The Shadows: A Novel
Jul 2020 · Sold by Celadon Books
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31 reviews
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368
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About this ebook
"This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own... As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder."
– The New York Times
The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man
You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.
Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.
It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.
It wasn't just the murder.
It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...
– The New York Times
The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man
You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.
Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.
It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.
It wasn't just the murder.
It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...
"This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own... As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder."
– The New York Times
The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Wh...
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Ratings and reviews
31 reviews
Shelly Book Corner
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July 12, 2020
Thank you to Bookish First & Celadon Books for my review copy. This book had a very strong start and I couldn't put the book down but it did stall in the middle. I'm happy I pushed through because the book got really good and the twist took me by surprise. The WHOLE book I was thinking one thing and then the author went and pulled the rug from under my feet!!!!! I still can't stop thinking about that twist. Well done. This was a well written story and for the most part the pacing was good. I enjoyed this book way better than The Whisper Man and highly recommend reading this book.
6 people found this review helpful
Brittany Kay
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August 1, 2020
The Shadows is an excellently written novel about the gruesome murder of a child in a small town and how stories evolve over time to become local folklore and urban legends. The book is a fantastic read. It feels like a combination of Tana French and Gillian Flynn, but with a wholesome quality you get from one of the POVs being that of a child. The characters were well developed and multidimensional, but I also found myself constantly wondering who I could trust. I am someone who is always trying to see all the angles and figure out the ending before it is revealed, but this book threw me multiple times. I'm not sure the ending was the most interesting choice, but I understand what the author was saying by the choices he made. The novel is fascinating and once you start reading, you won't be able to stop.
1 person found this review helpful
orchidbeautiful21
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July 7, 2020
I really loved The Whisper Man and this next book by Alex North does not disappoint! I think it is cool that the books are linked as well. It was a nice nod to the first book to have the Detective Amanda from Featherbank. Most of the book takes place in Gritten and the story is split into before and after. The before is when Paul is a kid and friends with James, Charlie, and Billy. They are trying the succeed in lucid dreaming and connecting with each other in dreams. It is fascinating and that part (since it is quite detailed) has actually inspired me to start my own dream journal. They grow apart though, especially when there is a murder in Gritten and Billy and Charlie are guilty. Charlie however disappears and is never seen again. The after part is 25 years later and there are copycat murders happening. Could it be Charlie, or something else? I don't want to give any spoilers, but it is a good story and has many twists to keep things interesting. I highly recommend it!
9 people found this review helpful
About the author
Alex North is the internationally bestselling author of The Whisper Man and The Shadows. He lives in Leeds, England, with his wife and son, and is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.
Alex North is the internationally bestselling author of The Whisper Man and The Shadows. He lives in Leeds, England, with his wife and son, and is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.
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