Lightning review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 People are going nuts for The Widow and for good reason. It's a psychological thriller in the same vein as Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Pretty Baby, and it lives up to its much-lauded peers. 
 Barton writes her mystery by using negative space. Remember in art class when you had to draw a thing by shading in the all areas around it, not actually by drawing the thing itself? That's what Barton is doing here. The crux of the mystery is the abduction of a child named Bella Elliot, but we as the readers never see the abduction like we often do in traditional mysteries. Instead we get glimpse of the story through the eyes of several key characters - namely the widow of the accused, Jean Taylor, and the detective investigating the case, Bob Sparkes. The book jumps back and forth between 2006, when Bella disappeared, and 2010, immediately after Jean's husband dies. 
 I don't want to say much more about this book because it will ruin it-that's why I opted for a lightning review even though I could talk about the The Widow for hours. I want every reader to experience the delicious twists and turns this thriller offers. 
 A few notes though: the book takes place in London so expect terms like Detective Inspector and loo. It's a bloodless thriller, but does discuss things like child pornography and pedophilia, so it won't be for everyone. And finally, yes, we do get closure at the end. You won't be kept wondering what really happened, but you will be eagerly awaiting Barton's next book-The Widow is that good. 
 - Elyse