| Reviews
Amazon Reviews:
 The Black Widows is first rate!, January 10, 2010
by Mike the Bookie
I picked up the book one afternoon and wound up doing a straight-through read on it, finishing it a little after midnight. The author keeps the reader hooked throughout: the story gains its own momentum. If you are into the espionage-terrorist-genre, this is a must read!
This is a real page turner, February 14, 2010
by Cass Wheeler
The author grabs you immediately and doesn't turn loose until the very end. He takes you on an adventure with many twists and turns. His character development is superb and you feel like you know each person and he brings the scenes and sequences to life. Don't miss this great read. Can't wait for the author's next novel.
Up-to-date thriller - terrorism with a medical twist, February 12, 2010
by C. Rudiger
Definite page turner. I liked the use of real places with great descriptions and believable characters and situations. Brings in real medical knowledge too.
Glued to my seat, February 8, 2010
by Mj Janse
The trouble with this book is that, once you start reading, you can't put it down. I loved it. The medical background of the author is evident from the brilliant plot, which, unfortunately, I won't reveal. The book is very well written, and is a must for everyone who loves thrillers.
A must-read thriller, January 28, 2010
by Cynthis Baudendistel
This is a must-read for fans of thrillers. With strong leading characters and a complex, but thoroughly believable, plot the story moves quickly and seamlessly from New York to Jordan. The author's background as a cardiologist makes the medical aspects of this thriller interesting without getting bogged down in medical jargon or details. Plan to stay up all night, though - it's a hard book to put down.
Exciting Read!, January 11, 2010
by D Bookworm Loved it! Great characters, fast-paced, exciting, could't put it down. Loved the inside scoop into Dr Zipes' medical world too.
The Black Widows, January 11, 2010
by Gracie I loved it- very fast read- kept me on the edge of my seat throughout! Reminds of the book "Coma" only better. If you like suspense, don't pass this one up!
If you want to sleep then don't pick up this book!, January 10, 2010
by Book Doctoer Wow! What a fantastic ride all over the world. The characters are fascinating and the plot full of intrigue. I couldn't put this book down- from start to finish it is one heck of read.
Barnes and Noble Reviews
The Black Widows by Doug Zipes,is a page turning feast................
 Reader Rating
by Philly Phan
Posted January 14, 2010, 12:40 PM EST: Doug Zipes has written a compelling international thriller replete with memorable cops, hot women and steely assassins. Driven by vengeance, we follow a heinous plot of holocaust proportions as it weaves its way through the Big Apple, the Middle East and points in between. Amidst a backdrop of modern day terrorism, the author spins a page-turning feast which will satisfy your appetite with ambiance, stick-to-the-ribs characters, and medical tidbits for dessert.
ForeWord Clarion Reviews
THRILLER
The Black Widows
Doug Zipes
iUniverse
978-1-9362-3647-3
Five Stars (out of Five)
Reader Rating
In this tense, fast-moving thriller, murder victims are turning up with their chests slashed. NYPD Detective Zach Dayan, an ex-Israeli cop, needs plenty of wit to connect the seemingly unrelated cases from around the country. Working with his junior partner Harry Scarpia, he witnesses autopsies and queries a cardiologist friend for advice—while young Harry may succumb to the wiles of a sexy suspect who has a great body and a .45-caliber handgun she calls Boom Boom. Before getting into police work, Zach had spent two years as a medical student, which serves him well in this case. The first autopsy scene may remind mystery fans of Tess Gerritson's gasp-inducing cadaver cut-ups—this is meant as high praise. There is also a spectacular scene where an unknown assailant runs Zach's car off the road and sends him to the Emergency Room.
Meanwhile, what are the killings about? All of the victims have something sought by a pair of apparently harmless Jewish women, Ruth and Sarah. Author Doug Zipes takes readers through a number of sharp twists that come back to the Black Widows, a secret group of Arab women whose husbands have fallen in the service of jihad. Nothing will suit these women but utter, blind vengeance against the West, and the individual killings are but a prologue to a main event the world will never forget. Meanwhile, Zipes weaves in plenty of back story without slowing the overall pace.
The only concern about The Black Widows is the sense of a world divided between the good guys of the West and the bad guys of Islam. The world doesn't need or benefit from such stark divisions. Fortunately, Zipes slightly softens that impression late in the book.
Many of the chapters feature Zach Dayan's first-person point of view, and he comes across as a decent man whose ex-wife Miriam and children still love him. Other chapters show the shadowy Wahad, who assists the Black Widows in exacting their vengeance. In his path of discovery, Zach comes in for serious unpleasantness while tension escalates at a brisk pace that moves literally to a cliff's edge.
Zipes himself is a cardiologist and a Saturday Evening Post columnist. Readers will sense that he knows his way around morgues and ERs. The Black Widows equals the quality of traditionally published thrillers in every way and stands out as one of the best in a sea of thrillers.
Bob Sanchez
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