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The Widow File (Paperback) - Common
Dani, a data analyst with an elite security firm, possesses the unnerving ability to read people by the trash they leave behind. Receipts, parking tickets, the detritus of daily life—if you leave it behind, she will figure you out.Her latest case involves high-tech industrial espionage at a corporation with ties to the military. But when a team of assassins sweeps through the firm, stealing all files and killing her coworkers, Dani narrowly escapes. Whoever ordered the strike thinks Dani has vital information and they put a hit man named Booker on her trail.Armed with only her wits and a bag of random investigation materials, Dani must figure out who the enemy really is while playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the cunning hit man who has an agenda of his own.
Unknown Binding
First published November 5, 2013
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About the author
S.G. Redling
14 books314 followersS.G. Redling, a graduate of Georgetown University, has spent fifteen years waking up the good folks of Huntington WV and its environs on the WKEE-FM morning radio show. She recently wound up her headphones for the last time and is focusing on thrillers, mysteries and urban fantasy. When S.G. isn't writing, she loves to paint, travel and embarrass herself by speaking wretched Italian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews
January 1, 2014
A petite young data analyst named Dani works for a very secretive, exclusive security firm on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The firm is doing a job for a defense contractor, attempting to determine who in the firm might be leaking its industrial secrets. Then out of the blue one day, Dani's boss announces that the job is over. The client has called them off and the team is to assemble all the material it has collected so that the client can pick it up later that day.
Oops. Dani has taken some of the material related to the case home to her apartment so that she can work on it after hours. It's nothing critical, just routine scraps of paper and other such things that the target has thrown away. Dani's specialty is examining this sort of material and developing a profile of the subject.
She races home to gather up the material so that it can be included in the package that is being returned to the client. But she arrives back at the firm's headquarters, which is in a secluded rural area, to find a black van blocking the road that the employees use to access the back door.
In a thriller like this, it's never good news when a mysterious black van appears, and the knowledgeable reader is already yelling at Dani to turn around and get the hell out of there. Of course she doesn't, and when she enters the building, she finds that all of her co-workers have been killed. Even worse, the killers are still in the building and she is now effectively trapped.
Dani has no idea what in the hell is going on, and neither does the reader. But since this is still only the beginning of the book, she will manage a narrow escape from the building. Sadly, though, the killers have a roster of employees and they know that Dani is missing. They also believe that she is in possession of the critical item that they were supposed to be retrieving from the security firm, even though Dani has no idea what in the world it could be.
Now a skilled and savage hit man is on Dani's trail, determined to recapture the item and complete the job his team started earlier in the day and if Dani is going to survive, she's going to have to be very nimble, both of foot and mind.
S. G. Redling has created here a tense, taut thriller with a very intriguing protagonist. There's a lot of action; the plot moves swiftly and the reader may well wind up turning the pages of this story well into the night.
Oops. Dani has taken some of the material related to the case home to her apartment so that she can work on it after hours. It's nothing critical, just routine scraps of paper and other such things that the target has thrown away. Dani's specialty is examining this sort of material and developing a profile of the subject.
She races home to gather up the material so that it can be included in the package that is being returned to the client. But she arrives back at the firm's headquarters, which is in a secluded rural area, to find a black van blocking the road that the employees use to access the back door.
In a thriller like this, it's never good news when a mysterious black van appears, and the knowledgeable reader is already yelling at Dani to turn around and get the hell out of there. Of course she doesn't, and when she enters the building, she finds that all of her co-workers have been killed. Even worse, the killers are still in the building and she is now effectively trapped.
Dani has no idea what in the hell is going on, and neither does the reader. But since this is still only the beginning of the book, she will manage a narrow escape from the building. Sadly, though, the killers have a roster of employees and they know that Dani is missing. They also believe that she is in possession of the critical item that they were supposed to be retrieving from the security firm, even though Dani has no idea what in the world it could be.
Now a skilled and savage hit man is on Dani's trail, determined to recapture the item and complete the job his team started earlier in the day and if Dani is going to survive, she's going to have to be very nimble, both of foot and mind.
S. G. Redling has created here a tense, taut thriller with a very intriguing protagonist. There's a lot of action; the plot moves swiftly and the reader may well wind up turning the pages of this story well into the night.
December 16, 2013
The plot was compelling and the characters relatable. This was a fun book to read. The reasons I did not rate it higher were 1. The ending and 2. the confusing explanations.
The ending - I am always big on an ending. I do not care if it was not the ending I wanted, I just want it to feel in synch with the rest of the book. So if we are going to follow people through every second of their lives for two days, do not stuff the an ending that span months into a coupl of pages and then leave us hanging.
Confusing explanations - It may have been me, but there were several times that I had no idea what the author was trying to explain. For example, there was a scene when the heroine was on a ledge and trying to get to the roof. There was so much detail in the explanation that I was totally lost. Another fight scene, just could not follow. In these situations a bit more clarity was called for.
But overall it was a quick read that was enjoyable even though I figured out who th bad guys were early on.
The ending - I am always big on an ending. I do not care if it was not the ending I wanted, I just want it to feel in synch with the rest of the book. So if we are going to follow people through every second of their lives for two days, do not stuff the an ending that span months into a coupl of pages and then leave us hanging.
Confusing explanations - It may have been me, but there were several times that I had no idea what the author was trying to explain. For example, there was a scene when the heroine was on a ledge and trying to get to the roof. There was so much detail in the explanation that I was totally lost. Another fight scene, just could not follow. In these situations a bit more clarity was called for.
But overall it was a quick read that was enjoyable even though I figured out who th bad guys were early on.
