Unusual book. All people are 'monsters'. They all are traumatised by their previous life. They don't trust others and trying to take from the life everything they can. All means are good. Who is the winner in the end? The mystery doesn't let to put the book down until you are finished

A fast paced story with lots of twists. Well worth a read for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. You wouldnt be disappointed
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

First read by this author and was hooked from page one - very concise sharp and twisty everything a great read should be - unexpected ending and would highly recommend.

A twisty tale that will keep you guessing. Creepy at times and unpredictable. It kept me guessing and I couldn't put it down.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow-what a fabulous book. Dark and chilling everything you expect from a psychological thriller and more. Amazing.

The Widow was a good, not great psychological thriller. There are plenty of twists and turns, and short chapters made for a quick read. In addition, there was just enough of a question as to whether things would work out to keep me guessing.

Where it fell short were the characters. I always have trouble staying with a story when I don’t connect or care about the narrator, and this was the case here. Allison just felt flat and emotionless from the very beginning, which could have been the point. However, when things start being revealed, my reaction was less “woah, didn’t see that coming!” and more “huh, OK.” I liked/hated the Jo character and would have appreciated more of her. The character of Portia and that whole side story seemed very contrived, especially when you consider her extreme personality changes.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When her beloved husband Peter is found death, Allison is becoming overnight a widow. But shortly after she is about to start mourning, there are hidden secrets about her husband revealed. And, as a snowball, there are other secrets coming up as well as other characters that may add on unpleasant truths to the story. And Allison herself is far from being safe and beyond reproach.

Enfolding in short chapters, almost each adding a new twist to the story, The Widow by Valerie Keogh is hard to put down. I have a certain fascination with vilain characters, because how else can I discover otherwise the dark depths of the human character. This book offered me a satisfactory repertoire of human bads and darkness. Not all enjoyable, nevertheless important knowledge about human psyche and secrets.

Alisson is by far the central element of the story, reflecting and influencing the other episodes of the narrative. Although the characters may be despicable, they are not exposed as such, but their motives and darkness is explained in a larger circumstantial context. Their attitude may be the result of their life events after all, not because they are genuinely bad.

The Widow is well written but first and foremost, displays a very elaborated story. It takes a lot of talent to coordinate and project a net of dark secrets and dislikable character features. The result is a very eventful psychological thriller with a fast pace and surprising twists. A recommended read to any psychological thriller lover.

What an outstandingly dark and chilling thriller. The characters brought out reactions in me, mostly loathing. The story is fast paced and shocking.

Very good book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Love a good mystery and this one definitely was! Looking forward to reading from this author again

This was a clever and twisty read, full of sharp edges and kept me guessing until the end. 4 Stars! Bingeworthy book.

Alison and Peter's marriage seems picture perfect but is it really?
I was intrigued by this from the blurb and I was dying to find out more. My head is still spinning from all the thrills. It starts out slow then it starts to build up and it just gets faster and faster a bit like a rollercoaster . I didn't connect with any of the characters and I felt that there was something not right with Alison from the beginning but despite that it was unpredictable which I love in a physcological thriller.
Valerie Keogh is one of my favorite physcological thriller writers and I am willing to read anything written by her as her thrillers are always unpredictable which I think is what makes you unable to stop reading . This one is a real page turner that takes a while to warm up but once it does it's hot !!

✨The Widow✨
By Valerie Keogh
▪️Read November 2022▪️

Allison has her own secrets to hide and continues to try to move past them. Her marriage to Peter just seemed like a safe choice, and although she may have been settling, she thought she could see past it for the stability of a future.

As she hears about the sudden an unexpected death of her husband, she plays the role of the distraught wife. Learning more about Peter’s life and death unfortunately unveil more than she is expecting.

I loved the unexpected storylines in this book. My jaw had really dropped at one of the twists. 😱

Thank you!!
I just reviewed The Widow by Valerie Keogh. #thewidow #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer

Published November 2022

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Oh, my days I was not expecting this for a book!!!

It was a dark book to start with and then a little side twist and another twist and an intense end. Oh my days!

Gosh, I don’t know how, where, or when to start with this one!! I mean I am not going to say a thing about the book at all, because I have gone in completely blind and that’s the best way.

I really don’t know how I feel about the characters, any of them. I mean a couple of them, and I obviously hate them, detest them! However a couple I was indifferent to some. I mean you don’t have to like characters for them for the book to be epic. This is very clearly that book.

I was just hooked on this book, I was listening to the audiobook and flicking back to the book. It was so addictive to read. I just didn’t want to put it down or stop listening to it.

I was forever trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I guessed one small thing but wow didn’t see some of it come at all completely left field. That made it an even more entrancing read.

I can’t wait for the next crazy, addictive read by Valerie. Just glad I got to read this one!

This was a thrilling ride from start to finish. The twists and turns kept coming around every corner. Just when you thought you knew the truth about a character another secret was revealed. I loved it!

The Widow by Valerie Keogh was a superb and chilling psychological thriller I was hooked from start to finish and it was another book I found hard to put down, especially as this book had lots of twists and turns throughout. I loved it and Valerie has a way of drawing you into all her books.

I highly recommend The Widow. 5 star book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC

This was a book with so many twists and turns. It was so hard to figure out who Allison actually was, what was true and what made up the mask she wore every minute. I liked the inner dialogue of her thoughts and how it showed her true thoughts and then actually how she portrayed herself to everyone.
A great thriller that keeps you guessing and reading more.

Having read several of Keogh's other works and thoroughly enjoyed them, I couldn't wait to jump into this one.

The Widow is warped, dark, twisty and an absolute page turner.

It's a slow simmering thriller that boils over into a fast paced, twisty thriller, the tension palpable and nerves frayed.

The characters were so good, complex, deceptive and oh, so delightfully devious.

I flew through the pages and couldn't put it down, the plot was so addictive and compelling.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Allison has married for money not love. When her husband dies, she has mixed emotions but could she also be hiding a terrible secret...?
The Widow is a psychological thriller set in London.
The majority of the book is set in present day London from Allison's third person perspective. Allison is desperate to improve her life and marry for money. Peter sweeps her off her feet with champagne and expensive dinners. Their marriage is perfect to the outside world but she resents his behaviour. His sudden death brings relief but also fresh problems.
Other parts of the book are also set in the present but show us Jo's point of view. She wants revenge on Allison for something in their past. She carefully plans to inveigle herself into Allison's life but her exact motive and intention remains unclear. This raises the tension as we imagine the link between the two women.
Both women are compelling and convincing. I really didn't know who to trust as both are unpredictable and untrustworthy narrators. In the final third of the book there is a situation which unites them in an extraordinary way and I had no idea how the shocking circumstance would resolve itself.
Some chapters also show a first person view of the past and a dreadful childhood trauma. This has a huge emotional hold on me as we see a child suffer at the hands of their own actions but also bullying by other children. I did feel that the ending and explanation of the relationship between the women was easy to predict but this did not spoil my enjoyment at all. There were twists right up until the final page so read and enjoy!
The Widow is a tense and twisty thriller that I loved!

WOW, what a page turner. We follow Allison on her journey from singleton, to wife to trapped in a life she didn't anticipate. For a woman of little background and friends, she sure has a story to tell. I couldn't put the book down. Valerie has written a 5 star unputdownable book, highly recommended. Poor Peter.

OMG! This was so good! I couldn't put it down!

Characters all presenting themselves one way and then slowly revealing their true selves (and true intentions). Deliciously deceptive. This story took so many unexpected turns. Sinister. You'll gobble this up. I did.