I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review-
I have loved every book i have read from this author----- she keeps you turning the pages -
What a book! A doctor who saves lives finds herself struggling to discover who would brutally murder her husband and leave their 6 year old daughter hiding under the bed? Why was he tortured and murdered? Will the killer come for her and her daughter.
This book is a thriller with a startling conclusion!

After a late shift, Dr Leah Wright heads out to her car to find her husband has left her a present promising something special on her arrival. Except when she arrives home all is quiet and when there’s no answer from him and she notices a trail of blood she panics that something terrible has happened to him and their young daughter Emily. 

I loved that we jumped right into the plot. There was no massive backstory, no slow build up, we’re just thrown right into the story and it gripped my attention straight away. The rest of the story was fast-paced and interesting - kept me guessing until the very end, dealing with the complex consequences of trauma and what that means for people, and also investigating who murdered Leah’s husband. 

I loved how the story is told through the eyes of the victim’s wife and also the detective assigned to the case. It gave us a unique perspective into the trauma and pain left behind and also the ongoing investigation into what happened and who the murderer was. 

I got so suspicious of so many of the characters I found it so hard to know who to trust. It had me second guessing everyone’s moves and motivation - were they just been nice or did they have an ulterior motive? 

I had some ideas about how the story would end, but I was often wrong. And even when I had figured it out - I still didn’t understand why, and that shocked me just as much as finding out how who the antagonist was.

The ending was incredible - so unique and exciting. The Next Widow is a thought provoking, gripping read and I just couldn’t put it down. Just when I thought I’d grasped what I thought was going on, the book turned into a new and exciting direction. 

I can’t wait for the next book in the series - and I’m looking forward to finding out where the story goes next!

The Next Widow is the first book in the Jericho and Wright crime thriller series. Jericho is our Lead Detective whereas Wright is the doctor at the center of the criminal investigation. Her husband has been brutally murdered while at home alone with their daughter.

The story is narrated by Wright, Jericho and a few chapters have an anonymous narrator. The first scene is dramatic and emotionally devastating and it immediately drew me to the victims of the crime. Like the police, I wanted the perpetrator behind bars as soon as possible.

I enjoyed the array of characters in this book. Loved the MC, was curious about his background and the progression of his character and new role in future books. I also liked the support characters especially from the detectives’ team. In particular, I am curious about Harper although she did infuriate me a couple of times. I think the author tackled the introduction of these characters very well.

My only issue with this book is that I was able to guess the identity of the baddie within the first chapters of the book. I don’t know if that was intentional on the part of the author but I wish it wasn’t so obvious. It stole away some of the mystery from the book. Nevertheless, I couldn’t work out the motive and so that held my attention up to the last page.

This is a promising start of what sounds like a brilliant series. I am especially intrigued by the role that Leah will play in future installments. I can’t wait for book 2 already. Fast- paced and thrilling to the last page, fans of crime thrillers should definitely not miss this one.

This is an intense psychological novel that will keep on the edge of your seat. Intense at times and very fast passed. I was glued to the edge of my seat! Lots of twists and turns!

The Next Widow is book 1 in a new exciting series featuring DS Luka Jericho and Dr. Leahy Wright… Wowsers, this book was an edge of your seat gripping detective thriller.

Leah’s husband is brutally murdered while she is on night shift at the Good Samaritan Medical Centre, entering her home after a long shift, she knows something is not right but what she found is completely unimaginable and with her daughter, Emily cowering under her bed, Leah must get to her but she has to traverse her husband’s body in order to do that…. Enter Luka Jericho who is called in to investigate, was it a home invasion gone wrong, something more sinister at play or something far closer to home?

Absolutely loved this book and what a fantastic introduction to what promises to be a great series, with plenty of red herrings and misdirection, the plot twist and finale were a shock, I consider a book to be brilliant if I haven’t figured out who dunnit and this was one of those, a great police procedural exciting thriller that you will not want to put down, you will tell yourself just one more chapter, just one more chapter and before you know it you are reading the last chapter with your nails bitten down to the quick. Looking forward to Book 2 already!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date 7/28/20

The next widow will keep you at the edge of your seat. I enjoyed the point of view told from Leah and Luka. At times this book became intense but so worth it. Filled with twists and turns this one will stay with you and keep you guessing until the last page! A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author CJ Lyons for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Ok. This book had so many twists and turns! I could not put it down once I started reading it!! A must read. I would recommend this book!

