Blake Nelson is found dead on his way out of the way pseudo ranch. Living far off the beaten path, suspicion immediately turns to his wives.

There was lots to captivate the reader, plural marriage, a cult, more than one mystery….. Care Quinn gives the reader some insight into the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the extreme branch that believes in plural marriage, and the third branch, the cult-ish fanatics

Each wife is slowly fleshed out, their upbringings, the marriage to Blake, their motives for wanting him dead and even her relationships with the other wives but they all seemed to lack a little depth.

Unfortunately, I was really hoping for a who-dunnit or mystery wrapped around a cult or similar and this ended up falling a little flat. There seemed to be some real potential along several of the story arcs but they kind of petered out early.

The ending seemed a little contrived and rushed.

I loved this book... what an interesting premise and great characters. The book is told from the perspective of the three widows from a plural marriage each in turn suspected of murdering their husband. The characters were well developed with unique personalities. This quick paced thriller grabbed me from page one. The ending surprised and pleased me. Highly recommended

What an interesting premise. Blake is murdered. Naturally a spouse is the first person looked at. But in this case he had three wives and they all have a story to tell. A fast paced mystery that held my interest. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Black Widows by Cate Quinn is a thriller that combines polygamy with murder in a whodunit format. Blake has been murdered and possibly his wife is the perpetrator. However, Blake has three wives so getting to the truth of that matter isn’t as forthright as younger think. Each wife has her on story and possibly her own motive as well. Lots of mystery and secrets to unravel in their tale. Read and enjoy!

Black Widows by Cate Quinn Not only does the story follow a murder case, it focuses on plural marriage in the Mormon faith. The backgrounds of Rachel, Emily, and Tina adds to the interesting plot and are a story in themselves. The portrayal of radical religious practices and how they affected the women and their families was interesting but hard to read at times. Surprised at the conclusion when the motive of the killer was reviled A engrossing and fast paced read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

“Good girls go to heave. Bad girls go everywhere.”

I’m always a little hesitant to read books about cults due to my own family history with Jonestown, but I’m glad I picked this one up. Overall, I really did like the book. I liked the characters & I liked how the story was told through the POV of all three wives. I was also a huge fan of how short the chapters were, it made it really easy to just keep reading. The ending did surprise me & I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the e-arc!

I've read so many books with multiple wives (knowingly or not), but this was my first Moremon (Latter Day Saints) polygamist type of story!

SUMMARY:
Blake is following the revelation and has taken multiple wives. He and his three wives live in the desert on their own ranch type property, preparing for the end of the world. Nobody else knows where the property is, so when Blake is found murdered, the three wives are the only suspects.

MY THOUGHTS:
🔴All three wives were SO different. Rachel is the traditional Mormon, Emily is a child like innocent, and Tina is the Vegas former addict.
🔴I appreciated the detective's POV and her awe of the lives of Blake and his wives.
🔴Clearly something happened, the husband's body was found, but you don't really know what happened. The story is written with a lot of dialogue, which made the story easy to read, but you didn't get into the heads much of the wives.
🔴I really liked the timeline- all of the book was post-murder and written from all three wives perspectives.

Read this book if you liked:
Pretty Little Wife
The Hunting Party

Three wives, all with distinct personalities and voices, and one dead husband. This is a well-written mystery with lots of clues and interesting information on the religious beliefs and practices of the Latter Day Saints and some of the off-shoot sects. The author tied all of the clues neatly together in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC to read and review.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I this didn't me out of the water in the way that I'd hoped it might (admittedly primarily based on the tantalizing title and delicious cover design) but overall a quite enjoyed it. While it did feel a yo-yoish at times, I can't say that I was dizzified and I found the characters intriguing and well developed overall. Learning more about the variations (and unsanctioned radicalization) of the Morman faith was certainly a plus. It definitely contributed to the unexpected dark turn in the story, enough so that it may push some readers buttons, but to its credit, this gave my opinion a boost because it set the book apart from other books with a black widow theme.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I wasn't a fan of the writing style, the characters were unlikeable/hard to "get into", and the book was way longer than it needed to be for the story it was telling. While this book will be for others, it just didn't work for me.

When a person is murdered, the spouse is always considered an initial suspect...except in the case of Blake Nelson’s murder he didn’t have one wife...he had three. Told from the perspective of each of his three wives; Rachel, Emily and Tina, the three women are forced to reexamine their marriage as they wonder if they’ve lived beside a murderer.

As the wives each dig into the murder, the women quickly discover that their husband was not always honest with them about what his plans for their future.

