Death of The Black Widow, by James Patterson & JD Barker {Book Review} ⋆ An Ordinary Gal

My favourite reading genre is thriller….all day everyday! JD Barker though, he manages to get me to dabble in the more supernatural, when he collaborates with THE Mr James Patterson! Their latest offering, Death of The Black Widow, made for some interesting reading….let me tell you!

What is Death of The Black Widow about?

On his first night with Detroit PD, Officer Walter O’Brien is called to a murder scene. A terrified twenty-year-old has bludgeoned her kidnapper with skill that shocks even O’Brien’s veteran partner. The young woman is also a brilliant escape artist. Her bold flight from police custody makes the case impossible to solve—and, for Walter, even more impossible to forget.

By the time Walter’s promoted to detective, his fascination with the missing, gray-eyed woman is approaching obsession. And when Walter discovers that he’s not alone in his search, one truth is certain. This deadly string of secrets didn’t begin in his home city—but he’s going to make sure it ends there.

My Thoughts

I know that I need to buckle up when I open up a James Patterson x JD Barker collaboration! These 2 together, you don’t know what to expect! The story starts with a rookie cop, Walter O’Brien, being called out to a murder scene. It seems a young woman, Amy, was held captive, but managed to kill her captor. Walter is tasked with taking the victim to the hospital, only she escapes on the way there and Walter then becomes obsessed with tracking her down. Also, is she a victim……or is she the ultimate Femme Fatale?

The chapters are really short and I love that it gives you that ‘one more chapter’ feeling….and eventually it’s 10 chapters later. The book is told in the past, from the day Walter loses Amy, decades ago…to their interactions over the years, to the present day. It is very clear when you’re headed to the past and when you’re in the present day, so that isn’t difficult to keep track of. The writing is always great with these 2 authors, easy to read and they throw in some chuckles in between. There are also a few twists and turns, some expected…one that I really didn’t see coming.

My Rating

Death of the Black Widow has a 3.74 star rating on Goodreads and I’m around there with 3.5 stars. I did feel that this book wasn’t quite as fast paced as The Coast to Coast murders…..it was more slow burn than I would have liked. It still was quite an entertaining read and if you’re a thriller lover who is looking to dip their toes into the more supernatural/horror side of life, this is a perfect blend of the 2 genres!