I really enjoyed this book! I have read and liked this author’s work before so I thought that would give this book a try. I was hooked by this story from the start and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next throughout the book. This turned out to be quite the page-turner and I am glad that I picked it up.

Kirsten’s life is turned upside down when she receives a call from a stranger using her husband’s phone telling her that her husband is dead in Texas. She didn’t even realize her husband was in Texas since he told her that his business trip was in a different area. She heads to Texas and learns that an unidentified man has been killed with another man and it is in fact his husband. Flora’s husband was murdered with Kirsten’s and she is learning that her husband may not have been the man that she thought he was. Both women work, at times together, to find out what really lead up to their husbands’ death.

This story is told from three different points of view. Not only do we see things from Kirsten’s and Flora’s perspectives, we also get to see things from the killer’s point of view. I thought that the three viewpoints worked well together to give the reader the full story. There was a lot to unravel in the lives of all of the individuals involved and I never knew what might have played a part in the eventual murders. I loved how determined each of the widows was to find out what had happened to their spouses. I liked that there were enough twists and turns to keep things interesting until the final page.

Christine Lakin did an amazing job with the narration. I really liked the variety of voices that she used during the story and I really appreciated how distinctive her voices were for Kirsten and Flora. I thought that she added a lot of excitement and emotion to the story. I feel that her narration added a lot to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very well-done mystery thriller filled with interesting characters that kept me guessing until the very end. I definitely hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing and I purchased a copy of the audiobook. ( )

#FirstLine ~ Kirsten North was doing what she normally did when Henry was gone on a business trip: finishing her own work on her laptop on the couch, ordering in Chinese food from the place Henry didn't much like, and watching a British baking show that was like televised tranquilizer.

What a great story. It kept me engaged from start to finish. It was one of those stories that was paced well with lots of interesting characters and a story that was both interesting and also engaging! ( )

Widows Investigate
Review of the Grand Central Publishing audiobook edition (July 2021) released simultaneously with the Grand Central Publishing hardcover

I don't trust someone who reads so much. I like people who live in the real world. - quote from a crime syndicate character in An Ambush of Widows

The above bad guy quote doesn't have anything to do with the main plot of An Ambush of Widows, but it stood out like a red flag to me, so I couldn't resist sharing it.

An Ambush of Widows starts off with an apparent hitman murder of two men which draws both of their widows in to investigate the reason for the crime. Widow Flora Zhang is even one of the suspects while widow Kristen North makes what seems like a completely wild plan to personally avenge the death of her husband. Both thus have a personal reason beyond grief to solve the murders.

Author Jeff Abbott teases us with a gradually unveiled flashback background to Kristen North's youth and that of her step-brother Zack and her future husband Henry North. Initially this seems like an unlikely diversion from the main plot but it also quickly turns dramatic and finally provides clues to the final twists where the conspiracy is revealed.

This was a well constructed mystery thriller and the narration by Christine Lakin (who also voices Detective Renée Ballard in Books 2 to 4 in the audiobook editions of Michael Connelly's Renée Ballard books) was excellent in all voices.

I listened to An Ambush of Widows through the Audible Daily Deal on November 22, 2021.

Trivia and Links
As surprising as it may be, an Ambush really is the collective noun for a group of Widows. ( )

3.66 This mystery’s ability to keep my interest was a bit of a rollercoaster, but the story was ultimately satisfying. Read my full review here. ( )