The Widow [Mass Market Paperback]

Anne Stuart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2001

Aristide Pompasse is dead, but the evil in the great artist's soul still haunts the vineyards and lurks in the corners of his Tuscan villa. Having escaped her husband's tyranny before his death, Charlie has returned to lay old ghosts to rest and to make peace with her future. And she plans on staying clear of Connor Maguire, the sexy and dangerous reporter looking to break the story of Pompasse's murder, no matter the cost....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When French artist Aristide Pompasse, famous almost as much for his affairs as for his paintings, is found dead possibly murdered his estranged wife, the much younger Charlie Thomas, reluctantly returns to Pompasse's Tuscan villa in preparation for the funeral. Five years before, Charlie escaped from Pompasse's domineering hold to start a new life for herself in New York City, and now she is determined to seal the painful memories of her past by selling Pompasse's estate. But first Charlie will have to face Pompasse's former lovers and deal with Conner Maguire, an abrasive tabloid reporter posing as an insurance consultant. While Charlie and Connor fling insults at each other and search for Pompasse's missing paintings, they uncover some startling secrets indicating that someone may be out to harm Charlie. Through colorful prose and snappy, realistic dialogue, Stuart (Wild Thing, etc.) skillfully portrays the palpable friction between Charlie and Connor, but she fails to ignite much excitement with the mystery element of this story. Although the narrative does pick up during the last third of the book, readers looking for a fast-paced thriller are likely to be disappointed. Those drawn to sexual heat, however, will find plenty here to satisfy.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Jarred out of her life as a successful Manhattan restaurant owner by the murder of her ex-husband, renowned artist Aristide Pompasse, Charlie Thomas returns to his Tuscan villa, planning to settle the estate, lay the past to rest, and then get on with her life. But she finds instead a host of unanswered questions, a pervasive sense of evil, and a compelling stranger who is definitely not what he seems. A master at creating chilling atmosphere with a modern touch, Stuart takes a determined yet vulnerable heroine, a brash, sexy hero, and a diverse assortment of memorable secondary characters, gives them an idyllic setting, and then puts them in the middle of a complex plot with some sordid, almost Gothic twists. Great dialog and a touch of unexpected humor lighten the mood but don't detract from the overall feel of this nicely done tale of romantic suspense. Noted for dark, highly sensual romances, Stuart (Shadows at Sunset, Mira, 2000) is a member of the RWA Hall of Fame; she lives in Greensboro, VT.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551668130
• ISBN-13: 978-1551668130
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware!, July 3, 2001

By 

paula_k_98 "paula_k_98" (Muskogee, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Widow (Mass Market Paperback)

Aristide Pompasse is a renowned artist. He paints stunning portraits and collects young mistresses as his muse. It is harder to tell which is greater, his talent or his ego. Pompasse has done many despicable things in his life, few things that he regrets. The only thing he truly regrets, however, is letting his young wife, escape. He regrets it not because of his deep love for her, but because he has never found anyone who can inspire him to create the way she did. Pompasse dies and now Charlie Thomas, his widow, must come home to close his estates and face her own ghosts.

Charlie married Pompasse when she was seventeen to his sixty something. He'd been everything to her. He was her father, protector, someone who needed her. He provided the one thing she craved the most. A home and stability she had never had. Five years later after being immortalized in a series of paintings, Charlie realized Pompasse owned her body and her soul. It was time to leave and try to find the person she was.

Returning is as hard as Charlie thought it would be. Even though Pompasse is dead, he stills controls and manipulates the lives of people around him. Charlie has to contend with the malicious behavior of Gia, the mistress that took her place. Also in the picture is Connor Maguire, a journalist who was once respectable, but now burnt out and working for a tabloid. Maguire is posing as an insurance investigator trying to find the goods to write an expose on Pompasse.

There were several things I liked about this book. Most notably was the relationship between Charlie and Maguire. But, there were several things I did not like. I personally found the character of Pompasse repulsive which is probably the way the author intended. I had trouble dealing with the fact Pompasse; a man in his seventies usually had mistresses around the age of seventeen. The second thing I had trouble with was the fact that Charlie was engaged to man twice her age. I mean you get rid of a controlling manipulative husband three times your age then get engaged to someone twice your age? Yes, I understand the author was trying to show a pattern, but it was still repulsive to me.

I guess my final thoughts are if you want something different, this book definitely fits the bill. Yes, it is intriguing in way. Maguire starts out as slime and become likeable as a leading man, Charlie works through emotional problems and becomes a likeable leading lady. For me, however, I found the thought of Pompasse and his young mistresses repulsive enough that it took away from the book. Read at your own risk.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder, Betrayal & Passion . . . ., July 18, 2001

By 

Carolyn Christy "Caro" (Fairhaven, Ma. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Widow (Mass Market Paperback)

The Widow by Anne Stuart is superb. Romantic suspense at its finest.

Aristide Pompasse was the world's greatest artist. He is renowned for his fabulous portraits all of which are worth millions. He is also notorious for having young mistresses. All of them reside at his estate. He allows no one to escape from his Tuscan villa. That is, until his young wife flees.

Charlotte Thomas is the much younger, former wife of Aristide. She flees him and settles in Manhattan. For five years, she has been desperately trying to recapture her life - her soul. Hearing of her former husband's death sets into motion a series of events that changes her life.

She is called back to Aristide's villa to settle his estate. Once there she encounters his formers mistresses and a mysterious man, Connor Maguire.

Connor passes himself off as an insurance consultant. What he is really after is the biggest story of his life - the murder of world famous artist Aristide Pompasse. He is a reporter for the tabloid, THE STARLIGHT. He is there at the estate searching for Pompasse's diaries, hoping to find more skeletons carefully kept hidden. What he does find is a rumor of murder, missing masterpieces and of course, the artist's former wife and muse - Charlie.

Charlie is cool, calm and controlled. An ice princess and the kind of woman that had never appealed to him. So why can't he keep his eyes and hands off of her? What is he so drawn to her?

Amidst this temptation, danger awaits! Someone very calculating and dangerous is residing at the villa. Who hated Pompasse enough to kill? Everyone seems to have a motive . . .

This is a highly recommended book. Ms. Stuart's carefully penned words set Pompasse up as the bad guy; a lecherous old man who had a weakness for seventeen year old girls and for controlling everything in his atmosphere. Blend in murder, betrayal and yes, DESIRE. Mix it all together and you have got on heck of an exciting read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different, July 4, 2001

By 

"amypoon232" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Widow (Mass Market Paperback)

The Widow is both a romance and a mystery. What made it a special book was the relationship between Charlie and Maguire, watching each of them change through their relationship. The painter Pompasse is murdered and there are several suspects. Charlie was married to him and returns to their home, to see his funeral. Maguire is there to cover the painter's life, his scandals and his women.

I liked The Widow because it was so different. I liked the relationship between Maguire and Charlie. I liked trying to figure out who killed Pompasse. The location, the characters are all very interesting.

I found I had to read the book slowly to understand the true development and change of the relationship between Maguire and Charlie. Maguire seemed like a shallow person, until you really saw where his feelings came from. Charlie is hard to understand until you realize she really never had a father. Perhaps she was looking for him in her men. Maguire will change that. Enjoy this book for both the romance and the mystery.