An absolutely great read. It sure does fit into mystery. Well-written plot and character development.
Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

Louise is married to Patrick and they have 2 children. When Louise becomes a widow and the police arrive to tell her of Patrick’s death her response is unusual and begins a story of intrigue and questioning by others. Leaving the reader thinking did she ......or didn’t she have anything todo with it.....you will need to read it to find out.......

Louise and Patrick Bridges are married and the parents of Giles and Emmy.  Their home is very nice.  One evening while Louise is fixing dinner, two police come to the door with the terrible news that Patrick has just died in an office fire.

PC Becca Holt and PC Tom Burke are the police who broke the news to the Bridges family, but for some reason, Becca feels that Louise should have shown more shock than she did.  Becca is convinced that Louise is not who she appears to be and cannot stop thinking about her.  However, Becca has also had some previous psychotic problems herself.

Before marrying Patrick, Louise was the receptionist in the same office where Patrick worked.  All she wanted was for him to notice her.  When he finally did, she was ready to begin the life she had always wanted.

The story switches back and forth from Louise to Becca and the chapters are nice and short.  This helped keep my attention, but it also was a way to make the book longer than it should have been.   We see two women who both have seen pain in their lives and want to be happier.  Louise depends upon her wits to get where she wants, but Becca’s love of doughnuts and junk food is her dependency.  An interesting story that, again, could have been trimmed down.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was a hot mess. 1.5 stars rounded up.

::sigh::

Where to start?

The Perfect Widow sounded so intriguing in it's synopsis...somewhat creepy even. Trust me when I say, it wasn't. Told from two points of view, those of Louise (in both the past, where she daydreamed about a douchey guy for half the book, and the present, where we read very little about how she's dealing with said douche's death), and Becca, who was given the job to deliver the bad news to the newly minted widow, and decided to investigate her because "she didn't act right."

First, let me just say, Becca's character was an idiot. She should have been fired from her job. I hated her sections of the story because it was nothing but obsessive ramblings about Louise's "perfect thighs" and her "too clean home." Becca, who is described as overweight early in the novel (and who is fat shamed endlessly by the author), clearly wanted to bring Louise down, but more out of jealously than any real sense of justice. It felt as though she was added to the book as an afterthought, when the author realized she needed an antagonist. Meh.

Second, although I found Louise's character somewhat sympathetic, her then sections were repetitive and rambling. We literally read the same things over and over and over again. I wasn't overly impressed by the insta-love either.

Finally, the chapters were super short and clunky. If done correctly, this works at keeping the book moving and flowing.

...It wasn't done correctly in this novel...

What it did was leave us with terribly unfinished characters, and actions that were never explained. Further, I believe this book was advertised as a psychological thriller. It definitely is not. I think I'd likely categorize it as domestic drama.

Bottom line: This story was underwhelming in every possible way. Not recommended.

**Despite my lackluster review, I'd still like to thank the publisher for my advanced copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Louise seems to have a nearly perfect life – a handsome and successful husband, two beautiful children, and a lovely home.  So, when she is notified that her husband has been killed in a fire in his office building, you would expect her to crumble.  But, instead, she reacts in a calm and accepting manner.  This behavior bothers Becca, one of the police officers who broke the news to Louise, and she’s convinced that Louise knows more about her husband’s death than she is revealing.  

The Perfect Widow is told from both Louise and Becca’s points of view and it also moves back and forth from present to past, allowing the reader to learn about Louise’s history and her marriage to her husband, Patrick.

The premise of The Perfect Widow is terrific and both of the women held some interest for me, although neither was truly very likable.  However, the story of how Louise met, fell in love with, and married Patrick was overly-long and drawn out and I found that it became redundant and annoying.  Most of the story moved rather slowly, with very little in the way of revelations.  However, the book went into overdrive in the last few chapters, making the ending very satisfying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

When PC Becca Holt arrives at Louise Bridges's home to break the news that her husband has been killed in an accident, she's taken aback by Louise's reaction. Louise doesn't seem very shocked by her husband's death. And there are only three plates set for dinner, one for Louise, and two for her children, as if she knew that her husband wouldn't be coming back home. Becca is convinced that there is more to Louise than meets the eye and is determined to do whatever it takes to prove it.

Louise Bridges has a loving husband, two beautiful children, and a comfortable house. But getting to this point in her life has not been easy and she will do anything to protect the life she's worked so hard for.