December 9, 2013
The Widow File
By S.G. Redling
Click book for description
Available 1/1/14
I am trying something different for a change. I’ve been loving NetGalley but decided to switch it up this time and try out a new feature offered to Amazon Prime Members (such as myself – proud member for 2+ years!) called Kindle First. Each month I am offered a few pre-release titles, where I can pick one to read (and lucky for you all – review it too!) So here goes my first one!
Finish time: 5 nights. Again I probably could have finished this in one sitting. It is the first book that I can honestly say I did not want to put down. I am tempted to use profanity to emphasize just how crazy this book is, but I don’t do that – so let’s just say it is INSANE!! Non-stop action from the first page. I was seriously holding my breath and each night this book entered my dreams as I could not stop thinking about it.
Dani Britton is a great main character. So well described, that I could just picture the short, spunky, dark-haired, little firecracker that she was. I can only hoped if faced with a similar situation that I have half as much smarts and sense as she did. Not that I ever hope or expect to be in that kind of situation. She takes paranoia and planning to an extreme that I can’t even touch. Seriously, at the end this is just solidified (as well as many points throughout the book.)
She keeps coming back to something her mother told her about being careful v. clever. An interesting question that gets the reader thinking throughout the book. At each and every challenge Dani is presented with, she is quickly able to read the situation, assess it, and act fast. She never knows who she can trust and has to go solely on her gut instinct, which in her case is usually pretty good.
As a reader, you don’t know who you can trust too. You don’t know what is going to be thrown at her and the book keeps you guessing to the very end. And the ending is good, and maybe left open to a sequel?
Read the description, as I don’t want to give away any details, but the book is definitely an action-packed thriller, mystery, suspense, and I even see love story thrown in there in one description. It’s not like any book I have read recently, but it removed me from my comfort zone and transported me into this crazy chase of a book and I enjoyed every second of it. If you want a book that is hard to put down, challenges your thinking, and really enjoyable, read this book!
http://mydogearedpurpose.com/2013/12/...
By S.G. Redling
Click book for description
Available 1/1/14
I am trying something different for a change. I’ve been loving NetGalley but decided to switch it up this time and try out a new feature offered to Amazon Prime Members (such as myself – proud member for 2+ years!) called Kindle First. Each month I am offered a few pre-release titles, where I can pick one to read (and lucky for you all – review it too!) So here goes my first one!
Finish time: 5 nights. Again I probably could have finished this in one sitting. It is the first book that I can honestly say I did not want to put down. I am tempted to use profanity to emphasize just how crazy this book is, but I don’t do that – so let’s just say it is INSANE!! Non-stop action from the first page. I was seriously holding my breath and each night this book entered my dreams as I could not stop thinking about it.
Dani Britton is a great main character. So well described, that I could just picture the short, spunky, dark-haired, little firecracker that she was. I can only hoped if faced with a similar situation that I have half as much smarts and sense as she did. Not that I ever hope or expect to be in that kind of situation. She takes paranoia and planning to an extreme that I can’t even touch. Seriously, at the end this is just solidified (as well as many points throughout the book.)
She keeps coming back to something her mother told her about being careful v. clever. An interesting question that gets the reader thinking throughout the book. At each and every challenge Dani is presented with, she is quickly able to read the situation, assess it, and act fast. She never knows who she can trust and has to go solely on her gut instinct, which in her case is usually pretty good.
As a reader, you don’t know who you can trust too. You don’t know what is going to be thrown at her and the book keeps you guessing to the very end. And the ending is good, and maybe left open to a sequel?
Read the description, as I don’t want to give away any details, but the book is definitely an action-packed thriller, mystery, suspense, and I even see love story thrown in there in one description. It’s not like any book I have read recently, but it removed me from my comfort zone and transported me into this crazy chase of a book and I enjoyed every second of it. If you want a book that is hard to put down, challenges your thinking, and really enjoyable, read this book!
http://mydogearedpurpose.com/2013/12/...
October 19, 2013
THE WIDOW FILE was a gritty, realistic thriller with a very complicated plot. Dani works for an exclusive and secretive investigative firm outside Washington, D.C. She is what they call a Paint. Her specialty is learning about a person by the garbage they leave behind. She is a quiet, private person whose only friends are her colleagues at work but the friendships are surface, "work" friendships.
When the boss tells them to drop their current case and pack up all materials gathered, Dani has to take a quick trip home to get evidence she had left there. When she returns, she finds most of her colleagues dead and a team of killers searching the house for evidence and any stragglers. Dani does manage to hide and then escape to the roof where she finds another colleague - Choo Choo. Together the two of them manage to elude the kill team and go on the run.
Besides telling the story from Dani's viewpoint, we get the viewpoint of the hired assassin who orchestrated the invasion of Dani's workplace and who is still determined to find and kill Dani. He doesn't have any respect for the people who hired him but he is interested in Dani. The two of them begin a phone relationship though neither can trust the other.
The story was filled with gritty realism. We see Dani's terror and confusion as she is on the run from an unknown enemy. We watch her get so tired that the idea of giving up seems reasonable. We see her stubbornness as she tries to outwit her unknown enemy. She will need to be careful, clever and lucky to get out of this situation alive.
My main problem with this thriller was that I never did figure out who the bad guys really were and who they were working for. But, since this was Dani's story, I could overlook that as I watched the way Dani survived. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this action-packed story.
When the boss tells them to drop their current case and pack up all materials gathered, Dani has to take a quick trip home to get evidence she had left there. When she returns, she finds most of her colleagues dead and a team of killers searching the house for evidence and any stragglers. Dani does manage to hide and then escape to the roof where she finds another colleague - Choo Choo. Together the two of them manage to elude the kill team and go on the run.
