Still sitting inside on a gorgeous sunny day because this read was so intense that I couldn’t put it aside, even for a the minute it would take to put my bathing suit on, and continue to read while floating in the pool. The beginning just sucks you into a whirling vortex with so many twists and turns that leave you floating for just a minute before getting sucked back in. Great pacing! Loved the main characters, Dr. Leah Wright and Detective Luca Jericho. Will definitely read the next one, hoping for another chance for love between them. Set aside devoted time for this read, as once you start you won’t want to put it down. Many many thanks to CJ Lyons and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this thriller, soon to be published on July 28th. Don’t pass this one up!

If you want a page turner, a book that will keep you guessing almost to the end this is it. Leah is a dedicated doctor, her husband Ian a computer geek and Emily their daughter a gifted child. Theirs is a happy home. When things go awry and Ian is found brutally and inexplicably murdered detectives are not aware as to where to start.

Luka Jericho the Detective in charge does not believe the wife is suspect but he is working alone on this as his team are very sure that she is at the bottom of it. Their suspicions arise because Leah is clinically composed, not emotional and does not burst into tears with people. Leah on the other hand knows that there is much more than this being a random killing or a home invasion and that she must be the one to protect the child Emily at whatever cost.

Fast paced, clues falling all around you - even the reader wonders whether the wife is the suspect here despite evidence to the contrary. It all seems to point to her and so many pointers are towards her only. It takes good detection skills to see the cleverness and trickery of a twisted mind who is behind the killings.

Characterization was very good because it showed that not everyone goes to pieces in a crisis. Some people can think things through in the most desperate of situations.

The cover was I felt completely at odds with the story.

I hate when I am conflicted after reading a book. The start of this book was riveting. A too dedicated Dr comes home to a house of horrors – her husband hacked up with blood everywhere and her young daughter in the same room traumatized and hiding under the bed. I liked the detective assigned the case even though his team had certainly had a hard on for only believing that the wife could be the only suspect.

Where my conflict comes in is the who and why of the killer. I dislike when other reviewers say a book is to far fetched but that really fits this to a tee. Just didn't mesh with the rest of the book. The “reveal/showdown” was thrilling but was kinda in a different genre than the rest of the book. I did like the final chapter and where everyone was at in their life and would consider reading the next book in the series.

My thoughts
Rating: 5
Would I recommend it? Yes
Would I read more of the series? Yes,
Would I read more of this author? Yes,but only if their'll like this.
First off I want to thank Bookoutre, Netgalley and especially C.J. Lyons for letting me read and request this as soon as I saw it NetGalley because I knew it would be something that I would pick up and read and man was I right. Because right from the start I was hooked to point that I didn't want to stop reading and that I just wanted to set there and read. And even though this is my first time reading anything by this author,I now want to more of this series to read. There was twist and turns and all kinds of questions that I kept asking myself, like who would want to kill the husband so bad, was it something linked to his work , or maybe even to Leah's work, or did Leah really have something to do with her husband's murder.So if you'll looking for heart pounding edge of your seat thriller then you might want to check this one out.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Leah is an ER doctor who returns home to an unspeakable crime that took the life of her husband. There are unexpected twists and turns in this thrilling novel.

Leah Wright is an emergency room doctor, married to Ian they have a daughter, Emily, aged six. Valentine's Day has just come to an end when she arrives home from her twelve hour shift to find a scene normally only seen in nightmares. Detective Luka Jericho is the cop assigned the case who can't believe his luck when he discovers a witness to interview.

As Luka begins his investigation and Leah tries to understand even a little of what is happening they both find themselves unable to decipher the clues or work out who to trust. With a lack of motive the chance of catching or even identifying the perp seems remote. The cop and the doctor have a lot in common however, and neither are willing to let this go until everything is explained and signed off.

This is the first in a series featuring the doc and the cop, set in Pennsylvania. Both main characters work well and this was a novel which began with a bang and never let up. The author is a doctor and many of the emotions of the main players, and the reasons for them, were described graphically to give a powerful and realistic feel to the storyline. There was, however, for me, too much going on. The part about Luka's sister and his grandfather could have been omitted almost entirely without being missed. In fact the results without the preamble might have worked even better.

