Life in a marriage is tough enough when there arae two people in it. If there are 4.....or more......some fireworks should be expected. When the husband of three wives is found murdered, the prime suspects are obvious. Cate Quinn has done an excellent job of developing the main characters and giving each of them motives. But she's has also made it easy for readers to pick a favorite suspect. This thriller is very different from what I've been reading....good different. As the story takes on speed and tension, it was all too easy to misread a clue. My choice for killer seemed to change with each chapter until the end was a surpise!

The book was so fast paced. I loved the plot.
The pacing was a bit off in places.
An enjoyable read

Started this novel thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it but soon found myself drawn into the story. Great little mystery and enjoyed the multiple narrator point of views.

Dark, chilling, eerie.. this was a brilliantly written novel, with a captivating and engaging plot that held my attention, and an authentic setting. I read this in just a few sittings and would recommend!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book was really hard to get into at first, but once it got going past the 'scene-setting, it definitely picked up.
With some unique characters and settings, it was a good whodunnit.

I loved the drama and the tension in this and the way the story was told through different points of view. I found it to be quite engaging and it left me guessing throughout

Found this one to drag a lot, and the same rehashing being done in 3 POVs was repetitive and it slowed the read. Also, the fact the author just collated a story together without knowing anything of the real-life aspect of the world she built was disrespectful and this threw a lot of shade in the tale - like, what's real and what's not about the world she depicts. This was a let-down, and very misleading, too (can be the sort of misleading that leads to stereotypes and even hate at worst)

Black widows Cate Quinn
I dont think this book is for me, so putting it aside and might come back to it later. Stopped reading at 25%

4.5 stars

#BlackWidows by @catecsquinnauthor is 100% not what I expected & I'm so glad. I can honestly say I've never read a novel contemporary novel about plural marriage in Utah before & I had some reservations going into it.

BUT.

The threads of the story are tightly controlled, the characters are all given unique voices & it all feels completely credible. I mean, you've got three very damaged women from different backgrounds who are all, at various points, suspects in the murder of their husband. In some ways, you wouldn't think it should work, but it does.

I really enjoyed the sense of place created by the writing. By the 30 ish % mark, my brain had full visuals of cast & location. I'm definitely going to read more from Quinn in the future.

This started off really interesting. Meeting each of the wives. Seeing the family dynamics. How they dislike each other. Then the middle felt slow and bored me a little. Thankfully the last 25% really gripped me.
While the book has dark themes throughout the last part really became more dark and intense. As Rachel backstory is revealed.

While the middle I felt the book went off track a little. Trying to throw curveballs into theories of who killed Blake and why. I still didn't have a clue who could have done it by the end. I was completely thrown.

Even if this book felt more about Rachel and her traumatising upbringing. How she had to relive it and unlock the past she had "forgotten" in order to try solve her husband's murder. Due to this Blake murder felt a side story at times. But I didn't dislike that. Rachel had the key to unlocking things.

I enjoyed this book, a fascinating tale from a Mormon family: never read anything about this religion so found it really interesting. Good characters, each with their own story to tell. Good ending, not what you expect.
All in all a great read

At first I found this book really hard to get into but once it took off it got much better.
Very original setting and unusual characters made the novel stand out and with a whodunnit atmosphere, kept me guessing until the end.
Well written with nicely thought out characters, this story is worth a read!

This story follows three woman, Rachel, Emily and Tin who live on a remote island with their husband, Blake. This is a Mormon marriage. Blake's body is discovered and all three wives become suspects. But who did it?

This is a well planned, original plot with a variety of different twists. The plot is nothing like I have ever experienced before and in a thriller, that is very rare.

The story itself is told from the POV's of the three wives and the character development is executed well. You get to know the wives personally on a variety of different levels (you think you know them well and then BAM, something else comes out in to the open).

This was a well good thriller. It was definitely a slow burner sort of thriller as at first you are more getting to know the characters than anything. But that did not take any of the enjoyment away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Could not put this book down. A Moron lifestyle so different from the norm is the setting for this book. It takes you on a journey into a hidden American culture and lifestyle. It is sad and compelling and a good mystery all in one. 5 * rating.

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get into this book, but as soon as the mystery element kicked in I was hooked!

The novel focuses on a Mormon family of three wives – Rachel, Emily and Tina – and one husband, Blake, all living together in the wilds of Salt Lake City. Blake is killed and suspicion falls on each of the Sister wife, and it soon becomes apparent that Blake was not a perfect husband – but which wife hated him enough to kill him?

The plot is quite a slow burner, with tension building between the wifes and the police, and between the three wifes themselves. We see over the course of the book flashbacks from earlier in their relationship, and the rocky start that many of them had to their marriage. We find out that Blake has been keeping secrets, and it’s interesting to see the wives try to figure out what might have been going on, all the while wondering if one of the others could be a murderer.

What I found really interesting was learning more about the Mormon faith and ways of life, and the way that others judge them for it – even fellow Mormons, who practice a non-polygamous version. The subject of polygamy is a very complex and intriguing one by itself, so I enjoyed reading about it all, although some of the more dark elements to Blake, Rachel, Emily and Tina’s marriage were hard to read about at times.

Overall, I think this is an interesting and gripping read. It’s not hugely fast paced but it definitely kept me turning the pages – then again, I’m always a sucker for a bit of mystery, and Black Widows strikes just the right balance between suspense and reality.

Told from 3 Mormon wives point of view. The women are all different and their husband has been murdered. I found this fascinating as the author knows her stuff. There is a disclaimer at the beginning stating the author’s stance. A nice tale.

Utterly gripping! I was hooked by this twisting story told from the perspectives of all three wives. It kept me guessing, I couldn’t put it down! It was a really interesting story and something a bit different - would recommend, in fact I already have to a few friends!

Imagine sharing your husband with 2 other women, not something a lot of people might want to do. But also imagine if you wish to kill him, and you can work together, or you can blame his other wives.... Entertaining read, and recommended for anyone who loves a great read.

A great book with a story plot so different from what I usually read that I found it a page turner and had to finish the book in one go. Very interesting to see how the story evolves and progresses. A great read.