Carla Neggers, The Widow

The Widow

Carla Neggers

Mira, October 2006, $21.95

ISBN 0778323037

In Mount Desert, Maine, FBI Special Agent Chris Browning and his wife Boston homicide detective Abigail are on their honeymoon when someone murders him. Seven years later, the homicide is unsolved and classified as a cold case by local authorities.

Thirtyish Abigail has not been able to find closure, as long as her spouse's killer walks free. She decides she has waited too long, so she resolves to return to the killing scene to investigate. She begins questioning locals, starting with Owen Garrison, who had informed her that Chris was dead. Most of the locals offer nothing, while the summer people offer less. However, though emotionally dying with every step, Abigail refuses to back off, even when someone tries to kill her.

THE WIDOW is a fabulous private investigative tale (Abigail may be a cop but she is on her own) in which the heroine seeks closure, but finds a myriad of plausible suspects instead. The Maine background adds to the feeling of New England stoic silence that seems to hammer at Abigail's inquiries. Though a romantic subplot with Owen seems more a throw in to fans of that genre, Carla Neggers provides a strong thriller.