An Ambush of Widows

by Jeff Abbott Narrated by Christine Lakin

Overview

In*New York Times*bestselling author Jeff Abbott's latest novel of riveting psychological suspense, an uneasy alliance forms as two widows delve into their husbands' deadly and dangerous secrets-as they try to protect their own.

Henry North is a down-on-his-luck cybersecurity expert from New Orleans. Adam Zhang is the cofounder of one of Austin's most successful venture capitalist firms. These two men didn't know each other. They had never met. Yet they died together, violently, in a place neither had any business being.

When Henry doesn't return from a business trip, his wife, Kirsten, panics-and then gets an anonymous phone call: “Your husband is dead in Austin.”

Flora Zhang knew her husband was keeping secrets. She suspected an affair, but she had decided she could forgive him for his weakness-until her husband ended up dead. And with no explanation for her husband's murder, the police begin to suspect her.

Together, these two widows will face a powerful foe determined to write a false narrative about the murders. In doing so, neither Flora nor Kirsten will remain the women the world thought they were.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2021 - AudioFile

Two women, strangers with vastly different lives, form an alliance when their husbands are violently killed together. Christine Lakin’s narration portrays the suspicions each woman holds for the other as they seek answers. In Louisiana, Kristen receives an anonymous phone call saying her husband is dead in Texas. In Austin, high-society Flora is notified that her husband has been shot outside a warehouse. The two widows cross paths at the site. Lakin provides a straight delivery for both voices, a choice that is occasionally confusing for the listener during dialogue. Her tempo and intensity enhance the fast-paced action as new threats are revealed. Lakin’s portrayal of the two women reflects their mercurial attitudes toward each other. Are they allies or enemies? N.M.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

05/31/2021

At the start of this taut thriller from bestseller Abbott (Never Ask Me), Kirsten North, a New Orleans freelance researcher, believes her husband, Henry, a software consultant specializing in computer security, is in New York City on a business trip. Then she gets a call from Henry’s phone that’s not from him. The indistinct voice, whose gender is unclear, informs Kirsten that Henry has been fatally shot in Austin, Tex., then hangs up. An online search yields a press report that two men were found shot to death in an Austin warehouse two days earlier. Only one victim has been identified: entrepreneur Adam Zhang. Fearing that Henry’s killer may have been the anonymous caller, the distraught Kirsten hops the first flight to Austin, unaware that her seatmate is shadowing her. After identifying her husband’s corpse in the county morgue, Kirsten begins digging on her own into the baffling tragedy. She later joins forces with Adam’s widow, Flora, even though she suspects Flora of being behind the murders. Abbott adroitly shifts perspectives to raise the suspense. Lisa Unger fans will be pleased. Agent: Peter Ginsberg, Curtis Brown. (July)

From the Publisher

PRAISE FOR NEVER ASK ME:


"Abbott writes in an authoritative way about the protocols, many of them maddening, of adopting a child. He also has a real understanding of the emotional roller-coaster couples going through the process must endure."
—New York Times Book Review

"No one exposes the dark, fraught underbelly of suburban America quite like Abbott, and his propulsive latest, depicting the relationships between families tied together via an overseas-adoption process, is a proper humdinger."—Boston Globe

"Cunning and complex."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] suspenseful novel by a master of the psychological thriller."—Booklist

"NEVER ASK ME produces almost unbearable tension and suspense. . . Readers will be kept guessing all the way to the end and most assuredly will be flipping back to some of the previous journal entries [to predict] the future events that Abbott deftly lays out for us as only he can."—Book Reporter

PRAISE FOR JEFF ABBOTT:

"Abbott uses his skills as a master storyteller to convey a complicated and ambitious tale that seems straightforward but is full of twists and red herrings. He also keeps the story moving without falling into clichés or over-the-top revelations. The mystery works because of the terrific characters and the beautiful road map he unveils while navigating the reader through a complex landscape. Those who enjoy unpredictable stories can never go wrong diving into the world of Jeff Abbott."—Washington Post

"Like a stage magician, Abbott often seems to be doing one thing when he's actually doing something else, and when we realize what he's been up to, we can't help but shake our heads in admiration."—Booklist

"Abbott is a master of misdirection."—Library Journal

Library Journal

02/01/2021

Washed-up cybersecurity expert Henry North and supremely successful venture capitalist Wei "Adam" Zhang met only in death, their bodies puzzlingly found together in an abandoned warehouse in Austin, TX. Now their widows have joined forces to ferret out their husbands' secrets. A stand-alone from three-time Edgar nominee Abbott; with a 40,000-copy first printing.

AUGUST 2021 - AudioFile

Two women, strangers with vastly different lives, form an alliance when their husbands are violently killed together. Christine Lakin’s narration portrays the suspicions each woman holds for the other as they seek answers. In Louisiana, Kristen receives an anonymous phone call saying her husband is dead in Texas. In Austin, high-society Flora is notified that her husband has been shot outside a warehouse. The two widows cross paths at the site. Lakin provides a straight delivery for both voices, a choice that is occasionally confusing for the listener during dialogue. Her tempo and intensity enhance the fast-paced action as new threats are revealed. Lakin’s portrayal of the two women reflects their mercurial attitudes toward each other. Are they allies or enemies? N.M.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173247018
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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