Overall I enjoyed this and was engaged by it from start to finish. I did however, guess the main culprit but although this lessened the impact of the ending there was much more happening which needed to be clarified all of which was done very satisfactorily.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or is looking to begin a new series with both a law enforcement and medical slant. In both cases you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a thriller ,well executed enjoyable characters it is going to make a good series between the doctor and the detective.

I found this to be a fast paced mystery. The action started pretty much straight away and had me hooked right from the start.

What a great start to a new series with Luka and Leah .

Leah is an ER doctor who goes home to find her husband covered in blood and her daughter hiding under the bed.

Luka is called in to investigate, he is fair, open minded and has his own family he is dealing with.

Twists and turns keep those pages turning to the very end.

I half guessed and that's the fun in a book like this.

Cant wait for the second in the series, no pressure.

Off to read more of this author's books, how have I not read her before.?

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an entertaining read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have read all this authors books and they never fail to disappoint me. This had a great storyline, lots of twists and good characters. I loved it.

Despite being Valentine's Day, it seemed to be a usual day in the Emergency Room for Dr. Leah Wright. After calling her young daughter for their regular 8:00 bedtime chat, Dr. Wright and her husband made plans to exchange Valentine's Day gifts when she got home from work. As she wound down her shift, flowers arrived that promised of a surprise at home. But, this was not a pleasant surprise. Finding her husband dead and her daughter hiding under the bed, Dr. Wright dialed 911.. Over the next 48 hours as the police track a killer and Dr. Wright tries to keep her daughter safe, she'll learn that often the worst kinds of people aren't hiding at all.

The storyline is great, but I found some aspects of it frustrating. Without giving away spoilers, there was a lot to the hospital operations (including the side clinic) that was far fetched and unbelievable. Overall, it is a great read and I would definitely recommend it.

This book was extremely well written with some great characters I enjoyed reading this.
Leahs husband meets a very violent traumatic end. No one seems to know why he was targeted. Leah must protect her daughter from a threat she doesn’t even recognize. But the danger is much closer to home than she thinks.
This was a gripping page turner start to finish. The only complaint I have about this book is that about 3/4 way through the ending became a little predictable but that did not affect my enjoyment of the book as it was so well written

Gripping and page turning thriller.
Leah Wright, an ER doc, comes home after her shift on Valentine's Day to find her husband brutally murdered and her young daughter hiding under the bed. Detective Luka Jericho is surprised the killer left a witness. Was this a crime of power, profit or passion? Most of the homicide squad figures the wife is behind it even when she is threatened again. All Leah wants is to keep her daughter safe. Can Luka catch the killer in time?

This was a great start to a new series. The story flowed well and was full of tension and a few red herrings. The main characters are flawed but relatable - an ambitious doctor with self esteem issues and a detective with good instincts. I'm looking forward to seeing how the characters develop in future books.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Dr. Leah Wright is an ambitious, tough, selfless woman with a god complex. She is successful and happy in her life until she finds her husband and her daughter drenched in blood. Detective Luca Jericho is assigned to investigate. Can he catch the killer before more harm is done?

This was an intense read. There are so many incidents that occur at once and that invokes overwhelmed feelings from the reader and that matches the emotions of the primary characters. The author added a ton of emotional quotient and it was easy to empathize with Leah and Luca. They were similar in a lot of ways. All the secondary characters were fun, pragmatic and that was a nice contrast. The entire book is written in the third person with simple diction.

Foreshadowing and irony were implemented well. There are so many hints throughout the book that will convey the killer’s identity. Details regarding the setting were not elaborate and that helped the story not lose focus. But some parts represented the moods of the book. Overall, ‘The Next Widow’ is an engaging, fast-paced, roller-coaster.

Personal Note: After my long-term rom-com YA binge, this was exactly what I needed. I’m so ready to bury my head in other books of ‘CJ Lyons’. This book has exceeded all expectations.
ARC is provided by Bookouture publishers and NetGalley. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this book, it had all the makings of an excellent thriller! Leah is about to finish her shift as an ER doctor and rush home to her husband (although we know from the burb how that ends!) brutally murdered in front of her daughter, Leah can’t really mourn the loss of her husband as she finds herself at risk of being the next target - or the next suspect! Ending was a bit lame which lost a star - but was still a gripping read! Can’t wait for the next one.