Besides telling the story from Dani's viewpoint, we get the viewpoint of the hired assassin who orchestrated the invasion of Dani's workplace and who is still determined to find and kill Dani. He doesn't have any respect for the people who hired him but he is interested in Dani. The two of them begin a phone relationship though neither can trust the other.
The story was filled with gritty realism. We see Dani's terror and confusion as she is on the run from an unknown enemy. We watch her get so tired that the idea of giving up seems reasonable. We see her stubbornness as she tries to outwit her unknown enemy. She will need to be careful, clever and lucky to get out of this situation alive.
My main problem with this thriller was that I never did figure out who the bad guys really were and who they were working for. But, since this was Dani's story, I could overlook that as I watched the way Dani survived. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this action-packed story.
December 21, 2013
Dani is a data analyst for a security company investigating possible leaks in a corporation. She and one other analyst becomes the survivors of an attack that killed all the other analysts and stole their files. Dani is left to figure out why they are after her, what information they seek and why they want to kill her while eluding the a clever hit man named Booker.
That is the bare bones of a ordinary and overdone plot. You would think there are only so many thriller plots that an author can do and the trick is for the writer to find new ways to present them.
Well,that doesn't happen here. Redling's brief but excruciatingly overlong novel not only brings out all the old gimmicks but does them badly. It's hard to know who this was written for. It a suspenseful idea but the dialog tends to be over cute and somewhat YA in nature. It really cuts out the action. Dani and her cutesy named friend called Choo Choo are too unbelievable as the smart and resourceful characters they are meant to be. The villain Booker fares no better. Add in a large amount of filler in a relatively short novel and the result is a novel that just couldn't interest me, let alone thrill me. I did manage to finish it but it took a lot longer than it should have since I kept getting distracted by everyday life. When everyday life pulls me away for a novel, you know there's something wrong.
I received this from Amazon Prime's new First Read program in which the members get a free book before the publishing date. The Widow File was the mystery selection for December. Let's hope Amazon choose better books in the future. Barely two stars.
That is the bare bones of a ordinary and overdone plot. You would think there are only so many thriller plots that an author can do and the trick is for the writer to find new ways to present them.
Well,that doesn't happen here. Redling's brief but excruciatingly overlong novel not only brings out all the old gimmicks but does them badly. It's hard to know who this was written for. It a suspenseful idea but the dialog tends to be over cute and somewhat YA in nature. It really cuts out the action. Dani and her cutesy named friend called Choo Choo are too unbelievable as the smart and resourceful characters they are meant to be. The villain Booker fares no better. Add in a large amount of filler in a relatively short novel and the result is a novel that just couldn't interest me, let alone thrill me. I did manage to finish it but it took a lot longer than it should have since I kept getting distracted by everyday life. When everyday life pulls me away for a novel, you know there's something wrong.
I received this from Amazon Prime's new First Read program in which the members get a free book before the publishing date. The Widow File was the mystery selection for December. Let's hope Amazon choose better books in the future. Barely two stars.
April 3, 2014
I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was a very fast and engaging read. Whenever I picked it up, I ended up reading for longer than I had intended because I got wrapped up in the story and didn’t want to put it down. There were only three characters with any significant “page time”, but I found all three of them to be interesting and believably written.
The main reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because of how abrupt the ending was. There were a lot of things that needed to be fleshed out better, and I didn’t find the ending to be satisfying at all. Some things were left unexplained, and we only really found out what became of the main character in a vague sort of way. We were told nothing about what ended up happening with the other two characters we’d been following. I also found several aspects of the plot to be rather unrealistic, although not so much that I couldn’t overlook it and just enjoy the story.
Up until the ending, I had 4 stars in mind as my rating for this book. I considered that to be a little overly-generous, but the book gave me enough enjoyment that I decided it was justified. However, the ending was so abrupt and unsatisfying that there was just no way for me to justify 4 stars. If I could give half stars, I might give it 3.5.
The main reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because of how abrupt the ending was. There were a lot of things that needed to be fleshed out better, and I didn’t find the ending to be satisfying at all. Some things were left unexplained, and we only really found out what became of the main character in a vague sort of way. We were told nothing about what ended up happening with the other two characters we’d been following. I also found several aspects of the plot to be rather unrealistic, although not so much that I couldn’t overlook it and just enjoy the story.
Up until the ending, I had 4 stars in mind as my rating for this book. I considered that to be a little overly-generous, but the book gave me enough enjoyment that I decided it was justified. However, the ending was so abrupt and unsatisfying that there was just no way for me to justify 4 stars. If I could give half stars, I might give it 3.5.
June 7, 2016
Two-haiku review:
She analyzes
Bad guys killing everyone
Why? What do they want?
Exciting thriller
Really loved the beginning
Kept tension going
She analyzes
Bad guys killing everyone
Why? What do they want?
Exciting thriller
Really loved the beginning
Kept tension going
August 17, 2014
This book has to be the most riveting thriller that I have read in months. It is only 190 pages in length but it is 190 pages of heart-pounding action. Scene after scene, chapter after chapter, the race for our two protagonists to survive against a killing machine never flags.
From the very first page we know the identity of that killing machine – Booker. He is a well referenced independent contractor, is quite skilled at his craft and he loves doing it. He has a high level of intelligence and a moral compass that not only dictates a high quality in his kills but also dictates that a contract once paid for must be fulfilled, regardless. And our main protagonist, Dani Britton, is the last person on his list for his current job.
