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The Good Widow: A Novel by [Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke]

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Liz Fenton

Lisa Steinke

The Good Widow: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Liz Fenton (Author), Lisa Steinke (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,075 ratings

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Amazon Charts bestselling authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut in this twisty, emotional thriller.

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancé. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not her husband. And most certainly not his death…

Print length

301 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Lake Union Publishing
Publication date

June 1, 2017
File size

1063 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Books 2017 Selection, Mystery/Thriller

“Fenton and Steinke deliver a complicated tale of love, loss, intrigue, and disaster....This drama keeps the pages turning with shocking twists until the bitter end. A great read; recommended for admirers of Jennifer Weiner and Rainbow Rowell.” —Library Journal

“Fans of Joy Fielding will appreciate the story’s fast pacing and sympathetic main character.…[a] solid psychological thriller…” —Publishers Weekly

“Fenton and Steinke’s talent for domestic drama comes through.…For readers who enjoy suspense writers like Nicci French.” —Booklist

“A fantastic thriller that will keep you on your toes…” —Popsugar

“Accomplished authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut with great skill and assurance in this enthralling novel of marital secrets and lies, grief and revelation. The Good Widow led me along a winding, treacherous road and made a sharp, startling turn that I didn’t see coming. Unputdownable!” —A. J. Banner, #1 Amazon bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife

"Liz Fenton's and Lisa Steinke's The Good Widow begins by asking what you would do if your spouse died in a place he wasn't supposed to be in with a woman he wasn't supposed to be with. What follows is a gut-wrenching thriller, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes darkly funny, but always a page-turner. And as you read it late into the night you'll look over at the person in bed next to you and wonder how well you really know him. A wild, skillfully-written ride!" —David Bell, author of Since She Went Away

"An irresistible and twisty page-turner, The Good Widow should come with a delicious warning: This is not the story you think it is." —Deb Caletti, author of He's Gone

“The Good Widow is both heartrending and suspenseful, deftly navigating Jacks' mourning and the loss of her less-than-perfect marriage. The writing is sharp and evocative, the Hawaiian setting is spectacular, and the ending was a wonderful, twisty surprise. A quintessential summer beach read!” —Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year

“The Good Widow is a fresh take on your worst nightmare—your husband dies and he isn't where, or with who, he said he was. I ripped through these pages to see where Fenton and Steinke would take me, which ended up being somewhere unexpected in the best kind of way. You will not be sorry you read this!” —Catherine McKenzie, bestselling author of Fractured and Hidden

About the Author

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for more than twenty-five years. They’ve survived high school, college, and the publishing of three novels together. Liz lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her husband, daughter, and two bonus children. Visit Liz and Lisa at www.lizandlisa.com.

Product details

ASIN : B01LH2GQ7U
Publisher : Lake Union Publishing (June 1, 2017)
Publication date : June 1, 2017
Language : English
File size : 1063 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 301 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 1503943445
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #29,825 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #431 in Women's Psychological Fiction
- #2,326 in Women's Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
- #3,251 in Suspense (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4,075 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		47%
4 star		26%
3 star		14%
2 star		7%
1 star		6%

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Top reviews from the United States

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SLJOhio

Love this book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

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So I haven't finished the book yet, but I had to stop and write a review anyway. If you are on the fence about this book, just stop thinking and buy it!!! I used to be an avid reader, reading at least two books a week. I haven't been able to get into any books, really, for the last two years or so. Saw this pop up on Facebook, read the blurb, and decided to give it a try while recovering in bed. Didn't really have high expectations, and honestly wasn't even that excited to read it; I just needed something to do. From page 1 I was blown away by the writing style, the character development, the plot, just the whole thing. Debut novels are always my favorite anyway, and this one is no exception. I had to stop reading long enough to work, but I guarantee I won't be going to bed until I read the last page. Definitely worth the money, definitely worth the time.

228 people found this helpful

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Joann R. Greene

Really enjoyed this book

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2017

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I didn't read any of the burbs for this book so had no idea what it was about. At first, I thought it a bit boring but it didn't take long for it to take hold. Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales is left reeling with the news that her husband James is dead after his car tumbles off a cliff in Maui. Worse yet, his death uncovers an affair with a woman named Dylan, who also died in the Jeep along with James. Caught in a tailspin of emotion, Jacks shuts down until she gets a surprise visit from Nick—Dylan’s equally devastated fiancé, who suggests they seek closure by retracing James and Dylan’s steps in Maui. There is much more to this story that will have you turning the pages till you reach the end. There are a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this book. If you enjoy mystery and growth, friendships and family, you will enjoy this book. A 4.5 for a well written novel.

210 people found this helpful

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Catte

It was shaping up as a slightly better than average relationship book

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2017

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This was not "twisty" or "a thriller". In fact, as I got well into it I decided I must have misremembered the description. It was shaping up as a slightly better than average relationship book. In the aftermath of the unexpected death we start exploring the relationships of two couples, each person recollecting their loves from their respective view points, past and present. Not suspenseful, but not bad, so I kept going and enjoyed it for the most part. Finally, at almost the end, the authors throw in a gratuitous "surprise" that allowed them to categorize the book as "suspense". So yes, the description was not misremembered after all, but don't go into this book thinking you are going to have a tension filled, page turning ride.

60 people found this helpful

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Gail

The title should be The Dumb Widow

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018

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I bought this book because it's supposed to be a suspenseful thriller. Almost 3/4 of the book later, I have not read anything suspenseful. It's more like a daytime soap opera (this is probably why it got so many 5 star reviews - a lot of people love that stuff). I had to go back and re-read the blurb because I thought I had misunderstood. The book contains mostly repetitive fillers and irrelevant flashbacks. There is a flashback for every single action the characters do. It wasn't until almost at the end of the book that the "suspense" happened, but I had already figured out who the bad person was long before that . Additionally, all the characters are unlikable, especially the main character. She's dumb, weak, helpless, a doormat, and afraid to do anything. Seriously...who's afraid to go hiking or sightseeing?? Also, there is way too much eye rolling from the characters, it's sophomoric and infuriating. I managed to finish the book because I don't like not finishing anything, but needless to say, I don't recommend it. The weak suspense and even weaker twist at the end is just not worth reading through all the unimportant fluff and fillers. Don't waste your time.

32 people found this helpful

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Amy Vox Libris

Widow's peak

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017

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When someone you love dies, your pain and grief feel unbearable. This is rendered even more debilitating when your loved one dies unexpectedly.

For Jacks, the death of her husband James feels almost cruel. Their last words to each other were borne of frustration and heartache, so to lose him forever, knowing that she can't undo that conversation or what led to it, tortures her.

Imagine, then, how much more severe that torture becomes when she learns that James was not in Kansas for a business meeting when he died. Nor was he alone. Another (younger) woman, Dylan, was with him, and the two were in Maui.

Jacks is reeling, her grief and confusion consuming her. When Dylan's equally confused and grief-stricken fiancé Nick shows up, Jacks finds someone who understands what she's feeling and experiencing. Nick suggests that the two go to Maui so they can learn more about their partners' relationship, and Jacks agrees.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make a point here of showing you how grief weakens you, rendering you unable to suss out truths. You grasp what is convenient and close because you simply cannot expend the mental and emotional energy to listen to reason. It hurts too much.

The authors tell this story primarily from Jacks's point of view, although they do provide some of Dylan's perspective. The one person we don't hear from and who remains a mystery is James. You have to infer his motivations. His relationship with Jacks is emotionally fraught at the time of his death, so perhaps that is why he's attracted to the rather bland and simple Dylan. Perhaps she was nothing more than a diversion. Yet you also find yourself wondering why he felt entitled to this behavior. Why the lies and obfuscations with Jacks. What would he have done if he had returned from Maui?

I was so obsessed with getting answers that I sent messages and emails to Fenton and Steinke, who were kind enough to respond to my frantic pleas. Even though I wanted answers, one of the things I loved about this book was its ending. You can't ever really know someone's truths unless they want you to do so. We reveal what we choose to reveal to each other and we conceal what we want to conceal, something Jacks knows all too well.

Please read this one, and then come back and tell me what you thought. We need to discuss this book. We simply must.

21 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Lizzie R. west yorkshire

Incredibly good!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2017

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What a book! Just when you think you've figured out which way the story is going it suddenly veers off another way, and it happens quite a few times, you get to a stage where you read till your eyelids droop but you fight off going to sleep because you've just GOT to read the next bit, then the next, and so it goes on, resenting having to put the book down!

It's so well written, I loved the perspective of the book, dipping in and out of the time line. All in all this is a brilliant book and I'll now be looking for more books by the authors.

If you're wondering whether to buy this book then snap it up before you miss it! I guarantee you'll enjoy it as much as me. Really a great book.

17 people found this helpful

MaureenPearl

In a word - tedious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

I acquired this book free as a 'Kindle First' and the only pleasing thing is that I didn't waste any money on it. I gave up after the first 30% which seemed to consist solely of the rather repetitive ramblings of the two female protagonists who, despite the tragic circumstances, failed to invoke any empathy or sympathy. And within that 30% there was no hint or suggestion of the 'thriller' that had been promised. It was, in a word, tedious and I was relieved to allow myself to discard it and move on to something worthwhile. I gave it two stars because it was reasonably well written.

15 people found this helpful

Bagpuss84

Enjoyable well-written suspense novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2017

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I enjoyed reading this book and would give it a good 3.5 rating.
I liked the writing style of the two authors. The fact they have previously written 'women's fiction' makes them ideally placed to deal with this subject matter, the themes of love, deception and betrayal. As one would expect with such an emotive storyline, there is a lot of description of the characters' emotions and feelings.
I would describe The Good Widow as more of a suspense book rather than a thriller. It details an unravelling of what happened to the main character's husband leading up to his death.
It's written from the the point of view of the two lead characters and is set either before or after the death of the husband.
I did work out the major twist at the end of the story probably about three quarters of my way through the book, but this did not lessen my enjoyment.
I would recommend this as a good easy read.

11 people found this helpful

Lottie

Just a decent, well written book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2017

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Yeah, decent book. Not going to spoil anything, but the way that the end went, I was really sure there was going to be just one more chapter to explain a few loose ends, but there wasn't. That was annoying, but apart from that, I enjoyed the story. For a book centered around grief, it wasn't really depressing, which was nice.

I'd recommend this to fill some time.

14 people found this helpful

Magwan911

Husband dies but he wasn't alone.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2018

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What I liked about this was it was gripping in a subtle way, you are captivated by Jack's story and how she feels, her secrets, her fears. Her husband dies in a car accident but he wasn't where he said he would be nor was he alone.
It's very sad and easy to relate to. Definitely a page turner.The characters shine, especially jacks.
I felt sympathy for Jack's and how she comes to terms with her loss. It's simple and well written.

6 people found this helpful

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