Louise has it all; handsome husband, two lovely children, a great home & no money worries so she has no need or desire to go out to work. However a knock on the door one evening changes everything. Patrick has been killed in a fire at his office. There were only three places set for dinner & something about Louise's reaction seems 'off' to PC Becca Holt. She refuses to believe in this 'accident' & sets out to investigate in her own time. Louise hasn't had an easy life. In many ways both women are similar in that they are more than capable of becoming obsessed about things!

Many readers have commented on the writing style being 'bitty' & irritating as it switched between characters. There was a long spell in the middle where I nearly gave up but I gradually almost warmed towards Louise. She wasn't very likeable but I liked the way she accepted that she wasn't always very nice. I found Becca irritating throughout! Things hotted up towards the end so I was glad I'd stuck with it.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Nothing about this book was memorable. There was no reason for the police officer to investigate the death of the husband. It seemed far fetched. A quick read.

I wonder if there will be a part of some readers that nods in agreement at the way Louise thinks and acts. The disgruntled wife, the woman who sits at home and cares for her children whilst her husband is playing with his flavour of the month. The woman willing to overlook the occasional marital mishap in order to keep her family together. Until he pushes her too far.

Becca is convinced Louise is a cold-hearted ruthless killer. Her gut sang it loud and clear on the day she met Louise. The day she had to tell her about his death. There was just something about the woman that rubbed her the wrong way. Of course one has to take Becca’s penchant for obsessing into account.

Perhaps that is what connects the two women – the way they obsess and feed their obsessions. Is Becca right about how far Louise is willing to go to have the kind of life she thinks she deserves or is she just a victim of tragic circumstances?

It’s a crime read with the pace of a psychological thriller and yet the story also delves into women’s fiction. Castle captures the way society imposes this huge biological clock on women, and the way these women feel pressured to adhere to the norm before the clocks run out of time. Finding a mate or a provider, instead of a loving partner, becomes part of a very competitive game.

I thought this was a poignant part of the story, because the bio clock narrative is very much driven by the patriarchal society. When you combine those fears with the ageism women are confronted with and defined by in society, it’s no wonder women feel as if they can never quite live up to expectations. Perhaps some of them choose to make drastic choices because of it – Is Louise one of those women?

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Louise's husband, Patrick, dies in a fire at his office, the police come to her house to inform her. It seems to be an accidental death, but Becca, one of the police officers think Louise had something to do with it.

I had real trouble getting into this one. It mostly switches between Becca in current day and Louise in the past from the time she met her husband and pursued him until the time he died. There were also some chapters from Louise's current perspective. I thought Becca and the endless descriptions of how fat she was and how much she liked eating were very repetitive. I also thought Louise's lengthy pursuit of Patrick could have been far shorter. There were no twists and turns or suspense. It really wasn't my thing.

I just read The Perfect Widow by A.M. Castle.... the idea and story were good...the description of it is why I read the book....however, that being said, it was so repetitive that at times I found myself losing interest and just kind of skimming through paragraphs. It lacked something....The main character's (sadly the name didn't stick in my brain, so this says a lot) husband died at work. A sad sack, neurotic, police office didn't think the widow reacted correctly and would not give up investigating the death, thinking the widow committed murder.

The Perfect Widow begins with a knock on the door that no-one ever wants to receive, the arrival of a couple of police officers to inform Louise Bridges that her husband Patrick has been killed. But if they were expecting to see a distraught woman at the news, the opposite is what they get. Louise is very calm at the news which sparks a doubt in the mind of Becca, one of the police officers, that Louise knows more than she lets on.

The story is written in the past and present tense, 'Then' introduces us to Louise and we see what life was like for her as a child and how she was determined to rebuild a life for herself that was the complete opposite of what she has known to date. A fresh start sees her moving, starting a new job, transform herself totally and eventually catch her man after setting her sights on Patrick. But was the hard work worth it, is everything as golden as it seems?

In the present day 'Now' we follow both Louise and Becca in the days and weeks after the death notification. Despite learning more about Louise's past and marriage, and the lengths she will go to protect everything the life she had built for herself and her children, I still didn't warm to her as she had such a cold personna. Becca on the other hand seemed to go to extreme lengths, some outside of the law, to try and prove that her gut feeling was correct. She didn't have a life outside of work so was like an woman possessed in her determination to get to the truth no matter what it cost, her obsession could cost her her job but she just couldn't ignore her suspicions.

I have to confess that I really struggled with this book for three-quarters of the story, I wasn't really invested in either woman and felt like I was wading through water just waiting for that moment when everything fell into place. But I guess that's what the author intended, neither of the women were meant to be likeable or relatable characters, it's more about understanding the human pscyhe and why people act the way they do.