As the promotional blurb for this book indicates, Dani works as a data analyst for a secretive security agency near Washington, D.C., that specializes in discreetly resolving corporate espionage cases. Her specialty is analyzing trash and records for patterns of behavior. When the current case that Dani and her team are working on is suddenly scrubbed, all members of the team are called in and are required to be present to surrender all evidence gathered to the client at the end of two hours. Dani goes home to pick up some of that trash that she had been working on but traffic makes her late getting back. When she finally gets into the building, she finds one of her team members dead and hears shooting coming from the interior of the building.
At this point the promotional blurb leaves off and the terror begins, not just for Dani but also for the reader. The author describes everything in detail – what Dani thinks, what Dani feels, what Dani does. But this detail is neither a data dump nor is it fluff for the sake of a word count. This detail is a form of descriptive prose that puts you in Dani’s body, going through what she goes through, suffering through her fear, her exhaustion and her mistakes right along with her. The dialogue is gritty, believable and appropriate to the situations. The feelings of panic, desperation and anger just pour out of the words.
Dani is no superhero, and the author does not provide her with miracles. What the author does provide her with is intelligence and the power to think on her feet. And the author also provides her with Choo-Choo, a highly skilled male teammate who had escaped the massacre without Booker knowing.
The author alternates the scenarios between Dani and Booker, from the minute Booker intercepts her 911 call to the final confrontation. We know what each is doing in the same time frame, even if they are not in the same place at the time. And we are placed into Booker’s mind just as surely as we are in Dani’s and he is not the typical literary psychopath.
It doesn’t take too long in the plot arc for Dani, Choo-Choo and Booker to figure out that they’ve all been played and that there is a second killing machine out there. The problem is that they have no idea who that enemy is – the client who cancelled the surveillance job, their own employers, a government agency or all of the above. Time is not on anyone’s side. Booker is coming for Dani and the group behind the espionage is coming for all three of them.
In summary, Redling provides us with a realistic set-up that is propelled through believable scenarios to an Oh-My-God conclusion. This is truly a book that will have you forgoing sleep to get to that conclusion.
From the very first page we know the identity of that killing machine – Booker. He is a well referenced independent contractor, is quite skilled at his craft and he loves doing it. He has a high level of intelligence and a moral compass that not only dictates a high quality in his kills but also dictates that a contract once paid for must be fulfilled, regardless. And our main protagonist, Dani Britton, is the last person on his list for his current job.
As the promotional blurb for this book indicates, Dani works as a data analyst for a secretive security agency near Washington, D.C., that specializes in discreetly resolving corporate espionage cases. Her specialty is analyzing trash and records for patterns of behavior. When the current case that Dani and her team are working on is suddenly scrubbed, all members of the team are called in and are required to be present to surrender all evidence gathered to the client at the end of two hours. Dani goes home to pick up some of that trash that she had been working on but traffic makes her late getting back. When she finally gets into the building, she finds one of her team members dead and hears shooting coming from the interior of the building.
At this point the promotional blurb leaves off and the terror begins, not just for Dani but also for the reader. The author describes everything in detail – what Dani thinks, what Dani feels, what Dani does. But this detail is neither a data dump nor is it fluff for the sake of a word count. This detail is a form of descriptive prose that puts you in Dani’s body, going through what she goes through, suffering through her fear, her exhaustion and her mistakes right along with her. The dialogue is gritty, believable and appropriate to the situations. The feelings of panic, desperation and anger just pour out of the words.
Dani is no superhero, and the author does not provide her with miracles. What the author does provide her with is intelligence and the power to think on her feet. And the author also provides her with Choo-Choo, a highly skilled male teammate who had escaped the massacre without Booker knowing.
The author alternates the scenarios between Dani and Booker, from the minute Booker intercepts her 911 call to the final confrontation. We know what each is doing in the same time frame, even if they are not in the same place at the time. And we are placed into Booker’s mind just as surely as we are in Dani’s and he is not the typical literary psychopath.
It doesn’t take too long in the plot arc for Dani, Choo-Choo and Booker to figure out that they’ve all been played and that there is a second killing machine out there. The problem is that they have no idea who that enemy is – the client who cancelled the surveillance job, their own employers, a government agency or all of the above. Time is not on anyone’s side. Booker is coming for Dani and the group behind the espionage is coming for all three of them.
In summary, Redling provides us with a realistic set-up that is propelled through believable scenarios to an Oh-My-God conclusion. This is truly a book that will have you forgoing sleep to get to that conclusion.
January 8, 2015
This book totally sucked me in. I couldn't put it down.
This author is incredible. It is a crime/mystery/suspense/assassin book. It is gritty and at times violent, but somehow as you read, you are pulled in. The suspense is palpable. It is very descriptive of all senses, but isn't distracting in any way. My mind easily sees it as though I am watching a suspenseful movie. The characters come to life, and a few of them, as imperfect as they are, just enter your heart. Just fantastic writing.
And the sequel is great too!
This author is incredible. It is a crime/mystery/suspense/assassin book. It is gritty and at times violent, but somehow as you read, you are pulled in. The suspense is palpable. It is very descriptive of all senses, but isn't distracting in any way. My mind easily sees it as though I am watching a suspenseful movie. The characters come to life, and a few of them, as imperfect as they are, just enter your heart. Just fantastic writing.
And the sequel is great too!
April 21, 2014
This thriller was so good that I ordered the sequel in advance, something I almost never do. Highly recommended if you like thrillers at all. Be prepared for some violence, but it never really got to me (as some do).