I really wanted to love this book. It started off with so much potential. The first few chapters kept me turning the pages. But the story quickly became slow and repetitive. There were too many chapters with Louise sitting at work, desperately trying to get Patrick to notice her. And too many with Becca sitting at her work, eating a lot of junk food, complaining about her weight, her mom, and obsessing about Louise's perfect life. The only thing that kept me from giving up on this book was Louise. Yes, she was a narcissist, who did some very bad things But I found her to be very likable and I admired her determination for a better life. I rooted for her and wished she had realized a lot sooner that Patrick was not worth her time. There was really nothing shocking about the twist at the end. It basically cemented what we already knew from the start- that Louise was willing to do anything to keep her perfect life. Overall, this book was not for me. But if you like slow-burn thrillers, then you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was ok. Took a long a time to develop. There were too many shifts in the story and I just could not get into it. I skipped ahead to the end.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. This was an amazing thriller and I enjoyed it immensely. 
Louise chases the man of her dreams for a long time  before he finally noticed her and they end up married. One day Becca, a detective, has to notify Louise that Patrick is dead and she is immediately suspicious of Louise’s cool reaction. The book goes from past to present and is extremely fast paced. I highly recommend it and will be telling all of my friends and fellow book club members to read it. Thanks again NetGalley.

EXCERPT: I hadn't fitted in. That was my simple crime, that was why both Pete and I knew it wouldn't work, couldn't go any further. But what he didn't realise was that it was always my crime. I'd never fitted in anywhere. My fear now was that I never would. It had taken so much work to get this close -and then it had turned out that I had never really been close at all. I'd worked so hard to be this version of me. How could it still not be right?

It was like being five at school all over again. Or seven. Or nine. Or eleven. No one had ever wanted to play with me. I'd understood why, at one level, but that didn't make it any easier to bear. There was something very different about me. I knew it, and somehow they did too. I wasn't sure how they were able to tell. Maybe it was the smoke. That always clung to me. In many ways it seemed the least of my mother's bad habits. Or maybe it was the way I held myself. Maybe it was the twist in my smile, something flitting behind my eyes. It was obvious that I knew too much, but it wasn't the sort of delicious secret that the girls queued up behind the loos to share. It was the sort that no one wanted any part of. Ever. The sort that I haven't spoken of, even now. I didn't fit in. Couldn't. Wasn't ever going to, no matter what I did.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Louise Bridges has the perfect life.

A loving husband, Patrick. Two adorable children. A comfortable home.

So when PC Becca Holt arrives to break the news that Patrick has been killed in an accident, she thinks Louise’s perfect world is about to collapse around her.

But Louise doesn’t react in the way Becca would expect her to on hearing of her husband’s death. And there are only three plates set out for dinner as if Louise already knew Patrick wouldn’t be home that night…

The more Becca digs, the more secrets she uncovers in the Bridges’ marriage – and the more she wonders just how far Louise would go to get what she wants…

Is Louise a loving wife – or a cold-hearted killer?

MY THOUGHTS: I honestly don't know how to review The Perfect Widow without giving things away, but I have to try.

Is Louise a loving wife - or a cold hearted killer? That is the million dollar question.

And why is PC Becca Holt so determined to prove that she is the latter? Is it to prove herself as a policewoman, or does she have darker motives?

These two women are opposites in all respects. Becca is single, overweight, and the only love affair in her life is with food. Louise is slender, beautiful, wealthy, and lives in a beautiful home with her two children and a husband who is something in the city.

These two women are the central characters in the story...Becca determined to prove that Louise is not what she seems; Louise determined to protect her life and the innocence of her children.

Let the battle commence.

I read the final two thirds of The Perfect Widow this afternoon after picking it up intending to read only a few pages over lunch.

The story is told over two timelines, 'then' and 'now', from the viewpoints of Louise and Becca. While the chapters are short, the writing snappy, the revelations are made slowly, enticingly. This isn't a nail-biter of a novel, it's quieter than that, but it is a cleverly compelling read.

