Set in Edinburgh, The Shadow Man is Helen Fields' first standalone thriller. It follows an investigation by Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team (MIT). Detective Inspector Brodie Baarda, an Eton-educated detective from London has been drafted into Edinburgh’s MIT due to staff shortages. Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic psychologist from Massachusetts has been seconded to the investigation.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier have all been locked in a flat. Elspeth Dunwoody is the wife of a wealthy, influential Scottish socialite, Meggy is a twelve-year-old schoolgirl and Xavier is the third kidnapping victim, but who is the abductor and why are the victims being held captive?

With an exciting opening scenario, I was engrossed and addicted within the first few pages. The Shadow Man oozes creepiness and horrific episodes to keep the staunchest of crime readers entertained, the subject matters ensuring the content is compelling. This is a very gritty thriller that would not suit those who prefer their crime cosy!

I liked the equilibrium between the chalk and cheese Baarda and Connie and their working relationship, which came across as pretty complex, however, the icing on the cake for me was the actions and input of the three captives.

Helen Fields' writing is first-class and the reader gets to hear from three points of view, the law, the victims and the Shadow Man. From the off, the reader is aware of the identity of The Shadow Man, and this can sometimes spoil a story for me, but not here! The perpetrator is unpredictable and cruel and as the victims try to outwit The Shadow Man, the tension reaches fever pitch. Some scenes are uncomfortable to read as they are fairly graphic and gory, but this did not affect my overall enjoyment. The intense and jaw-dropping ending will probably shock you as it did me. Very highly recommended to those who appreciate their crime fiction dark and disturbing.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Avon Books via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The shadow man wants a family and has a plan to get one. He is a watcher, he selects people to follow, then learns all he can about them to see if they meet his requirements to be a family member. He wants a wife, a daughter and a son.

He chose someone to be his wife, she seemed absolutely perfect. Her husband had taken their children away for a weekend so it was time for him to strike. Only she didn’t appreciate him trying to kidnap her. Things went wrong and she ended up dead. He had to move down his list and be more prepared on his next strike.

Dr Connie Woolwine and DI Baarda have been teamed up to help find Elspeth Dunwoody who disappeared around 9.30pm on 20th August. She was seen entering the gardens and caught on CCTV. There is nothing after that. Where could she be?

He’d gone to the school library to pick Meggy up with the excuse that Carmen’s car had broken down. As he talked, he was losing her trust and she threatened to tell a teacher. He hit her full in the face and she hit her head on the grass. He slid his arms under her, then picked her up and placed her in the boot of his car then drove away. Fortunately, unknown to him, there was a witness in the library.

Xavier went to the sports centre to play wheelchair basketball. This particular evening, he had finished playing. The disabled parking was at the rear of the centre. Someone attacked him by putting a bag over his head and pulling it tighter, he had no energy to offer resistance. Danny, his teammate, came to his aid and punched his attacker. The shadow man killed Danny and kidnapped Xavier to complete his family.

He had made Elspeth wear a bridal gown for her wedding to him. Meggy helped Elspeth regain some confidence after weeks alone. When Xavier arrived, they were ready to start plotting their escape but they didn’t know where they were being held. The shadow man lived in the flat below them. Could they do it?

This was an absolutely phenomenal read, I really enjoyed it and loved the two new characters. I hope there is a second book with them in it. The plotting was good and the story just flowed really well, It was very easy to read, very hard to put down!

This book is way too dark, disturbing and gruesome for my taste, I’m sorry to say, and will be a DNF.
It’s disappointing, because I have read and enjoyed previous works of Helen Fielding.
But this one is definitely not for me sadly.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

This was my first encounter with the author Helen Fields and it most certainly won't be the last.

A brilliant stand alone book, utterly compelling from the get go, the emotion, horror and suspense of the plot grows page by page until you are flying along at break neck speed, cresting the waves, leaving you breathless and in awe of what you've just read.

This book deserves more than 5 stars, so all I can say is that you have to read this and then tell everyone you know to read it as well.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced copy.

