3.8 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Paul Adams returns to his hometown 25 years after his friends committed murder and one of the culprits disappears. Copy cat murders are now occurring and his senile mother is saying strange things.

I enjoyed listing to Hannah Arterton and John Hefferman excellent job narrating the story. I felt there was good flow to their narration. However, there were several times when I thought the story was over and I would look at the time remaining and there was still 50 min, then 30 min, left, and I kept thinking what else is going to happen? I did like the wrap up at the the end.

Paul Adams hasn’t been home for 25 years. He had to come home, to help with his mother. Her care worker found her at the bottom of the stairs and called Paul to come to her in hospice. Paul hadn’t even known that his mother had a care worker, that she had been suffering from dementia. His mother had wanted to protect him, to keep him away from home, from the memories, from the danger. She protected him for 25 years, but now as he sits with his mother and she wakes sporadically, she tells him. “It’s in the house, Paul. In the house!”

Suddenly Paul is a teenager again, remembering everything that happened. The whole school year, from those first days of the term through to the murder. And while Billy was caught right after the murder an sent to prison, Charlie was never caught. He just disappeared, and he hadn’t been seen since.

DI Amanda Beck is struggling. It’s never easy to investigate the murder of a child, but when it’s ritualized, the killers caught still covered in blood, knives and dream journals in their hands, with red hand prints around the victim, she is at a loss. She turns to the one place where where she knows people will be talking about a crime like this—the internet. That’s where she discovers the origin of the myth that created this copycat murder, and where she first comes across the name Charlie Crabtree.

As Paul struggles to make peace with the past, he finds his anxiety rising. He hears noises in his mother’s house. He finds red hand prints in the attic. He finds a reminder from high school pushed through the letter box. Clearly, someone is trying to send him a message. Could it be Charlie, even after all that time, or is someone else trying to scare him?

And then there’s another murder, someone Paul used to know. DI Beck interviews him, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together before others are killed, but will she be able to figure out what’s happened in time, or will the legend of Red Hands find himself yet another victim?

Alex North’s follow up to The Whisper Man is just as compelling and goose-bump-inducing as his first novel. The Shadows is another thrilling, chilling ghost story that takes what you think and turns it completely upside down, with twists that you can’t possibly see coming but that set your heart racing all over again.

For The Shadows, I listened to the audio book, narrated by John Heffernan and Hannah Arterton. Heffernan narrated most of the book, all the chapters that tell Paul’s story. I thought he did a beautiful job with hte pace and complexity of Paul’s journey. I could feel the character’s pain, his shame, his guilt as the pages went on, as the secrets were revealed, as the truths came to light. And Arterton embodied DI Beck as she searched for the answers she needed to put the case and her personal doubts to rest.

I devoured this book in days, reveling in the story, in the secrets, in the voices that transported me halfway across the world and back 25 years in time. If you are a fan of a scary story, North is a masterful writer. There is some violence towards teenagers, which is difficult to read (or listen to), but if you can stomach that, then The Shadows is one not to miss.

A copy of the audio book The Shadows was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

One of the creepiest, most unsettling books I've read in a long time. Alex North certainly has a way of amping up the tension, but the resolution was less than satisfying.

The narration by Hannah Arterton and, particularly, John Heffernan was fantastic and made the audiobook a truly immersive experience.

I haven't read The Whisper Man, but I plan to now!

Thank you so very much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an Audiobook copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.


The Shadows(the title the townfolk give to the woods) are said to be haunted. Inside lives a creature, Red Hands, whom lures children away why they dream, inviting them to stay with him forever; but to do so, first a price must be paid: a sacrifice of another child's life. 25 years prior, two boys paid the sacrifice to Red Hands but only one disappeared. Whatever happened to Charlie Crabtree? With copycat killings taking place, a detective sets out to find answers. Meanwhile, a man who was once friends with not only Charlie and the other killer, but also the victim returns home to say goodbye to his ailing mother. Is there a connection to be found, or is Red Hands more than just a story?

Guys....this book.... it's a piece of art. I couldn't stop listening to it unless I had to, and I resented having to work because it was keeping me from listening. The story is perfectly laid out by alternating between then and now, revealing bits and truths right on schedule to make way for the next big mystery. I never once got bored listening due not only to content, but by out of this world performances by two narrators. I only got half way through before I began recommending it to friends because I just needed someone on this rollercoaster with me. When I started this novel I had no idea what a lucid dream was but the author did such a great job explaining it along with his tale that I had to do very little research to feel like I understood. Paul and Amanda were both great to tag along with, and even after having such a close encounter with childhood teams Paul remained a very relatable and likeable character. I have zero complaints, which is something that very rarely happens for me. Five fantastic and enthusiastic stars from me. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I would recommend this to anyone ages 16 and up, there isn't anything too graphic in it however the subject matter when it comes to dreams could be alot for impressionable young minds, but it's all at parental discression. Keep writing, Alex North, I cannot wait to see what you publish next!

The audiobook was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

I think I was expecting this book to be a little creepier. There was a reveal that took me by surprise, but the ending wasn't as satisfying as I was hoping.

Alex North is a talented writer and it would have been so easy for the different timelines and perspectives to become confusing, but they didn't.

I plan to read The Whisper Man soon!

Why I requested this: I requested the audiobook version of this due to my love thrillers on audio. The premise really sounded like it could be one that could go in a lot of directions. Additionally, with thriller authors, especially if the first work that I read by them was a debut, I like to give them another chance to find out if it was that story or the writer that did not click with me. This was another chance for Alex North.

Pros:
I appreciated the way that the characters, especially the infamous Charlie Crabtree, are written and written about.
The murders, and subsequent investigations, all feel very cult-like due to ritualistic nature of it

Cons:
The way the story mixes between flashbacks and the present day.
The pacing was off due to the way the story was written
Story elements, like lucid dreaming, did not work for me.

Overall: Excellent idea, not so creepy follow-through.

I read this because I absolutely loved the whisper man.

This didn’t live up to my hype!

The synopsis had sound so good but I felt some plots to be repetitive

The narrator did a wonderful job narrating this book.

I really enjoy Alex North’s writing. I think he does a really good job crafting interesting small town mysteries. The Shadows is just another example of this. I know his books are classified as thrillers but I don’t agree. For me, this was more of a dark but cozy mystery. The pacing isn’t fast enough and the subject isn’t spooky enough for me to think of it as a thriller. But I read/watch a lot of mysteries and thrillers so I might expect a lot from my thriller novels. Regardless, this was an enjoyable read. 3.5/5 stars.

This was my first audiobook with the new NetGalley app and I love having this option for free audiobooks. I am an avid audiobook listener and audiobooks get costly. But the audio quality is a little poor. There’s an echo that become hard to ignore if you try to listen faster than 2x speed. Hopefully this is something that will only improve as the app improves over time.

As much as I wanted to love this as much as I did The Whisper Man, it fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed some elements- specifically the character of Charlie Crabtree and the creepy vibe that reminded me of Stephen King’s The Body that was adapted as the movie Stand By Me. The author lost me with the lucid dreams unfortunately. That’s where it fell apart. I continue to listen and did somewhat care to have the answers to who, what, and how, but it lands at 3 stars for me being “just ok”.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I give it a 3.5. This is my first book by Alex North and while it was not particularly scary, I enjoyed it. I will read his previous book and future books based on this experience.
I will say that I enjoyed this book as an audiobook and look forward to more audiobooks. Sometimes the narrator can be a make it or break it type of deal for me so they did a good job in choosing this narrator.
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadows by Alex North
Pub date 07/07/2020

This thriller/horror novel had the best creep factor to it, if you loved The Whisper Man then you'll like this one maybe even more.
Paul is coming home, after 25 years of trying to put the town out of his thoughts.
Written in the Now and Then set up. There seems there may be a copycat killer out there copying a murder that took place back when Paul was 15 years old.

"There had been times when it felt like I could hear the pages around me rustling slightly, as though the stories within were shuffling softly in their sleep".

Thank you Netgalley for a audio copy of this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ like coming home

3.5 stars rounded down to 3. Dualntimeljnes in the book which was interesting and well executed. Both timelines dragged in a lot of places, maybe trying to add too much unnecessary detail to all the characters, not sure but it did get boring at times, not the slow burn that maybe author was going for. Great to see DI Amsnda Beck agsin

Charlie Crabtree is an disturbing teenager. 25 years ago he committed a murder and was never seen again. Paul Adams left town after it happened. But now that his mother is doing poorly he returns home. Shortly after he arrives things start to happen.
What an interesting and thrilling story. It was really good and a lot of parts were super creepy/scary. I loved the way it was told from different points of view and at different points in time. It all came together great in the end! I recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers and wants a gripping read!
So happy that Netgalley has audiobooks now! The narrators were amazing and kept my attention threw out the entire story. Highly recommend you listen to the audio version of The Shadows!
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I don't think this was that creepy. Not that I liked The Whisper Man that much but I like The Shadows even less in a way. With all the mentioning of Stephen King (whose style I don't really enjoy either) I can't help but thing that Alex North is maybe trying to replicate the feeling of reading a King's book? I don't know. Wasn't my cup of tea and wouldn't consider it a horror.
This book was provided to me by the publisher for a review.

