Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

A day trader and seven-year divorcee, Linda has vowed never to be attached — not in the way her mom is attached, anyway — to any man. Marked for death, she finds solace in a small town on the coast of Oregon, making Sea Crest her retreat. She has just one friend whose life is as mysterious as her own, a widowed elderly woman who works as a consultant for no one knows what clientele. Linda Darby is disciplined — never dating a man twice, never giving her real name to a one-night-stander. Yes, she wants no strings, because they can be dangerous. But then she is dragged off to an alley by two men and a third man rescues her and disappears. The next thing is that the two men turn up dead and her best friend is tortured and killed. Then she wakes up from sleep to find a man watching her. It’s the beginning of a journey she never imagined, and is she prepared for what lies ahead?

The Woman by David Bishop is a by-the-numbers cozy mystery and distinguished by its unique narrative voice and the exquisite setting, the mysterious characters and the fast pacing. David Bishop builds an appealing political thriller with sophisticated characters, creating a sense of mystery around the characters that piques curiosity and interest in readers. I fell in love with the protagonist and the quirkiness of her character. She is your ordinary woman on the surface, but peel away the first layer and you discover a labyrinth in her personality. The prose is gorgeous, tantalizing, and the plot is filled with surprises that come at unexpected moments. The unpredictability of the plot is one of the aspects of this narrative that had me gripped. The Woman by David Bishop is spellbinding, a real thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.