A dead husband, three wives, who killed him? Told with empathy and a detailed understanding into a different style of living. A gripping tale with twists and turns around every corner. You won't be disappointed.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. A very different story with great characters, not all likeable, and well written would recommend this book.

Sorry to say I did not enjoy this book.It started off okay one man with three wives interesting but apparently its allowed with Mormons. the husband is murderd which one did it.I found it a drawn out and boring in finding out who did it .

Unusual storyline about a man in a plural marriage. When he is killed all three wives come under suspicion. The story is told in short chapters from the point of view of the wives and we learn their back stories.
Interesting read with unusual characters

I didn’t enjoy this book at all. I’m sorry, I don’t like to give negative reviews but this is one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time. I’m sure a lot of people will think it is wonderful, but I wasn’t interested in the story and I found it slow and boring. No way could I call it ‘a gripping murder mystery with a killer hook’. It seemed to go on … and on … and on. Sorry, this author is not for me, and the number of errors is unforgivable.

THIS. IS. INCREDIBLE.

Blake Nelson goes out fishing one day and doesn’t return, the suspects are his wives. Blake, Rachel, Emily and Tina, are part of a polygamous Mormon marriage.

The characters each narrate and I love the unreliable narrator aspect of this book. It’s simply a masterclass in writing a great thriller, with suspense and keeping my curiosity peaked at all times.

A must read.

This was definitely not what I thought it would be but in a good way.
Blake has three wives and lives with them in rural Utah.
His wives are very different from each other. Rachel , traditional wife, terrible cook with a past. No 2 wife is Tina, who has been to rehab, worked on Las Vegas strip and been in trouble with the police. The third wife is Emily, very naive, estranged from her Catholic family.
They all rub together and against each other until Blake is found dead.
The story is told from the wives POV which really helps the reader delve below the surface and discover what they think and have done in the past and present.
All three wives are under suspicion of killing Blake and from then on they have to quickly learn who to trust - not just the wives but the police.
Really well written characters which adds to the enjoyment and a surprising ending. ( for me at least. )
4 Stars ⭐️ Recommended reading for anyone who wants something different and well written.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Over the course of 100+ brief chapters, I found myself intrigued to quickly turn the pages to find out how each of the three wives told their version of the same events.

This enjoyable story shows how three very different wives interacted with their husband in the past. We are directed, by the writer, to investigate which of the wives may be guilty of murder after mostly terrible treatment from the same man.

Rachel, the first wife, together with Tina and Emily, the later wives, each bring a different background to their joint husband and it is these differences that initially keep the wives apart, but as we learn later, and this is not a spoiler, this also brings the wives together.

The ladies battle for and against their religion as it treats them as outcasts, but clearly want to remain involved with all of the religious activities. During this enjoyable read I felt I learned a lot about the town, the state, the religion and the dialect used by locals, which made the whole story feel personal and extremely effective.
The back stories from all three ladies were significantly unalike, but helped bring distinctive aspects to the marriage and as a reader, I was hoping consistently that they would make different decisions ,but it is the conflict within this story that makes it so engaging.

The ending of this story is most satisfying and will provide twists and turns for the majority of readers who do not guess whodunit. While I received a free copy of this book, this has not affected my review and I hope to read more by this writer in the near future.

I struggled to put this book down, a very emotional mystery and a real who done it. Kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. When a local Mormon man ostracized by his church and friends due to his insistence on a polygamous lifestyle is found dead the spotlight turns onto his three wives. Did one of them do it? Did all three plan it? Three women all with a very different back story who end up in the same place all trying to figure out who exactly is the enemy.
The tropes of Mormonism and Cults have been widely used in literature and there is salacious value in the wilder stories that have come out over the years. This book brings nothing new in the way of seeing these cliches but they are well handled and nothing steps beyond the realm of what we know has been historically recorded in as much as the life and times of Warren Jeffs etc.. One character is clearly based upon Jeffs!
I enjoyed the way that the book was fast paced and each chapter switched to the viewpoint of a different wife.
Overall a great read, good twist at the end, it kept me hooked until the final page.

A dark, gripping and well written story that kept on the edge till the end.
It's fast paced, full of twists and turns, and sometimes a bit disturbing.
You get to know these women, their fears and their stories.
The mystery part is twisted and the solution came as a surprise.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dark, Well Plotted, Original Suspense....
Dark, well plotted and original suspense from Cate Quinn. A gradual, tense slow burn with an opportunity to explore characters and depths before the twists, turns and the, perhaps unexpected, denouement. Serious themes abound and cause for much thought. Intriguing reading.

I loved this insightful novel into the lives of three wives and their murdered husband ,keeps you enthralled until the very end and then some .

I enjoyed this book it was very different to anything I have read before plot wise and, although it was about a murder, it was much more than that. It was about the relationships with the wives, how cults act, impact of living in remote areas. The author did not shy away from difficult subjects - it was a very grown up book

I havent gone into plot descriptions as the publishers do this better than me .

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and net galley but the review is entirely my own and unbiased.

