The Widows of Braxton County audiobook

Just finished this stunning mystery yesterday. It is set in rural Iowa in two time periods. The first is 1890 on the Krause farm where we meet Hannah Krause, wife of Jacob. Jacob is a brutish lout who beats her and has practically imprisoned her on the farm. Her teenage stepson lives in a cabin near the house because he hates Hannah. Her only purpose and joy in life is her nine year old son Willie. He's also Jacob's son but bears no resemblance to his father. Second, in 2012 we meet Kate, bride of Joseph Krause. He is bringing her home from the city to live on the farm. She doesn't know until they arrive that her crabby, nit-picking mother-in-law will be living there too. At the farm she gradually learns that Joseph has inherited some of Jacob's less than endearing qualities, and he and his mother live by 1890 rules as far as a woman's place is concerned.The Krause family split in half after Jacob's murder in 1890 and Kate's new family is ensnared in the hate they have nurtured in their hearts ever since, even though they kept the farm. Kate has to learn to stand up for herself and find friends she can trust as the continuing feud threatens to destroy her. I found myself wanting to grab Kate and implant some spine when she doubted herself and refused to speak up against what was happening, but reading on I discovered why she was that way.This is a riveting family saga involving women's rights, or lack thereof, and how hatred eats a person alive. Those of us who live in rural areas have known people who are incapable of changing with the times. We can relate to some of the characters in this story, but it still got my blood pressure up because the women were treated so unfairly. As you can imagine, gossip played a big part in what happened too.Highly recommendedSource: LibraryThing win

Kate readily accepts marrying a farmer name Joe,just to escape her meddling grandmother. Living in her household has not done anything in her favor, she rather live in a shack than to live with her. Not to mention her unrealistic demands and the pity party she throws so she can gain sympathy. However Kate is not buying the act and she cannot wait to start a new life with Joe. Although her grandmother thinks she is making a huge mistake rushing into a marriage, considering her opinion is the furthest thing on her mind. Upon marrying Joe, she is shocked to find out that he lives with his mother whose personality is a lot like her grandmother. Rude and inconsiderate are just one of her few attributes, and Joe wants Kate to eventually warm up to his mother.Kate and Joe's relationship blossoms temporarily but Joe turns into an abusive husband. Striking Kate in her face when he finds out that she has been snooping around, but Kate still loves the idea of Joe and refuses to return home to deal with her grandmother. Still she questions if she wants to be with Joe, now that he has shown a side that she has never seen. Additionally the relationship she has with his mother in law is making things even more difficult. Yet Joe refuses to leave her side, clinging to the hope that their love will prevail in the end. After Kate finds her husband lifeless body, she questions her entire marriage and who wonders who had the audacity to end her husband life. New faces are introduced in this well crafted novel about the ups and down of a family tragedy.I really enjoyed the main characters in this story: Kate and Joe were so in love with each other, even after Joe showed a side of him that Kate never known. Trudy, Joe's mother was an evil mother in law but I think that her behavior was justified after learning about her past. As far as the minor characters, they were sorta irrelevant but that did not take away the beauty of this novel.Looking forward to read more books by Mcconkey.

Kate is a young bride who puts her city dwelling life behind her when she marries Joe Krause and moves to his farm in Iowa, which has been in his family for over a hundred years. She wants to build a life and a family there with Joe.But after she arrives, she discovers that he has misrepresented many things, and outright lied about others. He said his mother lived elsewhere, but she doesn’t. He said that she would be able to pursue her dreams, while helping him build their future. There are constant chores, judgmental neighbors, and lots of gossip about her arrival.Kate discovers that there is a deep family secret surrounding her and that her husband is not who she thought he was. Must she flee all that she now has in order to be happy?I started this book with one idea of how it would turn out and I have to admit, it surprised me with its in-depth picture of a family in crisis. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists of the plot and the character development that grew throughout the story. I can recommend this book completely as an informative picture of women’s roles through the years and what one family had to experience in order to reach the light.Reviewed by Holly Price author of “At Death’s Door” for Suspense Magazine

I couldn't put it down.

Real surprise to read. Never heard of author. Couldn't put it down. Really great mystery book.