January 18, 2018
Quiet and interesting book, kept me guessing. Interesting ending that I didn’t predict.
September 10, 2013
Terrifying thriller stars short, nerdy heroine
This book starts in a leisurely fashion then quickly takes off, setting the fastest pace of any book I’ve read recently. Almost all of the action takes place in one breath-taking harrowing day, but though the book gripped and terrified me so much I could hardly put it down, a short summary of The Widow File--a thriller set in an elite security firm--would not necessarily have made me want to read it. Luckily I’ve learned to trust S. G. Redling’s skill as a storyteller, and if you look a little closer at the description there are clues this thriller is going to be special, the most important being that the main character Dani isn’t glamorous, she’s short and nerdy and reads people by examining their trash.
Rasmund, the security firm Dani works for, uses her idiosyncratic talents to thwart industrial espionage for high paying corporate clients. Though she’s quite fond of her co-workers she’s something of a loner, and gets so caught up in her work she’s disappointed when their most recent job is cancelled. Since she takes her work home she has to go back to her apartment to retrieve materials--in her case it’s mostly trash--that must be returned to the client, but when she gets back to Rasmund she finds all her colleagues dead, shot by the very thorough team of assassins she’s now trapped in the building with.
To stay alive she must escape and stay one step ahead of the determined hit man who is sure she has something he wants, though Dani has no idea what it is. Her only weapons are a quirky intelligence that notices patterns other people don’t, and the canny habits she learned from her truck driving father on their cross country trips together.
Widow File is the third book I’ve read by S. G. Redling, and I highly recommend them all. Though their settings and circumstances are impressively varied, so far each of her novels features an off-beat female character whose personal drama is part of a monumental event. Widow File has Dani caught up in what looks like some kind of industrial terrorism, Flowertown has a deadbeat junkie trapped in a massive chemical containment disaster that poisons and permanently quarantines a town full of people, and in Damocles the main character is a lone linguist in the midst of engineers, all thrown together on a long-term space mission in search of human-like life forms that results in first contact.
This book starts in a leisurely fashion then quickly takes off, setting the fastest pace of any book I’ve read recently. Almost all of the action takes place in one breath-taking harrowing day, but though the book gripped and terrified me so much I could hardly put it down, a short summary of The Widow File--a thriller set in an elite security firm--would not necessarily have made me want to read it. Luckily I’ve learned to trust S. G. Redling’s skill as a storyteller, and if you look a little closer at the description there are clues this thriller is going to be special, the most important being that the main character Dani isn’t glamorous, she’s short and nerdy and reads people by examining their trash.
Rasmund, the security firm Dani works for, uses her idiosyncratic talents to thwart industrial espionage for high paying corporate clients. Though she’s quite fond of her co-workers she’s something of a loner, and gets so caught up in her work she’s disappointed when their most recent job is cancelled. Since she takes her work home she has to go back to her apartment to retrieve materials--in her case it’s mostly trash--that must be returned to the client, but when she gets back to Rasmund she finds all her colleagues dead, shot by the very thorough team of assassins she’s now trapped in the building with.
To stay alive she must escape and stay one step ahead of the determined hit man who is sure she has something he wants, though Dani has no idea what it is. Her only weapons are a quirky intelligence that notices patterns other people don’t, and the canny habits she learned from her truck driving father on their cross country trips together.
Widow File is the third book I’ve read by S. G. Redling, and I highly recommend them all. Though their settings and circumstances are impressively varied, so far each of her novels features an off-beat female character whose personal drama is part of a monumental event. Widow File has Dani caught up in what looks like some kind of industrial terrorism, Flowertown has a deadbeat junkie trapped in a massive chemical containment disaster that poisons and permanently quarantines a town full of people, and in Damocles the main character is a lone linguist in the midst of engineers, all thrown together on a long-term space mission in search of human-like life forms that results in first contact.
March 3, 2014
The Widow File by S.G. Redling was a part of the Kindle first for December. This book was published by Thomas & Mercer.
Dani lives a secret life working for a shadowy organization. Her boyfriend doesn't even know what she does for a living. She and her co-workers all seem to get along pretty well. Dani is especially close to a guy named Choo Choo. When the organization headquarters is attacked and most of the members are killed and one of them is kidnapped, Dani and Choo Choo are seemingly the only two survivors. Dani is now being hunted by a hired hit man because it is believed she has in her possession certain sensitive files and information.
This fast paced thriller is a short read, with less than 200 pages. There isn't a lot of down time.
The mystery of who it is Dani really works for, what information someone is willing to kill for, and who can be trusted and who can't will keep you turning pages.
The downside is that too much information remains unexplained. Too many questions were not answered. The story is tied up with a satisfactory conclusion, so it's not a cliffhanger, it's just that I felt like I didn't have enough information about the work Dani did and why they were in this situation to begin with. Otherwise the writing and formatting is great and the story is outside the box with a few interesting twist. Overall this one gets a C+.
Dani lives a secret life working for a shadowy organization. Her boyfriend doesn't even know what she does for a living. She and her co-workers all seem to get along pretty well. Dani is especially close to a guy named Choo Choo. When the organization headquarters is attacked and most of the members are killed and one of them is kidnapped, Dani and Choo Choo are seemingly the only two survivors. Dani is now being hunted by a hired hit man because it is believed she has in her possession certain sensitive files and information.
This fast paced thriller is a short read, with less than 200 pages. There isn't a lot of down time.
The mystery of who it is Dani really works for, what information someone is willing to kill for, and who can be trusted and who can't will keep you turning pages.
