Psychological thrillers are great books to read all year long, but especially during October and spooky season! I’m excited to share my thoughts in this The Shadows book review. The Shadows by Alex North is a psychological thriller that examines a cold case, a new murder, and a few secrets that won’t stay buried for long. Find the rest of my book reviews here!
The Shadows
by Alex North
thriller | mystery | published July 2020
MY RATING: ★★★★
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The Shadows Synopsis
You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful.
Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.
Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree–and his victim–were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.
It’s not long before things start to go wrong. Reading the news, Paul learns another copycat has struck. His mother is distressed, insistent that there’s something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.
It wasn’t just the murder.
It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again…
My Overall Thoughts on The Shadows
I was thoroughly creeped out by Alex North’s The Shadows! I’ve also read The Whisper Man by him, and I think I liked The Shadows more. Where The Whisper Man focuses more on the police investigations and the detective’s backgrounds, The Shadows is a proper thriller complete with chilling characters and unexplained mysteries.
Honestly, anything to do with dark woods is creepy. The Shadows focuses on the woods in a small town, and highlights the past and present of a few teenagers who get up to no good in those woods.
I loved how the book tells us about Paul, our main character who’s now an adult and remembering the trauma he experienced as a teenager. It’s a dark coming-of-age story spliced between the past and present, and as Paul starts to realize the truth about what happened in his childhood, the book gets extremely twisty.
Overall, The Shadows is a satisfying thriller and mystery novel that covers some unsettling topics. The teenage characters do a deep dive into the basics of lucid dreaming, and I loved how those dreams quickly turned into horrifying nightmares—it set the stage for a haunting story.
If you’re a fan of crime fiction and thrillers, I definitely recommend checking out The Shadows by Alex North. It’s certainly an eerie story that’s filled with foreshadowing from page one, turning a crime fiction novel into a sinister thriller that just might require you to keep the lights on all night.
Should you read The Shadows?
I recommend reading The Whisper Man first, as there are some recurring detective characters. The Shadows is perfect for crime thriller fans, so if that’s your preferred genre, add this book to your TBR list!
★ FOR YOU: The Best Thrillers of All Time
Where to get The Shadows by Alex North
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