This is the 4th entry in this fantastic series. This one takes off right after the end of entry #3, so if you're hoping to find out what happened when we left that book, you'll be glad to see that we pick right where we left off. Detective Natalie Lockhart is at the hospital where Luke is in a coma.

Natalie begins to work on the death of a worker from a costume shop. She investigates this new murder alongside the murder from the last book, that of Veronica Manes, the town's most well-known practicing witch. Alongside the murder investigations, we see lots of twists and turns in her life and at the police station.

Another great read for this series. I highly recommend the whole series, but this could even work as a standalone.

Looking forward to entry #5!

The Shadow Girls by Alice Blanchard is the fourth novel in the author’s Natalie Lockhart series, a fact of which I was unaware when I downloaded this book.

The novel begins with the discovery of the body of sixty-four-year-old Randolph Holmes in a warehouse where he had been employed. Though his employer praises his work ethic the deceased’s female colleagues were wary of him. Detective Natalie Lockhart leaves the side of her comatose senior officer/friend, who was attacked by one of their colleagues who is now absconding, to attend to the case. Her investigation reveals a sinister side to the deceased and links to other crimes being investigated. The narrative follows Natalie as she investigates several cases which seem to be connected including one involving the disappearance of her best friend more than a decade ago while navigating her personal life and relationship issues.

Pacing was a little off between the mystery of the story and her romantic life.. I don't think this book worked as a stand-alone. Best to read the books before to understand the chanracters.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Okay, why haven't I read this author before? This book was so good, I flew through this one! This IS the fourth book in a series, however I read it without having read the others so that was confusing and a mistake on my part, but I still enjoyed it. I will definitely be going back to start this series from the beginning!

Read if you enjoy:
• detectives
• fast paced
• action packed

I loved the premise and the setting of a town known for its “witchy" history, covens and Wiccans and thought the procedural aspect was really well executed, though I thought the drama in the protagonist’s personal life (the romance tracks) messed with the pace of the novel and distracted from the mystery angle. Usually, I don’t have problems picking up a series midway if the story is well-rounded. However, this book does not work as a standalone. There is a strong continuity with the preceding books and I felt that I was missing out on a lot of the backstory and important plot points since the resolution of several previous cases were related to the present one.

This book picks up where the third in the series leaves off. Usually series books have a decent standalone potential, but I feel to truly appreciate what is happening in this one, you need to have read the previous. The case in book three also continues in this as well. I have grown to appreciate the characters in this series, even if they are a little dark and unlikable. Natalie has her own demons and it makes her character have depth. I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

I wish I had read the first books in the series, but I still enjoyed it enough. The fourth book in this police procedural series, and I highly recommending reading the first books in the series to lessen your confusion This is a town that makes the most of its history with witchcraft and has a large tourist trade around it that culminates with the Halloween celebration. It’s March, so the town is quieter until police lieutenant Luke Pittman is attacked, Veronica Manes, a modern-day witch is murdered, and a new body is discovered in a costume shop. What is happening in this small tourist town? This novel shines a light on corruption, love, power, friendship, murder, trust, and much more

Strong protagonist, interesting plot, a good installment in the series. There are problems with pacing and the last 20% or so seems unnecessary and irrelevant to the rest of the book as if a page quota was being met rather than furthering the story or setting up another book.

Maybe 3.5ish? The first half of this kind of dragged but the second half really picked up. Like others, I had no idea this was a series when I picked it up but it explained things well enough that I didn’t really feel lost.

Some of it was weirdly repetitive. It would say something then like two paragraphs later say the same thing worded slightly different. It didn’t happen a lot but it happened enough for me to notice.

I did enjoy the second half quite a bit but the witchy stuff felt a little random in this, even though it’s a Salem-esque town. Natalie was a little annoying and I wish we got to actually find out the reasoning of why the Shadow Girls were taken and why that ended. I’m just realizing now we really didn’t find out. It feels like that was sort of swept under the rug so the storylines from previous books could be tied up.

This sounds like I didn’t like it very much but I did for the most part. I liked the actual shadow girls storyline and just wish there was more to it.

This is a very intriguing mystery -- a man is found killed inside costume shop. While investigating his murder, detectives discover that he may have connections to some missing women. Was he a serial killer? Even if so, who killed him? How does his murder connect to prior crimes in this town?

Shadow Girls is actually #4 in the series of books featuring Natalie Lockhart. I had not read the earlier books. This one is somewhat a standalone -- I still enjoyed the mystery and found the characters relatable and the plot easy to understand. However, I would recommend reading the first three if possible before reading this one. A major character (Luke) is in the hospital at the beginning, obviously because of an incident in book 3. There is obviously a deep connection between Natalie and Luke that was revealed in books 1-3. There are plenty of references to prior events and people who were in earlier books. There is enough detail to make #4 understandable even if you haven't read the others, but clearly it would be better to have that background. I doubt that I will read the previous 3, though, since so much of the story was retold.

