Widows

April 2, 2018
A dynamite premise and ample plot twists help compensate for the glacial pace of La Plante’s novelization of her breakout TV series, originally published in the U.K. in 1983. After Dolly Rawlins learns that her husband, Harry, died in a fiery wreck while attempting to rob an armored car along with two other men, she discovers that Harry, the gang’s leader, stashed a written plan for the failed heist in a safe deposit box. This find inspires Dolly to team up with Linda Pirelli and Shirley Miller, the widows of Harry’s two assistants, to try and accomplish what their spouses couldn’t. The job requires four people, necessitating the recruitment of street-savvy prostitute Bella O’Reilly and raising the question: why did the authorities recover only three bodies from the crash? Complications include a London cop who’s determined to uncover evidence of the crew’s prior crimes. La Plante (Good Friday) does a fine job showing the widows rise to the occasion. This reissue arrives just in time for filmmaker Steve McQueen’s Hollywood adaptation. Agent: Nigel Stoneman, La Plante Global.

April 1, 2018
In La Plante's (Good Friday, 2017, etc.) classic thriller, three women orchestrate a heist after their criminal husbands die in an explosives accident.Harry Rawlins has a reputation on the street for being both organized and ruthless. When he's killed in a heist gone wrong, along with two of his criminal associates, the violent Fisher brothers start sniffing around for his ledgers, in which Harry infamously documented every detail of every job. Harry's widow, Dolly, is devastated by the loss of her urbane and unscrupulous husband, but she is also determined not to let either the Fishers or the police have access to Harry's ledgers. Instead, she recruits the other widows to help her pull off the job that killed their husbands. At first the three women, who couldn't be more different, struggle to work together, but gradually they forge a friendship through their unconventional bonding activity. But there's still the problem of the fourth man, the one who walked away from Harry's heist and can anticipate their every move. The novel starts slowly; LaPlante's writing is dense, and there are an awful lot of characters to keep straight. But as the women begin to work toward their goal, they become complex and interesting characters. They aren't completely likable, but this proves LaPlante's ability to write realistic women who aren't always beautiful, charming, or even sensible. Instead, they are survivors--honest and determined, smart and courageous as hell. The novel was first published more than 30 years ago, but it's aged seamlessly; other than the fact that no one has a cellphone, it hardly feels dated at all. As conversations about equality and intimacy in Hollywood and the workplace finally become commonplace, the reissue seems particularly timely and relevant.It's good, dark fun: a feminist noir lovechild of Thelma and Louise and The Godfather.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.