#ThePerfectWidow #NetGalley

😍😯😳😍

THE AUTHOR: Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. She writes psychological thrillers for HQDigital as A.M. Castle and the London Murder Mystery cozy crime series as Alice Castle.
Alice lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to HQ Digital via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Perfect Widow by A.M. Castle for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

“The perfect widow” is a must read!! Absolutely brilliant characterisation that blew me away from the start. For me the makings of a great read are when authors can transport you to a whole other world and develop characters whose lives you become so engrossed in that you can almost believe they are real.
This is definitely the case with Becca and Louise, two very different individuals. Becca is a police officer, low on self esteem, feeling like she can’t live up to her mother’s expectations and addicted to sugar, with a predilection for doughnuts! The diet is always going to start tomorrow. She’s an immensely likeable character unlike Louise Bridges.
Louise is everything Becca is not; slim, elegant, with a beautiful house, children who go to private school and a wealthy husband. But that hasn’t always been the case. Louise is the queen of transformation. Practically dragging herself up from the gutter this woman has to be admired for her sheer determination and ability to adapt to her surroundings, finding suitable role models she can copy to turn her into the woman she is today. Louise is a woman on a mission once she escapes her far from idyllic childhood and when she first sets eyes on Patrick, her determination to get what she wants is evident. Her patience is admirable as he’s not going to be an easy catch but this woman, to her credit, is playing the long game and her ruthlessness knows no bounds. You wouldn’t want Louise as a friend but I love her strong character, a force to be reckoned with and nothing and no one is going to get in her way.
Becca and Louise’s paths cross when Becca is the one to knock on Louise’s door with the tragic news that her husband Patrick is dead. Louise’s reaction is not quite what Becca expects. She smells a rat. She’s determined to discover the truth. How wonderful was Louise and Patrick’s marriage? How far would Louise go to protect her children and everything she has worked so hard to achieve??? Could her marriage be based upon a load of secrets and lies??
I suppose the only downside to the plot line is that it doesn’t take a genius to work out where it’s heading but because the writing is so good, the pace perfect, this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of 
the book at all. Absolutely loved the ending and would go as far to say this is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read this year and I’ve read a lot!!
Thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Louise finds out that her husband has died and Becca the police woman who breaks this devastating news to her thinks that Louise doesn't;t react emotionally enough.  The story is told from their POV's.

I just couldn't;t engage with either characters, neither were likeable and I just couldn't;t see where this was going to go.  It was hard work for me to keep on reading.  

For me I just didn't;t enjoy this story or the writing didn't;t captivate me at all

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for a honest review

I thought this book by A.M. Castle was a fantastic read. It kept my attention from beginning to end. The chapters go back and forth between Louise,who has just lost her husband, Patrick in a fire at his office and Becca, the policewoman investigating the death of Patrick.  The chapters narrated by Louise tell a story of her coming to work as a receptionist at a firm where Patrick works. Louise becomes nothing short of obsessed with Patrick, though he barely notices her other than to ask about packages he's expecting. He does mildly flirt with her here and there. Don't want to give their story away, but let me tell you, Louise sets her sights on Patrick and watch out if you get in her way as she does not give up easily! She also gives up some bits about her awful childhood being raised by a drug addicted mother. Becca, the policewoman's chapters are all about how she doesn't believe for a minute that Patrick's death was an accidental fire. Though all of her colleagues at work, who seem quite enamored with the attractive Louise I might add, disagree with Becca and tell her to let it go and leave the poor woman alone.  But Becca is like a dog with a bone, all her routine work goes to the wayside and she is determined to find some dirt on the lovely Louise!  Lots of twists and turns in this one. Ironically, both Louise and Becca are flawed and damaged at their core due to treatment by their mothers.  Thank you Netgalley for the free read and thank you A.M Castle for writing a wonderful dark and delightful read!

Louise has it all; handsome husband, two lovely children, a great home & no money worries so she has no need or desire to go out to work. However a knock on the door one evening changes everything. Patrick has been killed in a fire at his office. There were only three places set for dinner & something about Louise's reaction seems 'off' to PC Becca Holt. She refuses to believe in this 'accident' & sets out to investigate in her own time. Louise hasn't had an easy life. In many ways both women are similar in that they are more than capable of becoming obsessed about things!

Many readers have commented on the writing style being 'bitty' & irritating as it switched between characters. There was a long spell in the middle where I nearly gave up but I gradually almost warmed towards Louise. She wasn't very likeable but I liked the way she accepted that she wasn't always very nice. I found Becca irritating throughout! Things hotted up towards the end so I was glad I'd stuck with it.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Nothing about this book was memorable. There was no reason for the police officer to investigate the death of the husband. It seemed far fetched. A quick read.

I wonder if there will be a part of some readers that nods in agreement at the way Louise thinks and acts. The disgruntled wife, the woman who sits at home and cares for her children whilst her husband is playing with his flavour of the month. The woman willing to overlook the occasional marital mishap in order to keep her family together. Until he pushes her too far.

Becca is convinced Louise is a cold-hearted ruthless killer. Her gut sang it loud and clear on the day she met Louise. The day she had to tell her about his death. There was just something about the woman that rubbed her the wrong way. Of course one has to take Becca’s penchant for obsessing into account.

