Come for the thrills, stay for the characters. That pretty much sums up THE BLACK WIDOW, Wendy Corsi Staub’s excellent new thriller that combines equal parts contemporary romance (and lack thereof) and serial killings for a novel that demands to be read in one sitting. You could almost believe, by the manner in which the narrative flows so well and so quickly, that it indeed was written in one sitting.

Staub has always integrated contemporary culture into her novels, and does so in spades with her latest effort. The overlying theme is Internet dating. Yes, I know, meeting people online has been around for a while, but the advent and development of phone apps and the ever increasing sophistication of social networking sites take the entire meet and mate scene to a whole new level.

"THE BLACK WIDOW is one of Staub’s best books to date. The twists and turns start coming early on, and while you might be able to predict a couple of things, there are plenty of surprises nonetheless. If the novel’s mystery and suspense aren’t enough, the characters are magnificent."

A fairly recently divorced woman named Gaby Duran has had her share of heartache and tragedy, consisting primarily of the death of her baby and the resultant divorce from her husband, Ben. Gaby, at the urging of her supportive and very strong-willed cousin, finally takes the plunge into the online dating world and actually meets a decent guy named Ryan with no apparent skeletons in his closet. Interestingly enough, Ben is on the site as well, but while he and Gaby only briefly cross instant message paths, it is not until they have a chance meeting --- while Gaby is on a date with someone else --- that they wonder if perhaps there is still a flicker or two left in their old flame. Gaby isn’t quite sure what to do about Ryan, though, and Ben still has his personal bait up on the website, and…

Oh, you’re wondering about the thriller part of THE BLACK WIDOW? I’m glad you asked, because interspersed among all of this romantic derring-do is someone named Alex, who is trolling the dating service as well. Alex has a specific goal in mind, and it isn’t marriage; he wants something a bit more permanent, if you will. If he doesn’t get it, the equivalent of “one and done” comes into play, and we find out precisely what that shovel, the one he keeps by the door, is for. A small part of the fun of this book is wondering how Gaby’s storyline is going to intersect with Alex’s. You may figure that out by the time you get halfway through, but the real excitement begins as the two paths slowly converge and meet, how the party in jeopardy is going to get out of it, and whether or not they will with all fingers and toes (and everything else) intact. You will have to read all the way to the end to find out, and trust me, it will be worth every minute.

THE BLACK WIDOW is one of Staub’s best books to date. The twists and turns start coming early on, and while you might be able to predict a couple of things, there are plenty of surprises nonetheless. If the novel’s mystery and suspense aren’t enough, the characters are magnificent. Staub captures so vividly the dating scene for those starting their romantic lives over that anyone who suddenly finds themselves on the social market will certainly think twice about putting themselves out there --- and not because they are concerned about meeting a serial killer, either.

As with Staub’s other books, the surprise isn’t that she is so prolific, though that certainly would be cause enough for wonder. It’s that she writes so many books so well. Count THE BLACK WIDOW among them.