The Next Widow: A gripping crime thriller with unputdownable suspense

CJ Lyons

Jul 2020 · Jericho and Wright Thrillers Book 1 · Bookouture

About this ebook

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.” Goodreads reviewer

“This book has more twists and turns than a mountain road but eventually the truth comes out in an exciting climax… One of the best mysteries of the season.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

“Such a page-turner and gripping and so gritty, I loved how the story progressed with all its twists turns and mysteries. Definitely recommend.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

“Wow… This book grabbed my attention from the first page!... I loved every bit of it! The character's just come alive! I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good thriller read like I do!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

“AMAZING read… Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout… From the beginning, with the blood filled house, to the daughter under the bed, to the investigator, and then to everything pointing to the mother being the one who was at fault, this book just got better and better.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

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...

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. The Next Widow is a tale that will have you completely hooked right off the bat. The opening is the stuff that nightmares are made of, definitely not for the faint hearted and it really does set up the tone for the rest of the story. I am applying my less is more for this review in discussing the plot, as it is best just going in with what the blurb reveals. The characters that have been put together are first class and really make the story pop! Leah was someone I was able to completely empathise with and I was rooting for her throughout. I also really enjoyed Luka’s character (Love the name!). I found both to be an odd coupling, but I look forward to seeing how they work together in the next instalment. This is the first book out of an extensive back catalogue of C.J’s that I have read and I throughly enjoyed everything that she brought to the story. I was really impressed by her and she is an asset to the genre. She has set the bar high with this first instalment and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us with the next book. The Next Widow is a gripping crime thriller that will have you on the edge of you seat, but make sure you hang on as there are plenty of twists and turns that will have your head spinning in the lead up to its satisfying conclusion. It was a pleasure to read and review The Next Widow which I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and C.J. Lyons for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Next Widow which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

If you’ve never read a C.J.Lyons book before you are missing out. New series but same gripping suspense this author is known for. Leah is devastated by the murder of her husband and will do anything to protect her 6 year old daughter who was a witness. I hope in future books that Jericho who is the detective in charge of the investigation is a stronger lead. He kind of let everyone run over him. I did figure out who was behind everything before the end but it was still a good read. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc for my honest opinion.