Black Widow is the twentieth novel by Scottish Writer, Chris Brookmyre , the man often referred to as a Tartan Noir author. As with many Tartan Noir novels, readers will not automatically sympathise with the main character, Diana Jager, but will read the story seeing her as a cold-blooded killer.
“My trial has barely begun, an no testimony heard, but already I know that in the eyes of the court, I am an abomination” (pg. 11)
Black Widow
The Story of Black Widow
The story starts in the court room where someone, who we later assume is Diana Jager, is on trial. Within the first two chapters, the reader will establish that a terrible crime has been committed and someone has lost their life because of it.
“Just think how they were exercised by the revelation that this bitch murdered her husband.” (pg.12)
After reading that, how can you deny that Diana Jager appears to have killed her husband, and by the sounds of it, has no remorse for the act either.
“As the trial proceeds, the court will hear how a driven woman acted out of the oldest and sincerest of motives: to be with the man she was destined for. My crimeand my actions will seem cold and heinous to everyone else because they can never know what I felt.” (pg. 14)
So who is Diana Jager?
Daughter to two doctors, it was always assumed that Diana would follow in their footsteps and she didn’t disappoint, becoming a top surgeon at Inverness Royal Infirmary. However, her journey to this point had not been a smooth one thanks to her opinionated blog, ‘Sexism in Surgery’, where she condemns both sexes for acts that are seen as unfair to females. Before too long, she had named and shamed many at the hospital she was working at, including a number of guys in the IT department.
She may have been writing under the name of Scalpelgirl but thanks to her sharp tongue and determination to highlight all that was wrong with the professional, she soon became better known as ‘Bladebitch’.
Worse still, after attacking the IT Techs, her account was hacked and her true identity revealed, leading to her losing her job and forever being tainted by the vicious words she wrote.
Hence the reason for now working in Inverness, her aim to get away from her past, but is that ever possible?
We are introduced to Diana on a fraught and stressful day where operations are being cancelled due to lack of beds and her mood is far from friendly. She has already had a run in with a patient after telling them that their op to help reduce their weight has been postponed and now her computer had locked her out and she was in need of technical support – which meant calling in Creepy Craig to help.
To her surprise, when the knock on the door comes, a new guy pops his head around the door.
“’You’re not Craig’
‘No I’m Peter.’” (pg. 33)
And, that is where all of this started.
Peter, new to the tech team, has not heard about her history with the blog or about her dislike of the IT team but does seem to enjoy her company, so much so that he invites her to a concert to get to know her better.
Fast-forward six months and this couple are marrying and discussing the desire to become parents – it would appear to be a whirlwind fairytale romance.
So where did it go so wrong?
Peter had recently gone into business for himself, had investors and was close to breaking into a new market for small online transactions. He was working all the hours he could in order to be the first to the market with this concept; hoping that this would give him the ability to provide for his family in the years to come.
Diana was becoming increasingly frustrated with his long hours, his desire to keep himself locked away for hours on end playing video games and eating pizza after a day in the office coding. They no longer sat down to dinner together, went out together or even watched a TV programme together.
Their relationship was quickly going from fairytale to nightmare.
Then came that fateful night where Peter’s car goes flying off the road at the notorious Widow Falls and into the freezing cold, fast-flowing river below.
When the car is finally retrieved no boy is present, so determining the cause of the accident is hindered. Add to this the strange reaction of Diana Jager when she is told about the accident and it is easy to see why police officers Kazmi and Rodriguez suspect something more has happened.
Not prepared to let it rest, regardless of the good doctor’s contacts, Kazmi and Rodrguez continue to probe further into the accident and into the relationship of the newlyweds in order to determine what truly happened.
The only question is, will they be able to undercover the truth?
At the same time, Peter’s sister is also in search of the truth and decides that the only way to succeed is to employ the skills of a journalist in order to find out what may have happened on that wintry evening.
Jack Parlabane, disgraced by previous actions, is more than willing to take a few days out of his monotonous life of copy editing in order to play detective. He is known for his tenacious attitude, never wanting to let something goes if he believes there is a story to be told, and by the look of things there is definitely a story here.
What is the truth? With both the police and Parlabane searching for answers surely it is only a matter of time before the facts are uncovered.
Is this a simple case of jealous wife lashes out at husband or is there something more to this?
Our Thoughts on Black Widow
This is the first Chris Brookmyre novel I have read but it won’t be the last.
Gripping from the start, this well-written novel will capture your attention, getting the brain cells working as you try to figure out the underlining story for yourself. It appears to be an uncomplicated case where the woman in question has confessed to killing her husband but I guaranteed you will be shocked with the outcome.
This is a book with twists that no-one would have considered.
My advice, pick up a copy today, regardless of whether or not you usually read crime thrillers, you will want to read this one.
Travelling Book Junkie Rating: ****
Have you read Black Widow or any other Chris Brookmyre books? Which one would you recommend to us?
This sounds like a gripping book. I will add this to my list.
