Shadow man by Alan Drew.
Connolly.
Southern California, 1986. Detective Ben Wade has returned to his hometown in search of a quieter life and to try to save his marriage. Suddenly the community, with its peaceful streets and neighbourly concerns, finds itself at the mercy of a serial killer who slips through windows and screen doors at night, shattering illusions of safety.
A good read. I liked the story and some characters. 3*.

Written with two plot lines, each with Ben as a main protagonist showing how being abused as a child can lead to two different paths in life.
A great engaging read and will be looking for other titles written by this author.

What makes this book stand out is Ben's character, and some of the moral and emotional dilemmas the story explores. I can't say more to avoid spoilers. Recommended to anyone who likes character driven mysteries. An added bonus is that there isn't much graphic violence. I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.

A must read! Once you start reading you can't put it down. The book grips you from the beginning and doesn't let go. Recommended!

Shadow Man, on a basic level, tells the story of a serial killer and the man who tries to catch him. But on a deeper level, this is the story of a broken and troubled man, and his desire to right the wrongs of his past.

This is wonderfully written, but I believe calling it a 'thriller' does not do the book any justice. The pace isn't fast, as you would expect from a thriller. It's slow, with lots of character development. It's a literary work of fiction, centring around a man who just happens to be a cop, trying to sort his life out and be a good father to a teenage daughter. He's likeable, sympathetic and everything you want in a protagonist.

By comparison, the serial killer angle here explores the psychology behind the killer. We get to see why and how this person kills, told from their point of view. Also, he's most definitely a secondary character. This is Ben's story. I thought this was such a unique way to tell this kind of story. It's as thought the serial killer and the crimes are merely a backdrop to Ben's life, and are there to drive Ben's story forward, as opposed to the other way round - which is what we see in most novels in this genre.

I also really liked the descriptions of Southern California. Never having visit the area, I still felt completely immersed in the environment and I could almost feel myself there beside Ben.

Not what I was expecting at all, but pleasantly surprised. Don't expect this to be action packed, but rather a slow burning character driven ride.

Alas, this book was archived before I got chance to read it.

A lovely slow burner of a book which is more about the deliverance of the main protagonist, detective Mark Wade from the childhood nightmare that haunts him, than the hunting down of a ruthless serial killer.

A beautifully written and perfectly plotted thriller than builds slowly and ends in both unbearable tension and redemption.

Well worth reading and highly recommended.

This one is an interesting mix of police procedural and a sort of private detective vibe. Certainly one for fans of the rogue style of detective. Slightly predictable ending but it was compelling getting there. There is an earlier book that I shall be adding to the to read pile.

An enthralling book. Not an explosive serial killer book as described but a warm, deep book that takes you into the troubled life of Detective Ben Wade as he tries to catch a serial murderer, solve the death of a young illegal immigrant who has a similar backstory to Ben whilst trying to be a good parent and live with pains from his past that the new cases are bringing to the forefront. Well written, the reader feels along with Ben and the cast as the plot unwinds. Well worth the read.

I found myself totally absorbed into this book and found it difficult to put down. Well worth reading for insights into who does what when and means something totally different!

Shadow Man was an excellent read, atmospheric, great scene setting and a slow burner of a literary thriller that is entirely character driven.

I think, to be honest, that the term "Serial Killer Thriller" is probably a promotional mistake because that tagline promises something that Shadow Man doesn't really deliver. Yes there is a serial killer at work here but that is almost in the way of background noise, a defining set of events that allows Alan Drew to explore his characters motivations, personalities and relationships - especially the father/daughter relationship and the intriguing yin yang of family dyamics.

The mystery elements tie all that together more than become the complete focus - however when our killer is "on screen" so to speak it is highly engaging, we see some of the background to the action and watch the investigation unfold. It is a little bit voyeuristic this novel, in all it's aspects, and beautifully written throughout.

If you are looking for Hannibal Lecter type scares you won't find that here - it is more considered and underlying than that and for me it was more compelling character drama than crime thriller - that doesn't negate the fact that is is very very good indeed. It just may not be exactly as it sounds in the blurb.

Overall a book I would definitely recommend for fans of slow burners with lots of heart and a decent hit of dark side.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for a review copy of Shadow Man, a stand alone novel set in Rancho Santa Elena, Southern California.

Detective Ben Wade formerly of LAPD Homicide is called out to a murder scene in a neighbouring county. What he sees there confirms what law enforcement believes but the politicians won't admit there is a serial killer on the loose in the Los Angeles basin. The next day he is called out to a fatal shooting where an unidentified Hispanic teenager has been shot. Is it suicide, the politicians' preferred choice or has the serial killer changed his preferred method from strangulation to shooting?

I found Shadow Man to be a disappointing read. From the blurb I was expecting an exciting hunt for a serial killer but this aspect novel is rather perfunctory with the author choosing instead to focus on "Juan Nadie" (Spanish for John Doe I presume) and the growing evidence that his death relates to events in Ben's past. It makes for a slow, drawn out read rather than the high octane implied by the word thriller.

Mr Drew uses italicised chapters (another of my pet hates) to describe the serial killer's thoughts, motivations and history so there is no speculation room for for the reader and while it is a sad tale of abuse there is nothing new in the tone or the motivation. Ben's secret is fairly obvious from early on in the novel so again the only thing left for the reader is the detail and how he deals with it.

Shadow Man is undoubtedly a more literary novel than I was expecting or enjoy. It is well written and well paced, albeit slow. Ben and his relationships with his daughter, ex wife and potential new girlfriend, ME Natasha Betancourt, are nuanced and realistic and the descriptions of his working life seem natural with him being part of a team rather than the do it all hero of many novels. Unfortunately I prefer plot driven novels and character studies do not hold my attention so I found this novel a bit of a slog, easy to put down in favour of doing something else, sometimes anything else.

Shadow Man is not to my taste but for anyone interested in character it is certainly worth a read.