This is a domestic thriller. This novel is very slow and I didn’t like the characters. The plot just didn’t work for me. I was bored.

Dark psychological thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book

This one wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. However, the writing was so good, and I’m sure I just didn’t vibe with the book. Others may find they do!

Rose's older sister, Kate dies suddenly so Rose returns home to help Kate’s husband, Evan and her children - toddler Jamie, Kate’s son and Evan's daughter, Serena - even though she never met them. The house is in a state of disrepair and Evan seems to be behaving strangely. It’s only after Rose finds a message that Kate has left for her that she decides to look into Kate's death. What really happened to her beloved sister?

The Widower is a creepy atmospheric thriller and the narrative roils with chills that definitely gave me shivers. There were a few twists and it was laced with tension. It's a great choice for anyone who enjoys unsettling family dramas.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Little, Brown Book/ Sphere via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Creepy and atmospheric but occasionally disjointed--I still enjoyed this well written thriller. Christobel Kent has a unique writing style that I really enjoy once I get used to it; she really gets under her characters' skin.

Superbly crafted dark thriller with an impeccable ending. This is nail biting, seat of your pants stuff.

A fantastic read by a new author for me. I am converted as a fan and absolutely cannot wait to read more. This is unique and original. I have been pulled in and unable to put this one down.
I cannot say anything negative about this gorgeous book. it has been a fantastic read.

When Rose receives a call from her sister's husband to tell her that she has died, Rose is dumbstruck. Kate hadn't told Rose she was ill; she hadn't told anyone. Rose flies back from Rome immediately to be with her sister's small family: husband Evan, new baby Jamie, and teenage stepdaughter Serena. But Rose is walking into a minefield of secrets: who knows what? And what secrets will she uncover if she starts digging?

I liked this book for the most part: it was well written and I liked the backstory of the two sisters, hinted at as it was. Where it fell a little flat for me was the narrative, which was incredibly slow, right up until the final chapters. The prologue also set me off on the wrong foot - the trope of the ghostly narrator from the afterlife being one of of my least favourite tropes. If it was a gothic/horror novel , fine, but I want a domestic thriller to be a domestic thriller, and bringing in that element of the supernatural ruins the credibility of the story for me.

I did enjoy the book, though it really took a while to get going, and I felt it never really took off for me, it was low key all the way through with a couple of dramatic chapters at the end. That having been said, I enjoyed the author's writing style and would consider reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who gave me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed with this novel. It was quite slow and seemed to drag on forever. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters or the story. Sadly, this was not for me.

The Widower is a domestic suspense novel mixed with a psychological thriller and surrounds the death of a woman under strange and suspicious circumstances and her husband’s odd behaviour during bereavement. 34-year-old Rose is currently an English teacher residing in Italy when she receives a telephone call from her older sister Kate’s husband, Evan. He informs her that the 41-year-old has died suddenly and unexpectedly of cancer. But apparently, according to Evan, no one else knew she was terminally ill, let alone Rose; why would her own sister keep such a crucial piece of information secret from her, and why if she was keeping it from her wouldn't she inform her when her time on the planet was coming closer to the tragic end? Now Evan says he needs Rose to come home and care for his children - toddler Jamie who was Kate’s son and daughter Serena, who is from Evan’s previous marriage. Rose feels like she must return home even if it's just to discover what really happened to her beloved sister as she finds it hard to believe she wouldn't have told anyone. Something stinks about Evan’s explanation and Rose resolves to find out what he's hiding.

When she arrives at the massive, dilapidated, sinister-looking, isolated house on the US East Coast, she instantly gets a chill up her spine; the place has an air of dread about it and reminds her of properties in horror movies. The remote nature of the area means there is no mobile phone service nearby and she finds herself thrown in at the deep end looking after the children as she becomes increasingly mentally affected. Over time she comes to notice that Evan and his equally cold, devious daughter aren't playing the grieving widower or stepdaughter very believably and her suspicions grow stronger. A short time later, Rose finds a message left for her by Kate and the big question that emanates from it is: why if she was so unwell was she not chaperoned to the doctor? This is a compelling and creepily atmospheric thriller, in fact, the narrative simply bubbles with chilling atmospherics and whilst this is not as enjoyable as some of Kent’s previous thrillers, I still found it a twisty and interesting read. It's haunting, heartbreaking and infused with a palpable tension that never lets up. If you enjoy slow-burn, unsettling family dramas this is quick and entertaining.

