In literary circles, James Patterson books have long been considered sloppily written and appealing to the lowest common denominator - tabloid quality. But with the addition of dozens of co-writers, the writing in many of his series has improved and the scenarios have become more believable and readable. However, in Circle of Death, not so much. Brian Sitts is the co-author, and this dystopian novel in the Shadow series, is pure fantasy, unbelievable, and full of comic-book style violence. As is vintage James Patterson, there are dozens of murders, dead bodies, and violence, and The Shadow and some others he has chosen are trying to save the world from utter destruction.

While the characters are well-developed, albeit totally implausible, they are consistent throughout the novel, and are indicative of the supernatural powers that are often attributed to characters in fantasy novels. Patterson is the biggest selling author at present, maybe ever, and his storytelling abilities have kept readers on the edge for decades. For those who like dystopian thrillers, this story is no exception, and will be followed closely while on the edge throughout the ups and downs, surprises, and ridiculously far-fetched scenarios.

All told, readers who enjoy this type of fiction will want to immediately pick up this novel and will want to read it cover to cover in a short amount of time. Those who prefer less violence, less dead bodies, and less supernatural garbage will want to skip this one and read one of Patterson’s other series.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

While this entry is much better than the first, it still is somewhat disappointing. The story feels much more like a Shadow story (despite the future setting), but the people shape-shifting into animals and time travel elements feel completely out of place and took me out of the book unfortunately. This entry at least gives hope that the series can live up to its promise, it still falls short.

Prolific James Patterson continues with his resurrected old-timey heroes. He revived “The Shadow” (same name as the first novel) a 1930s radio character, and then did “The Perfect Assassin,” another new series featuring the great-grandson of Doc Savage, a 1930s pulp fiction hero. I was fairly certain a recharged The Phantom Detective might be next, but instead we get the enjoyable Shadow sequel, “Circle of Death.” James Patterson thrillers are my popcorn and it’s time for another. This one has Brian Sitts as co-author, who deserves credit as well.

To recap: Only two people in the 1930s knew society man Lamont Cranston was the Shadow, a crusader for justice. One is his greatest love, Margo Lane, and the other is fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan (last descendant of Genghis Khan). Khan ambushes the couple, and the story continues in the future. A century and a half later, Lamont awakens and meets Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own mysterious powers, since she’s actually the Shadow’s great-great-great -great granddaughter.

Anyway, Patterson and Sitts know how to capture your imagination and the first chapter begins with maniacal bloodsuckers. As the story progresses, we’re in the late 21st century, where New York City is still recovering from the anti-tech Khan regime (which the Shadow defeated). Cranston gathers the great-great-great grandsons of his former colleagues and reveals that a truly evil global organization, the Command, led by the Destroyer of Worlds (I agree with Maddy: the name is over the top) is murdering innocents in other parts of the world. No doubt that a team of genetically blessed descendants of 1930s heroes will need to conquer the Command aided by the Shadow and his 4x-great granddaughter.

I guess I really don’t share my secret Patterson obsession with a lot of people, but, as always, his standard book structure is short, thrilling chapters, and always about a 100 chapters. Any other author couldn’t get away with that, but it makes Patterson books unique to me. There is no chance of a long, droning middle part. Of course, I loved “Circle of Death” — it truly took me away to another world while I was reading it. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Also, once you’re caught up with why Lamont and Margo are in the future, you can read this as a standalone action adventure.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Not a lot of eye colors are described — it’s almost at the halfway point that Margo’s blue eyes are mentioned and later we find out that Maddy is a blue eyed blonde, too (but, of course…)
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There is a transplanted jungle in the middle of NYC that becomes an unfortunate murder scene.

Oh wow. Let me start off by saying this was my first ever James Patterson, and I was NOT disappointed! This one kept me glued to my seat.

3 stars (average in my scale)

This is typical Patterson. Nice easy to read and fast paced. I enjoyed seeing some Sci-fi from him (in the adult writings). It was a nice change of pace from his average mystery/thrillers.