When I hear the name Black Widow, I automatically think of Scarlett Johansson's Marvel character and not the newest novel from bestselling author James Patterson. No, Mr. Patterson hasn't stepped into the MCU world. Instead, he teamed up with J.D. Barker to coauthor the crime-thriller Death of the Black Widow (Grand Central Publishing; paperback; 560 pages).
It's the first time these two authors have teamed up together. Off the top of my head, I can name The Coast to Coast Murders and The Noise, and I believe those are the only two, minus this new book. If my memory is wrong, please let me know.
Death of the Black Widow centers on Walter O'Brien, a detective engrossed with catching a mysterious gray-eyed woman whom he first encountered in 1986 on his first night as a Detroit PD officer. Yep, his very-first case as a cop involved a twenty-year-old woman, Amy, who supposedly killed her kidnapper in self-defense. While taking "Amy" to the emergency room, she asks Walter to pull over so she can vomit. That was Walter's first mistake. She attacks him and runs down the alley, never to be seen again - until 1992, when Walter believes he has identified the woman as Amy Archer. Catching the killer becomes an obsession for Walter that will last for his entire career.
Final Thoughts
Death of the Black Widow is a monster of a read, clocking in at 517 pages (minus the About the Author section and sneak peeks at other Patterson books). Personally, James Patterson's novels are all about the coauthors, who do most of the writing based on the outline created by Patterson. The coauthor for Death of the Black Widow is J.D. Barker. To the best of my recollection, this is the first book I have read by J.D. Barker. I own copies of the Patterson/Barker collaborations The Coast to Coast Murders and The Noise, but I haven't read them yet.
One of my bookish pet peeves is flashbacks. I can tolerate them in television shows and movies, but I cringe when they appear in novels. Unfortunately, there are many flashbacks in Death of the Black Widow. It begins in Now (2022?), then flips back to 1986, flashforwards to the present, travel back to 1992, and back to the present. The years 1997 and 2009 are also thrown into the mix. I know this is nitpicking, but why can't the timeline be in chronological order?
Besides my flashback nitpicking, Death of the Black Widow is a unique thriller that borrows bits and pieces from other genres. The short 2022 opening is jarring, or it was for me because you don't know what's going on. Though, I guess that's what a good prologue is all about - enticing the reader to keep reading.
Overall, Death of the Black Widow is a well-written gripping crime-thriller that you won't want to put down until its completion.
This sounds really exciting read. I find I don't mind flashbacks in a story as long as the past turns out to be relevant to the present problem. If they're just tossed in there to show character backstory, then maybe problem, because there are other ways to do that...Excellent review. Idea-ist@GetLostInLit
ReplyDeleteThe past in the story is relevant to the present, but I found the constant flashbacks annoying.
DeleteOne of Patterson’s worse to date. Flashback after flashback. Don’t waste your time on this one.
ReplyDeleteThe flashbacks were the only thing I didn't like about it.
DeleteI was disappointed with this story, and agree that it became ridiculous after a while. It did not seem like a James Patterson thriller at all but more like an evil fantasy story that takes too long to conclude.
DeleteReally enjoyed this book up to approx 400 pages then it just became ridiculous. Took all my time to finish it. Very disappointing and totally unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteIt is overly long for a Patterson novel. I didn't mind the ending.
DeleteWill there be a book 2 to see if she died
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard anything about a sequel.
DeleteActually, I was disappointed. It claims to be a crime thriller, but it can't stand on its own. And I don't mean the flashbacks; they can actually be kind of intriguing, IMO. (By the way, the "now" point seems to be 2021.) No, what bothers me is that the novel has to "[borrow] bits and pieces from other genres" to make the story work. (Sort of.) Oh, and no need for a sequel—at least the ending is pretty clear.
ReplyDelete