Reviews

The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice

megan_reads_200's review against another edition

3.0

Average read, but would still recommend

More like a 3.5.

This was a decent read. It took a long while for it to get going, but when it finally did, it was pretty good. I always enjoy corruption-type storylines, and this proved to be a deep one. The ending was worth the slow start.

Listened to as an audiobook.

lala_tour's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.0

This was a fine thriller... But I kept feeling that it was way overwritten to include too much "look, look... This guy is a really abusive sociopath... Do you get it? See?" I guess I enjoy my villains with a bit more subtlety. I also enjoy a thriller that keeps me guessing as to who the villain is and what their motivational might be. This book was too on the nose for me, but it was well paced and competently written... And that counts for a lot.

hfairfax's review

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

astoriareader's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

SYNOPSIS

• Claire, an artist that makes shadow boxes, is attacked & left for dead at her house in a wealthy neighborhood in Connecticut. She isn’t sure who to trust.  Her husband is her prime suspect. He is a prosecutor in the midst of trying to be elected governor.
• On the same day, Claire’s friend is murdered, and the teams investigating start to think the two incidents may be connected.

MY THOUGHTS

• This is my first novel by Luanne Rice, and I will absolutely be looking for more of her work.
• Fast paced. I devoured this one, and I finished in 24 hours. It starts off with an amazing opening, and thankfully, it remains strong through the last page.
• Expertly plotted. Characters & story line felt very realistic. 
• Love a female protagonist. 
• Writing was easy to read. Short chapters. Rice does a great job setting the scene, and it was easy to visualize everything that happens.
• Alternating POVs. We hear from Claire, as well as two brothers, Tom & Conor. Tom is a Coast Guard working on the friend’s murder, and Conor is part of LEO team investigating Claire’s incident.
• Alternating timelines. Chapters are labeled as being either before or after Claire’s attack.
• Rice did a nice job presenting living with an emotionally abusive partner. The flashbacks were nicely sprinkled throughout the story, and you can see how insidious abuse can be.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️a must read. finished in a day. female protagonist. multiple POVs. set in wealthy part of Connecticut. TW: abusive relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Blood

Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death and Murder

hellastrong's review against another edition

3.0

This book was a fast and fun read, but ... so much of it just didn't work. Like, Claire's husband is sooooo powerful and influential that she can't just out him, she has to make this complicated shadow box that no one else even understands the meaning of to let him know that she knows? But then, by the ending,

Spoiler

suddenly no one cares who he is and he's just arrested along with his sons and supporters?

What??

bri_miller42's review against another edition

3.0

Confusing time line

I really didn't get into this book until about 70% of the way through. The timeline hopped around from so many different perspectives and I felt like it made it difficult to follow for the longest time. I loved the suspense at the end of the book and am glad I didn't stop reading because of the ending, but thought about putting the book down several times before I made it to that point.

lmiller919's review against another edition

1.5

This wasn't very good. The storyline is all over the place and really not very interesting.

amberpatrice's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. Slowish start but a big bang finish with a plot twist I didnt see coming.

guylou's review against another edition

4.0

kristens_korner's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed the twist and turns in this book. It kept me reading and enjoying through the whole story line.