A creepy thriller set in Edinburgh. The story started well but the narrative was slow and I felt disconnected as a reader. I did not finish the novel.but will read other books by the author.

A dark and disturbing thriller! American Forensic Psychologist, Connie, has been ask to join Detective Baada and his team in the Edinburgh police force. One woman has been murdered in her home, soon after Elspeth, wife and mother of two, is abducted. The next abduction is Maddy, a 12 year old girl and soon after her comes the abduction of Xavier, a paraplegic.

Connie and Baada are struggling to find any connection between the abductions apart from the description of the car and possible description of the abductor.

Exceptionally dark thriller, brilliantly narrated and with a cast of characters that will stay with you!

I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to read The Shadow Man. If I could go back in time and read this when it was first released, I would! This is such an astonishingly well plotted, paced and constructed police procedural thriller that I simultaneously couldn’t wait to get to the end and also didn’t want to.

I was totally absorbed in the world and characters of this novel, all of which came so vividly to life in the audiobook. Whilst I know I would have thoroughly enjoyed reading this, I am so glad that I decided to listen to the audio. I cannot stress enough how atmospheric and chilling it is! Both narrators breath so much presence into all of the characters and it’s hugely impressive how many accents and different tones they managed deliver. There’s a sizeable cast within the pages of this book and yet I never had any trouble following which one was speaking the dialogue. There are different accents for literally every character and that really helped the story leap out of the speakers for me. Robin Laing’s narration of psychopath Fergus genuinely sent shivers down my spine, it was so unsettling. He perfectly captures the sense of decay and rot that characterises Fergus and it really had me on edge. Cathleen McCarron’s portrayal of Dr. Constance Woolwine was pitch perfect too, but in a completely different way. Her US accent was both sultry and powerful. I absolutely loved her as a character and really enjoyed how she came in to support the British forces, but was never going to be held down by their protocols or restrictions. She has a refreshing presence in the novel and McCarron really embodies both her unapologetic brashness and her lovable wit and wisdom. The dynamic between her and D.I. Brodie Baarda is electric and I was blown away by how McCarron managed to make the relationship so plausible and exciting playing both parts. Not only is the brilliant narration a testament to the actors reading, but also to Fields as a writer. This book is exquisitely written and it translates so well to audio.

The plot itself is utterly gripping and I was hooked from the first few minutes of listening. There’s a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, action and character development. I was just as invested in the relationship dynamics between Constance and Baarda as the unraveling of the crime at the centre of this novel. Fields builds real tension as we hurtle along towards discovering the fate of Fergus’s victims. I found myself breathless at times and I definitely sat in the car for a considerable amount of time after parking up to continue listening (on more than one occasion!). It’s hard to say much without giving away too many spoilers, but I will say that I was fascinated by the science and logic behind the crime. This gives the book some gravitas and elevates it above a lot of police procedurals. If you enjoy a crime novel that really gives you something to think about, this is definitely a must-read.

I enjoyed this book....though I kept expecting Ava and Luc to pop up!! It was gritty and dark as all Helen Fields books are bit also funny in places....I can't wait tonsee where Connie and Brodie goes!!

I really enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down! It was engaging, I liked the characters and was rooting for them, there was genuinely never a dull moment in this book. I have read other books by this author with similar enjoyment so I would recommend this book and the authors other novels for thriller fans!

This book started off really well, I enjoyed the premise but felt a bit disappointed by this book, I feel like it was missing something.

I read and listened to this book simultaneously and one thing is for sure... this is definitely a book to read! Fantastic and fast paced thriller and I got to learn about two new conditions (medical and psychological). The narration was superbly done by both Robin Laing and Cathleen McCarron. I particularly loved the male narration as he really nailed Fergus's character. My first book by Helen Fields and loved it!

I received both an e-Arc and audio Arc of the book from the publishers Avon/Harper Collins Audio and the author Helen Fields via NetGalley.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

This was a fantastic thriller by Helen, which isn't a surprise as she always comes through! It was a well developed story and had me gripped.

