The Shadow Priest

4 stars

This book is very well written and plotted. It has a way with language, and it just flows. I found interesting the theories put forth about the causes of fundamentalism and its role in society today. Especially liked was the pondering on what made serial killers like Hitler and Bin Laden do what they did.

I found Arkin to be a totally believable character with all the flaws and foibles that came with him. I appreciated Mr. Alexander’s descriptions of the surroundings of both the opening scene and the later scenes. I grew up in the Seattle area and have travelled all over the Pacific Northwest, so I very much liked the journey home.

I realize that this is part of a series, although I did not know it when I picked this book out. But I’m still glad I read it, because it was thought-provoking and action filled.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dero for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy.

I usually don't get into this type of book but the title and the description pulled me in and I am glad it did because this is one of the best books I have read on Netgalley to date and I am humbled by the opportunity to have this book as one of the ones I got to read early. This book kept my interest and I couldn't wait to see where the next page took me. I would definitely check this out because this one will keep you guessing and interested to the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this fine book. It has many things going for it. The descriptions are spot on and are like visiting the areas. The characters are well-described and are real people with both good and bad elements. The story itself is full of suspense and keeps the readier guessing. Most importantly, it delves into the psychological underpinnings of the demagogue and what drives them. The plot arc revolves around the moral dilemma associated with taking actions that are morally wrong to prevent much greater evil from occurring. The theme of betrayal plays a major role as Arkin struggles for redemption after being shipped off to a thankless post in the four corners area of Colorado. The assassination of a Pentecostal preacher by a sniper with a large caliber weapon drags Arkin back into the same case that was his downfall. He has to hide his investigation by working through the local agents. The book is hard to put down with surprises and suspense all the way through. It is a fun read that is intellectually stimulating.

Before I read The Shadow Priest, I read some of the negative reviews, complaining that the ending was set up for a sequel to follow it, and that there were *so* many loose ends. For me, that wasn't an issue. So, on to the review itself.

Nate Arkin, and the other members of a multi-agency legal taskforce get embroiled in Nate's old nemesis aka "The Priest". This is like a cross between a James Patterson & Lee Child book. With more depth of character than Jack Reacher, but more military action than Alex Cross. For me, the only downside with this book, was at times, in an indescribable way, the prose lost the "polish" of "big publisher" books. However, there are plenty of plot twists and turns, plenty of action and the pace keeps going through the book. Is this an intellectually challenging book? No, but it's not meant to be - it's a well written, and enjoyable thriller, and I'll gladly read the follow up novel.