The final quarter of the book more than made up for what came before and I flew through these chapters as piece by piece we discover the true personna of Louise, how she was more of a chameleon than at first appeared, and the lengths she had gone to create her perfect life. Is she the loving wife or a cold-hearted killer?, well you'll have to read for yourself to find out.

Louise has the perfect husband, children, home, life. She worked hard to get where she is but it was worth it. Except now her cheating husband is leaving her for her best friend. The Company he owns is in the red and everything she's worked hard for is beginning to unravel.
She will not lose her home or her status. Definitely her children will not grow up in poverty like she had too.
The only thing that saved her then was the death of her mother in a fire that occurred while she was drunk and full of drugs.
Lucky for Loyise she is a voracious reader. She learns from what she reads.
Her interest now is electricity. Her darling husband lives to warm his feet when he's at work. Hummm!!
Great read. You'll love to hate Loyise!
Recommended!!

I felt this book had a good premise, but it was lacking for me. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't really care if her husband died by accident or murder, I just simply was not engaged in the story. I wanted to like it, I love psychological thrillers, but I couldn't get into it.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure what to write in my review as although I read the book really did not like the main character Louise.

In A.M. Castle's novel, "The Perfect Widow", Louise Bridges (the widow) and Becca Holt (the cop investigating the death of Louise's husband) play a game of cat and mouse, both trying to stay one step ahead of each other. This book gave readers a good look into the minds of both of these strong women, and was very enjoyable!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable read, as the twists were plentiful and the characters were interesting. I highly recommend it!

It is one of those books I find hard to review. It was a fast read with a good storyline but it lacked some substance for me. Some parts were very slow and other parts felt rushed.

Louise has it all. The perfect husband and marriage (or so it seems to outsiders); the perfect(spotless) home that everyone is envious of and the 2.5 children. Getting to this point in her life was not easy. It took a lot of hard work and reinventing of herself. Then she gets the news that her husband died in a fire at work.

PC Becca Holt is dissatisfied with her life and job. She gets to deliver the news of Patrick's death but something doesn't feel right about Louise's reaction and she is like a dog with a bone. She would do whatever she can; legal or not; to prove her instincts are right.

I think the story has a lot of potential but I felt a bit let down. There is also not a lot of action in the book. Some people dont like books that's too gory so I think there will be people who enjoy this book. It is more of a mystery family drama.

Thank you to #netgalley and #HQDigital for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Perfect Widow is a clever and compelling psychological thriller which is the author’s debut novel in this genre.

The novel is split between ‘then’ and ‘now’ chapters which helps the reader to see the story from various points of view which I thought was very interesting and helped me to see the whole story more clearly. I don’t think I was a particular fan of either of the main characters as they both had flaws which I found quite irritating and which meant I was unable to warm to them. Becky’s constant mistakes and inability to make much headway in the investigation grated on me after a while as I felt she should have been able to do a much better job. Louise was a much more sympathetic character as I could understand why she behaves like she did but her need to control things was a bit worrying and meant that I couldn’t warm to her. These flaws did make both characters seem more realistic however, which was probably the author’s intention as it did increase the level of unease in the book.

This book was a bit of a slow burner as the reader learns more about the characters and their past but soon picks up as things become very interesting. The author cleverly led me in one direction and then another, with the many twists keeping me guessing until the end. There is a level of unease in the book which slowly builds as the reader becomes more aware of what is going on. I actually found it quite thought provoking to think about how much we can ever truly know someone.

Huge thanks to Jessica Lee from HQ stories for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

I would like to say a quick thanks to Jess at Blogger HQ/ Harper Collins for inviting me onto the blog tour! Now onto my thoughts of this ebook.
Personally. If I didn't have to review this book I think I'd have to DNF. At 70% into this book I thought it would be too late for for a dramatic twist and I'm still waiting for the tension to rise! At 85% the twist arrived and it wasn't that great in my personal opinion. I felt it was poorly written and was suddenly thought of.
I personally couldn't get to grips on the character Louise, and couldn't feel any connection to her. She spent years trying to get attention from Patrick and then after a whirlwind romance and popped a few kids out, he's back to his old tricks. Flirting and having a few women on the side.
All in all, This wasn't a favourite of mine, but some people may enjoy it! I'm going to rate this as a three and possible won't be buying/reading again

There are two main characters of The Perfect Widow, Louise Bridges who is interrupted from her perfect life when the police come to give her the bad news, her husband Patrick is dead, and Becca the young PC who delivers the bad news, although clumsily performed, Becca does gain an interesting feel about the encounter, this women isn't surprised by the news.

