Book Review: BLACK WIDOWS by Cate Quinn

BLACK WIDOWS by Cate Quinn (Sourcebooks Landmark, February 2021) Hardcover, 419 pages. ISBN # 9781728220468 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

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. 

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     Quinn uses her extensive research skills to craft a wickedly compelling novel of murder, religious conflicts, and suspicion set within a polygamous family in Utah. There is lots of information seamlessly mixed into the narratives about the Mormon faith, religious cults that are offshoots of the Mormon faith, state laws regarding polygamy in Utah and Nevada, and more. The benefit to readers is that you are learning while enjoying the murder mystery. 

     The story is told through first person narration from three different characters, a technique employed so well with GIRL ON THE TRAIN and WHEN YOU FIND ME, another thriller that I recently read. 

     All three wives are suspects, and there are reasons for readers to feel that each one may be guilty. What complicates matters is that all three are unreliable narrators and/or liars. The three protagonists (Rachel, Tina and Emily) began as unlikeable characters until I read further and gained more understanding of their points of view. The murder victim, Blake Nelson, began as unlikeable and remained so - - although I came to understand why the three wives all loved him. 

     Without revealing the ending (which was very satisfactory) I identified the actual killer about 75% into the novel, and then dismissed it after reading further. So it still came as a surprise when the killer is actually revealed near the end.