‘The Shadow Man’ by Helen Fields

Author : Helen Fields
Title : The Shadow Man
Pages : 400
Publisher : Avon UK
Publication date : February 4, 2021

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

He collects his victims. But he doesn’t keep them safe.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go.

Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth.

Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.

And he’s watching.

| MY THOUGHTS |

Dark, darker, darkest. It must be time for a new Helen Fields book!

There was something about the first few pages that made me feel I might never, ever, sleep again. Truth be told, that feeling didn’t quite go away either. The Shadow Man is the stuff of nightmares, in more ways than one. But he is real, he’s on a mission and time is running out.

Enter American profiler and forensic psychologist Connie Woodwine and DI Brodie Baarda from the Met Ops Team who are assisting Police Scotland following the disappearance of Elspeth Dunwoody. I loved being introduced to this new and exciting team, even if poor Baarda is pretty much wiped off the pages whenever Connie is there. She’s quite the scene stealer and such a refreshing and fabulous character. Connie definitely left me wanting more and I truly hope there’s more to come from her at some point.

Obviously I don’t want to give anything away about the investigation Connie and Brodie are conducting. Mental health issues are definitely at the forefront though. The killer isn’t just your average pure evil kind of psychopath. They’re not out there merely kidnapping and killing for fun. This killer needs to execute a certain plan in order to be able to move forward. You’re probably wondering how that’s different but it kind of is and you’ll just have to read the book to find out. I know, that’s vague as all get-out but I really can’t say more than that. Except maybe to say this is taking a messed up individual to a whole different kind of level.

The Shadow Man switches seamlessly between the points of view from the killer, the detectives and the victims. No matter which page you’re on, you’re always in the thick of things. I found the victim chapters particularly harrowing as they try to find a way to survive this madness.

If you’re familiar with Helen Field’s “Perfect” series, then you know she does this whole disturbing crime fiction thing incredibly well and she manages to deliver that yet again in The Shadow Man. Tense, extremely chilling and utterly, utterly brilliant, this is Helen Fields at her very best and I absolutely loved it! Undoubtedly, another book for the “end-of-year” list.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!

The Shadow Man is available to buy! While you’re picking up your copy, don’t forget to check out the “Perfect” series too. You won’t regret it. I promise!

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