The Hong Kong Widow

I loved Kristen Loesch‘s first novel, The Last Russian Doll, so I was excited to read her newest book. The Hong Kong Widow is out today, and it is a stunning work of horror. Set between three timelines, it follows Mei from her difficult childhood, to series of séances gone wrong in her 20s, to her returning to the scene of the crime at 85. Vengeance, murder, and ghosts lurking around every corner follow Mei through this twisty foray into a haunted mansion in Hong Kong.

What I Liked:

• Ghosts! My favorite brand of horror is one that’s haunting and filled with ghosts, and that’s in full force here. Mei has the Sight: she can see spirits. This leads to her conducting séances (though not necessarily by choice) during which she goes into a trance and draws pictures. But then one series of séances goes spectacularly wrong, resulting in multiple murders and decades of regret.
• Identity crisis. A recurring theme throughout The Hong Kong Widow is the impermanence of identity. Mei starts off only as “Third Sister”; she’s shocked to learn the real names of the numbered motherly figures in her life. Further, it’s not always clear whether she’s talking to someone alive… or a ghost or an imaginary friend. It’s a disquieting quality in the book, and one that keeps readers continuously surprised.
• Creepy drawings. One extra element I loved in this novel was the inclusion of the charcoal drawings done by Mei and her mother. Many of them are so unsettling! They add tremendously to the story and the haunting feeling it exudes.
• Beautiful prose and insights. I love Kristen Loesch’s writing! Reading this book is such an experience, even just from the standpoint of wording and the way Mei’s perspective comes through. There are numerous phrases and passages worth marking down for later reflection; this novel has so many quotes and striking ideas that will stick with me.
• Three timelines. All three follow Mei, from childhood to old age, and this is one of those books in which all timelines hold equal interest. There’s momentum and mystery to each part, and while the chapters often end on a mild cliffhanger, it’s also exciting to suddenly be thrust into a different timeline before getting that payoff.

Final Thoughts

The Hong Kong Widow is a masterful work of horror that will seep under your skin and keep you guessing until the end. It’s eerie and haunting, with themes of family, identity, and what to do with all the fear and rage inside of you. I loved following Mei and her ghosts through the decades. Kristen Loesch is quickly becoming a favorite author, and I can’t wait to read whatever is next!

Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Hong Kong Widow here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

The Hong Kong Widow by Kristen Loesch
Audience	Adult
Genre	Horror; Gothic; Historical Fiction
Setting	China; Hong Kong; Seattle
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	October 7, 2025
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

Hong Kong, 1953: In a remote mansion, witnesses insist a massacre took place. The police see nothing but pristine rooms and declare it a collective hallucination. Until decades later, when one witness returns…from the Edgar®-nominated author of The Last Russian Doll.

In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition in one of the city’s most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges—she has every reason to refuse.

Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life.

It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge. 

Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about the last night she ever spent in that house—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .