Get our Best Book Club Books of 2025 eBook!

Read advance reader review of Black Widows by Cate Quinn

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Black Widows by Cate Quinn

Black Widows

A Novel

by Cate Quinn

  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2021, 432 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews


Page 1 of 4
There are currently 23 member reviews
for Black Widows
Order Reviews by:
  • Betsy Ritchie
    Black Widows
    Black Widows revolves around three very different women who happen to be sister wives. Much of the intrigue of the book is figuring out how these women and their lifestyle...works. The short chapters from the viewpoint of each of them adds to the suspense. Highly recommended.
  • Jeanette L. (Marietta, GA)
    Black Widows
    In an arid lonely desert in Utah a man, a polygamist, and his three wives live in a very dilapidated house. When the story begins the man, Blake has been found brutally mutilated.
    The story develops slowly as we meet the wives; they are all very different from each other and the only thing they really want is to please Blake.
    As the investigation of Blake's death begins the wives are the only suspect. Which one killed him? I loved the way this story progresses as we meet the wives their stories and how they got here. We also find out a little of the Mormon rituals and religion.
    I liked this story very much.
  • Vicky R. (Roswell, GA)
    Whopper of a thriller!
    I loved this book and all of the tension that went with it! A list of characters that hit the mark and kept me guessing until the end. Subject matter that is certainly on the forefront right now...as it should be. No spoilers, read for yourself and prepare to be intrigued and spellbound.
  • Iris F. (Delray Beach, FL)
    The Black Widows
    To coin a phrase "this book had me at hello...". Short succinct chapters drew me in immediately. My curiosity about Mormons and other secretive groups such as Scientology, Jim Jones cult grabbed me. The three wives had well developed and distinct personalities and I felt sympathetic towards all three. The very short chapters moved the story along quickly and kept my interest piqued. My only problem, if there was one was that since the chapters were so short and my interest was so high I found myself reading till the wee hours of the night. This was a highly enjoyable read and perfect entertainment for a COVID-19 winter read!
  • Nanette S. (San Pierre, IN)
    Black Widows
    Not your usual husband/wife thriller - one husband, three wives, with more wives on the way? One may never know because Blake is dead and all three wives are suspects. Through the story, with each wife telling their version, both with Blake and each other, their respective pasts are revealed. All three are untrustworthy, so which one comes closest to actually telling the truth. The subject matter about polygamy, and the parts about Homestead, a cult like living compound, where Rachel the first wife grew up, are somewhat uncomfortable to read. Yes, some sex is discussed, yet I did not find it too graphic. The chapters are short and the story moves along very smoothly. It is not hard to say "just one more chapter!" I would recommend this one and will read more from this author.
  • Helene M. (Sarasota, FL)
    Made reading a fun again!
    Fun may not be exactly the right word for the feeling evoked by a murder mystery, but this book certainly did make me want to visit book stores, and talk to others about books once more. Let me explain: for the past year plus, so much of what I've seen being published has been books about some marginalized person or group, or about what's wrong with America and our way of life, or about being "woke." Frankly, I've found them tiresome. I read for entertainment, not for challenges to my core beliefs.

    Then, along comes Black Widows by Cate Quinn, a well-written, absorbing, well-plotted book about three women married to the same man at the same time. Their husband has been murdered, but who is his killer? Quinn draws her characters well - each wife loves Blake, but each has a resentment or a problem with him, or with his extended family.

    If you like mysteries and suspense as much as I do, and if you like to stay up late turning pages (even when you know you should turn off the lights), then you'll enjoy Black Widows! It's a "fun" read, a book that makes reading an interesting diversion rather than a rant.
  • Amy E. (Delaware, OH)
    Will the real Black Widow step forward!
    When interviewed regarding the writing process for the book, Ms. Quinn said "It was like a book that couldn't wait to be written." For me as a reader, it was like a book that could not wait to be read. I really liked the book and found the author's use of the chapters to identify and speak in the wives' voices very important to an understanding of the characters and their roles in the story.
    When a cast of deeply flawed characters come together the result may be surprising.
    Kept me guessing until the end.

Read-Alikes

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Lessons in Chemistry
    by Bonnie Garmus
    Praised by Parade and The New York Times Book Review, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Ginseng Roots
    by Craig Thompson

    A new graphic memoir from the author of Blankets and Habibi about class, childhood labor, and Wisconsin’s ginseng industry.

  • Book Jacket

    The Fairbanks Four
    by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

    One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

  • Book Jacket

    Serial Killer Games
    by Kate Posey

    A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).

  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

  • Book Jacket

    One Death at a Time
    by Abbi Waxman

    A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    The Seven O'Clock Club
    by Amelia Ireland

    Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

Who Said...

Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

A C on H S

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.