The Other Widow

At the start of this overly contrived thriller from Crawford (The Pocket Wife), actress Dorrie Keating, who’s been sleeping with Joe Lindsay, her married boss at Home Runs Renovations, agrees to meet him late one snowy night in Boston. As they drive through the icy streets of the city’s Back Bay neighborhood in Joe’s old Audi, Joe announces that their relationship must end. When Joe speeds up, the Audi goes into a skid, flies sideways off Newbury Street, and hits a tree. Joe’s airbag doesn’t open, and he’s killed. Not wanting to be found at the scene of the accident, Dorrie extricates herself from the car, though she’s unable to avoid leaving evidence behind of a passenger. The circumstances of Joe’s death arouse the suspicions of Maggie Brennan, an insurance claims investigator, who believes that Joe may have committed suicide. The story alternates among the perspectives of Dorrie, Maggie, and Joe’s widow, Karen, none of whom emerges as a particularly well-developed character. The action builds to a pat and disappointing resolution. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Apr.)