This book had it all, well developed personal likeable characters I could relate to, I loved the small-town rural setting, I loved the inter-generational friendships between Amos and Michael, Kate and Irene, and Irene and Tansy. The on-off again friendship between Kate and local café owner Donna whose daughter Ellie is best friends with Tansy, because Donna won’t hear a bad word about her husband Paul who has wandering eyes.

Then their idyllic lifestyle in their serene little town is turned on its head after Suzy a Polish Immigrant with her young son moves into one of the cottages on Irene’s estate, then mysteriously disappears. Kate’s beloved husband Michael suddenly takes his own life, and excavation works commence on Wadebridge estate.

I was so engrossed in this story, it had so many twists and turns, it was fast paced, with so many untruths revealed in a jaw dropping ending I did not see coming. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book, I really enjoyed it. The Grand Finale take away for me after reading The Widow is the exciting back catalogue of Kim Slater’s books, I’m going to read them in descending order, I can’t wait to start, I’m going to dive into “The Evidence” next.

The Widow is jammed packed with twists. You will be going through each character thinking whodunnit. I didn’t get it until the end! It’s one of my favourite KL Slater books, I’ve decided. The characters are fantastic, well developed and intriging. It’s also really great to see characters from the Polish community entwined in the story. A lovely touch!

The setting is very atmospheric and village community-based. Everyone knows everything and talks about each other behind their backs. It’s eerie, tantalising and you find yourself treating everyone as a suspect! Fantastically written and one book that is impossible to put down!

Thanks again KL Slater for a cracker of a psychological thriller!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy

This book was everything I hoped for! A mother's love for her child and her desire to hide unseemly details of her husband’s past, and potentially her own, is what drives the plot forward and makes it a truly excellent read.

The different sections of the book were so exciting. I was left with an intense need to get to the end of the story to know the truth. It felt like I was given a gift and told not to peek. How could I resist? But fear not, I did use my self-control and went page after page in sequence.

The author, K. L. Slater, picked her scenes pretty well to help me empathize with the main lead. She led me down the merry way with my imagination doing the rest to add suspense to the plot line.
he first half was great, as afore quoted, the book caused the heart to pump in more adrenaline. I liked the ambiance created as a small-town secrets with dual plot lines along with a hint of good police investigation.
Last half was slow. Overall, a comfortable thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and K.L Slater for an ARC in return for an honest review.

K.L Slater is an incredible author and this book certainly did not disappoint, talk about an intense thriller!!

The Widow keeps you guessing the entire way through. I physically couldn't put it down. It is intense, dark and gritty, There are more twists and turns than a roundabout. I thoroughly recommend this to everyone. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

I absolutely loved this book! it kept me gripped throughout I could not put it down and i loved the twists and turns included tgrhoughout

This was a decent read, centered on Kate, who has a missing friend, another unhappy friend, and a questionably faithful husband. Though there are some chapters with other POVs, the book is mostly told from Kate's purview. A new mom moves to the town and Kate befriends her, but when she goes missing, Kate and others become suspicious about what relationship she had with Kate's husband, Michael.

The characterization of the people in this book was sound and I felt that I understood these characters even if I didn't always agree with their decisions., Sometimes I felt like we spent a little too long in their heads when the story could have moved faster, but I did feel like I "got:" them. There were a couple twists in the book, though I feel like I saw many of them coming.

Overall, pretty good read that held my interest, ,but not sure it was hugely memorable for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant book
Had me hooked from the first page
Love this ladies books and this one didn’t disappoint
It has lots of twist and turns
You’ll not want to finish it
Thanks NetGalley

I absolutely loved this story, the multiple POVs, and trying to solve the mystery as I was reading. I love how we are given little bits of information from multiple sources as each chapter passes, and how much more intense the tone of the book got as it went on.

I was sort of able to predict one of the twists pretty early on, which is what kept this from being a five star read for me, but I will absolutely be reading more from KL Slater in the future!

Set in rural village in the Midlands, the story centres around Michael Shaw and his family when a Polish villager goes missing. We know Michael is keeping secrets, but also so are others in the village. Plenty of plot twists as the story progresses, all unexpected and some quite shocking. A really enjoyable, gripping read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Widow" in exchange for my honest review.

As with all her previous books K.L. Slater does not disappoint. Her books always hook me in the very first paragraph, they have a great pace and wonderful characters. The twists and turns are totally believable.

Kate Shaw's world turns upside down the day that her husband Michael commits suicide by stepping in front of a lorry during a police investigation that links him to a murder. Kate knows her husband and is convinced that he did not do anything wrong. As you read through the story you either believe Kate or you feel that the police are correct as this is not the first time that Michael has been questioned in a disappearance.

