Shadow Man
by Cody McFadyen
List Price:
Our Price: $3.98
You Save: $4.01 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Cody McFadyenEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-27
ISBN: 0553589938
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of Shadow Man
Book Review: Better than average serial killer novel
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this novel. It suffers a little from the rigid format that hampers most serial killer novels, but on most levels it succeeds. McFayden has created an interesting character with Smoky Barrett. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first because of the ridiculous name the author gave her, but I got over that pretty quickly. I'm not actually convinced that McFayden captured a woman's perspective effectively (it's always challenging for a writer to convincingly pull off a protagonist of the opposite sex) but even if he missed the mark a little, honestly that didn't really bother me much.
The serial killer story-line in this novel is pretty standard fair. The killer will be obvious to anyone who reads these types of novels and it follows the usual Serial Killer novel formula: killer murders someone, FBI investigates but doesn't have a lot to go on, killer taunts investigators, he kills again, more taunting, killer makes inevitable mistake providing the lead that investigators need, surprising plot twist when killer's identity is revealed, inevitable face to face confrontation between killer and lead investigator, killer is captured or (more often) killed. As a result of this predictable pattern, I am not a huge fan of this sub-genre. Some authors, like Thomas Harris, have managed to elevate it to another level, but for the most part the only thing that separates these novels from one another is the `persona' of the killer.
In this case the killer calls himself Jack Jr. He believes he is a direct descendent of Jack the Ripper and recruits wannabe killers to do his murderous bidding. The killings in this novel are as gruesome as anything you are likely to read anywhere (it's definitely not for the squeamish). Jack Jr. is also somehow privy to private information about Smoky and her team and he uses his minions' to target their weaknesses (family members, pets, etc). As far as this sort of thing goes, he's a pretty decent foe for our heroine to pursue.
The book sets up its premise effectively; introducing a compelling, flawed, and human (if not, convincingly feminine) lead character, details a chilling murder and provides us with an adversary who is as devious as he is cruel. The plot moves along quickly as Jack Jr. begins his taunts and threatens everything that Smoky's team holds dear.
About mid way through however the novel begins to falter a little. I found the secondary characters to be a little undeveloped and stereotypical and I think the relationship that develops between Smoky and her best friend's ten year old daughter was a little hard to believe. The girl's devotion to Smoky is perplexing because Smoky only met her once in 10 years and speaks to her for only a few minutes in the hospital before racing off to investigate the murder of the girl's mother. Still, the girl declares that she wants to see Smoky (the only time she speaks in the novel). The two then fly home, spend one night and part of one day together where Smoky drags the girl to a shooting range, to an appointment with her therapist, and to the FBI office before leaving her with a friend for the rest of the novel. (I'm not saying that Smoky is a bad surrogate mom, but I don't see how the girl can have developed much of a bond with a woman she barely knows and spends so little time with)
The killer's modus operandi is a little scattered and inconsistent. The mistake he makes that leads the investigators to his door seems uncharacteristically foolish of him (but typical in novels of this type). There are some holes in the story as well and while I think the criminal profiling information is based on some solid research, there are other aspects of the story that seemed pretty unlikely to me. There is a big revelation near the end of the novel that links events in Smoky's life to the killer that wasn't much of a surprise, felt much too gimmicky to me and wasn't very plausible for a number of reasons.
All in all though, this is a pretty entertaining serial killer novel. I didn't find it especially original but even within its prescriptive format; the novel manages to be reasonably suspenseful. If you like serial killer novels, this is better than most and a pretty decent page turner. 3 3/4 stars.
Summary of Shadow Man
Once, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best?until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead?but her life was shattered forever.Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again. She dreams about placing the cold steel between her lips and pulling the trigger one last time. Because for a woman who?s lost everything, what is there left to lose?
She?s about to find out.
In all her years at the Bureau, Smoky has never encountered anyone like him?a new and fascinating kind of monster, a twisted genius who defies profilers? attempts to understand him. And he?s issued Smoky a direct challenge, coaxing her back from the brink with the only thing that could convince her to live.
The killer videotaped his latest crime?an act of horror that left a child motherless?then sent a message addressed to Agent Smoky Barrett. The message is enough to shock Smoky back to work, back to her FBI team. And that child awakens something in Smoky she thought was gone forever.
Suddenly the stakes are raised. The game has changed. For as this deranged monster embarks on an unspeakable spree of perversion and murder, Smoky is coming alive again?and she?s about to face her greatest fears as a cop, a woman, a mother?and a merciless killer?s next victim.
From the Hardcover edition.
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Similar Books and other products
Serialby John Lutz
Pinnacle Books; Published: 2011-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops:
The Immortals (Taylor Jackson)by J.T. Ellison
Mira; Published: 2010-10-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.25
Price in other shops:
Victim Sixby Gregg Olsen
Pinnacle Books; Published: 2010-02-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Where All the Dead Lie (Taylor Jackson)by J.T. Ellison
Mira; Published: 2011-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops:
They Never Die Quietlyby D. M. Annechino
AmazonEncore; Published: 2010-02-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.91
Price in other shops:
So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)by J.T. Ellison
Mira; Published: 2011-02-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.97
Price in other shops:
Disturbedby Kevin O'Brien
Pinnacle Books; Published: 2011-05-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.48
Price in other shops:
The Darker Side: A Thrillerby Cody McFadyen
Bantam; Published: 2009-09-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops:
Abandoned: A Thrillerby Cody McFadyen
Bantam; Published: 2010-07-27; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.33
Price in other shops:
The Face of Deathby Cody McFadyen
Bantam; Published: 2008-07-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.73
Price in other shops: