Sidney Sheldon's The Silent Widow by Tilly Bagshawe

My Rating - 5 out of 5 stars

Publisher - Harper Collins
Genre - Fiction/Thriller
Publishing year - 2018
Language - English
ISBN - 978-0-00-822963-4
Pages - 438

My Review - 

I haven't read any book written by Sidney Sheldon yet and picked Tilly Bagshawe's novel straight. She wrote under Sidney Sheldon's banner because of the similar narratives, which I can only comment on after reading Sidney's books to give you a better comparison. Therefore, this review only includes my opinion on Tilly's writing, which is proficient. 

Sidney Sheldon's The Silent Widow is based on the rivalry between the Mexican and Russian cartels and how it affects the USA. An au pair, Charlotte Clancy from San Diego, went missing in Mexico. After a decade in LA, the serial slaughter begins, and it all points to a psychologist Nikki Roberts. She lost her husband in a car accident and suffered from grief and anger; it affected her clients because she could not analyze their feelings. 

Nikki's clients are dropping dead one by one, and LAPD detectives Mick Johnson and Lou Goodman both have different theories and approaches towards Nikki. Johnson hates her due to past incidents, while Nikki's sexual allure smote Goodman. She was in danger, a target, but she decided to hire a PI, Derek Williams, due to Mick Johnson's hostility and outrageous behavior. Will Nikki be able to save herself with Derek's assistance or drop dead like others?

Derek also worked on Clancy's case and found insight information that the police weren't capable enough to find. He discovered the links between Nikki's clients and drug cartels. Her life shattered when she learned the truth about his dead husband and realized that life is not black and white; there is more to it. As the story progresses, Nikki's anxiety and rage make her stone-cold and incredibly confused regarding Anne, one of her clients, and Lou Goodman. It made the story more striking. 

There are so many characters, and all played meaningful roles to make the story going and engaging. It hooked me from start to end; it involved complex emotions, narcotic cartels, sex trafficking, corruption, money laundering, and a drug lord's revenge. 

Mick Johnson's character is shown as racist and sexist, and no matter what he did at the end of the story, I didn't like him at all. The female characters are also portrayed as vulnerable and mostly objectified. Psychologically twisted characters are the highlights of this book.

The story has many twists and turns, and I enjoy how it unfolds. Of course, a good mystery requires a thoroughly developed plot, and if you're not into it, it troubles you to finish reading it. But if you're someone like me, this will become one of your favorites for sure. I would surely recommend this fast-paced and captivating novel to all the mystery lovers out there. 

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