Really enjoyed The Widow. It was the kind of book that keeps you guessing trying to figure out what is going to happen next. Plenty of twists and turns. My heart broke for Kate and everything that she went through. Very good book and great style of writing.

What a brilliant read with so many twists! Read in a day as just could not wait to see what happened next. Great plot which really drew you in.

I've long been a fan of Kim's work and am always eagerly anticipating her next. With psychological and domestic suspense entwined with a bit of a "whodunnit", THE WIDOW is a little bit different with a real mystery at the heart of this thriller. An intriguing tale, as readers we are left with wanting to know more as Kim skillfully dangles clues in our quest for the truth.

The story opens with an excavation of a field on the Wadebridge estate as Kate Shaw surveys the police activity in front of her. Behind her reporters bustle for her attention, calling out to her, but she ignores them. On the public footpath that cuts through the woods beside the estate, villagers gather and watch the foray whilst Kate can feel the weight of their icy glares in her direction. They blame her, she knows. Her husband Michael had worked this estate for over twenty years and as land and property manager knew the estate inside out. He was certainly in a position to dispose of anything or anyone under a blanket of darkness while the rest of the village slept. And now there are questions relating to the disappearance of a Polish woman with whom Michael had had daily contact. Kate knows the village believes she knows something. But what? She only knows that she has lost the love of her life to a tragic accident leaving her a widow and her 6 year old daughter fatherless.

Kate, Michael and their daughter Tansy live in the close-knit village of Lynwick in Nottinghamshire. And up until recently, their lives there had been happy. But then Suzy Baros moves into the village with her young son Aleks, taking up residence in one of the cottages on the Wadebridge estate thanks to Irene Wadebridge, owner and matriarch of the estate. Kate tries to befriend Suzy but the young Polish woman is skittish and appearingly afraid of her own shadow.

Things are not helped with Kate's best friend Donna's husband's roving eye is caught by the beautiful woman. Paul Thatcher is known for his infidelities and try and Kate might, Donna wouldn't have a cross word said about him, taking him back after each slight. But this time Paul is intent on gaining Suzy's attentions.

But then at the early Christmas lights event, Suzy Baros disappears leaving her young son scared and distraught. Kate immediately takes him in placating the young boy with the hope of finding his mother. But Suzy is not found...and then the police come knocking wanting to ask Michael some questions about the missing woman. Kate at once becomes suspicious when Michael lies to the police about knowing another missing person from Poland and she begins to wonder why. But her ponderings are cut short when she receives the devastating news that Michael has been killed after stepping out in front of a lorry on his way home from being questioned by the police. Was it an accident? Or was it suicide?

And then Kate receives a troubling letter. The villagers want her out. They want her to come clean about what she knows about her husband and then to leave their pristine village. Kate has seen this type of bullying tactic before by the village, hiding behind the facade of a letter or a legality or whatever, but in the end the result is always the same. The villagers get what they want...and ultimately win.

But what has Kate got to hide? Michael was innocent, surely? But the fact that Suzy was not the first person to go missing in Lynwick brings the one common denominator between them to the forefront of the police investigation. Michael. But that's just coincidence, surely? Or is it? Whatever the case may be, Kate finds herself the focus of blame by those she had once laughed and chatted with; those she had passed in the street and shared a smile; some of those she had called friends. Now she is ostracised and the only one on her side is Donna.

THE WIDOW is a thrilling tale as Kim takes us on a journey from Poland to Nottinghamshire through the eyes of various narrators, though primarily Kate. It certainly is a different story to those offered to us previously but still an enjoyable tale. There were a couple of unanswered questions by the end, most notably the discovery of two sets of remains found nearby but without an explanation as to why as neither story interconnected. The ending didn't pack that usual K.L. Slater punch, but it was still satisfactory.

I had my usual theories throughout, some of them often changing, but by the end I had guessed correctly...even the twist that was thrown in seemingly out of left field. But I couldn't be hoodwinked this time as I knew to look where others failed to...and pondered on my own suspicions. THE WIDOW is still full of secrets, lies, and twists to keep it moving along at a steady pace throughout. It is still a good solid read by Kim that was engaging and enjoyable.

The story is dominated with strong female characters, though not too strong. I liked the investigating officer, DI Helena Price and her offsider DS Brewster, who brought the whodunnit aspect to the forefront. I liked Kate but I did wonder why she was quick to defend Michael when she also found evidence that should have left her questioning him. Donna's denial of her husband's infidelities and disregard of her drove me mad. How could she not see her husband's blatant roving eye? Everyone else could and he shamelessly did it front of her!

