Sandra Hoover's Reviews > The Last Widow

The Last Widow is one of my most anticipated books of 2019. After reading it, I can say it's a powerful, relevant story that I won't soon forget. Slaughter clearly spent a great deal of time researching social and political issues of our time as well as the radical, militia style groups that emerge, along with the idealistic views of people who tend to join them. The author captures the atmosphere and essence of a cult group practicing segregation as they believe it their duty and right to do whatever it takes to keep their bloodlines pure. This is the type group that is at the center of the story in The Last Widow.

First let me say, The Last Widow is part of a fantastic series, but this author includes everything you need to read and enjoy this book as a standalone. However, the character and character relationship development are huge in this series so I highly recommend you read them in order. The setup is clear from the blurb so I'll only touch briefly on it. A month after a scientist working for the Center of Disease Control is kidnapped, Sara and Will are spending an afternoon with her family. Some of these early "domestic" scenes play out through both Will and Sara's eyes which fascinated me as it clearly demonstrates how they still have different views and manners of coping with their developing relationship. Well done, KS! When their afternoon is interrupted by explosions in a nearby city, Sara and Will race toward the scene to assist, running straight into a situation that results in Will being badly injured and Sara being kidnapped by a group of radical domestic terrorists. In a race against time, Will works with his partner Faith Mitchell and other law enforcement led by Amanda Wagner to find and infiltrate the group to free Sara and save society.

The Last Widow is intense, graphic, and rich in detail as can be expected from this author. It emphasizes the practice and horrors of pedophilia, the superiority of males over females, senseless murder, and biological warfare as well as the dangerous atmosphere that breeds militia-style cults. The suspense builds at a frantic pace as the story unfolds from two narrators - Will and Sara. Through Will's eyes, the focus is on the efforts of law enforcement to find the cult, the dangers of going undercover, and his panicked frame of mind which includes major guilt over what he perceives as his failure to keep Sara safe. There are interactions with Will and Sara's mother/family during this time that are priceless gems for readers of the series. Fantastic, telling scenes! Through Sara's eyes, readers view life within the terrorist camp, and it's there that the depravity of their leader and horror of their plan become apparent.

Slaughter's ability to manipulate characters through a highly visual, atmospheric setting is key to the rising, menacing tone throughout. Her mastery of plot, character, and character relationship development is brilliant, as always, as she pulls every single thread together by the end. The Last Widow is a taut, fast-paced, graphic thriller with a timely message that people everywhere should heed. And by the way, I read the last page several times over before closing the book with a smile on my face. Great setup for the next book in one of my favorite series ever! May our wait be short! For suspense and thriller fans, this is one you don't want to miss.

*With special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book!
**Reviewed at Cross My Heart Reviews