The downside is that too much information remains unexplained. Too many questions were not answered. The story is tied up with a satisfactory conclusion, so it's not a cliffhanger, it's just that I felt like I didn't have enough information about the work Dani did and why they were in this situation to begin with. Otherwise the writing and formatting is great and the story is outside the box with a few interesting twist. Overall this one gets a C+.
September 4, 2014
A game of cat and mouse
I like author Redling's writing style. This is the second book I've read by her, after FLOWERTOWN and I have the second book in the Dani Britton series REDEMPTION KEY sitting here waiting for me to open the cover after I finish this review.
Intuitive analyst (which means she reads other people's trash) Dani Britton works for Rasmund, a private security firm based in Virginia. She's short, doesn't dress well and doesn't have many close relationships. When the job she's assigned to is suddenly cancelled, she has to run home and get customer trash that she took home to study to turn back in to the client. Major problem - when she gets back to work, a team of assassins is going around her building killing everyone.
And the action doesn't stop there. Dani escapes (obviously or there wouldn't be a story) and is on the run to escape from one of the assassins sent to kill her.
Fast moving, with quirky characters and a storyline that, while improbable, is still loads of fun to read. This is definitely a character driven thriller and I loved reading about all the characters. Even the bad guy is different and fun to read about.
This is a tale not to miss and now I'm on my way to read REDEMPTION KEY. I'm looking forward to more of Dani's adventures.
I like author Redling's writing style. This is the second book I've read by her, after FLOWERTOWN and I have the second book in the Dani Britton series REDEMPTION KEY sitting here waiting for me to open the cover after I finish this review.
Intuitive analyst (which means she reads other people's trash) Dani Britton works for Rasmund, a private security firm based in Virginia. She's short, doesn't dress well and doesn't have many close relationships. When the job she's assigned to is suddenly cancelled, she has to run home and get customer trash that she took home to study to turn back in to the client. Major problem - when she gets back to work, a team of assassins is going around her building killing everyone.
And the action doesn't stop there. Dani escapes (obviously or there wouldn't be a story) and is on the run to escape from one of the assassins sent to kill her.
Fast moving, with quirky characters and a storyline that, while improbable, is still loads of fun to read. This is definitely a character driven thriller and I loved reading about all the characters. Even the bad guy is different and fun to read about.
This is a tale not to miss and now I'm on my way to read REDEMPTION KEY. I'm looking forward to more of Dani's adventures.
August 19, 2017
a most excellent 5 star read for me, review to come...:)
My criteria for a 5 star review is... if I can not stop turning the pages, I am in! I was turning the pages like crazy most of the way through this book. I was a little unhappy with the ending but, hey....not my book. I would love for this to be a series with Dani and Choo Choo stomping out the bad guys!
Dani works as a data analyst for the big security company Rasmund, she has the unique ability to read the things people throw away, their trash. late for work one day and coming in the back way she stumbles upon a team of hit men who are killing everyone in the building and looking for something. Dani hides and barely escapes with one of her co workers, the fabulous Choo Choo. Dani and Choo Choo are on the run and don't know which way to turn or who to trust. As they try and stay alive and figure out just what it is they might have that the killers want, we are treated to a wild and crazy ride.
This book was a kindle first freebie from Amazon...:)
My criteria for a 5 star review is... if I can not stop turning the pages, I am in! I was turning the pages like crazy most of the way through this book. I was a little unhappy with the ending but, hey....not my book. I would love for this to be a series with Dani and Choo Choo stomping out the bad guys!
Dani works as a data analyst for the big security company Rasmund, she has the unique ability to read the things people throw away, their trash. late for work one day and coming in the back way she stumbles upon a team of hit men who are killing everyone in the building and looking for something. Dani hides and barely escapes with one of her co workers, the fabulous Choo Choo. Dani and Choo Choo are on the run and don't know which way to turn or who to trust. As they try and stay alive and figure out just what it is they might have that the killers want, we are treated to a wild and crazy ride.
This book was a kindle first freebie from Amazon...:)
April 4, 2015
Have you ever seen Three Days of the Condor? That's how The Widow File starts out. Dani Britton works for Rasmund, a security firm near Washington D.C. Their latest case is over and called, all materials to be boxed up and returned to the client. Dani has a habit of taking things home to mull over them. When she returns from getting the bag of items brought home, screams, heavy footsteps, slamming doors, and pops greet her. It is a harrowing experience as she tries to hide in plain sight, with killers everywhere.
And then there's Booker, the (hit)man in charge. Reading, I kept thinking of Clark Gregg to play this part in the movie. And he gets kind of creepy and hard-edged. Mr. Gregg could pull it off with no problem.
Dani comes across as a normal person, not a super spy. Other characters seem developed enough.
Initially, I was put off reading; it seemed disjointed to start. Maybe it's just me, but I'm glad I kept with it. It turned into a nice little thriller.
And then there's Booker, the (hit)man in charge. Reading, I kept thinking of Clark Gregg to play this part in the movie. And he gets kind of creepy and hard-edged. Mr. Gregg could pull it off with no problem.
Dani comes across as a normal person, not a super spy. Other characters seem developed enough.
Initially, I was put off reading; it seemed disjointed to start. Maybe it's just me, but I'm glad I kept with it. It turned into a nice little thriller.
June 20, 2014
I vested with Dani…
Her mother told her it was better to be careful than clever, Dani Britton thought it might be better still to be both. SG Redling vested me with Dani, with her will to live, her quirks, her determination, and this - her story. The Widow File is a constant barrage of pace, twists, lies, truths, and a young woman's battle against all odds to live, and she wasn't even five feet tall if she was an inch. This thriller is a guide to Washington DC, a chilling profile of an assassin, an indictment of betrayal by a government, and the steadfast testament to the price a friend will pay. Get comfy when you start your read of The Widow File because you won't want to stop until you know where the raccoon lives.
