The Widow kept me guessing the whole way through - I certainly wouldn't have predicted the ending! It just seemed like lots of loose threads that tied together nicely but in a very convenient way. I wasn't in love with the writing either - I got into the prose and setting of the story, but the dialogue seemed both stilted and unnecessarily verbose.

I love KL Slater but I struggled a bit with this. It didn't seem to flow like her books usually do.
Kate and Michael live in a small village with their daughter Tansy. A newcomer Suzy goes missing and the finger seems to be pointing at Michael. Surely Kate would know if her husband was capable of something like that wouldn't she?
But then Michael gets killed....or is it something more sinister?

The plot is weak and a little stupid, and the changing POV makes the story rather messy. Not very interesting, and thus not very entertaining, even though the characters are OK.

I am an author, K.L. Slater fan; I have read "The Marriage" as well as "The Apartment" and they were 5 star great!
When I picked up “The Marriage” I thought ~ 'Hmmm the cover sure is given a lot away'.
So knew when I saw this cover reveal something bad was caused by the husband; I knew there was a lot more to it.
I am a big psychological thriller fan~ so I am sure these four things are going to happen:
> Be suspicious of everyone!
> Expect twists and twist and turns!
> The most obvious person didn’t do it!
> There will be many secrets!

Story alternates time period with several characters ~ our main characters and as well as chapters about Jakub Jasinski in Poland. I wasn’t real interested in these chapters but knew he surely had a connection to Suzy since she is also from Poland.

Our main characters;
Kate and Michael Shaw are happily married and have a six year old daughter Tansy.
They are friends with Paul and Donna. In fact, Donna and Kate have been friends for a long time and were even pregnant at the same time both having daughters. They often take care of the little girls Tansy and Ellie to let the parents go on a ‘Date Night’. Michael is aware that Paul is a womanizer. Donna is suspicious as well. Paul is handsome and very charismatic. Being flirtatious is something natural and easy for him.
Suzy Baros is a young beautiful single mother with a young son, Aleka who is the same age as Tansy and Ellie. Suzy seems to be escaping a troubled past as she states she is looking for a fresh start in the UK.
She is currently working as Irene Wadebridge’s Home Helper.
Michael Shaw is the property and land manager on the Wadebridge Estate. He first worked as Amos Wadebridge’s assistant. After he died Irene hired Michael to stay on and offered a generous salary.
Michael’s father Gus and Amos had been close business associates and now Irene is close to Michael young family.
Suzy goes missing and has everyone baffled as to where she went.
Everyone in the village is questioned regarding Suzy’s disappearance.

Michael is questioned again by the police as go they got a message from an anonymous caller who states
~if you are interested in finding Jakub Jasinski, ask Michael Shaw at Wadebridge~.

When Michael is interviewed once again, it appears the interview didn’t go well as afterwards something terrible happens to him; and things turn upside down for Kate.

Awww Kim Slater does NOT disappoint! This was another Great read for me!
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Want to thank NetGalley and Bookoutre for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 12, 2021.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was a great story with lots of twists that kept me reading past my bedtime, would definitely recommend.

I've made a promise to myself last night when I closed my book: no more domestic thrillers for the next few years. I'm afraid I'm just not the right reader for this genre. Give me an intelligent, capable and strong heroine any time, and I will just avoid any book with titles like "his secret", "her revenge" or "the breakup".

First, what is very noticeable is the fact that K.L. Slater is a good writer, there is no question about that. She clearly can compose a story, give individual voices to her characters and write fluent chapters. The storyline that starts in Poland goes back and forth in time and is written is such a way that you can easily follow the thread. Kudos for that.

What I didn't like were the characters, none of which are likeable at all, they are all selfish and rather obnoxious to say the least. Three woman with three very different lifestyles and yet none can provide an encouraging environment for their child. The Insta Christmas picture of homely bliss seems more important than a real warm nest. Also the plot is as thin as tobacco paper. It is much drama but very little substance, much ado about nothing really. If any of the characters would have had just a moment of good judgment, they would have gone to the police to send the cops in the right directions, and nothing would have happened.

The biggest issue I had with one of the plot twist is when Kate finds out who the direct cause is for her husband's death. That person just says "Sorry I didn't mean to", and Kate's response is basically "Let's have a cup of tea and talk about it". Really? If I found out the culprit responsible for my beloved husband's death I would go for a full suckerpunch first.

Anyway, just as I said it is a well written book, just not my cup of tea.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Widow starts with Kate standing with her daughter at a police dig site. They are looking for a missing woman. All the villagers are looking at her and talking about her dead husband as a suspect.
In the next chapter, we are back at the beginning prior to the woman going missing.

The setting of village life was on point. You know how small towns are: Things are great one minute and the next you are ostracized.

Kate has noticed that her husband has been acting "off" lately, but gets no answers as to why. There are other people not acting normally as well. I felt like some of the characters could have had a bit more depth to them although they are mostly portrayed well. I enjoyed the addition of a few Polish immigrants to the story.

All in all a pretty good read!