Even though I'm familiar with the author, this is the first book I've read by them and I really enjoyed it! Gripping story from the start. Fantastically written. Would recommend.

When Kate dies her sister comes back from Italy to help out. She finds them living in an old house supposedly haunted.
And then she starts to feel uncomfortable

This book drew me in from the first page and I felt I knew both Kate and Rose.
Interesting characters and super storyline

Good writing, but the plot was incredibly disjointed, and very slow - there wasn’t really any tension being built up, but instead just a sudden dump of information to try and create a suspenseful ending. Not for me I’m afraid.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group Uk for a copy of “ The Widower” for an honest review.

I just couldn’t get into this book , it didn’t grab me at all. For me it was too slow paced and I quickly lost interest.
I feel that I’ve read the same book before and it didn’t really add anything new to the mix.

A dark read written beautifully. It has a gothic eerie feel and could easily translate into a TV series or film.
There are lots of twists and mystery to ponder on. And it is a real page turner.
The descriptions in the book of the house and setting were just wonderful and I felt I was there.
A great gothic mystery.

When bossy, loving, sensible Kate dies suddenly, her little sister Rose dutifully returns from a carefree life abroad to help Kate's widower and the two children Rose has never met. But she is unsettled to see no trace of her warm-hearted sister in the remote, dilapidated house, nor in Kate's cold, distant partner, Evan. After stumbling across a message that only her sister could have left for her, Rose's unease around the circumstances of Kate's death turns to open suspicion, but she knows better than to ask the grieving widower for answers. Determined to discover the truth of her sister's terrible last days, Rose has no choice but to keep looking. Eventually, she senses, the dark house will give up its secrets. But she is not prepared to admit that whoever threatened Kate's life might now be coming after her.

I do not think I have anything positive to say about this. Save yourselves a few hours by not reading this I would say. The plot is a tried and tested one that usually works; two estranged sister, one marries and has a child and then suddenly dies, enter the estranged sister who suspects there is more to it. On paper this sounds great but none of this translated to the book. I did not get a sense of mystery or suspicion, Evan, the husband, did not come across particularly malicious or secretive and it just felt like Kent knew what she wanted the ending to be but did not know how to get there. This felt like a confusing, disjointed mess and it was just not enjoyable.

The plot is very slow-paced and there is no thrilling, exhilarating action to be seen. Right at the end, and I mean right at the very end, Kent suddenly ramps up the action but it comes from nowhere and there is little explanation. That is my other issue with this read, nothing is explained very well, Kent presents actions and behaviours with no real backstory and I just kept thinking why is this all happening. The book is sadly, not well though out.

I do not want to have to tear the characters apart as well, but I found them under developed and hard to connect to. It did not matter to me that they were not especially likeable but I needed to have some form of connection to one of them and have someone to root for but this was lacking and it really impacted my experience of reading this.

'The Widower' just was not for me. This was dull, confusing and not very well explained.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

I found this book to be very slow and I couldnt identify with any of the characters,.Sadly not the best work by this author in my opinion

Unfortunately, this novel was quite slow and incoherent with characters I felt indifferent about and the Narration had nearly zero pull. The cover, the blurb and the writing were endearing, but sadly for me personally - the story was not.

Thank you NetGalley / Little Brown Group UK Sphere for providing me with this arc in exchange of a honest review.

I was given an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one just didn't grab me. I've enjoyed a lot of this author's books in the past, but the characters just merged together, the plot didn't really keep me in suspense, and I was just eager to get through it and onto the next book

This was a good read overall despite being a bit slow to start with. The characters were intriguing and quite relatable too. The plot was well thought out and engaging. It is definitely a book that I will be recommending!