The Other Widow by Susan Crawford + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm kicking off the TLC blog tour for Susan Crawford's The Other Widow.

Dorrie lives with her husband, Samuel, and daughter, Lily, and though her home life isn't exactly what she'd dreamed, she's content enough. Especially when she begins having an affair with her boss, Joe. No one knows, especially not Samuel or Joe's wife, Karen. But when Joe is killed in a car accident, just moments after telling Dorrie it isn't safe for them anymore, she begins to suspect that at least one person knows about the affair. Who and why that would make them targets are the big questions Dorrie must find answers to if she's to avoid the same fate as Joe. 

I enjoyed The Other Widow. It's a thriller set in snowy Boston and featuring three narrators: Dorrie, Karen, and Maggie - an ex cop turned insurance investigator who's been assigned Joe's case.

If I had to pick a favorite of these three, it would probably be Maggie. But it'd be a tough choice and she'd really only edge out the other two because she's the investigator. All three are richly drawn and flawed. Obviously neither Karen or Dorrie is happy in their marriages. Karen reveals she's suspected her husband's infidelity for some time. Dorrie herself reveals some of the impetus for the affair, though it's left to the reader to tease out or hypothesize about some of the other details, especially as pertains to Joe.

Maggie's job as an insurance investigator is to find reason for the insurance company not to pay. Which, all things considered, doesn't necessarily lead to a likable character. But again her story is much more fleshed out than just that. As a former cop, she immediately has suspicions about the case thanks to a recently increased policy. Usually a red flag in any mystery.

There's a secondary mystery here as well. Joe is part owner of a renovation company - the same company where Dorrie works as his assistant and is training to take over as bookkeeper. Just before Joe dies, he discusses an old renovation that became headlines after a tragic house fire. Bits and pieces of this story filter through Dorrie as random information floats her way, leading both her and the reader to wonder if everything that's happening is really down to just the affair.

Crawford does a good job of keeping the reader guessing. Any big reveals I was able to figure out (and there were a couple thanks to carefully placed clues on Crawford's part) didn't spoil the end by any means. And the pacing was such that even knocked down with a massive cold (as I have been all week) I was still able to be drawn in and read much of the book in one sitting. As someone who's always viewed being sick as more time to read, and then been sorely disappointed with the fact that my body disagrees, this is an accomplishment!

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway: to enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, December 19. Open US only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Susan Crawford and her work you can visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble