Reviews

In de schaduw by Shelley Burr

scknitter's review against another edition

4.0

A wonderfully atmospheric crime drama set in a small town in the outback of Australia. The main characters were complex and not particularly likeable until the back story was revealed and you realized that each had lots of baggage to carry – from the time they were children. The more I read the more I felt sorry for them and understood why they acted as they did. I was surprised by how the story ended – but considering the whole atmosphere of the novel I really shouldn’t have been. This is a must read for fans of Jane Harper.

nnic's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A brillìantly tense thriller that I could not put down.

mikawd's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

anj_t's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

debralewi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

rebekahy's review against another edition

4.0

I clicked quite early on what Lane was up to but it was exciting to see how he was going to do it. But then there was a wee twist that gave a bit of doubt then another. I liked all the characters and really felt for them. A good read even if I did pick the killer.

phoebeml's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

claudia_is_reading's review against another edition

4.0

This book has a mystery in it, a cold case that has haunted the protagonists for almost two decades. And it's a good mystery, no doubt about it.

But the main theme here is grief. Grief and the petrifying effect of guilt.

It's a very well-told story, as hard as the place in which it happens, atmospheric and beautiful in an almost barren way.

I liked, a lot, the inclusion of the forums in every chapter, showing how intrusive and indifferent to the pain of other people can be, using tragedy to their amusement and with no thought about how what they say can affect the lives of the victims and their families.

An extra note for the narration: it's fantastic!

I have the next audiobook in this series, and I can't wait to listen to it :D

paulabrandon's review against another edition

2.0

Lane Holland heads to the country town of Nannine in New South Wales to try to solve the disappearance of Evie McCreery, who disappeared 20 years ago. Her twin sister, Mina, still lives in the town, determined to fulfil her late mother's wish of solving the disappearance. Lane is a private investigator who has had a few success stories solving cold cases. Sure, he's in it for the money, but also driven by a much darker motivation related to his own past.

Another day, another outback noir. (Murder happens in the suburbs of Australia too!) Another day, another glacially-paced thriller. Unlike a lot of books in this genre, I can't say I got a great feel for the location. It seemed more like the author was trying to latch on to a trendy thriller trope than truly motivated by setting a mystery in a country town. The characters were well-drawn for the most part, but the behaviour of Lane and his sister Lynnie began to drive me nuts as the book progressed. (

Spoiler

For fuck's sake, put your big-boy and big-girl pants on, do a victim impact statement, and if you're so worried about your father-who's interested in children not adults-at least get protective conditions put in place for when he's on parole. Or get a restraining order. IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED. Talk about making things unnecessarily hard for yourselves! It was infuriating!

)

The mystery was very low stakes and the plot was content to simply plod along from one suspect to the next then eliminating them before coming to its, frankly, utterly ridiculous resolution. That escalated quickly!!!

It was not terrible. It took me a long time to read because its pacing wasn't punchy enough to have me eager to return to it, but drew me in bit by bit the more it progressed. But there is nothing here to wow you in what is becoming another crowded thriller subgenre.

It is also sunk by an ambiguous ending. Authors: stop pulling this shit. It's cheap and unsatisfying. Don't make me spend $30 doing your fucking job. It's your story - unless you plan on a sequel, wrap things up!

izzycoughlin's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75