Helen Fields has done it again, this is a stand alone book away from the Luc Callanach series, and she doesn’t disappoint. This had me gripped from start to finish. With American profiler and forensic psychologist Connie Woodwine an abrupt, direct and focused woman who only sees things in shades of grey due to achromatic vision and DI Brodie Baarda from the Met Ops Team helping the Edinburgh based Police Scotland team is more polite, they are paired to try and find the missing Elspeth Dunwoody who is the daughter in law of a VIP, along with further disappearances leading to the hunt for “The Shadow Man”. Initially the pairing of these two is a little bumpy but after a while they start to work well together. The humour that comes from them relieves some of the tension in the story.

This book has you gripped from page one the tension ratcheting up from the onset. The bad guy thinks he’s dying, and feels if he has a family they can all die together happily, only problem is he doesn’t have a family, so he has to get one. This is when he starts taking people beginning with Elspeth and continuing on. It’s Connie who links everything together, with an ability of being able to get into the mind of the bad guy, not a great place to be really.

Superintendent Overbeck isn’t as convinced that Connie’s theories are altogether correct, but that’s just how Overbeck is if you have read previous books you will know of her from the Luc Callanach books.

The tension builds as Connie tries to convince the others that the missing people are actually still alive, but If they don’t find them soon they won’t be around for much longer. The ending of the book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your fingernails as it grips you. Absolutely brilliant.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #AvonBooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

So I have to agree with many other reviewers who've stated that the first 20-30% of the book is difficult to get into. I found it took me a few tries, but as soon as I was past that milestone what a unique, well written horror/thriller novel this is! I loved and hated many of the characters which is always a sign of a great book for me! Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller based around three people kidnapped in Edinburgh by a mentally distorted man who keeps them in order to create a world of his own. A female profiler is on a mission to find the kidnapper before it is too late. A keep you on the edge of your seat read!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange fora honest review.

The Shadow Friend is a gripping well written powerful thriller that grips you from the start til the end amazing characters

What would you were kidnapped and the person who took you was delusional? Would you play along or fight back? The Shadow Man starts out with details of a man who is clearly losing his mind and thinks dying and his organs are decaying within his body. He seems to want a wife, a daughter and a brother to "complete" his family before he dies. In the people he kidnaps you see a range of strategies from playing along to fighting back. I enjoyed the fast pace of this novel but wish there had been more details of some of his past and how many cycles he'd gone through. Thrillers with detectives and psychological conditions are some of my favourites and I'm very glad to have been given the opportunity to have read ARC! Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK!

I initially requested this one because it was set in Edinburgh. We were supposed to spend Christmas this past year there, but COVID. So I figured a book set in the city was the next best thing. However, I just didn't love this one. I can't really put my finger exactly on why. It has everything I usually love in a "creepy killer" book. I just found it boring and hard to get through. I found myself setting it aside with no urgency to get back to it. Can't love them all, right?!

Quite a good read. There's a few aspects of this book I wasnt so keen on but all in all not bad but not brilliant either.

The Shadow Man is a chillingly dark crime novel, set in Edinburgh, that seems to be about a simple kidnapping, but turns out to be much more complicated. Elspeth Dunwoody – the daughter-in-law of a wealthy global tech company CEO – has disappeared. DI Brodie Baarda, on loan from the Met, and Dr Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist, have been brought in to investigate due to the high-profile nature of the victim. Despite their different approaches, they trust each other’s instincts, and their conversations lighten the tension that would otherwise be overwhelming. Connie reminded me of Temperance Brennan in her lack of people skills; she was excellent in a professional capacity, but tended to rub people up the wrong way.
The first couple of chapters set the tone, and give us a taste of just how dangerous a protagonist we are dealing with here. It comes to light that he is suffering from a rare mental condition where he believes he is dying and therefore has nothing left to lose. The chapters from his point of view really made my skin crawl; he is obviously insane, but Helen Fields somehow manages to evoke some sympathy for him while not condoning his behaviour. However, the most upsetting parts to read were the sections revealing the claustrophobic conditions in which the victims were being held. As the story developed, I found I could not read The Shadow Man in bed at night – it was just too creepy.
Well written, with fully rounded characters, The Shadow Man is a dark and disturbing tale that makes the most of its Edinburgh setting. The main characters work well together, and I hope we see them again. I had not read any of this writer’s books before, but have since found out she is the author of the ‘Perfect’ series, also set in Edinburgh, and I look forward to reading them very soon.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

I feel like this thriller concept has been overdone in the past couple years (Chestnut Man, Whisper Man, Nothing Man, etc), but the Shadow Man wasn't my favorite iteration of this concept. It was fairly predictable and dragged a bit towards the middle

Helen Fields is one of my favourite crime authors and I am always delighted to read her books. Her latest one, The Shadow Man is not part of #Perfect Series, but I hope is a start of excellent stand-alone books.

