The Black Widows

by Doug Zipes

In Chappaqua, a hamlet just outside of New York City, two elderly widows keep house. Despite looking like grandmothers who have nothing more important to do than mop the kitchen floor, the two women originally from Afghanistan and Palestine are not who they seem. From a back room in a small secondhand bookstore attached to their house, Mrs. Abramowitz and Mrs. Silverman control the Black Widows, a worldwide terrorist organization created with a dual purpose--to wage a personal vendetta and destabilize the Western world. When Zach Dayan, a NYPD detective and former Israeli policeman, takes on the case, he is challenged by a series of apparently random, horrific murders with the same brutal chest slashings. He seeks help from his ex-lover and expert pathologist, Dr. Jayanti Joshi. After examining the hearts, Dr. Joshi quickly discovers the common thread of the murders, but unfortunately, the clue leads nowhere. Zach's search for the murderer leads him to the hidden caves of Petra, an impenetrable ancient desert city, where he is soon swept into the bowels of an evil plot as he tries to save the Western world from another Holocaust.

328 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2009

Reviews

[Jim Tees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced, good story. Became hard to put down, a decent page-turner.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting read begins early with a horrific murder--so much so that I almost quit reading. The fact that others had given it five stars kept me reading and I'm glad I did. Fast-paced adventure goes beyond murder mystery to international terror.

Very plausible--I hope nothing like this ever happens.