Cate Quinn – Black Widows

‘Black Widows’ by Cate Quinn is an enthralling and immersive thriller about Blake and his three wives. They are members of the Mormon faith, living in Utah, spending their days canning food, strictly prepping for End Of Days while following the rules of polygamy and wearing the Holy undergarments also.

Their lives are rolling through the days, sharing their husbands bed when Blake chooses his wife for the night. Then the day comes when the police arrive at their home. Blake has been discovered, dead and all three women are taken to the station for interview. We have Rachel, the first wife, a strict and very devout woman. In what way does her past impact her present day? Then there is Tina, the sister-wife, a prostitute and ex-drug addict from Vegas. Then the newest, youngest wife Emily.

They are interviewed separately and I read as fast as I could, greedy to know who was going to give first and drop one of the other wives in the frame.

As the story unfolded the more I realised these three women gave me a picture of a marriage made in hell for all of them. This was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as I got deeper into the story.

A very character-driven tale and what characters we were faced with. We learn of the three pasts of Rachel, Tina and Emily and begin to unravel the puzzle of who was the perpetrator…well, I thought anyway!

Out of the wives I enjoyed Tina’s character the most. I appreciated her humour throughout the story, it gave a little reprieve from the darkness of parts of the story. I loved how the chapters alternated from one wife to another so I was able to gain a larger understanding of them all. The chapters were short also, allowing the story to propel itself forward quite quickly.

Cate Quinn has created a story that has you thinking and even empathising with these women. A truly original thriller that I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys character-driven, slow-burning thrillers.

Thanks to Random Things Tours and Orion Books for my copy of this intriguing book for my honest and personal review.