Domestic noir in the Utah desert

BLACK WIDOWS

Cate Quinn Onion, €12.99

Blake’s dead. His wife killed him. The question is: which one? This is the brilliant premise of Black Widows, a psychological thriller that tells the story of Blake Nelson, who lives on a hidden ranch in the wilds of the Utah desert with his three wives. Rachel, the “First Wife”, is obedient and conservative. Tina, the other wife, is everything Rachel isn’t, while Emily, the youngest wife, is childlike and trusting.

All three women have absolutely nothing in common except their husband and all three are hiding secrets from their past that they don’t want anyone to know — particularly their husbands. When Blake is murdered while out fishing on a local river one evening, the police quickly turn the spotlight on the family’s unusual “off the grid” lifestyle and the questions start to pile up. All three wives end up accused of his murder, but the police need to work out which one did it and why.

Black Widows is an immersive story that plunges you into the heart of Utah life and takes you on a roller-coaster ride that deals with the intricacies of marriage, relationships, gender and religion. Told from the viewpoint of each of the wives, we get a fascinating insight into their closeted lives, how they each ended up in a polygamous relationship and what each of them is running away from. More importantly, we eventually find out why Blake is dead and who killed him.

The author of Black Widows is Cate Quinn, a UK travel and lifestyle journalist. Better known as a best-selling historical fiction author, Quinn hasn’t just dipped her toe into the crime waters with this thriller debut, she’s flung herself into the ocean with wild abandon and, delightfully, great success. The plotting is exquisite and her ability to convey an individual and memorable voice for each of the women is admirable.

Black Widows is domestic noir in its most original setting yet and is well worth a read.