“Black Widows” is a sensational story not just because it follows a murder investigation, but because it puts a spotlight on plural marriage - a subject that has a tendency to be rather divisive - and it does so through the lens of the Mormon faith.

Quinn’s novel is a quick and captivating read as she litters the pages with doubt and potential clues as the three women reevaluate their what they knew about their husband and their fellow sister-wives. Just when readers think they understand what happened to Blake, Quinn throws in a dynamic plot twist that will leave readers reeling and gasping for air after an explosive revelation.

Written with distinct and dynamic voices, readers will find themselves devouring the “Black Widows” as they try to puzzle out who is behind the crime.

A thriller suspense book totally out of my wheelhouse, but i had the benefit of understanding the fundamentals of the religion. I capitalized on this , but I didn’t need to because the book went in several directions which i found so appealing it made it suspenseful and mesmerizing.
Blake Nelson was a narcissist and polygamist who had three wives in Utah.
The wives weren’t best friends and it wasn’t until they were all considered suspects of the murder of dear husband Blake that they came together as a unit or did they?
Who killed the husband and why?

The author has quite the touch on taking one down a rabbit hole and then another before it starts to come together or does it?
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Blake Nelson, a polygamist living with his three sister wives on a remote land in Utah away from law & order is found murdered on his fishing trip. The Utah PD brings in all the three wives for questioning.. but whodunnit? A basic question around a murder mystery! But I guarantee you, the story isn’t that basic!!

While proceeding with finding the murderer, the readers also discover the lives and secrets of three wives - Rachel, Emily & Tina. Why would a woman voluntarily get involved in a polygamy relationship? The story development provides the answer! This is my first novel with such subjects and while reading, I got to know several things about how the society views polygamists.. its wrong, but I couldn’t stop feeling sorry for them!

Circling back to the murder, the author definitely managed to keep the mystery gripping till the end. Oh that ending, sure I didn’t expect that 😲

Most *I’m not sure if “appreciative” is the word I’d use here* thing is the that sister-wives obviously hate each other, but they also develop a sisterhood bond over an unfortunate situation. That ending was good 👌

This is perfect for thriller/murder mystery fans! I liked it so you would too 😉

Perfect for fans of the TV show Big Love and thrillers.

When Blake, a doomsday prepper and fundamentalist Mormon, is found dead on a remote ranch in Utah, the police instantly suspect his spouse. Only problem is, he has three wives, each with a potential motive. And each was alone at the time of the murder.

Each wife is keeping secrets, but it turns out Blake may have been keeping the most secrets of all.

I’ve watched several TV shows featuring polygamy, but this was an interesting look at a fracturing family. Each sister wife feels like a real person: Rachel, the first wife who grew up Mormon, Emily, who ran away from her Catholic family at 18 to marry Blake, and Tina, the former hooker and drug addict that Blake converts when he volunteers at her rehab.
Even though the wives hate each other, the author does such a good job showing the family through each one’s lens that you find yourself agreeing with each wife’s point of view.

This was well-paced, with the slowly revealing secrets keeping me turning the pages. I wasn’t sure who did it until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one of the most original thrillers I've read in a while. Blake Nelson was a polygamist, a man who believed that having multiple wives brought him closer to Christ. But even in Utah, plural marriage is frowned upon by the LDS community, which has driven Blake to an extremely remote ranch in the desert, with his wives Rachel, Emily, and Tina. When Blake is found murdered at his fishing spot on the property, the cops know it had to be one of the wives. The race to uncover what Blake had been doing and planning before his death leads to a darkness seldom seen in the placid streets of Salt Lake City and its outskirts. Cate Quinn did a masterful job of misdirection and ratcheting up the tension in these pages. I really enjoyed that each of the wives had their own POV, and they were all explored in great depth. There were twists and turns, and a few shocking revelations. The most unexpected thing for me was the fact that the book was surprisingly funny, in parts. If you are looking for a suspense filled book that will keep you up late turning pages, definitely give Black Widows a go. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the advance copy.
4 stars

When a polygamist husband dies under mysterious circumstances, which of his three wives is responsible?
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC of Black Widows by Cate Quinn for review!
Blake is a fundamentalist LDS in Salt Lake City who believes plural marriage will earn him a place in heaven. At least one person doesn't agree.
Chapters alternate between his wives - first wife Rachel, and sister wives Emily and Tina. Each account peels away more secrets from each woman's past, as well as what led to Blake's death.
I found the background contributing to the story quite fascinating, with the depiction of extreme religious practices and the women/families affected.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what each of the wives was hiding, the repressed memories. And I was not disappointed! Many elements took a turn for the dark, and a completely unexpected ending.
I will definitely keep an eye out for future thrillers from Cate Quinn - recommended!
For release tomorrow, Feb. 9.