Her mother told her it was better to be careful than clever, Dani Britton thought it might be better still to be both. SG Redling vested me with Dani, with her will to live, her quirks, her determination, and this - her story. The Widow File is a constant barrage of pace, twists, lies, truths, and a young woman's battle against all odds to live, and she wasn't even five feet tall if she was an inch. This thriller is a guide to Washington DC, a chilling profile of an assassin, an indictment of betrayal by a government, and the steadfast testament to the price a friend will pay. Get comfy when you start your read of The Widow File because you won't want to stop until you know where the raccoon lives.
June 16, 2015
ARC/Thriller: I picked this book on the Amazon Vine List because I had read Flowertown (a sci-fi book) by Redling and I had really liked it. In reality, this book is better!
I saw this book doesn't come out until January 2014 so no spoilers here. I will say that I have been in the mood for spy and spycatcher books and this book could be about espionage...or something even bigger. If you look at the description, it has a Days of Condor feel to it.
I really liked the main characters of Dani, Booker, and _________. (Sorry can't give that away). It has a good plot and a pretty good ending. I really felt lonely at it was over because I was missing my fictional friends.
I saw this book doesn't come out until January 2014 so no spoilers here. I will say that I have been in the mood for spy and spycatcher books and this book could be about espionage...or something even bigger. If you look at the description, it has a Days of Condor feel to it.
I really liked the main characters of Dani, Booker, and _________. (Sorry can't give that away). It has a good plot and a pretty good ending. I really felt lonely at it was over because I was missing my fictional friends.
September 10, 2017
Review for The Widow File and Redemption Key.
This book came as a big surprise! I bought this and the sequel just to fill a order.
Yes both of them sounded interesting but i was not expecting much.
Then i started reading and i could not put them down!! Finished The Widow File in one sitting then gave the book to my mom and said READ THIS and she finished it in one go as well. Then i picked up Redemption Key and flew through that also.
Believable characters
Awesome action
Did i enjoy reading this? Immensely
Do i want more? Absolutely
The biggest and most important question of all - WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT?????
This book came as a big surprise! I bought this and the sequel just to fill a order.
Yes both of them sounded interesting but i was not expecting much.
Then i started reading and i could not put them down!! Finished The Widow File in one sitting then gave the book to my mom and said READ THIS and she finished it in one go as well. Then i picked up Redemption Key and flew through that also.
Believable characters
Awesome action
Did i enjoy reading this? Immensely
Do i want more? Absolutely
The biggest and most important question of all - WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT?????
December 5, 2013
The Widow File is very fast-paced and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. There are a couple of incongruities that struck me as I was reading though.
**Spoiler alert**
One of the incongruities: Dani had money hidden in various places, even going so far as to mail it to herself. Why would a normal person who felt that she had a regular job and a middle-class upbringing do something like this? I didn't get the feeling that she considered her job dangerous in any way.
It was only about 200 pages and was worth the time spent.
**Spoiler alert**
One of the incongruities: Dani had money hidden in various places, even going so far as to mail it to herself. Why would a normal person who felt that she had a regular job and a middle-class upbringing do something like this? I didn't get the feeling that she considered her job dangerous in any way.
It was only about 200 pages and was worth the time spent.
March 5, 2018
Not only could this novel be made into a movie, it should be made into one. Parts are very intense, parts are humorous, and other parts leave you begging for more. For an Amazon pre-release freebie we have a real winner here. It's a quick read. I really didn't want to put it down. The storyline really never grows dull. I strongly recommend the book
To anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers.
To anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers.
July 5, 2014
Read this on a Goodreads friend's recommendation, and enjoyed it very much. A feisty main character, and an interesting, fast-paced story. Also got the next in the series, and will be reading it soon; wish there were more!
Read
May 24, 2013Fun, fast-paced, action. And I got to use my tough voices. :)
December 6, 2014
Confusing, boring...
Years ago read Flower Town and liked it. Without reading the reviews I even got this book from Audible, what a waste of money.
Years ago read Flower Town and liked it. Without reading the reviews I even got this book from Audible, what a waste of money.
April 14, 2018
The first 40% of this book was spent on Dani escaping the killing of her co-workers and hiding, hiding, hiding while she constantly had hundreds of inner thoughts or talked out loud to herself. Then there was the escape onto the rooftop and finding one of her co-workers that made it out then escaping the rest of the way with Choo-Choo (a stupid name for a grown man.)
This reminded me of the old movie with Robert Redford “Sneakers.” He goes out and when he gets back everyone is dead and he goes on the run. She goes home to pick up something and when she returns everyone is dead or being killed AND has to hide then goes on the run.
Overall, it turned out to be a good story, I can tell because I never skimmed a single page. The killer after them took a liking to Dani and ended up helping her BUT she still had to die. He seemed like a nice guy one minute and talked to her like an evil killer the next. Booker was a little crazy. And there were some things a little unbelievable but it’s a book so I don’t have as much trouble with that like a lot of readers do. And there were a couple of unanswered questions but it didn’t subtract from the story all that much.
There was absolutely no romance and the F-bomb was used 14 times.