This is the captivating and at times very dark tale of Rachel,Tina and Emily,three vunerable, emotionally scared women who found themselves under investigation for the murder of their deeply religious husband Blake. The chapters alternated between the perspectives of the three women,each of whom had been affected in some psychological way by events from their past. Each women was a individual in her own right who each had her own unique personality,opinions and character traits. I think Rachel viewed herself as the mother hen,Tina was a ex prostitute who had a surprising softer side and then there was Emily,she appeared to be quite a innocent character who enjoyed playing detective and watching re - runs of Cagney & Lacey. The three women,quite understandably shared a fractious relationship,there was quite often a toxic atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust when they were together. Although the story was about all three of the women,I would say that the main character was Rachel because her backstory about the cult that she escaped as a teenager was very integral to the plot. As the story unfolded and became more acquainted with the women, I discovered that I had mixed feelings about each of them,there was elements of their characters that I liked and also elements that I didn't like. Were their narratives reliable? Did one of them kill Blake? Maybe they were all involved in his death? What was the meaning behind Rachel's terrifying nightmares?

Religion plays a integral part in the plot of this story and the reader is given a insight into the practices and beliefs of the Mormon Church, the lives of people who are in polygamist marriages and the abuse Rachel,Tina and Emily were subjected to by others. In one hand I did feel sympathy for the women when I witnessed the snide comments they were subjected to but in the other hand,because I don't practice their religion, I could also see the abusers points of view. It's difficult to understand things from other people's perspectives when you don't live by their beliefs and codes. There are many different religions scattered across the globe with their own beliefs and codes of practice. Unfortunately that also includes a large number that have no morals whatsoever especially where the treatment of children is concerned.

Written in short,snappy chapters that give the reader a very bad case of just one more chapter syndrome,this is a fast paced,captivating thriller. Many of the chapters had endings that encountered the reader to carry on reading because you really wanted to learn what was going to happen next. The story was packed full of twists and turns, the characters were realistic and the truth was revealed during a seriously intense confrontation. I really enjoyed this addictive thriller, I think it's worth all the stars and more and very very highly recommended.

Black Widows is set on a remote ranch in Utah in the USA. This is not an area that I know much about, so I was pleased that Quinn's words transported me here and gave me a flavour of the atmosphere that seemed so oppressive. 

I love an unreliable narrator and Black Widows has three - in the form of Blake Nelson's three wives, Rachel, Tina and Emily. The narration gave me some insight into the polygamous marriage, which I found fascinating, but as they all have secrets and can be economical with the truth, it added to the mystery and made me wonder what exactly had happened to Blake. 

The Mormon religion and the practice of polygamous marriages is not a subject I know much about and I must admit to feeling slightly uncomfortable with the dynamic of Blake's marriages, but I did enjoy learning more about how it works. Quinn's research is incredibly detailed and this allowed her to add an extra layer to her characters and the plot. 

As we reach the end of Black Widows, the tension ramps up a notch and there is a definite feeling of peril. I was holding my breath wondering how the questions that are asked throughout the novel would be answered.

This book was definitely a different read for me. Net Galley were kind enough to let me download to my kindle for an honest review.

Blake is a Mormon who has more then one wife, now frowned upon by the Church of Latter Day Saints. He lives with 3 wives who are each different.

Rachel his first wife, Emily the second sister wife and Tina the third sister wife. They don’t always get on and jealousy raises it’s head.

Blake is found dead after going fishing and it is evident it was murder. All three women are suspects. The night he went fishing they had argued between themselves.

The book is written well and flows easily from one person to the next that you want to keep reading.

There are twists and turns and some of the details are quiet shocking, especially where Emily is concerned and the leader. I enjoyed reading this book and will be looking for more by Cate Quinn.

What a refreshingly original book this is. I loved it despite it being quite dark in places. The humour in it was delightful and the characters very different and all well developed. I did get a little lost with the back in time bits but not enough to spoil the enjoyment of the read at all.
My score is four and a half stars but I was sorely tempted to bump it up to five.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this boook in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Blake's dead. His wife killed him.
The question is: which one?

This is much of the synopsis I read before I asked for a copy.
I don't really like going into much more detail with any thriller/mystery book.

Review:
There are three sister-wives - Rachel, Emily and Tina, and the book opens with them finding out about the death of their husband.
I really liked the pacing of the first half of the book. There were scenes of the wives being questioned in the police station which is one of my favourite things to read/watch so I really enjoyed it.
The second half is more focused on the mystery and the wives trying to work out what happened, but also trying to work out more about each other. I felt like this half had a different tone, as more dark secrets and memories were exposed.

I struggled a little with writing this review as there were things that I liked about this book and things I didn't, so I may just list a few of them.
Pros
Intriguing concept
Short chapters seen from the point of view of each of the wives.
The way the early lives and backgrounds of the wives was gradually revealed over time.
Suspicion fell this way and then another, the reader is baffled as to the killer's identity.
Made me really think about things - religion, polygamy, relationships.

Cons
Although the book pulled me in from the start my interest began to flag about halfway through as the story line seemed to drag.
A lot of spelling mistakes, typos and errors that should have been picked up but as this was an arc then hopefully this was rectified before publication.
The characterisation of the three wives just seemed a little too contrived. They had different personalities and this was constantly being reinforced.
Some things I found hard to believe would happen but this is a work of fiction.

So overall it is an intriguing original book with a murder that keeps you guessing but just not quite up there for me.