It will keeping you guessing that’s for sure!
I really like when at the end there is a twist and this book looks like it has one! This make me read it twice to understand the little clues the author write just to make you crazy at the end hahaha
It took me ages to realise some things had a hidden meaning!
I’ll have to check out this author and book. I love reading on a daily basis, and this would be right up my alley.
Glad it sounds like a book you would enjoy – let me know your thoughts if you read it! 🙂
Looks just like my type of reading i’ll be checking this out
It’s a great easy to read novel! Hope you like it as much as I did.
Great review! I had not previously read a Chris Brookmyre book but I am officially intrigued. I will have to add Black Widow to my already overflowing To Read book pile.
🙂
Traci
I have one of those overflowing piles as well!! 😀
Wow such a gripping thriller! Can’t wait to read the rest.
I know, there are so many I think I am going to seek out his earlier books to begin with so I can see if his writing has changed at all.
I really enjoy reading mystery type genre books and this sounds like a great read. I like that it has unexpected twists at the end!
I think the unexpected is what makes a good crime novel!
The title alone sends shivers down your spine. You would have to live under a rock not to know the significance of those 2 words
It is what drew me to the book in the first place!
That sounds amazing! I love a good crime/mystery novel. Will check this one out!
If you enjoy crime you will love this one!
I enjoy crime thrillers a great deal and this one certainly seems interesting!
I guarantee it is an interesting read!
I will really read this book. I cant wait to have this on Philippine market. Very interesting to read.
How long do you have to wait for titles to be released in the Phillippines?
I do love a book that’s gripping from the start and stays that way right until the finish. Glad you found this on that you enjoyed!
It was a brilliant read! It took me a long time to realise what was going on! 🙂
I haven’t read any of Chris’s books but I love reading and anything set in Scotland usually gets my interest. Thanks for introducing me to Tartan Noir. 😉
Tartan Noir was a new term to me until I read this novel. I will say that whilst it is set in Scotland there is very little reference to the landscapes etc as the story concentrates on the people.
Isn’t that amazing! I love a good crime/mystery novel. You can never put it down until you finish the entire book! Always so exciting and heart-stopping!
I read a lot of crime and to find one where you don’t know what is going to happen can be rare so when I do find one I am completely gripped. 🙂
Such an interesting book to read. I want to read this awesome story. I’m going to check it out.
Glad it has inspired you to take a look. If you are interested, we have added a link at the bottom which will take you directly to amazon! 🙂
OOOH I Love a good thriller. Thanks for the recommendation, I will check it out. I am reading Black Chalk right now.
Ooh I might have to check that one out – just read the synopsis and sounds interesting. Thanks for mentioning it to me! 🙂
Sounds interesting. I don’t usually like mystery/thriller novels but it sounds pretty good.
This one doesn’t contain lots of gory imagines, rather it is a story surrounding the main characters which I feel adds to the appeal of this particular novel!
That sounds like a really great book! My niece loves to read books like this, so I am sending this to her!
Hope your niece will enjoy this as much as I did! 🙂
Sounds fantastic!! I just added this to my list on my nook. Thank you for the review
Glad you like the sound of it enough to add to your list – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🙂
I haven’t read this book. It looks like a really great read.
I highly recommend it, especially if you like a good thriller.
This looks like an intriguing read. I will have to read it.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
This does sound like a great book. Lots of twist interests me. I will have to get this on my list.
The twists definitely keep coming. It’s one of those boos where you think you have just got the potential outcome and then something else comes along and throws you off again! 🙂
This would be one I would most definitely read!
Glad to hear that it has sparked interest for you. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Sounds like a book I would like. Love the suspense.
If you enjoy suspense I guarantee you will love this one!
This sounds like a repeat book. I love action packed novels like this.
It is certainly not a boring book. 🙂
This book sounds like a good one, I am always looking for new books to read. The problem is I become a slacker on life because I cannot put the book down 🙂
Welcome to my world. I spend my life with my head in a book and sometimes I do have to be reminded to do other things! I can’t help it if I find something interesting to read! 😀
This sounds like a great book. I love when there are lots of twists in the story.
So do I, it really keeps me engaged!
sounds intense
Worth a read!
I’ve never heard of him, but I’ve been out of the book loop for awhile.
The description sounds awesome, though. I eat up novels like this!
It is the first of his books I have picked up but I will definitely be on the look out for more now!
Oh my I was hooked by the title I can’t wait to read this and find out what happened!
It is a story that will keep you guessing for quite some time! 🙂
This sounds like just the books I love to read. I’m adding this to my list of books to read. I have a 14hr flight coming up soon and this is just what I need.
With 405 pages this would be great for a long flight! 🙂
It sounds really engaging. I’m always looking for a new book to read
Because you are reading the story from many different angles you got pieces of information drip fed therefore you are constantly trying to put it altogether for yourself.
That sounds like a great read! Wow, I can’t wait to check it out.
I really enjoyed it, I hope you do as well.