I really liked this one in the beginning and middle and the beginning of the end - then, well, it was the beginning of the end... I found the pacing and revelations and misdirection fascinating and edge-of-your-seat compelling for so much of this book. I honestly didn't know who the baddies and the goodies were - or if there were honestly any of each (beyond the named characters in the series title, who obviously weren't going to turn out to be the evil-doers, or there wouldn't have been much of a series). Then when the Big Revelations started rolling out things felt like they veered out of the realm of a *real* horror story and into that of a movie one. It felt like they went too dark, too fast and it stretched the bounds of credulity for me. I still read it, mind you, and flipped pages pretty furiously - but it felt a little overdone compared to the more subtle psychological cat-and-mouse teaser of the vast majority of the book. I'm still a fan - this was a horrifying nightmare of a story, but in a very readable (even if I sometimes wanted to half-close my eyes while doing so) way. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for more from CJ Lyons...

My first time reading this author and she left me wanting more. I’m eagerly awaiting for what she has up next. As I have said...this genre has me devouring all the books.

Leah Wright is an ER doctor but the one person she can't save is her husband Ian who is violently tortured and murdered on Valentine's Day. She arrives home to the promise of a surprise but finds his devastated body and her daughter cowering under a bed. Luka Jericho is called in to lead the investigation into Ian's murder but the evidence seems to be pointing at Leah...
Leah and Luka are very likeable lead characters. Both are vulnerable emotionally due to their family relationships which feature heavily in this book. The danger that Leah and her daughter face is tangible and easy to imagine as a parent myself.
The dramatic nature of the plot and the mix of personal and professional relationships is enjoyable and engaging. The natural respect between the police and medical team is apparent yet strained due to suspicions. I understand that The Next Widow is the first in a series to feature Leah and Luka and it will be interesting to see how they move on from this case and work with their colleagues.
CJ Lyons' style of writing is easy to read and engaging. The drama, danger and dread are all cleverly layered to keep the reader emotionally linked to the characters and their responses to events. The family dynamics inspired my anger on behalf of Luka and Leah as they are victims of the selfishness of others.
The Next Widow is a dramatic thriller with some graphic description and forensic detail. I did not find the ending and explanation of the motive particularly credible but it was an enjoyable story overall. I look forward to more in this series and the further development of Luka and Leah's chaacters.

C.J. Lyons has always been a favorite of mine. The Next Widow grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down. The character, Dr. Leah Wright works at a hospital in ER and finds herself always trying to save every patient. She's accused of suffering from the God complex. It's hard for her to understand that she cannot save the world. She's married and has a six year old daughter.

On Valentine's Day, she winds up getting off from her shift early and decides to head home. Upon arriving, she's faced with something horrendous, beyond understanding. At that point, her life changes for her and her child. Enter Detective Luka Jericho who's called to investigate. There are no quick answers and it's up to him to solve the crime.

It's a superb read! You can't go wrong with C.J. Lyons. I didn't want to reveal much more than what I did (spoiler alert). I'm ready for the 2nd one in this series. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! Amazing!

This book started out great but once again a book with a very predictable ending. I like all of CJ Lyon’s books but this is not of the best.

The Next Widow by CJ Lyons is a dark & gripping crime thriller that is definitely is page-turner. The incidents in the book are pretty chilling & creepy that left me reading late into the night. Set in rural Pennsylvania, I found the description of the places & the scenes to be quiet with a sense of foreboding. This created a creepy atmosphere & set the mood for the story. I loved the character of Dr. Leah Wright & found Luka Jericho to be just okay. I'm hoping there will be more interesting things to learn about him in the following books. It would be interesting to see how a partnership between an ER doctor and a detective develops. The rest of the characters were great too! While I loved the plot & the twists the book had a bit of a far-fetched sci-fi element that I found very difficult to believe. But other than that the book, was a great start to a fresh new series that seems to hold a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Thank You, NetGalley, Bookouture & CJ Lyons for an arc!

