A Secret Sisterhood of Vigilante Widows


The Badass Widows: A Mystery

by Valerie Saul

They’ve buried their husbands. Now they’re burying secrets.

Former FBI agent Beth Winstead is no stranger to danger—but nothing prepared her for the slow, isolating loss of her husband. Adrift in grief, she joins a rowing club on the choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay, determined to rebuild her life.

When Beth rescues Elena—a fellow widow and assault survivor—from a derelict sailboat, something shifts. Purpose returns. Justice calls.

Soon they’re joined by Anneke and Zoe, two widows with secrets of their own. What begins as a half-serious pact to “do some good” turns into a clandestine sisterhood delivering vigilante justice across the Bay Area. Their targets are predators who’ve slipped through the cracks. Their methods are bold, and the rush of delivering justice becomes dangerously addictive.

A sharp, suspenseful thriller about grief, friendship, and the dangerous thrill of taking justice into your own hands.


Praise for Badass Widows

"... riveting and utterly charming—
a perfect blend of
Killers of a Certain Age and The Thursday Murder Club. "

—Lynn Rankin-Esquer author of Murder, Mess and the Tangerine Dress

“... a propulsive romp delivered with
warmth and humor.”

—Suzy Vitello, author of Bitterroot and Griftopia


About the Author

Valerie Saul earned a doctorate in audiology, a master's degree in speech pathology, and a bachelor's degree in psychology followed by an unconventional career in hearing healthcare in the U.S., New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore. She attended the Stanford Continuing Studies Creative Writing program and participates in multiple critique groups. She is a voracious, omnivorous reader. When she's not writing stories about badass older women, she can be found hiking the Marin headlands with her husband or rowing a shell on San Francisco Bay.

Saturday, March 7, 1pm

Launch event at Book Passage for The Badass Widows!

Join us at Book Passage for an author event in celebration of Valerie Saul’s riveting and utterly charming debut novel, The Badass Widows: A Mystery. Valerie will be joined in conversation with Mary Alice Stephens, the author of Uncorked!

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