Review of The Widow on Dwyer Court with spoilers

My Review of The Widow on Dwyer Court with spoilers discusses a book that’s perfect for those looking for erotic thrillers! Is this spicy domestic suspense just what you need to bring the heat to your summer reading? Let’s discuss The Widow on Dwyer Court!

The Widow on Dwyer Court by Lisa Kusel: Jen’s Quick Take

• As mentioned, this is domestic suspense with an erotic element
• There’s also a bit of a story within a story aspect, as the book’s main character is writing erotica, and we get to read some of her chapters (about the sexcapades of her main character, Mason Strong)
• Perfect for fans of Verity who like truly twisted romantic relationships and a toxic romance vibe
• Check out Lisa’s new 2025 book, Long Way Down!

Review of The Widow on Dwyer Court with Spoilers

If you remember the 80s and 90s, you may recall that erotic thrillers with a dark romance element were huge back then. Sexy, suspenseful movies like Dressed to Kill, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Sea of Love looked at the heart-pounding intersection of attraction and danger.

Are you ready for sexy suspense to be back? I think many readers are!

In The Widow on Dwyer Court, main character Kate has a conundrum. She’s an erotica writer who has decided sex really isn’t her thing. So she makes a deal with her husband Matt, who travels for work. When he’s away, he can have one-off hook-ups, but he has to tell her about them in detail so she can use them for writing inspiration.

It’s all working fine, until a new resident moves into the neighborhood. Annie is a widowed single mom who has a daughter around the same age as Kate and Matt’s daughter, Finley.

Perfect, right? Well, no. Kate keeps getting an odd vibe from Annie. Is she imagining it? Is Annie trying to Single White Female her? WHAT is Annie up to?

I really liked all the clues (and red herrings) that kept getting dropped into every page. I was starting to feel as off-center as Kate.

And the end of the book was truly surprising!

Why you should read The Widow on Dwyer Court:

Maybe you are tired of the same old, same old in the domestic suspense lane and want something completely different.

Or maybe you love a suspenseful book that has some humor. The Widow on Dwyer Court is spicy suspense that also doesn’t take itself too seriously. Macon Strong, Kate’s fictional main character Kate, struck me as a sort of a Jack Reacher the erotic fiction, a traveling man who loves them and leaves them. (But I haven’t read any erotica, so maybe it’s all like that?)

If you love books like Verity, The Spare Room, or the recently published Tell Me Who You Are, then be sure to grab this one, and get your fan and ice cream ready!

Spoilers for The Widow on Dwyer Court

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• It was no surprise to me that Annie and Matt had a connection. I was wondering if it was going to be a long-term one. I thought maybe he had two families and was the father of Annie’s daughter. (Having to travel for work is the perfect cover for this!)

• But no. Annie and Matt met on one of Matt’s trips and really hit it off. They decided to get around Kate’s rule of one-time only hookups by having Annie role-play a different woman every time. Then Matt had fresh material to give Kate.

• When Annie’s doctor advised her to move from Denver to an area with better air quality, Annie moved right into Matt and Kate’s neighborhood. She then made friends with Kate. As Kate confided in her, Annie offered Kate some special tea to help her libido.

Well, we know from this book to avoid widows who mix up special drinks for you!

• Kate put all the pieces together and asked Matt to go no-contact with Annie.

• When Kate discovered that Matt was STILL seeing Annie behind her back, she had had enough! First, she pretended to be dizzy from Annie’s toxic tea.

• Thinking Kate was incapacitated, Annie pushed her into the pool, and Kate played dead.

• But Kate had only been pretending to drink the tea (which Annie had used to murder her own husband). She’d been giving it to Matt, even though it wasn’t supposed to be used by someone on blood pressure meds, and poor Matt ended up dead.

• In the end, Kate seems to have decided to forgive Annie, possibly so she can use Annie’s sex life for the erotica books.

How do YOU feel about erotic suspense? Tell me in comments!