Told from both of these points of view, the premise of the story is how Becca investigates Patrick’s death and the story Louise tells of both her past and the present. It is a well written story of a women who has come from nothing to succeed in life, has worked hard to get what she believes is perfection, a nice home, expensive clothes, two well cared for children and a husband who earns plenty of money. From the outset I thought this was off, surely someone with all of this would have friends but no, she has no-one to call when the police inform her of her husband’s death. Louise is a likable character though; she has a sense of humour and a colourful background; She is quite an obsessive character with her pinning her hopes on Patrick the first time she met him, eventually leading to a romance and marriage, she is highly driven and determined to get what she wants.

Becca on the other hand, is the useless cop that doesn’t get any of her actual work done, spends her time eating doughnuts, illegally gaining information that she obsessively believes should prove Louise killed Patrick. Her information is leaked slowly through the novel but I don't think it really adds anything to the story, if there was some real evidence and not just theory or teasers it would have made it more gripping.

A good read for those that like a slow burner drama, a few twists but as it’s told mostly in the past tense the intensity is lacking. The middle section is a little repetitive with Becca just repeating her ‘intuition’ however, worth holding onto the end.

A curious mix of psychological suspense and family drama, this story will appeal to those who like psychological orientated suspense. This story doesn’t have the impact common to most thrillers but does use the unreliable protagonist technique well. There are two, in this story, Louise, the perfect widow and Becca the policewoman who sets out to investigate her, based on one brief observation.

Primarily a story of obsession, emotional damage, resulting from poor nurturing in childhood and control The plot handles the psychological theme competently. The introduction of a crusading police constable, who sees beneath the image Louise portrays isn’t convincing. Becca, in many ways, is a superfluous character, except perhaps in her obsessive similarities to Louise?

The plot lacks real-time action, everything is retold either in the past or present by Louise or Becca. this slows the pace and leaves you in the characters heads for too long, making some the twists not as suspenseful as they could be, if written less passively.

A story for the psychological fiction devotees, who like to see how the mind works, given a certain set of stimuli, rather than those who like a combination of jaw-dropping twists and a twisted unexpected ending.

I received a copy of this book from HQ Digital UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It seems like Louise has the perfect life. Perfect husband, marriage & home, when Becca Holt has to do her first door knock, she finds it odd that Louise doesnt seem as shocked as she expected.



Becca just cant quite place what isnt right but there is something - however no one seems to believe her.

The Perfect Widow follows Louise from the moment she met him to the moment the news id delivered. We also learn about Becca who is investigating it without permission.



The Perfect Widow is gripping, it gives nothing aware the entire time you are reading, usually i get an inkling of where the narrative is going. This doesn't - i really had to read until the very last page to get answers as i had spent the whole time trying to figure out who we could trust.



I loved this, it really did hook me & i enjoyed not been able to grasp this, i find the characters hard to read and i didnt trust them, i felt there was something dishonest about them and that is what worked for me.



Overall this was a steady paced, the pace wasnt over the top fast, it was more a slow & steady burner that unfolded before the reader before concluding at the very end, you got the conclusion & bam - ended.

Louise planned and snared the perfect husband who died. Becca, a cop, broke the news to her. But something caught Becca's attention about Louise and she went investigating.

My first book by this author, the two women seemed more self absorbed initially till the secrets spilled through the pages. The writing was staccato, it slowed in the middle and picked up in the end. A twist changed the story's direction in the last few pages.

Overall, it was good but could have been better.

Can there ever be a perfect widow without suspicion being brought to you. It appears that Louise Bridges is trying to do just that.
Louise has hat appears on the outside as the perfect life as well as the perfect marriage/family. But is appears that appearances can be deceptive.
The police PC Becca Holt and her partner turn up at Louise’s house to inform her of the devastating news that her husband Patrick has been killed in a fire at his workplace. Yet her reactions isn’t what the police expected it to be. Whether it was shock or something else we don’t really know,
Patrick’s death is rule as a tragic accident. Yet Becca just cannot shake this uncomfortable feeling she has that makes her think that there was more to his death.
She decides to do a little digging and investigate a little deeper into the Bridges life and marriage.
What she starts to unearth is that the perfect marriage may not have been so perfect after all and that there are some very darks secrets that Louise have hidden.
The story is told from 2 points of view. You have Beccas story then Louises past and present point of view. Which works well.
A well written book with a great plot. I did feel that the author could have upped the pace just a little bit as it did lag in places.
But overall a great read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and HQ stories for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review

PC Becca Holt and her partner deliver the bad news to Louise Bridges that her husband died in a fire at his office. Becca confides in her partner that something seems off about Louise's response to news of her husband's death.
While Patrick's death is ruled an accident, Becca just can't let her hunch go and begins to investigate deeper into Patrick and Louise. Can Becca uncover the truth?

This story is told in two different points of view, now and then. However, I feel like the author did not develop this style to the best of its ability. It kept the book at a slow pace, lacking the action and build up I expected.