The Next Widow by CJ Lyons is the first in the new series, Jericho and Wright thrillers. Jericho is Luka Jericho, a murder detective who has never used his gun. He is still missing his fiancée, who was killed years ago, and lives with his grandfather, who is struggling with old age. Wright is Dr. Leah Wright who is an emergency room physician, who does her best to save a life, no matter what. It is Valentine's Day, and Leah is working her normal noon to midnight shift. She takes a break at 8 to call her husband and daughter, as is her routine. He husband plans to wait up as he has a surprise for her. As she is living the hospital, she picks up a dozen roses that have been left at the desk for her, the card, repeating the promise of a surprise at home. When she arrives, she enters through an open back door and immediately sees blood. She follows the blood to see the butchered body of her husband and discovers her daughter hiding under the bed. She crawls through the blood to get to her daughter, calls 911, and begins the nightmare of the next 24 hours.

A little more bloody than what I normally read, The Next Widow is so compelling it forces the reader to keep reading. Not out of fascination, really, but out of a need to know. There certainly are crazy people in the world and we meet several of them in the process of solving this crime. There are good things, too. Good people. The plot was convoluted, but quite good, and the characters were well written, with deep backgrounds. There were a number of excellent subplots, more than enough to keep the story interesting. Most of them were about the people in this very character driven novel. The conclusion was satisfying and I look forward to more. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Next Widow by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thenextwidow

I would like to Thanks CJ Lyons, Netgalley, and Bookouter for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Next Widow is the first book in a new series by CJ Lyons.
Leah Wright is an E.R. doctor. Leah family consists of a daughter and a husband. Leah Wright returns home from her night shift her husband is dead with blood everywhere and her young daughter in the same room traumatized and hiding under the bed. Leah is devastated by the murder of her husband and will do anything to protect her 6-year-old daughter who was a witness.
Detective Luka Jericho is and his team are investigating the murder as they try to find out who did this, and why.
I enjoyed the book but I felt that some parts are dragged a little bit. I liked CJ Lyons writing style the story is not very new but her writing made it interesting. For me, it is 3 stars as I guessed the killer by around halfway and was no happy to see that my prediction come true at the end.

Dr. Leah Wright and her daughter Emily are reeling from the murder of her husband.....a murder that Emily May have witnessed. Detective Jericho has seen this kind of crime scene before....his fiancé’s. Can Leah trust him to keep her and Emily safe?

I really enjoyed this as a police procedural. The plot wasn't overdone, and all questions were finished by the end of the book. Quick paced and interesting. There was good character development as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley and publisher! New author to keep an eye out for and read their work.

An excellent police procedural with a decent pace. CJ Lyons introduces readers to two well developed, fascinating characters that are easy to relate to and ultimately leave readers intrigued, wanting more. The plot is highly character driven with the crime/police procedural front and center. Thoroughly enjoyed, highly recommended!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheNextWidow which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

This book got me real good
I felt like The Detective trying to catch the bad guy and was really surprised at who did it
This page turner will leave you at the edge of your seat wanting to find the criminal, not knowing who to believe

What a great start to a new series....
Meet Detective Luka Jericho and Dr Leah Wright....
If you love crime and a cracking good police series, then there is nothing better than getting in at the start of a new one..
The anticipation, the drama and promise of what is to come, I love it...
This story hits you right between both eyes in the first few chapters...
It's so heartbreaking and unimaginable..
I cried I must admit at the sheer horror of it...
We meet Dr Leah Wright, an emergency doctor who arrives home on Valentine's night after a long shift to discover her husband murdered and her daughter hiding under her bed in terror...
Who could possibly have come into her home and destroyed her family....
The pace of this story I quite enjoyed, the characters I loved...
I feel there is much more to come from the characters Jericho & Wright and I'm excited to see where the author will take them..
Both are after suffering immensely in their personal life....
A very well written thriller with plenty to entice you to read the next chapter...
Well worth your time....