Blake is a devout religious man and has taken on the belief of religious marriage. When he is found murdered on his isolated desert ranch, his three wives are become suspects. When the police dig in, they discover all the wives have motive to want Blake dead. An investigation unfurls and dives into each of the wives pasts, leaving no stone unturned.

This book has a bunch of topics which interest me which is why I wanted to read it to begin with. It covers cults, plural marriage and religion. The three wives are very unique and the book is written from their perspectives in alternating chapters. The chapters were nice and short and the switching narrators kept it intriguing. There was one wife who is a reformed drug user and prostitute and I just couldn’t get into the style of writing for her chapters. It was a little too glib for me and I almost just wanted to gloss over her parts. I found it hard to believe how any of them could truly love their husband but that was a theme throughout the novel. It was also very long (over 400 pages) and at times the plot got a little too convoluted for me. This one had some good parts sprinkled in with some mediocre. Thank you to @sourcebooks for my advanced reading copy!

Blake Nelson is found dead, but which wife did it? Rachel, the first wife, who is obedient and demure had a motive. But so did Emily, the second wife, young, naive, and withdrawn. Or Tina, the third wife who may not have been ready to share her husband with her two sister-wives.
The story explores a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints polygamist marriage set in Utah and opens to Blake Nelson's mysterious death (very clearly a murder...). The narrative switches between the three wives and Cate Quinn does well in differentiating each wife's voice at the beginning of the chapter. This was an interesting mystery read that had me guessing who the murderer was the whole way through. The background story of each wife was intriguing and allowed more insight into the women and the marriage. There were times when the narrative dragged on a bit and the writing/voice in Tina's chapters started losing consistency about halfway through. Towards the end, I was more interested in the motives and the lives of Rachel, Emily, and Tina rather than the complicated/paranoid/deceiving person Blake was. However, this was a good thriller with a few questions still left unanswered and it was interesting to explore the motives of the killer.

"I had the right husband, and the wrong wives."

But what happens when the "right" husband is found dead and one of his three wives is suspected of killing him? Who could have killed Blake? Which wife?

So begins the mystery. Black Widows is told through the POV of sister wives: Rachel, Emily and Tina. Rachel was Blake's first wife; she has a past that she would like to keep secret. Emily is young, anxious and estranged from her family. Tina, an ex-prostitute, came from the Vegas strip and has been in rehab. The wives have nothing in common except for being married to Blake; until each is suspected of killing him.

"It would almost seem," she says, "as though your husband went out shopping for wives. A maid in the parlor, a cook in the kitchen, a whore in the bedroom."

Plural marriages how do they work? Does everyone get along? Are all the wives happy? Does Blake play favorites? Is there jealousy? You will need to read to find out. The premise of this book sounded so interesting. A man married to three women is found dead, the investigating officers believe he was killed by one of his wives. Now they need to prove it. Each wife has her voice and tells her tale. Through the course of the book, we learn more about each wife, her relationships with the other wives and her relationship with Blake. The beginning and ending of Black Widows were strong. The book lagged a little in the middle for me.

I really enjoyed the sections about the sister wives’ relationships with each other. This is no Big Love (HBO series) where each wife has her own home and children. In this book, Rachel, Emily and Tina all live under the same roof on an isolated homestead. As the police investigate and question each wife, the women also wonder which of them killed Blake and why.

Overall, an enjoyable, well written book which had me guessing and trying to figure out who killed Blake. Will you be surprised? I did not see that coming! Along the way we learn a lot of truths and there are some things brought to light in each of the POV characters.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's no secret that I'm weird and that I love to read weird books with bizarre topics. My favorite things to read are about serial killers, insane biographies, and books about cults. So this one jumped right out at me when I read the synopsis.

It started off with me zooming through pages because there was this need to gather all the information that I could. But then I felt as if I was a dog chasing its own tail. Information kept being repeated and repeated like it was a broken record. And that is where it lost me. I actually skimmed the last little bit because it wasn't one that kept me all that interested and the killer was very easy to figure out. I needed more bizarre and less eye-rolling.

None of the characters were all that interesting and I didn't feel any emotions towards them. They all had their own little secrets but it just wasn't enough to have me interested in what happened to any of them.

Black Widows was an okay read with bland characters. The author tried too hard to be shocking and it fell flat. The twists that were supposed to be hair-raising were just your typical everyday stuff. I can't say that I was overly impressed. I guess it was something to pass the time.