The Shadows is dark, with vivid images which depicts crime scenes almost a little too well as North tells the story of a copycat murder, returning to haunt the town of Featherbank twenty-five years after teenager Charlie Crabtree brutally murdered his friend in the nearby town of Gritten.
The switching narratives between first and third person may seem disconcerting at first, but this aids the reader to connect with Paul, who was friends with both Charlie and the victim as a child, while distancing them somewhat from Detective Amanda Beck as she investigates the copycat murder.
The introduction of each character is done in a way which leaves the reader wanting to know more, whether this is about the hapless Dyson who seems to get under Amanda's feet on her investigation, or Paul's mother who has been haunted all these years by what she saw of the first murder.
While the initial few chapters are largely introductory, they do not lack in narrative, introducing intrigue and mystery from the very first line. It is not, however, until we get to the end of Chapter Two which we are introduced to the possibility that the perpetrator is more of a what than a who.
Filled with twists and turns from the very beginning, North knows exactly how to hook the reader into her own, creepy world. A fantastic read!
The switching narratives between first and third person may seem disconcerting at first, but this aids the reader to connect with Paul, who was friends with both Charlie and the victim as a child, while distancing them somewhat from Detective Amanda Beck as she investigates the copycat murder.
The introduction of each character is done in a way which leaves the reader wanting to know more, whether this is about the hapless Dyson who seems to get under Amanda's feet on her investigation, or Paul's mother who has been haunted all these years by what she saw of the first murder.
While the initial few chapters are largely introductory, they do not lack in narrative, introducing intrigue and mystery from the very first line. It is not, however, until we get to the end of Chapter Two which we are introduced to the possibility that the perpetrator is more of a what than a who.
Filled with twists and turns from the very beginning, North knows exactly how to hook the reader into her own, creepy world. A fantastic read!