene of the crime.

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 4 out of 5]

a woman had just gotten married and a few days later he was murdered. she joined the police department and was determined to find who and why did they kill him. they had lived on a edge of the ocean in a house that had belonged to her deceased husband and decided one day to take leave and go to the house and search for clues.