The Widow by Fiona Barton

 

As this novel opens, a man has just been killed; hit by a bus and gone in an instant.  Glen Taylor isn't mourned by many however.  He had been the main suspect in the disappearance of two year old Bella, the toddler whose story had captured the attention of the nation.  Glen had been identified as a person of interest, taken to trial but found not guilty.  He and his wife had been vilified in the press, losing jobs and friends.

We are now given the story of Glen's death and Bella's abduction as seen through the eyes of three people; Jean Taylor, Glen's wife, Bob Sykes, the police inspector who still firmly believes in Glen's guilt and Kate Waters, the reporter who is determined to get Jean's story.  Along the way, we are taken back and follow the police investigation from start to finish.  We track the Taylor's marriage, how Jean fell in love with Glen because he was confident but later found that confidence and the controlling that came with it confining.  We learn about the conflicts a reporter faces as they have to decide how far they will go to get a story.  Finally, we learn the truth about Bella.

This is the first in the Kate Waters series, which has three books.  The switching between viewpoints allows the story to be told in a way that hints at secrets and slowly reveals them.  The reader will change their minds several times about what really happened and who was to blame.  This was a debut novel and Barton has become successful since writing other stories in this same genre.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.