I don’t know how much the cover of a book attracts a prospective reader. That is a topic above my pay grade. I do think that an interesting title almost always gets attention. Such is the case when I learned of Jeff Abbott’s new novel, AN AMBUSH OF WIDOWS. Abbott is a journeyman author who is seemingly incapable of disappointing or writing badly, but he more than exceeds his own built-in expectations in this most worthy summer thriller that is also a book for all seasons.

Kirsten North is at her New Orleans home one evening while her husband, Henry, is in New York on a business trip. Henry runs an IT security company and is in the never-ending process of hunting down clients. Kirsten is doing what married folks normally do when one of them is out of town --- ordering food she likes, and watching a television show he doesn’t --- when she gets an anonymous call from Henry’s number. The caller is brief and to the point: Henry has been shot and killed in Austin, Texas. Kirsten naturally drops everything and goes there.

"It is only when Kirsten and Flora can ultimately work together that readers understand all of the different reasons behind the title of this compelling and addicting work."

This would be enough to get things rolling, but Abbott inserts a vignette whereby a hitman who has been assigned to murder Kirsten practically bumps into her by happenstance in the New Orleans airport. Once this occurs, readers aren’t going anywhere. Henry was found in a warehouse in Austin with Adam Zhang, who also assumed room temperature. Adam was a wealthy entrepreneur who assisted in the launch of startup companies for a piece of the action. Kirsten’s arrival in Austin helps the police identify Henry, but it doesn’t answer other questions: Why was Henry in Austin instead of New York? Why were these two men who apparently had no known link to each other found murdered together in a warehouse?

Adam’s wife, Flora, has no answers and is dealing with her grief and loss even as she slowly comes to the realization that Adam’s business partner might be trying to ace her out of the company that they built together. The initial encounters between Kirsten and Flora are a bit prickly at first, but slowly and tentatively resolve as they move forward with their shared problem. Kirsten also comes with her foster brother, Zach, who is fiercely loyal to her and has some very interesting connections on both sides of the law.

However, complications abound as it is extremely difficult for any of the innocent principals (and there aren’t many) to know who they can believe and who they can trust. It is only when Kirsten and Flora can ultimately work together that readers understand all of the different reasons behind the title of this compelling and addicting work.

AN AMBUSH OF WIDOWS is complete in itself, but Abbott leaves the door open to the possibility of a sequel of sorts down the road. Anything that he writes is worth reading, but a return to these characters --- those who make it to the last page, anyway --- would be most welcome.