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the advance copy

Another brilliant read from the amazing K.L Slater.
Kate and her husband Michael live in a lovely small village with their daughter Tansy.
Donna her husband Paul and daughter Ellie are friends of theirs,Donna's sister went missing years ago and Donna has suffered with anxiety ever since and their marriage is in trouble due to Paul's wandering eye.
Suzy a polish immigrant works for Irene a elderly lady who lives in the big house and lives in one of the cottages on the land with her small son Alex.
Michael also works for Irene she looks on him as the son she never had.
Kate starts to worry that Michael is growing to close to Suzy and when she goes missing her suspicions get worse,could Michael have someone to do with Suzys disappearance.
When Michael is hit by a lorry after attending a police interview questions are asked did he commit suicide or was it a tragic accident?
When two bodies are found was Kate right to suspect her husband?
Once again K.L Slater has written a book you will not want to put down.
Highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

I've read so many books by KL Slater, and they always tend to be entertaining. Yes, they're a little formulaic, but it's usually a formula that works, which was the case once again with The Widow. This is a fast paced and well plotted thriller that should please fans of her previous work!

Another brilliant read from this very talented author. I was invested in this from page one and didn’t want to put it down. Kate, Michael and their daughter have a very happy life, live in a beautiful village and are part of the community. One evening Kate’s world falls apart when a newcomer to the village goes missing and so begins a brilliant twisty turny read

I was looking for a fast-paced thriller to read and The Widow by K.L Slater was the perfect choice. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. Most of the book is narrated by Kate Shaw, but there are also other points-of-view and multiple timelines. Everything is clear from the chapter headings, though, so there is no confusion and the story flows very smoothly.

When her husband, Michael, appears to be connected to two missing persons cases, Kate can't help but have doubts. Things get worse when Kate catches him in lies and starts to think he is keeping terrible secrets from her. I like Kate and also the lead detective on the case, but not all the characters are as likable as they are. It took me a few chapters to get into the book because I couldn't relate to a couple of the characters. However, once the story got going, I loved all the twists and turns, and liked the way things turned out in the end. I really enjoyed this unique thriller and am looking forward to reading more by Slater.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Bookouture. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Read this book in one day! Brilliant book that’s had you in the edge of your seat trying to work out the twists and turns.
Very engrossing storyline, no predictability, and quite heartbreaking in parts.
You feel numerous emotions reading this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller/ murder mystery.
There is a good range of characters, each who has their own story. Some likeable, some not, but all memorable.
Lovely to read a book set in Nottingham, my home town.
First K L Slater book I read, but won’t be the last!

Kate stands at the edge of a field on the estate where her husband Michael worked while Police excavators dig over it in the hunt for a missing woman. Villagers stand nearby looking accusingly at her. Surely she knew what had happened to Suzy?
Kate and Michael have been happily married for many years, although she has some suspicion about his friendship with Suzy she believes him when he says he has no idea about her disappearance. She feels she has to trust him for the sake of their daughter. But is he worthy of her trust, certainly the Police suspect him of some wrong doing
This was a great novel, I read it very quickly as I was so interested to see what had happened. I was rooting for Kate to find out the truth and for her friend Donna to dump her rat of a husband. Looking forward to Kim's next novel now.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Tension Mounting Suspense…
Where does the truth lie and how far will someone go to hide it? With a well described setting, an intriguing plotline and a nicely crafted cast of characters, this tension mounting psychological suspense explores just that. Engaging from the start, keeping interest throughout to the, perhaps, unexpected finale with twists along the way.

This is the third book of K L Slater that I read and have come to like her writing. As with the other books I read, this has a good story, reasonable pace and twists. The twists are not pretentious / force fitted and I generally like that.

Kate and Michael are happily married, though not exactly rich, but are content. Michael manages property for Irene, now in her 70s, after her husband passed away. Kate is a part-time teacher at school. They have a young daughter Tansy. Donna, Paul and their daughter Ellie are their close family friends. Donna’s younger sister disappeared many years back, and her memory continues to haunt her. Donna & Paul have had challenges in their marriage but the worst seems to be over. A Polish immigrant Suzy and her son Aleks are new to the village. Suzy also works on Irene’s property. All of a sudden Suzy disappears, and there are insinuations that Michael might know something. Soon after, Michael dies in a truck accident; was the stress too much for him? Did he really have something to do with Suzy’s disappearance?

The pace is decent, though it does slack a little in the middle. I loved Kate’s character and how she copes with all that is thrown at her. It all comes together quite well at the end, though the last sections could have been better. This is a good story and well worth a read.

Another brilliant read by K L Slater! She is such a consistently good autogiro, given how quickly she writes! Full of twists and turns, I loved it!

Twisty, unpredictable, tense and gripping. I didnt know what was going to happen while I was reading it nut I really enjoyed it

This was a quick read with many twists and turns! Very enjoyable! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

The Widow is the latest story by K. L. Slater. Kate has known Michael for over 17 years and has been married to him for 15, but does she really know him like she thought she did? Kate is an excellent character, someone easy to feel empathy for. The Widow is a page turner and difficult to put down. I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy to read.

I just love K.L Slater's books and this one was no exception. This is a terrific story that questions those you love and secrets we keep. A psychological thriller that really keeps you on your toes wondering what is really going on. Great characters that have depth and a fast paced story that moves along at a cracking speed completely taking you in on a world wind ride. If you have not read this author before you really need to, always an enjoyable read and usually one that stays with you for a while after. 5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.