A literate mystery in the tradition of one of my favorite writers, James Lee Burke. In this novel, author Alan Drew weaves two stories together to create an intriguing mystery that while set in the 1980s, feels very contemporary and timely. One plotline follows a somewhat conventional serial killer tale which in which a stalker is breaking into homes in suburban Los Angeles and Northern Orange Counties (Southern California) and strangling his victims.

The second and more compelling tale focuses on a likeable yet severely flawed Detective, Ben Wade. Ben and his now ex-wife Rachel and daughter Emma moved back to his fictional home town Rancho Santa Elena four years before, looking for a safer and slower paced lifestyle after Ben (at the time LAPD) was shot in the line of duty. As the story begins, Ben working the case of the aforementioned strangler, is called to investigate a woman’s murder; the perpetrator commits what appears to be a crime of opportunity, as the location is a suburban home nearby a freeway exit, similar to several previous manual strangulations.

In addition to this case, Ben is called to investigate the death of a young unidentified man found in a strawberry field (when Orange County still had numerous orange and strawberry fields and even the remains of some ranchos). The local police don’t want to get too involved in a case that involves seasonal migrant workers, and the farm workers, many of whom are illegal and afraid, refuse to cooperate. Evidence found at the scene implies that the crime is actually a suicide and local law enforcement want to treat it that way, but when Ben picks up a small slip of paper, he recognizes the handwriting and that sets him reeling. Because the boy’s background is similar to Ben (through his sleuthing, he is able to determine the boy’s identity, Lucero Vega, and the fact that like Ben himself, Lucero was an outstanding swimmer), Ben is tortured by the investigation.
The detective is greatly aided in his efforts by an attractive and whip smart forensic specialist Natasha Betencourt. While he makes progress on both cases, Natasha realizes that Ben has a specific relationship to individuals involved in one, and in order for justice to be served, Ben will need to face his demons and difficult past.

Drew’s characters are well drawn and his setting his story several decades old allows the author to describe the California landscape in a poetic way that captures the beauty of the disappearing rural and agricultural lands before they were overtaken with suburban sprawl. Ben frequents areas I grew up in - he surfs at the Wedge in Newport Beach and hangs out where my children summered for a period of years. So while I may be a bit prejudiced in favor of this book since it brought back family memories, the subject matter is quite serious and the story compelling and satisfying. I will be recommending this book to library patrons and friends alike.

Disclosure: I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley in return for a fair honest review of the book.

A very intense and suspenseful read that I found to be very well written and definitely unputdownable. The book was long (definitely worth the money) and never was I bored. It took me all day to read outside on a beautiful spring day. The weather was good, the book was great and it was a very enjoyable day.

Plenty of action going on trying to catch this very strange serial killer which held my interest while I ripped through the pages.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this thriller!

Author Alan Drew, in “Shadow Man,” has his protagonist, Detective Ben Wade, trying desperately to return to a quiet life after a breakup with his wife. His hometown, quiet Santa Elena, south of Los Angeles, suddenly becomes the target of a serial killer and his peaceful retreat turns violent. So many crime novels have that same start that it almost seems trite and overdone. But Drew has a new spin on an old story that is intriguing.

The violent killer finds unsuspecting victims seemingly at random by sneaking around at night and finding doors with easily entered screens and open windows. The victims are knifed or throttled and fear runs through the city. Wade teams up with forensic examiner Natasha Betencourt trying to get ahead of the killer. Instead they find their friendship and their safety threatened by a psychotic killer who seems to be uncatchable.

The author makes the old seem new again with chilling prose, finely presented characters, and a suspenseful premise. The dark innards of a peaceful appearing location lash out with an atmosphere that is anything but serene. Drew does for California what so many have done with Eastern locations, Dennis Lehane particularly comes to mind.

I highly recommend this surprising mix of psychological drama and police procedure with a little cowboy background thrown in. Great story and extraordinary writing will make this book jump off the shelves.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book. I thought the book was very good, but it didn't align with my expectations. In reading the publisher's marketing blurb, I think was expecting more of a thriller. And it starts out that way for sure. But quickly the story turns from a serial killer police procedural to the story of a man struggling to come to terms with things that happened in his youth (which are connected to the serial killer plot, but almost in a coincidental way). The book was well written, a bit too long in my opinion, but overall quite enjoyable.

