Christopher Brookmyre

There is no perfect marriage. There is no perfect murder. Diana Jager is clever, strong and successful, a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing. Then she meets Peter. He's kind, generous, and knows nothing about her past: the second chance she's been waiting for. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident, a nightmare end to their fairytale romance. But Peter's sister Lucy doesn't believe in fairytales, and tasks maverick reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling Black Widow...

Black Widow

Jolie

This is a book where you honestly have to struggle through the first couple of chapters before it starts getting good and you are genuinely left wondering….did Diana do it? The book starts at a trail and the author goes between 1st person (Diana and then our mystery woman) and 3rd person (Jack Parlabane)

Diana Jager’s character was a hard one to like and to sympathize with. Her childhood is less than perfect (cold father, distant mother) and her adulthood hasn’t been any better. She anonymously wrote a blog that basically called out Scottish surgeons for sexism in the hospital. Then her life came apart when she was hacked by some hospital IT guys and her personal information was leaked. She is let go from her job (and yes, the IT guys were punished) and immediately got a new one in Inverness….where she meets Peter.

I didn’t like Peter from the get go either. He came across as too naive and too nice. Normally, that isn’t an issue but it bothered me (and I am glad that it did). Plus, he was too secretive with Diana.

Add in Jack’s storyline and you get a mystery that will keep you absorbed until the end of the book.

I will say that while I normally don’t like it when the author switches suddenly between points of view but in this case, it worked perfectly with how the story is being told. While it gives the impression of jumping around, it really doesn’t.

The author did a great job of keeping a bunch of things hidden until the end. Let’s just put it this way, the ending messed with my mind because what I thought was true ended up not being true and it screwed with me….lol. I finished the book while sitting next to BK and my exact words to him about this book were “This book just mind fucked me” (pardon my French).

How many stars will I give Black Widow? 5

Why? This is a genuine whodunit with false leads, red herrings and dead ends masterfully woven into the tale. The fact that this is the 7th book in the series isn’t even a point with me because this is a totally standalone book.

Will I reread this book? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range: Adult

Why? Sexual situations, some language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance copy**

'A celtic Gone Girl... guaranteed to keep you guessing' Ian Rankin *****WINNER Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year***** *****WINNER Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Crime Novel of the Year***** Twists abound in the brilliant new psychological thriller from master author Chris Brookmyre - perfect for readers of The Girl on the Train, I See You and Disclaimer. Did she do it? Did he deserve it? Diana Jager is clever, strong and successful, a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing. Then she meets Peter. He's kind, generous, and knows nothing about her past: the second chance she's been waiting for. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident, a nightmare end to their fairytale romance. But Peter's sister Lucy doesn't believe in fairytales, and tasks maverick reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling Black Widow... 'Black Widow is a stand-out thriller' Renee Knight, author of Disclaimer

Elena

A “hair-raising . . . devilishly complicated mystery” from the Scottish crime master. “Don’t even try to guess the outcome” (The New York Times Book Review). Diana Jager is clever, strong, and successful, a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism in medicine. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing. Then Diana meets Peter. He is kind, generous, and knows nothing about her past—the second chance she’s been waiting for. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident, a nightmare end to their fairy-tale romance. But Peter’s sister doesn’t believe in fairy tales, and tasks rogue reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling the Black Widow. Still on the mend from a turbulent divorce, Jack’s investigation into matters of the heart takes him to hidden places no one should ever have to go. Winner of the 2017 Theakson Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the 2016 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year “Brookmyre excels at melding the true chills of a psychological thriller with rollicking—if dark—humor. A witty and wild page-turner, Black Widow shines in showcasing this winning combination.” —The Boston Globe “Exceptionally good—a knotty mystery that’s . . . one of the most perceptive excavations of a dysfunctional marriage I can remember reading.” —The Guardian (UK) “A tense and provocative read.” —Entertainment Weekly

Black Widow

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