I have read several books by Helen Fields, and they never disappoint!.
The Shadow Man is a perfectly paced thriller that has you hooked from the start. The characters are all wonderfully developed, with each of them possessing their own unique characteristics that add drive and direction to this fantastic story.
This is certainly a book I will be recommending to others.

My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!

Fergus Ariss is decomposing from the inside.
He can taste his organs rotting and smell it on his breath.

All he wants is a perfect family - wife, daughter and brother - who want him. So he takes one.

Constance - or Connie -Woodwine has been sent over from America to assist as a forensic psychologist along with DI Brodie Baarda from London’s MIT to help in finding missing Elspeth.

This was such a ride of a novel. Helen Fields really knows how to develop a character.

I loved Connie’s no nonsense approach to policing, her forthrightness and honestly. Brodie was a great compliment to her and theirs dynamics worked well together (I’d like to see where these two go relationship wise in future novels).

The star for me was Meggy - 12 years old and resilient as hell. Such a gusty girl, I see glimpses of my own daughter in her.

Fergus was certainly sick in more ways than one; I was thinking I might’ve felt sorry for him at some point - nope!

I can’t wait to read more of Helen’s work; best get it off the tbr shelf!

This book is so creepy! I love it. I was grabbed by this book right away. I really enjoyed the ending and everything about this book. This is a new author for me so now I am going to have to see what else Helen has in her toolbox. I still love serial killer books and this one is sooo good! *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

Unfortunately this book was not for me and I marked it as did not finish.

I have given this book an average rating based on other reviews.

Wow! This is the second book I have read from Helen Fields, and it was just as good as the previous one I read (which was One for Sorrow). I really loved this book, which was fast paced, creepy, dark, gruesome, shocking and thrilling. It is one of those books which shocks you so much that you are just sitting there with your mouth open, thinking 'oh my God'.

The story is set in Edinburgh, with DI Baarda and Connie the forensic psychologist. Some people go missing, and it is discovered that they are taken by a male psychopath, who is looking to make up his own family, but he does so in a horrific way.

The characters of the book are all beautifully sculpted and presented; my favourite was the young girl, who was just a wee strong superstar.

The ending of the book was amazing, and I don't really know what else to say, but WOW!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three people have been kidnapped in Edinburgh by a mentally disturbed man who has taken them to fulfill his deranged world . A female profiler is on a mission to find the kidnapper before it all ends badly.
This book was a total let-down to me as I did not feel any thrill or suspense while reading it. The whole thing felt unrealistic and rather one dimensional. I so wanted to love it. The premise sounded amazing.

I felt disconnected from the characters and I felt my attention ebbing a lot.

I think I may have overhyped it in my own head.

2 stars

It's pretty rare that I give a thriller 5 stars, but this one was so gripping and thrilling, that I simply can't imagine rating it lower.

While I found the start of The Shadow Man a bit tedious, I couldn't put the book down after reading around 15%.

Thrillers/mysteries/horror are my favorite genres but, beware if you're a bit sensitive to blood & gore: there is a lot of it in this book!

I've only read one other Helen Fields' book before (Perfect Silence - which I gave 4 stars) but I would absolutely recommend The Shadow Man as a first read from this author.

I adore this author and this stand alone novel did not disappoint. Fast paced and gripping story that keeps the pages turning long beyond when you should have turned out the lights!

Full review to come on Instagram and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I really enjoyed this one and will look into this author more. I enjoyed with twists and the flow of the story. The writing was well done and kept my interest throughout. I will be recommending this one to friends.

I really enjoyed this slow burner of a thriller (it did feel a little long in parts), where you know from the off who the bad guy is. What you don’t know is the why and who his next victim will be. As the story unfolds, and it’s a dark and gruesome story, I found our bad guy deeply disturbing. He was proper creepy - both in his actions/motivations but also in his circumstances.

There are some cracking characters in this read from Fields: the snarky forensic psychologist Connie, her policing partner Baarda, even the forensic examiner. But my favourite character was little 12 year old Meggy - what a little firecracker and not your stereotypical preteen.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Avon and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.