The Badass Widows Mystery

Author Valerie Saul drew inspiration for the novel from her belief that "society underestimates older women and we underestimate ourselves." A participant in the Stanford Continuing Studies Creative Writing program, Saul holds degrees in audiology, speech pathology, and psychology, with a career that has taken her to the U.S., New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore. The story, set in the San Francisco Bay Area, follows former FBI agent Beth Winstead, who, after the death of her husband, joins a rowing club. There, she rescues another widow, and together they form a secret crime-fighting group with two other widows, tackling what starts as minor capers. The group of four women includes a former FBI agent, a tech guru, and one who can fix boat engines. Their missions soon escalate into bolder acts of "secret justice," getting them hooked on the adrenaline rush it provides. Published by Sibylline Press, a publisher founded in 2022 that exclusively publishes female authors over 50, the book is described by the publisher as a declaration that "women's power, purpose, and adventure doesn't diminish with age." Early praise compares it to "The Thursday Murder Club" and "Killers of a Certain Age."