Perhaps that is what connects the two women – the way they obsess and feed their obsessions. Is Becca right about how far Louise is willing to go to have the kind of life she thinks she deserves or is she just a victim of tragic circumstances?

It’s a crime read with the pace of a psychological thriller and yet the story also delves into women’s fiction. Castle captures the way society imposes this huge biological clock on women, and the way these women feel pressured to adhere to the norm before the clocks run out of time. Finding a mate or a provider, instead of a loving partner, becomes part of a very competitive game.

I thought this was a poignant part of the story, because the bio clock narrative is very much driven by the patriarchal society. When you combine those fears with the ageism women are confronted with and defined by in society, it’s no wonder women feel as if they can never quite live up to expectations. Perhaps some of them choose to make drastic choices because of it – Is Louise one of those women?

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Louise's husband, Patrick, dies in a fire at his office, the police come to her house to inform her. It seems to be an accidental death, but Becca, one of the police officers think Louise had something to do with it. 

I had real trouble getting into this one. It mostly switches between Becca in current day and Louise in the past from the time she met her husband and pursued him until the time he died. There were also some chapters from Louise's current perspective. I thought Becca and the endless descriptions of how fat she was and how much she liked eating were very repetitive. I also thought Louise's lengthy pursuit of Patrick could have been far shorter. There were no twists and turns or suspense. It really wasn't my thing.

I just read The Perfect Widow by A.M. Castle.... the idea and story were good...the description of it is why I read the book....however, that being said, it was so repetitive that at times I found myself losing interest and just kind of skimming through paragraphs. It lacked something....The main character's (sadly the name didn't stick in my brain,  so this says a lot)  husband died at work. A sad sack, neurotic, police office didn't think the widow reacted correctly and would not give up investigating the death, thinking the widow committed murder.

The Perfect Widow begins with a knock on the door that no-one ever wants to receive, the arrival of a couple of police officers to inform Louise Bridges that her husband Patrick has been killed. But if they were expecting to see a distraught woman at the news, the opposite is what they get. Louise is very calm at the news which sparks a doubt in the mind of Becca, one of the police officers, that Louise knows more than she lets on.

The story is written in the past and present tense, 'Then' introduces us to Louise and we see what life was like for her as a child and how she was determined to rebuild a life for herself that was the complete opposite of what she has known to date. A fresh start sees her moving, starting a new job, transform herself totally and eventually catch her man after setting her sights on Patrick. But was the hard work worth it, is everything as golden as it seems? 

In the present day 'Now' we follow both Louise and Becca in the days and weeks after the death notification. Despite learning more about Louise's past and marriage, and the lengths she will go to protect everything the life she had built for herself and her children, I still didn't warm to her as she had such a cold personna. Becca on the other hand seemed to go to extreme lengths, some outside of the law, to try and prove that her gut feeling was correct. She didn't have a life outside of work so was like an woman possessed in her determination to get to the truth no matter what it cost, her obsession could cost her her job but she just couldn't ignore her suspicions. 

I have to confess that I really struggled with this book for three-quarters of the story, I wasn't really invested in either woman and felt like I was wading through water just waiting for that moment when everything fell into place. But I guess that's what the author intended, neither of the women were meant to be likeable or relatable characters, it's more about understanding the human pscyhe and why people act the way they do.

The final quarter of the book more than made up for what came before and I flew through these chapters as piece by piece we discover the true personna of Louise, how she was more of a chameleon than at first appeared, and the lengths she had gone to create her perfect life. Is she the loving wife or a cold-hearted killer?, well you'll have to read for yourself to find out.

Louise has the perfect husband, children, home, life. She worked hard to get where she is but it was worth it. Except now her cheating husband is leaving her for her best friend. The Company he owns is in the red and everything she's worked hard for is beginning to unravel.
She will not lose her home or her status. Definitely her children will not grow up in poverty like she had too. 
The only thing that saved her then was the death of her mother in a fire that occurred while she was  drunk and full of drugs.
Lucky for Loyise she is a voracious reader. She learns from what she reads. 
Her interest now is electricity. Her darling husband lives to warm his feet when he's at work. Hummm!!
Great read. You'll love to hate Loyise!
Recommended!!

I felt this book had a good premise, but it was lacking for me. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't really care if her husband died by accident or murder, I just simply was not engaged in the story. I wanted to like it, I love psychological thrillers, but I couldn't get into it.