The Widows of Braxton County by Jess McConkey is a haunting tale of deeply buried family secrets that leave us wondering if the sins of the father do, in fact, haunt the generations to come after. I really enjoyed this novel of generations past and present and the ghostly feel it had about it. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Coleen Marlo and she does a fantastic job. When I first started listening I wasn’t sure I was going to like her but it wasn’t long before I did and I’m sure that her telling of the story led to my enjoyment of it. She has that perfect tone of voice to lend to the mysterious and haunting quality of the novel.Kate has left the city to join her husband Joseph on his family farm in Iowa which has been in his family for 140 years. Having felt suffocated for years living with her grandmother she’s anxious to make a life in her own home. Her excitement lasts only long enough to learn that her mother-in-law will also be living with them. Needless to say she’s not happy and even more so as she sees how overbearing her mother-in-law can be.As Kate struggles to fit in with her mother-in-law and the community she finds that people are not all that warm towards the Krause family. More than that though is her shock at the shift in her husbands personality. Where he had been kind and caring he is now angry and becoming increasingly abusive. After a few instances Kate leaves to stay with a neighbour and see if she and Joseph can’t work out these issues. In the meantime she begins volunteering at a woman’s shelter and this opens her eyes even further.All the while we are given glimpses into the past in the 1800′s where we meet Hannah who is also married to a Krause. Whereas Kate has somewhere to escape to, Hannah doesn’t. What links the two women together is two murders with disturbing similarities except that one occurred back in the 1800′s and one is in the present and is threatening to spiral Kate’s life completely out of her control.Once again I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it, especially the audio version which I listened to. I have a fondness for books that go from the past to the present and especially books full of dark family secrets!

Kate Krause was a very happy bride as she traveled with her husband, Joe, to her new home in Braxton County, Iowa. Kate and Joe met online but Kate felt that they were just right for each other. Kate's widowed mother had passed away and her grandparents raised Kate. Her grandmother complained endlessly and Kate's life was not a happy one.When the new couple arrived at Joe's farm, a woman that Kate first mistook for a housekeeper met Joe and Kate at the door. The woman was Trudy Krause, Joe's mother. Joe explained that he didn't tell Kate about Trudy because Trudy was to have moved to a retirement home prior to the couple's homecoming but there was some problems at the home and her room would not be ready for weeks.Kate soon found that life was not going to be as she pictured it. The farm was in bad financial shape and Kate's savings were used to pay some of the debts but it wasn't enough. Joe would not agree to let Kate help him with the management of the farm even though Kate had proven to be an excellent money manager. Plans for Trudy's move to a retirement home did not materialize.As Kate became acquainted with the neighborhood, she finds that the Krause family harbors a long kept secret about a mysterious death. This secret haunts Kate as dangerous, unexplainable events begin.A Krause family member, but not one that Joe associates with, owns the local hardware store. Joe warns Kate not to shop at that store. Kate ignores his wishes, makes friends with the owner of the store, and finds out a little more about the mysterious past and haunting secret of the Krause family. The book goes back and forth between present day and the past where the Krause mystery began. I found this book to be very interesting and I could not wait to get to the end but when I did, I wished the book were longer.Jess McConkey a/k/a Shirley Damsgaard is an award-winning writer. Love Lies Bleeding was the first book I read by the author Jess McConkey and it was a good read.

This was my surprise read for the first quarter of the year. I was surprised to be "hooked" by the first couple of pages. I liked that it took place in Iowa. Kate absolutely loved the idea of love, a family, a homestead on an Iowa farm that had been in the family for over 100 years. That spoke of steadfast family and Kate had always wanted that, but had never experienced anything steadfast. Her grandmother who raised her had only belittled and put her down. Imagine grandma with a very wide mean streak!Kate gave herself over to the man she had met through the web. He was kind, loving and poetic. Somehow he knew how to speak to Kate's heart and convinced her of his love and promise for a bright family future. Joe however, kept a secret until after they were married and Kate was in for one surprise after another.I loved the characters in this book and I loved how the story was told from past to present. The mystery was created with a murder that took place a century ago....was it a curse from the past that haunted Kate's future or was it something more like modern day greed? This story was told with feeling and depth. The characters were interesting and convincing. This was a story of how women were considered as property at one time, definitely not the equals we are today. It was one woman's journey into a life totally unfamiliar with rights of modern day woman, and with her commitment to her marriage and the course of true love.

I admit, the title initially sucked me in. “Widows of Braxton County” is an entertaining mystery about small-community living. You can never get away from the gossip, even if it's 140 years old! The story was rounded nicely and there wasn't a single moment I found wasted or repetitive. Jess McConkey did an amazing job with her plot and storytelling. I especially liked that we were pulled into a world no one wants to see or be in and we were somewhat given the chance to wonder: what if that was me? What if I had been verbally/physically abused and in a foreign place without any connection to the outside world? It's a loaded question and I liked how the author tackled the issue.If I had any problems it may have been that Kate fell slightly flat for me. I think I wanted more out of her other than a foggy, disjointed past and what I felt to be a staccato personality. In the end though, this is a juicy mystery that I think women would enjoy piecing together with the characters. It raises a lot of questions as well as highlights how history repeats itself, but we're not doomed to relive sins of our fathers (and mothers).

