The Shadows

A Novel

By: Alex North

Narrated by: Hannah Arterton, John Heffernan

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

"If you liked The Whisper Man, you’ll love this. Alex North has crafted a second novel which is just as gripping as his first and even scarier. Hugely atmospheric and deliciously creepy, it’s about how the past encroaches on the present, and how dreaming influences reality, until in the frightening world of The Shadows, it becomes harder and harder to tell one from the other...and the nightmare takes over." (Alex Michaelides, author of the number one New York Times best seller The Silent Patient)

The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times best seller The Whisper Man

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 suffering from dementia, 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. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. 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 25 years ago.It wasn't just the murder.

It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again....

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books

©2020 Alex North (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Confused like 90% of the time

I kept having to rewind it...I still don’t know what happened. Were they dreaming? Were they not? I have no friggen clue.

Great!

Loved it! This is the 2nd book I read by Alex North and they were both great!

I loved this book!

I could not stop listening. One of the best books I have listened to, I loved it!

Note to the author: As you can see I loved this book, but I did want you to know that the man narrating the book would whisper when the character in the story talked softly or whispered. I have run into this problem with other audible books and have had to return them because I could not hear what they said. Some mumble when the character mumbles, cry, ... I was able to go back and turn up the volume when necessary and rewind several times to get the gist of what he was saying, but I feel you should know this so that you can possibly remedy this for other purchases or for future audible books. The woman reading did keep her volume at an even tone and was great. I liked the man readings, just he needs to know the problem so he can fix it. I did not give the narrator a bad review because over all they were both very good.

Haunting contemporary gothic literature

Alex North’s writing is methodical, dark, and complex. After listening to his first novel I immediately searched for anymore of his writings and found this profoundly deep piece. He captures the despair, pain, and fright-fullness of the characters and environments perfectly. I imagine the gloomy ancient landscapes of the UK with obscure villages and towns full of disturbed souls and tales. Character development is present in every story, you learn about the primary characters in a very raw manner, feeling the guttural sensations of their emotions and lives.
Some reviews claimed it be be slow paced, in which it is. However, it’s necessary for the story build up. The full story requires a thorough background in which the audience receives. Art is not created instantaneously, it requires time. So slow your thoughts and truly appreciate the story and vivid imaginary.

Very Boring

I really wanted to like this but every few minutes my mind was wondering off it was just so boring and towards the end the story did a complete 180 and just left me confused. Overall I finished the story so I could finish it but it was pretty hard to do.

Creepy good!!

This is my second read by this author & it did not disappoint!! His writing gives me the creeps, in a good way. Very well written, keeps you not wanting to put it down!!! Awesome read! Great narrators! On to the next Alex North book!!!

great mystery thriller

loved it it was very well written and narrated. i was def. suprised by ending

In the Shadows

The book had a good plot but it was at times hard to follow as it went back and forth. inhaled to reread/listen to some of the chapter multiple times to understand where it fit into the story.

Boring

I found this book to be very drawn out and boring. The two main characters were underdeveloped and frankly boring as well. I was disappointed after reading the whisper man

loved it!

I loved the twists but could be a bit hard to follow. narrator's were excellent.