The Shadows follows Paul Adams when he was 15 and a gruesome murder happened and also present day when he is 40 and has to go back home to see his ailing mom. Two of Paul's friends were responsible for the killing but one of the boys was never found, so the disappearance of the other boy has always been a big mystery. 25years later and another murder has taken place that mimics the first and police detective Amanda is trying to find out what happened now as well as then. I enjoyed the story and it definitely kept me engaged while I was listening but I felt like something was missing to make me really like it. I thought the author did a great job of writing the characters, you felt so many emotions for them and I love that in my reading. I was also expecting this one to be creepy and I did it get that vibe at all. There were a few twists that I did not see coming but I felt like it did not tie to well together in the end. The ending left me wanting, I like to have more a wrap up of the characters. Over all it was an engaging read and I would recommend it for someone looking for a small town thriller. Thank you to Netgalley for my audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I realllly wanted to like this book. I even went into it with no expectations since I loved The Whisper Man so, so much. I love being scared, it's a rarity these days, and I thought this one would do the trick.

Within the first few chapters, (after you meet Charlie and read the "brains" comment) I was like HELL YES THIS BOOK IS FOR ME! It started out so strong, dark and morbid. I was ready for the most creepy ride ever.

But then it fell flat. The best explanation I can give is if you're running a marathon, and in the first few minutes you give it everything you have. You're going sprinting and so strong but for only so long before you get winded and things start to slow down. And by the end, you're gassed and don't have anything left in you. That's how I felt when I read the ending. The middle was slow and boring and in all honesty, I kind of stopped paying attention. The audiobook was great, but it kind of became background noise to me. And the ending just didn't do it for me.

BUT! Audiobook critique. The narrators were awesome. I think that's why it's getting 3.5 stars. They can make or break a book and they definitely made it better. I think I would still tell people to give this a shot because it definitely wasn't the worst book I've ever read. Alex North is a fantastic writer and paints a perfect tale of darkness and fright. Sometimes the book just doesn't connect with ever reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book. I thought the plot was really good and was happy that I didn’t always know which way the author was going The characters are believable and as it’s audible not too many to get you confused. I would most certainly look out for this author again.

I thought that a novel couldn’t get much creepier than The Whisper Man, but I was wrong. North now brings us The Shadows, an even scarier book. This is the story of Charlie Crabtree, a boy whose darkness seemed contagious and led to, not one, but two ritualistic murders. Paul Adams, a failed writer and his one-time friend, tells Charlie’s story. We see the “then” and the “now” through Paul’s eyes. There is also the story of Amanda, a police officer who’s trying to find out the why of the second, more recent, murder. Paul is back home after his senile mother has a bad fall. Unexplainable, scary things start to happen. The flashbacks to Paul and Charlie’s childhood reminded me of Stephen King, who is also name-checked here several times. Kids who are almost adolescents, messing with things that they don’t understand, in this case, lucid dreams. Paul, and his friend Jenny are both budding writers, so we also get to hear their stories, which are always scary and perhaps too good. There are so many twists, that the plot kept surprising me over and over. One of them was so shocking, I had to go back and check the implications that it caused. Fans of horror and ghost stories will enjoy The Shadows in any format, but the audiobook is fantastic. You can stop reading if the story gets too spooky, but John Heffernan’s voice creeping into my ears gave me gooseflesh during the darkest parts. Hannah Arterton performs the Amanda chapters in such a relatable manner, that it makes it easy to empathize with the character, especially when she feels lost herself. The perfect read to chill you, even in the middle of summer.
I chose to listen this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Macmillan Audio!

This book was not my cup of tea at all. While it felt a little like a Sarah Waters novel, (who I love) this just did nothing for me. Even when we got to the crux of this story I just felt let down.

I really enjoyed this book. I actually own a hard copy and had started reading it but wanted to check it out mixed with a little audio during a long road trip. I am so glad I did!! I love the narrator and listening to this book allowed me to get a better, clearer visual of the story. Thank you to Netgalley for an audio copy of this book!