The Widows of Braxton County by Jess McConkey

Can family history be repeated?  Can murder be repeated and with the same weapon, the same manner of death, and to the same family member but years apart? Can it really be called a family curse?

The Krause family had a history of being difficult to get along with and with being abusive to their wives.  When Kate married Joe, she wasn't aware of the history of the Krause men nor of the murder of her husband's great-great grandfather that caused a rift between the Krauses and the entire town.

Had her new husband kept all of this from her on purpose.  She knew he had lied to her from the beginning when they arrived at their new home and his mother was there and there to stay.  The Krause men expected their wives to obey them and not work outside the home.  Kate didn't care if that was the Krause family tradition, she wasn't going to be a stay-at-home, old-fashioned wife.

Social issues were the main focus of THE WIDOWS OF BRAXTON COUNTY as well as the mystery about the murder of Kate's husband's great-great grandfather and then Kate’s husband.  The murder affected the whole town both in 1890 and in 2012. Neighbors were still mad at each other after all these years because of the wrong doing about the murder.  One neighbor blaming the other because the case was never solved.

The author skillfully adds intrigue and suspense to the novel by taking the social issues to the level of murder and secrets. Going back and forth between the two time periods was the perfect way to tell this story and to keep the anticipation from wavering.

Kate will gain your sympathy immediately, and you will want to praise her for her actions.   Trudy, her mother-in-law, will be on your last nerve, and you will dislike her from the minute you meet her.  The entire Krause family was not well-liked by the town and won't be liked by you, the reader.

The family history of murder and anger issues along with the history of how women were treated during the 1800’s was a large focus of the storyline, but the secrets and murders made for an incredibly outstanding page turner.  I really didn't want to put the book down.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.