A review by onemorepagecrew
The Shadows by Alex North

dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I first read Alex North’s earlier book, The Whisper Man, about two years ago.  It legitimately scared me, cost me some sleep, and became a benchmark in thriller for me.  It’s probably the reason it took me so long to read another of his books – I didn’t think it could stand up to the first one I read.  Finally, earlier this month, I borrowed The Shadows on audio book from Libby and ended up finishing it in one day.  
 
The bottom line (for me) – in terms of mystery and twists, it is as good as The Whisper Man.  In terms of tense moments and creepiness, it is less jumpy.  In terms of dark and disturbing, it’s on par. 
 
In The Shadows, the protagonist is Paul who switches between two timelines: his teenage years and his current adult years. The book opens with the murder of children and alludes to the crime being committed by other children, though it takes the duration of the book to fully understand it all.  There’s a current day copycat mystery, a slow to reveal picture of the past murders, and an ambiguous sense of who you can trust throughout.  There’s also a paranormal element that add to the creepiness factor.  
 
Overall, the mystery held throughout.  The ending was satisfying with a bit of a twist, maybe even two twists depending on how well the author distracts you from reality.  If you enjoyed The Whisper Man and were holding off on this one – go ahead and give it a go. 
 
Content warnings: Murder, Death, Violence, Child death, Animal death 
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