The story really flowed. Contrary other opinions, I did not find Kate as weak, but in a situation that surprised her and because she really loved her husband she really tried her hardest to find solutions to what was going on.I also like the character of Hannah. Unlike many, I did not find the ending surprising. I thought that the novel was well written, and reading the story was a experience I enjoyed.

This book was set in two different timelines but it was showing history repeating itself in a spectacular way. This story sounded familiar and then I read the ps in the back of the book and saw that the author got her story idea from the Midnight Assassin which was also a very good book based on true events. I liked this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

I enjoyed this book, covering the mystery of 2 deaths, one in 1890 and another current date. It also dealt with how women were treated in the 1890’s as they fought for their rights and how sadly that battle still is there today. A quick read and enjoyable.

I like multi-generational stories and this one is a good one. The mystery is developed enough to keep the reader's attention, and the characters, while somewhat stereotypical, add good substance to the story. Recommended.

Intriguing, engrossing.

Can family history be repeated? Can murder be repeated and with the same weapon, the same manner of death, and to the same family member but years apart? Can it really be called a family curse?The Krause family had a history of being difficult to get along with and with being abusive to their wives. When Kate married Joe, she wasn't aware of the history of the Krause men nor of the murder of her husband's great-great grandfather that caused a rift between the Krauses and the entire town.Had her new husband kept all of this from her on purpose. She knew he had lied to her from the beginning when they arrived at their new home and his mother was there and there to stay. The Krause men expected their wives to obey them and not work outside the home. Kate didn't care if that was the Krause family tradition, she wasn't going to be a stay-at-home, old-fashioned wife.Social issues were the main focus of THE WIDOWS OF BRAXTON COUNTY as well as the mystery about the murder of Kate's husband's great-great grandfather and then Kate’s husband. The murder affected the whole town both in 1890 and in 2012. Neighbors were still mad at each other after all these years because of the wrong doing about the murder. One neighbor blaming the other because the case was never solved.The author skillfully adds intrigue and suspense to the novel by taking the social issues to the level of murder and secrets. Going back and forth between the two time periods was the perfect way to tell this story and to keep the anticipation from wavering.Kate will gain your sympathy immediately, and you will want to praise her for her actions. Trudy, her mother-in-law, will be on your last nerve, and you will dislike her from the minute you meet her. The entire Krause family was not well-liked by the town and won't be liked by you, the reader. Going back and forth between the two time periods was the perfect way to tell this story and to keep the anticipation from waveringThe family history of murder and anger issues along with the history of how women were treated during the 1800’s was a large focus of the storyline, but the secrets and murders made for an incredibly outstanding page turner. I really didn't want to put the book down. 5/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

'The Widows of Braxton County' is a captivating novel that follows the Krause family and the tragedies that have befallen them. The story is told in alternating time periods - parts are set in modern times while the others are set back in the 1800s. The book tells the heartbreaking stories of two women - Hannah and Kate - who marry into the Krause family without fully understanding what they're getting into. We get to see a glimpse of their daily lives on the family farm as well as the way that the Krause men treat them. Both women struggle to fit into a farming community that doesn't fully accept them and a family who has secrets far darker than anyone imagined.This was a compelling mystery novel that was told in a smooth, lyrical way that had me totally engrossed within the first couple of pages. The story is divided between two time periods - the present day and the 1800s - and we get to see the lives of two women who have married into the Krause family. Although they are a century apart, their lives are eerily similar. I loved getting to know characters from both periods - I thought it was interesting to see each of their personalities and how much they seemed to have in common. All the characters were well written with distinct personalities and traits, which made them realistic and believable. The story is a mystery that goes back several generation in the Krause family and there are so many different layers to the story that I fully enjoyed trying to figure out the family's dark secrets and solve the mystery of what was really happening. The author added in lots of great twists and turns that I didn't see coming, which I love when it comes to mystery novels. On top of being namely a mystery, the book deals with deep topics that affect everyone - love, betrayal, family, grief, secrets and even the subject of domestic abuse. These topics added a whole new layer to the book that I really thought gave it depth and dimension. The writing was perfectly paced with vivid descriptions and details - I could practically shut my eyes and see myself alongside the characters as the plot played out. Overall, this was a beautifully written novel with interesting characters, and a fascinating plot. Highly recommended for fans of mysteries and general fiction!Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.