Karen Harper's books are always enjoyable and this was no exception. I always recommend her books and would recommend this one as well.

Claire Britten has an unusual neurological condition that doesn't impede her excellent work as a forensic psychologist. Nick Markwood persuades her to go to St. Augustine to investigate a series of mysterious death. Her razor-sharp intellect and keen intuition will be invaluable to him in winning the case. And Nick is not used to losing! His courtroom skills are impressive. He and Karen are unstoppable. I've always enjoyed Karen Harper's romantic suspense novels (as well as her Tudor historical novels). This is part of the South Shores series and I highly recommend the whole series.

I don't like cliffhangers and this has one big time. The immediate plot is resolved, but as the story closes there is an incident that occurs that is left wide open.

Karen Harper’s Chasing Shadows takes us into the haunted depths of Florida, as forensic psychologist Claire and attorney Nick engage in a murder investigation with a spooky twist. Along the way, Claire has to balance treating her lifelong narcolepsy in new surroundings among new people – not all of whom she can trust to help her. They are joined also by Claire’s ex-husband, Jace, a rather selfish pilot with whom she shares custody of their daughter.

If you are a fan of suspense, this is a fairly decent, quick read. Harper does a good job of keeping the suspense up, and the murderer isn’t given away too easily. Strong points of the story include the scene descriptions of the Shadowlawn plantation house and its surroundings, as well as interesting side notes on indigo production, puppetry, and more.

Romantic suspense is a difficult genre to balance, as it necessarily requires that the characters involved have at least a minor degree of chemistry. Unfortunately the chemistry between Nick and Claire really fell flat for me. I get that their relationship is meant to develop slowly over time, so it wasn’t necessary for them to get hot and heavy or anything. However, it was tiresome to repeatedly see their feelings be revealed through their internal narratives, rather than through their interactions in the wider environment.

I would give this book 2.5 glasses out of five. The concept could be good, but I felt the writing was a bit too much “tell” rather than “show”. The romantic element completely falls flat for me, and because it does I wonder why it was even necessary. I think Claire’s character development could carry the story without the need for any kind of romance between her and a male character, so having it there is more of an annoying interjection at this time.

This sounded like a great romantic suspense, but unfortunately, it didn't deliver. I really liked the two main characters, Claire and Nick. The book started off well, but soon there were too many different bad guys, and the storyline felt like it was all over the place. The book ended on a huge cliffhanger, and it felt like someone took a longer books and just cut it off at the very worst possible point. I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have read an endless amount of romantic suspense books and they generally follow the same script. In the case of Chasing Shadows, things are a little different. The heroine, Claire Britten suffers from a neurological condition that plays a major role in how she performs her job as a Certified Fraud Examiner and Forensic Psychologist. Claire has kept her condition a secret from virtually everyone that she knows except her sister. This secret ultimately led to the end of her marriage. Claire’s testimony in a high profile case garners the attention of a hot shot attorney named Nick Markwood who retains Claire’s services to help clear the name of an old flame that has been accused of killing her mother. However, Nick is also secretly trying to locate the man who he believes killed his father and made it look like a suicide. Nick has even created his own foundation that investigates suicides that may have actually been murder.

I liked almost everything about Chasing Shadows. The suspense was dominant throughout the entire book. It wasn’t until the very end that the murderer was revealed. And, I can’t say that it was easy to figure it out. There was a large list of possible suspects and Karen Harper did a great job of giving everyone a motive that was reasonable. More importantly, the suspects all had their own little quirks that made you believe that they were capable of killing someone. On the other hand, it was just as interesting to watch Nick and Claire grow closer together as they attempted to solve the murder while attempting to ward off attacks from possible outside sources that may be more related to Nick’s own crusade as opposed to this case. This created some life-threatening moments for both of them.

I felt as if Chasing Shadows was just as educational as it was suspenseful. I was intrigued to learn about how Claire’s condition was treated and how much it affected her personal and professional life. Kudos to the author for bringing attention to a very real affliction that doesn’t get talked about much. Be advised that the book does end in a cliffhanger so you will need to be committed to this series for the long haul.

I've been a Karen Harper fan for many years, but after spending 3 consecutive nights trying to get into this novel I gave up and did not finish it. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is that it's very well written, as are all of Ms. Harper's novels, but the incredibly slow pace of this one had me nodding off repeatedly, which is something I never do.

The basic plot sounded interesting and suspenseful--I was intrigued by the idea of forensic psychology , but the endless discussions about Claire's medical issues, her narcolepsy, her need for caffeine, naps, and keeping her emotions in neutral and her condition a secret simply became so repetitive as to be irritating and boring, and slowed the pace of this novel down to a crawl. Additionally, I've been to St. Augustine, and when I was there it was hot, muggy and the streets were absolutely fithy--the way Ms. Harper described it was nothing like my experience there--I'm hoping that's because they've cleaned up the city.

For the aforementioned reasons, at 35% of the way into Chasing Shadows, I simply couldn't continue reading this novel..

A well written Romantic Suspense novel with enough action to keep you engaged throughout. I thought that the author inflicting the main character with the medical condition of Narcolepsy and educating the readers of this disease was a nice touch.

Karen Harper has started a new romantic suspense series, South Shores, with Chasing Shadows. In a brooding Florida plantation house, Claire Britten has to find out who was responsible for the death of the former owner while coping with a deteriorating disability and family and romantic relationships. Meanwhile the lawyer who employed her to untangle the mystery has unsolved complications in his own life. The cover pulls you into the Florida swamps and the plot entangles you with false leads and multiple deaths. As usual with Karen Harper, I could not put down the novel until I read the last page which already ensnared the reader into the next episode of South Shores.

The dead still talk if you know how to listen…

Every case that Claire Britten cracks is a win, not only professionally but personally. The forensic psychologist has spent a lifetime fighting a neurological disorder, and her ability to conquer it is a testament to her razor-sharp intuition.

Nick Markwood is used to winning in the courtroom, so when his latest case is overthrown by Claire's expert testimony, he can't help being impressed by her skill. He needs her on the team of his passion project—investigating unusual cases involving mysterious deaths. Her condition doesn't deter him, and neither does the attraction that sparks between them…even if it should.

As they join forces to investigate a murder in St. Augustine, Florida, Claire is thrust into a situation far more dangerous than she'd anticipated, pushing her disorder to a breaking point. Just when she fears she can't trust her own mind, she discovers Nick's personal connection to the case—and wonders whether she can trust anyone at all.



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I hadn't heard of a forensic psychologist before but it seems to be a rather interesting profession and Claire is an interesting character. She is a single mom who is starting up her own business and dealing with a rare disease that has the risk of derailing it all. Still she has plans for herself and her daughter.



Nick is a hot shot lawyer who really liked how Claire handled her last case even though it was against his client and now he wants to hire her. He has taken on a pro bono case where a woman is being accused of killing her mother though it could have been suicide. Now Nick knows them both and doesn't feel that either option is correct.



CHASING SHADOWS is one of the books that grab the reader right from the get go. The characters are wonderfully detailed and quirky, and the dialogue is witty. The danger keeps coming from unexpected angles. Definitely a page turner.


I found the conclusion to be both satisfying and terrifying as Claire and Nick wrap up one case just to have another jump into their laps. And this one is personal.


I do recommend CHASING SHADOWS to any of my readers who enjoy a well crafted romantic suspense. It is the first book of a new series and I am waiting impatiently for the second book.



*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.