Elspeth is a mother of two. An ordinary woman who disappears without a trace, possibly kidnapped. Meggy is a teenager who also disappears. Teenagers escape from home, but not her. Xavier can’t just disappear. He is in a wheelchear. And the wheelchear is left on the parking. The three of them share same destiny. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know what does he want of them. The Shadow Man.

Forensic psychologist Connie, teamed up with Detective Baarda work on the case, to find the kidnapped mom of two. Then Meggy goes missing and they start to wonder, what these two have in common? And who is lurking in the shadows to take them, and why? Can they save them? A body has been found. Are they still alive?

This book is an adrenalin-packed race against time. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck till the very last page. That is what I like about this genre and this book. I had a great time reading this book. And the character I liked most, Meggy. A twelve years old girl who was more reasonable than the adults around her. I liked her courage and her stuborness. I learned about a lot of medical conditions and not single one is an excuse to hurt another human being. The author did a great research and as an excellent storyteller got into the kidnapper’s mind to tell us, the readers, his point of view. The killer is quite unique and one of a kind. I highly recommend this book. It’s dark and twisty, I know you’ll love it.

In this creepy, chilling crime thriller, Helen Fields introduces a character I’d like to see again - forensic psychologist Dr Connie Woolwine. Paired with Met detective Brodie Baarda, Connie is brought in to consult on a case Edinburgh detectives can’t make head nor tail of, the kidnapping of a young mother. Soon, a girl is kidnapped in strange circumstances. Then, a young paraplegic man. None of it follows any sort of recognizable pattern of behaviour, but Connie is certain they’re all linked… and that the victims may well still be alive. With only an incredibly vague description to go on - two unreliable witnesses describing the perpetrator as ‘like Jack Skellington’, Connie has to figure it out before kidnap victims turn into bodies.

We know who the perpetrator is from the beginning, but as the book progresses, we slowly come to a deeper understanding of exactly why Fergus is acting as he is. Connie is a few steps behind what’s revealed to the reader, which definitely increases the suspense, the horror of what the victims are living through as Fergus reveals his fantasy of a perfect family… and his failures to create it on earlier attempts.

There’s quite a bit of body horror here, including involuntary medical treatments (including on minors), sexual assault and rape (fortunately off page), dental triggers and major psychiatric disorders leading to dissociative episodes. It’s quite a lot, probably enough to put this into the medical thriller category as well as crime thriller.

Connie is an interesting heroine with a major medical quirk of her own - long-ago head trauma left her with damage to her optic nerve and achromatopsia, the inability to perceive colour. For Connie, the world exists in black, white and greys. She’s a direct-speaking sort and comes off as a bit brash, but I felt she was just cutting through noise to the heart of the problem. I had more difficulty getting any sort of handle on Baarda, who honestly seemed to be there just to be eye candy and for Connie to flirt mildly with. I’m not sure if Fields plans to continue a series with these characters, but I’d definitely want to see more character development for Baarda if she does.

This definitely had me gripped all the way to the end, and I’m intrigued enough by Connie in particular to want to read more of her. I’ll give it five stars.

Initially I picked out this book for its cover - something about that blue with the rose drew me in. At the time I had been reading a lot of contemporary and diverse fiction and wanted to change it up a bit. I find thrillers a mix bag of a genre. Some are my favourite reads, some are bad. Unfortunately this one disappointed me.

The novel is set inside a creepy house where three strangers are trapped having been kidnapped by The Shadow Man, a grotesque and deluded man living out a bizare fantasy about having a family of his own. The synopsis sounded like it could be the groundwork of a dark and intense crime thriller. Instead I found that narrative filled with stigmatising and problematic tropes that were uncomfortable at best.