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, C.J. Lyons, and Bookouture. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend C.J. Lyons to friends and family. She writes an excellent, compelling thriller with personable protagonists and her story is fast-paced and enthralling. The first of a series, The Next Widow is completely stand-alone and an excellent 'teaser'. I will be first in line for Book 2.

Dr. Leah Wright returned to her childhood home in rural Cambria City, Pennsylvania with her husband Ian and 5-year-old daughter Emily to care for her great aunt, Tillie, the woman who raised Leah. Tillie is dying and needs care, which they are easily able to provide. Ian has the summer off from his job, a Ph.D. Professor of cybersecurity at Cambria College and he also consults with CERT, a national government security system set up for security oversight on many government departments. Leah takes over as the family breadwinner working as a medical doctor at the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital. Now that Aunt Tillie is gone, her shifts grow longer and swing, so much of the raising of their daughter Emily falls into Ian's hands, but they all agree that staying in Cambria City is an excellent idea, rather than returning to the big city.

And then Ian is brutally murdered in the middle of the night in front of his young daughter, Emily. Detective Sergeant Luka Jericho is puzzled - this murder could be tied into Ian's CERT work, a home invasion (nothing is missing), or perhaps the wife - who has an alibi as she was working at the time of the murder - perhaps she hired someone to take out her husband... First rule in the murder book is look to the spouse and loved ones before wasting time with strangers...

The Next Widow is a pacy thriller by C J Lyons. It is the first book in her Jericho and Wright series, and I’m keen to read more.

The book opens in a dramatic way when Dr Leah Wright is fighting to save someone’s life on the operating table. But when Leah returns home, she finds a gruesome discovery. Her husband has been brutally attacked and killed, and her daughter has been left cowering upstairs, half-scared to death. What is even more chilling for Leah is that earlier on in the day she was sent a note, which she believed to be from her husband. But what if it wasn’t sent by her husband at all? Who would want him dead? Darker questions soon arise when the police ask the question, who really was the target here?

C J Lyons creates an air of mystery right from the beginning. We soon learn that Leah’s husband was involved with something top secret and worked for the government. Could this be the reason why he was targeted? The only lead the detectives have to go on is a drawing by Leah’s daughter of their suspect.

What really interested me most as the investigation started to progress was the fact that Leah’s husband was working on a top-secret project. I wanted to find out what this was. Was this was in any way connected to what had happened. Although the police investigation takes a dark and worrying turn and I wondered what sort of an impact this would have on Leah and her family.

C J Lyons managed to keep the tension, turning up a notch as the police try to piece together the evidence. There are various leads for them to be working on, but what I also found interesting, was Detective Luka Jericho’s backstory. Luka has had difficulties with his sister over the years. This has caused a lot of heartache both for him and his parents. But now after years since he last saw her, she is back. But it isn’t clear what she wants. I’m interested to see how this relationship will develop further in future books in this series.

After reading my first book by C J Lyons, I’m pretty sure I’ll be reading more from this series. The Next Widow is an addictive read that will keep you hooked from the first page right up until the last. You’ll be desperate to know the secrets that are hidden within the pages.

Hooked from the first to the last page. A heart pounding edge of your seat thriller. This series just keeps getting better and better. An ER doctor has just finished her shift, she finds a bouquet of red roses left on her desk with a card saying I HOPE YOU LIKE WHAT I HAVE LEFT YOU. When she gets home she finds her husband has been hacked to death sat by their daughters bed, their daughter is hiding underneath the bed. Full of tension and suspense, misdirection and very few suspects. The storyline was gripping. I did guess who the perpetrator was but the reasons were literally mind blowing. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC

Full of thrills and twists! This was a great thriller! The author did a great job of pulling you into the story and making you fearful for Leah and her daughter!

This is a well written and entertaining story, but unfortunately the plot is based on nonsense. In addition, the label says it's a thriller, and there are a few pages of suspense, but mostly the book is a drama.