Two widows

3 stars

This was an easy-to-read mystery/thriller set in northern Michigan.

Gloria is a lonely widow living in a house far out in the country. She is grieving the loss of her husband, doesn’t have any friends, and is estranged from her only child, a son that lives in San Francisco. She tries to improve her life by reading self-help books and taking their suggested actions.

Gloria rents out an area in a field near her house to Beth, a freelance travel journalist driving through the country with a tiny house on a trailer. When she discovers that Beth is also a widow, Gloria hopes that Beth can become the friend that she really needs. Gloria also rents an apartment over her garage to an artist that needs a central location from which to attend various art fairs in the region.

Glora is concerned about the recent murder of a young woman near her house, and is thankful to have more people living near her house. When another young girl is reported missing, tensions rise. As Gloria observes the erratic behavior of her tenants, she begins to wonder what, exactly, she really knows about them. Their recent arrival in the area is suspicious and she begins to wonder if they could be involved.

The beginning of the book is slow. The author repeatedly brought up the events that occurred at Gloria’s church and her estrangement with her son. This repetition isn’t necessary (the events are not complicated) and it became irritating the more it was done. Most of the storylines were predictable and I was able to figure them out early in the book, but there were a couple surprises in the book. Even though I knew a lot of what was going to happen, it was still fun to see how the author got there. The book ends in a predictable, clean and tidy way, but that’s ok. It was expected.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture for an honest review.