As to the narration: I’m a big Tanya Eby fan so I can say she did a great job on the voices BUT there should have been a whole lot of whispering going on, especially in all the public places they went to, and there wasn’t. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
This was a free read and free listen and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 17, 2018
1.5 Star Story. Good Narration by Tanya Eby (audible review)
So this story could have been so much better had the stupid internal thought dialogue not over powered the story. So annoying. Seriously, you office is being invaded by killers shooting everyone, you need to hide and your thinking of all sorts of random things like the afghan your grandmother crocheted. You see your dead best friend and think how her nails were broken and she would hate that. These are just a couple of examples of the way too many thoughts going on during a dire time.
So then there is Sebastian who is always called "Choo Choo", why on earth would someone with such a nice name be called Choo Choo? There was never an explanation for that awful nick name.
The story line and plot had potential but was overshadowed with unnecessary thoughts.
There was no freaking out or crying or sadness for the loss of all Dani and Choo Choo's friends and co-workers. As a matter of fact, they are hiding from the killer but talking with him the phone and at one point they are having a beer and laughing about nonsense.
Not sure what this author was thinking. But this book was all over the place and I do not think I could read this author again.
As for the narration, it was good. I like Tanya Eby, she does a good job on the male voices. And everyone gets their own distinct voice.
So this story could have been so much better had the stupid internal thought dialogue not over powered the story. So annoying. Seriously, you office is being invaded by killers shooting everyone, you need to hide and your thinking of all sorts of random things like the afghan your grandmother crocheted. You see your dead best friend and think how her nails were broken and she would hate that. These are just a couple of examples of the way too many thoughts going on during a dire time.
So then there is Sebastian who is always called "Choo Choo", why on earth would someone with such a nice name be called Choo Choo? There was never an explanation for that awful nick name.
The story line and plot had potential but was overshadowed with unnecessary thoughts.
There was no freaking out or crying or sadness for the loss of all Dani and Choo Choo's friends and co-workers. As a matter of fact, they are hiding from the killer but talking with him the phone and at one point they are having a beer and laughing about nonsense.
Not sure what this author was thinking. But this book was all over the place and I do not think I could read this author again.
As for the narration, it was good. I like Tanya Eby, she does a good job on the male voices. And everyone gets their own distinct voice.
June 3, 2017
Dani Britton is a data analyst. A 'paint' in Rasmund terms, because she blends in with the scenery. She can sift through your receipts and your trash and read you like a book. At least, that's what they tell us. In reality, she carries around these materials for the whole book and never actually uses them to figure things out.
One day at work, a secret maybe-government office building where they do shadowy jobs for shady clients, a gang of assassins comes in and shoots up the building and the employees. Dani escapes with her pouch, and stays on the run from Booker, the creepy assassin who wants to find her and finish the job. Or does he? He's kind of conflicted about it. Did I mention that Booker is creepy? It turns out that some of Dani's colleagues also escaped, and they're helping her piece things together and maybe escape.
The plot moved well, and the characters were pretty interesting. But Dani not doing much of the thing she's supposed to be good at was kind of its undoing.
One day at work, a secret maybe-government office building where they do shadowy jobs for shady clients, a gang of assassins comes in and shoots up the building and the employees. Dani escapes with her pouch, and stays on the run from Booker, the creepy assassin who wants to find her and finish the job. Or does he? He's kind of conflicted about it. Did I mention that Booker is creepy? It turns out that some of Dani's colleagues also escaped, and they're helping her piece things together and maybe escape.
The plot moved well, and the characters were pretty interesting. But Dani not doing much of the thing she's supposed to be good at was kind of its undoing.
April 14, 2023
I’d been reading a few thick and heavy books lately, like the biography of Harry Truman. I needed something that I could just drop into and get lost.
The Widow File by S.G. Reddling suited that need perfectly. Danni Britton is an pattern analyst for a murky contract company, Rasmund.
The characters are young and snarky and the sense of place is so very well painted. Most of the action (and there is a lot of action) takes place in and around the DC Metro area. The reader gets a feel for the ambiance of a place filled with young government workers and associated contractors.
Danni’s is thrown in to a world or terror when her entire group of work peers are assassinated by a professional killer, a character with the charm and smoothness of Ted Bundy and the murderous capabilities of any of a dozen film anti-heros.
Danni and her friend Choo Choo escape the deadly murder scene but are on the run not knowing why they are targeted.
The story is gritty, fast paced and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. A very well done story.
The Widow File by S.G. Reddling suited that need perfectly. Danni Britton is an pattern analyst for a murky contract company, Rasmund.
The characters are young and snarky and the sense of place is so very well painted. Most of the action (and there is a lot of action) takes place in and around the DC Metro area. The reader gets a feel for the ambiance of a place filled with young government workers and associated contractors.
Danni’s is thrown in to a world or terror when her entire group of work peers are assassinated by a professional killer, a character with the charm and smoothness of Ted Bundy and the murderous capabilities of any of a dozen film anti-heros.
Danni and her friend Choo Choo escape the deadly murder scene but are on the run not knowing why they are targeted.
The story is gritty, fast paced and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. A very well done story.
September 9, 2018
"The widow file" is a fast-paced, well written thriller centered around a very likable main protagonist. The story is a bit over the top and I sometimes had problems following the plot, for example when the author In any case, I couldn't put down the book, Redling has a great writing style and lots of humor. I would love to see this book turned into a TV series or film. And yes, please cast Alexander Skarsgård to play Choo Choo.
August 4, 2017
I don't normally read espionage books but I read this one for a reading challenge. Oddly enough, I really liked this book! So much so that I'm going to read the other Dani Britton book. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the relationship between Dani and Choo-Choo. I guess the romantic in me had hoped for a different outcome but who knows what will happen in the next book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more!
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