Overall, THE WIDOW is an enjoyable and intriguing tale that will have you turning the pages in anticipation of the truth. What happened to Suzy Baros? To Jakub Jasinski? And is the disappearance of a teenage girl twenty three years ago connected? A thrilling read that does not disappoint even if some loose ends were left dangling by the end.

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWidow in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant! I'm never disappointed with K.L. Slaters books. She is a mastermind when it comes to psychological thrillers. Kept me guessing, a fabulous read.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC! This review was written by me voluntarily.

In general, for me, this story is quite balanced because the mystery part and the emotion part compliment each other nearly perfectly in my view. There are some plot twists in this story, however, the atmosphere of the story that keeps me wanting to continue reading it. This is my second book from the author, and I can tell quite some differences between them. In this book, for me, there are not many plot twists compared to my previous read, but the creepiness and uneasiness is already there from the beginning. I also managed to figure out some clues during the reading which is quite rare for me. The story is told from several sides; Kate, other characters, and the police. There are also some flashbacks that are related to the case. Overall, the story is a really nice thriller. If you are a fan of mystery and thrillers, I recommend this novel. This novel is already out now!

The Widow is a cleverly written thriller that has plenty of twists and turns, you are best coming in blind and giving this your undivided attention.
Kate seems to have the perfect life, lovely house in a close knit village, a job at the local school, a beautiful carefree daughter and a loving husband but all that is slipping away with her when her husband becomes the number one suspect when a polish woman goes missing from the village. Everything is pointing to Michael and Kate doesn’t know who to believe. Her best friend is going through marriage troubles but between them the two women try and remain strong until the truth is found.
This was a cleverly written thriller and I’m not going into the plot line too much as I think the less you know the more you will enjoy. Another great read by K.L.Slater.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Go into this blind. It’s such a good place to be, automatic “click” to purchase, get a nice milky drink, some treats, snuggle with a blanket and cushion, open the book and…..breath, begin to read.

This authors books never cease to thrill me, delight me and make me think.

The back story to this and the unravelling and reveal of all this was exceptional. Was it only me who gulped and she’d a tear?

I’m not adding much to the story as there’s lots in the blurb and reviews, I just need you to trust me and read it.

Amazing. This one deserves all the stars. Wow, I'm blown away by this amazing book and it's incredible author. Love everything she writes. Sheer brilliance. Read this one. It's just wow.

A razor sharp thriller with twists and turns that will leave readers reeling, The Widow is a hair-raising rollercoaster ride that will chill readers to the bone.

Kate seemed to have a picture perfect life. With her devoted husband and beautiful daughter, Kate had it all – until it had all come crashing down around her ears. Her husband Michael had been questioned by the police after he had been linked to the disappearance of a young mother in their tiny village and everything had fallen apart. The rumour mill in the village had gone into overdrive, everybody had believed that he was guilty and Kate’s friends and family all believed that Michael was a monster. Kate couldn’t believe this was happening. She loved Michael and she knew that he wasn’t the villain everybody was painting him as. She would go to the ends of the earth to defend his innocence and she was determined to do whatever it took to exonerate him. But Kate never got the chance because Michael had stepped in front of a lorry and died instantly.

Kate still swore that her late husband was innocent. Nobody could convince her that her husband was responsible for the young mother’s disappearance and she was willing to keep fighting to clear Michael’s name – even if questions were being asked and answers were being sought by those who had been so quick to condemn her husband. But was Michael as innocent as Kate thought him to be? Was he wrongly accused and was just at the wrong place at the wrong time? Or is there something more sinister to this story?

Everybody had been so quick to condemn Michael, but what about Kate? Did she have a role to play in the young woman’s disappearance? What secrets is she hiding and what is she willing to do to ensure that her daughter doesn’t remember her father as the predator everybody is accusing him of being? What will this investigation into Kate’s family uncover? And just from whom does Kate and Michael’s little girl need protecting?

Nobody comes close to K L Slater when it come to nerve-shredding and heart-twisting thrillers and this gifted writer of chillers is at the top of her game with her latest novel, The Widow. Dark, tense and hard-hitting, The Widow is a cleverly constructed thriller that explores guilt, trust and secrets and will keep readers completely and utterly hooked as they find themselves unable to put down this astute and absorbing domestic noir title.

Shocking, intense and brilliantly twisty, K L Slater’s The Widow is an absolute struggle to put down.