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3.5 

The Next Widow

By CJ Lyons
The Next Widow by CJ Lyons digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

In the distance Leah heard sirens. She ignored them. Right now, her daughter needed her and Emily was just out of reach, curled up under the bed, her eyes closed, desperately shaking. Leah did the only thing any mother would do. She crawled through the blood to get to her daughter.

 

When Detective Luka Jericho is called to a family home in rural Pennsylvania, he’s shocked to find six-year old Emily Wright is the only witness to her father’s murder. Her mother, Dr Leah Wright, returned home from work to find Emily huddled under the bed behind the body, and Luka is desperate to find out what Emily witnessed. He knows that the killer could still be out there, waiting to strike again.

 

But Leah is hesitant to ask Emily to relive what she saw. She knows that Emily could be haunted by those memories forever. Until the same red roses Leah was sent on the night of her husband’s murder are found in Emily’s hospital room and the family is attacked again…

 

Luka must race against time to unravel Leah’s family secrets, as he battles painful reminders of his own fiancée’s death. But he has no idea just how close the killer is. Will he be able to keep Leah and her daughter safe?

 

Fans of Karin Slaughter, Kendra Elliot and Tess Gerritsen will devour this fast-paced and chilling new crime series from New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons. You won’t be able to put this book down.

 

What readers say about The Next Widow:

Wow!… I have been completely unable to put this one down… There is absolutely no predicting where the author is taking the story which has made this a gripping and exciting read. I absolutely loved this.” Little Miss Book Lover 87, 5 stars

 

‘Incredible! If you pick up one book this year then make it this one! Dark, twisted and bloody brilliant! If you haven’t read a book by CJ Lyons before then you’re in for a treat.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

Oh my goodness, what a brilliant start to a new series! Everything about this book just epitomises why I love the crime thriller genre so much! It is a fast paced, intense read, that is filled with so much tension and suspense and I could not get enough of it! It really is an outstanding piece of work that will consume you’ Once Upon a Time Book Blog, 5 stars

 

‘Blew me out of the water… I starting reading at bedtime, I was so enthralled in the story, next thing I knew it was 3am as I was turning the last page on my Kindle… Compelling, captivating, suspenseful, heart wrenching, all the good stuff you want in a crime thriller.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

Wow, this book grabbed my attention from the first chapter, it was so well written and kept me guessing till the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller, you won’t be disappointed. Can’t wait for the second book, am definitely going to read it…

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21 Reviews

3.5
“What happens when a wife returns home on Valentine's day clutching a bouquet of roses, to find her husband murdered and daughter terrified... When Dr Leah Wright she gets home one dark winter night, clutching roses in her hand, she finds her daughter, Emily, huddled under her bed and her husband’s blood all over the floor. When Detective Luka Jericho is called to investigate, he’s shocked to learn that the killer left a witness behind – the victim’s young daughter. The scene is a painful reminder of his fiancé’s unsolved death, and he is desperate to find out what Emily saw that night. Leah learned the hard way that the only person she could rely on was herself. But when she and Emily are attacked again, she realizes that she needs all the help possible to keep her daughter safe before the killer strikes again. This was a good thriller but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, since I felt it was a little dragged in between. I kind of figured out who was the killer midway, but I wanted to know what the motive was. I liked the character of Detective Luka Jericho more than that of Dr Leah Wright. Overall an okay read. But that being said, I am looking forward to the next book in this series to see where it leads to. Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!! Merged review: What happens when a wife returns home on Valentine's day clutching a bouquet of roses, to find her husband murdered and daughter terrified... When Dr Leah Wright she gets home one dark winter night, clutching roses in her hand, she finds her daughter, Emily, huddled under her bed and her husband’s blood all over the floor. When Detective Luka Jericho is called to investigate, he’s shocked to learn that the killer left a witness behind – the victim’s young daughter. The scene is a painful reminder of his fiancé’s unsolved death, and he is desperate to find out what Emily saw that night. Leah learned the hard way that the only person she could rely on was herself. But when she and Emily are attacked again, she realizes that she needs all the help possible to keep her daughter safe before the killer strikes again. This was a good thriller but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, since I felt it was a little dragged in between. I kind of figured out who was the killer midway, but I wanted to know what the motive was. I liked the character of Detective Luka Jericho more than that of Dr Leah Wright. Overall an okay read. But that being said, I am looking forward to the next book in this series to see where it leads to. Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!”
“<strong>Mindblown</strong> Is it worthy to save any life or are ER physicians just playing God? Surprisingly this book looks at all the potential outcomes without being sensationalist or pander to the happy ending. Characters wrestle with grief. This part was so well written it felt visceral. It dragged into the messy process and brought catharsis. It used almost every trope that exists with domestic thrillers and even police procedural and eclipses some of those well loved thrillers. For a book that I can’t remember why I picked this up or that I had it, this blew away my expectations. It does have violent scenes but with real reactions and possibly idealistic recovery. Definitely would recommend this thriller.”

About CJ Lyons

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels, former pediatric ER doctor Cj Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart. Cj has been called a “master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as “breathtakingly fast-paced” and “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) with “characters with beating hearts and three dimensions” (Newsday). Her novels have twice won the International Thriller Writers’ prestigious Thriller Award, the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Readers’ Choice Award, the RT Seal of Excellence, and the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense.

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