All in all a pretty good mystery story, pretty good characters, but I would definitely recommend reading the books 1-4 in order.

This police procedural is book four and the end of this series following this police detective. Usually with books like this I don’t mind, but while everything was explained I think some of my enjoyment was lessened by the fact that I haven’t read the first three books. I also struggled to really get into the characters and found the writing style hard to get into. I loved the murder Natalie was investigating and all of the rabbit holes to other unsolved pieces she found along the way. Natalie hasn’t recovered from the last murderer they caught and Luke, the man she secretly loves, is still in a coma, but she is next up and called to a man who worked in a Halloween costume shop is found dead. Investigating this crime leads her back to the other murders she and Luke have been investigating and it seems that there may be more than one enemy among those pretending to protect and serve.

I really wish I had known that this was part of a series before requesting it. Sometimes it doesn’t make much of a difference because the plots aren’t directly connected between books, but in this case, I definitely felt like I had missed a lot, which took away from my enjoyment of the story overall:

Delve into the depths of a chilling mystery with Alice Blanchard's gripping novel, "The Shadow Girls."

Detective Natalie Lockhart, still reeling from the recent attack on her partner, Lieutenant Luke Pittman, finds herself embroiled in a case that sends shivers down her spine. The discovery of Randolph Holmes, a seemingly innocuous employee of a local costume store, murdered in his apartment, unearths a disturbing secret.

As Natalie delves deeper into the investigation, she uncovers a web of connections to a long-forgotten tragedy – the kidnapping and disappearance of several young girls from Burning Lake, her hometown. The harrowing details of the unsolved case resurface, casting a shadow of fear and suspicion over the community.

Blanchard masterfully weaves suspense and psychological tension, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and relatable, their struggles and motivations adding depth to the narrative.

Natalie's determination and resilience shine through as she confronts the darkness of the past and the dangers of the present. Her personal connection to the case lends an emotional weight to the story, making the stakes even higher.

"The Shadow Girls" is a captivating tale of suspense, secrets, and the enduring impact of trauma. Blanchard's writing is both gripping and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

This is book four in the Natalie Lockhart series, and it was a fantastic addition. The Shadow Girls is a complex and thrilling police procedural. There are multiple cases being solved, and Natalie is dealing with a lot of personal drama.

I loved how action-packed and fast-paced the story was. It was certainly never dull. Finally, there were answers to a mystery that spanned the entire series. There was so much going on in this book that, at times, I had to slow down to take it all in. But it was wonderful and compelling in the best way possible.

This read like it could be the last book in the series. If it was, it was an excellent and exciting conclusion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I didn't realize that this was a book within a series when I first started reading it. However, I think that the author did an excellent job making it accessible to those who haven't read the previous installments. This was a little slow paced, but had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged.

Natalie Lockheart is a detective in a small town. She is struggling with the attack on her fellow officer and good friend, Officer Pittman. He is currently in the hospital from an attack by another officer. She is seriously considering leaving the force. She is still haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, Bella, when they were in high school. The case was never solved, although there was evidence that Bella left on her own.

Natalie becomes involved in a case where a man was murdered in the famous Halloween store. While investigating the case, she comes across a literal house of horrors and discovers that the victim in her case was not the innocent man he had at first appeared to be. Stranger still, the case has ties to what happened to Bella all those years ago.

This is a great read that kept me guessing throughout!

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This mystery was so enjoyable that I finished it in less than 24 hours. I love to see the progression of the characters we have seen in the last few books and how the threads are all coming together. Can't wait for the next one in the series!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

The Shadow Girls is a fast paced, exciting, surprising adventure (to say the least).

I love thrillers but many of them are TOO fast paced with no wiggle room. The Shadow Girls was the opposite. I feel like there was a perfect balance of normalcy and shockers.

On every page, there was a new secret to discover. I audibly gasped multiple times because I was thoroughly surprised.

I did realize, about halfway through, that someone was involved in some way and rolled my eyes. I still couldn’t stop reading and I’m so happy I did!! Talk about a shock factor!

Natalie was a wonderful MC. You see her struggle with her personal demons, her past, losses, triumphs, and staying true to herself. I couldn’t have loved her more!

There was just so much I loved about The Shadow Girls!

Nicely paced, full of action and intrigue. I have not read this author before and was able to pick up the book as if I knew the characters - that takes some skill in series-style books. Nice use of suspense and mystery.

This is the perfect read for October - it's got a great plot, witches, murder, and plenty of shocking twists. I just love the Lockhart series in general and I enjoy reading Alice Blanchard. The character of Natalie Lockhart really has remained a deep, well written character.