This book relies on the outdated and harmful notion that mentally ill people are a risk to others. The Shadow Man, depicted as grotesque and barely human, is a character traumatised by his past and experiencing an extremely rare and devestating psychotic condition. If you Google this condition you will find that there has been no instances of anyone diagnosed with it causing harm to others, let alone being a serial killer and yet here we have an evil and vile villain's horrific actions being explained by this condition. I found it in bad taste. Its 2021. Are we not past stigmatising mental illness in this way?

I gave this book a two star rating opposed to a one star simply because of the forensic psychologist Connie, who has been given the task of profiling the kidnapper. Her character is interesting and feminist and stopped me giving up on the novel. I would have enjoyed reading her character more though if she hadn't been written into such a problimatic plot line.

Don't you love being pleasantly surprised by a book?
I wasn't expecting much from this book, but how wrong was I?
This was a fascinating and truly gripping read, and definitely gory and harrowing at times. The killer's psyche was so dark, and so so disturbing, which are features I love in a thriller! The lengths he went to were just unreal, and I had to google the medical condition as I wasn't sure if the author had invented it herself to make it more suited to her literary needs!
The final scenes were so tense, and I held my breath along with Connie! Definitely highlighted my worst fear, and is sure to give me nightmares in the coming days!
Fantastic read.

I love Helen Fields books. The Luc & Ava series is one of my favourites. As with some of her other books, I found this one a bit slow to get into. However, once it got going I was hooked. Connie and Baarda took a bit to grow on me as I wasn’t sure about their characters to start with but by the end I loved them and would love to see more of this duo. Connie is such an interesting character and I really enjoyed her take on the case.

The case itself was creepy. Meggie was my absolute favourite character and I think she was written extremely well. You don’t often get great child characters. I also loved that there was a wheelchair user. There were a few things that were a bit off like the fact that he was using the same wheelchair to get around and play wheelchair basketball which doesn’t happen. They are two very different chairs. However, overall it was great to see a badass disabled character. The ending was extremely dramatic (a little bit gross) and I honestly had no idea what was going to happen. The bad guys description was terrifying and watching him unravel had me hooked. Such an interesting case and pretty different from any I’ve read before.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a properly creepy thriller and I was rooting for the captives to be found before something terrible happened to them. Not for the faint hearted, I was gripped to the end.

This standalone (as far as I know) book sits beside Fields' Luc Callanach (Ava Turner) series, again set in Edinburgh. Other than the brash Chief Superintendent Overbeck, none of those characters are introduced here. Instead, because of the workload of Edinburgh's Major Incident Team, DI Baarda has been called in from London to assist in a murder/kidnapping. Along with him is Dr Connie Woodwine, a brash American criminal psychologist. They are looking into the disappearance of one woman, and quickly link it to the death of another and find that they are on the hunt for someone with issues.

Connie is a fairly stereotypical academic, clinical type as she has virtually no people skills on the surface, issuing demands and attacking conversations head-on in a very un-British way. And yet when we see her interviewing witnesses, such as a young girl who saw a schoolmate be abducted, she is suddenly very tactful and sensitive. In this way, she is both an interesting, complex character, but also a much seen cliched one. She has a tendency to do an awful lot of telling during interviews, explaining to all in the room the theory of her approach to the interview. While this was interesting, it took me right out of the book as something completely unnatural, and read more as a brain dump of the author's research for the book. A little more show, less tell as usual would have worked well here.

Baarda is similarly familiar, a dedicated career cop with marital problems (his wife having an open affair with another officer).

Together, the pair piece together few clues and start to evolve something of a profile for the man who has been kidnapping people. However, I felt this aspect didn't yield results until quite late on, all progress up to that point (next to none) was through standard police work/luck.

The antagonist here was interesting, but nowhere near as dark and mysterious as the blurb makes him sound. We're not talking Hannibal Lecter here, just a confused man with a fairly typical upbringing. Fields essentially cottoned on to an interesting medical/psychological condition and pieced together a plot based on it. While this was enjoyable, it made it somewhat crime-by-numbers.

A good book, but left me longing for Ava Turner's more likable policing style.