Blake is dead. They say his wife killed him. If so… which one?
Polygamist Blake Nelson built a homestead on a hidden stretch of land – a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah – where he lived with his three wives: Rachel, the first wife, obedient and doting to a fault, with a past she’d prefer to keep quiet. Tina, the rebel wife, everything Rachel isn’t, straight from rehab and the Vegas strip. And Emily, the young wife, naïve and scared, estranged from her Catholic family.
The only thing that they had in common was Blake. Until all three are accused of his murder.
When Blake is found dead under the desert sun, all three wives become suspect – not only to the police, but to each other. As the investigation draws them closer, each wife must decide who can be trusted. With stories surfacing of a notorious cult tucked away in the hills, whispers flying about a fourth wife, and evidence that can’t quite explain what had been keeping Blake busy, the three widows face a reckoning that might shatter all they know to be true.
I need to admit something here – I’m well known amongst my friends for devouring any TV show or documentary on polygamy. Give me a frazzled bloke trying to please multiple discontented wives, and God, and I’m a very happy camper. I find them utterly enthralling. So, when Black Widows turned up at the office, I stampeded over everyone to get my hands on it. Weird religious cult. Great premise. Let’s go. That’s my weekend sorted. Turned out… it was just my Friday night sorted. I devoured this novel, page by page, until the very thrilling end.
While Cate Quinn’s Black Widows is no doubt a great thriller that covers a lot of compelling polygamous ground, it also runs deeper. At its heart it’s about women, female friendship, sisterhood, and delves into themes of domestic abuse and The Church of the Latter Day Saints.
It is told through the POV of Blake’s three very different sister wives: Rachel, Tina and Emily… who he married in that order. They’re not one of those wealthy polygamy families where they all have their separate houses, with the husband on rotation. These wives share the same house, the same husband, and tensions are high. High enough to kill?
This fascinating, gripping domestic thriller threw in some unexpected twists, including one towards the end, and had me transfixed. I enjoyed it immensely.
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