“Shadow Man” by Alan Drew finds Detective Benjamin Wade in 1982 struggling in both his personal life and in his career. He has moved from the crime-filled world in Los Angeles to the idyllic planned world of Orange County California. The unthinkable has happened, and the citizens of his “safe” Orange County planned community of Rancho Santa Elena are terrorized. “No one yet had said there was a serial on the loose, but cops had started to whisper exactly that to one another. “
He struggles with his own personal terror as well, his divorce, his teen-age daughter, and his own dark secrets. Past and present become inexplicably intertwined as Wade tries to find peace for his city and peace for himself. The characters are well developed and realistic, and details of their complex relationships emerge little by little over the course of Wade’s attempting to solve the series of murders.
The setting is almost a character itself. His descriptions of the Orange County are intense as “the western sky a propane blue,” and his locations are geography precise from the shopping centers and the freeways to the Pacific beaches and everywhere in between.
“Shadow Man” shows the alternate side of the tranquil planned community life in Orange County. It is a roller coaster ride with twists, turns, and unexpected happenings from the rugged Orange County mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In the end, all the dark pieces fall into place.
I was given a copy of this by NetGalley in exchange for my review, and I loved the book. It shows the Orange County where I live and work with all its glories and flaws. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

F-4's flying overhead, watching VHS movies, wait wait don't tell me that I'm confused. Then I get it, this book is set in the ever-expanding L.A. suburbs of 1986. Not a conceit, this is important. What some of the characters have to finally do would have been SO much harder back in the 1980s. and would take a much larger measure of courage.

This book is all about victims; the woman laying on her kitchen floor, the young, promising, unclaimed, and undocumented boy lying in the strawberry fields, and the restless detective tasked with finding answers and courage. This is a book about demons; those controlled and those uncontrolled. Think about it, we had just learned about Ted Bundy, Silence of the Lambs hadn't been published yet; BSU was really just coming into its own. Serial killers were a fairly new concept back then. They sure as hell hadn't been romanticized in fiction yet, except of course Jack/Jill the Ripper.

This is a story of two death investigations. Two serial killers, one physical and one of the soul.
This is a story of forceful redemptive love, but not a love story. This story moves-both the pace and the reader. This a story of destruction; the physical beauty of southern California until the developers move in and the destruction caused by long held secrets.
Quibble-of sorts, any one of us will probably be squirming at the crime scene investigation thinking they could be a better murder detective at the scene and do much better forensic work. Those scenes will show how much real forensics -not CSI crap- has grown in 20 years.

But at those same death scenes, such a grace note, the assistant ME Natalie Betancourt being questioned about her tender treatment and saying "A little kindness to take with them.” Her perception and tenderness continues through out the story holding the promise of hope.

This is a beautifully written book that explores damage on all levels; physical of the body and landscape, psychological, and of the soul. The old saying, no one escapes this life alive, no one escapes this story unmarked.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. It was a true gift.

This was an entertaining and entertaining murder mystery. I enjoyed reading about the history of the area it's set in.

Detective Ben Wade and his then-wife, Rachel, returned to their hometown of Rancho Santa Elena for a peaceful, safe life for themselves and their daughter. After all, as a detective, Ben knows the darker side of life. But even the idyllic California community couldn't save his marriage with Rachel--his high school sweetheart--and now the two are divorced and jointly raising their teenage daughter, Emma. And, for the most part, Ben's career is pretty dull: nothing like his old LA one. That all changes when a serial killer starts haunting the area. They come around at night, slipping in doors and windows, and terrifying the residents of this planned community. At the same time, Ben is trying to figure out if a young Hispanic teen truly committed suicide. Are these two crimes interconnected? And how much destruction will this killer bring until found?

I'm a sucker for a good crime novel, so I was intrigued by the description of Alan Drew's book; I have never read anything by this author before. I'm not sure I realized the novel was actually set in the late 1980s; I tend to read more contemporary fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised by this mystery. Although mystery is somewhat of a misnomer. While there is a case to solve here--two really--this is far more a character-driven novel, with an intense focus on Ben, his personal life, and how his past life has made him into the detective and man he is now.

In many ways, this is a novel about the passage of time and the effects it has on a person. It is a novel about the effects of abuse, as well, and what it can do to someone. Can a child who suffers abuse come through unscathed? I wasn't expecting such a storyline when I started the novel, but it worked. It's quite well-done and while much of the book is often sad, it's well-written and the pages pass quickly.

The novel is told from three points of view: Ben; our serial killer; and Natasha Betencourt, the local assistant Medical Examiner. Of course, Natasha and Ben have a bit of a personal relationship (this is a novel, after all). And, sure, Ben often comes across as the cliched crime detective who doesn't always follow the rules. Because of this--and because of the California setting--I couldn't help but think of Michael Connelly's amazing Harry Bosch as I was reading this (Bosch probably being my all-time favorite fictional detective). I actually would sometimes even accidentally read "Ben" as "Bosch." Still, to be compared to Bosch and not come across completely lesser for it is pretty high praise. Ben is no Bosch, but he's a well-written character, even if he is a bit cliched from time to time. Yes, he's dealing with a past. Yes, he likes to break the rules to get the job done (hey, so does Bosch). My only issue was that it was implied that he sometimes let his detective work slip a bit due to his personal ties in one of the cases: that didn't seem right.

Still, overall I really enjoyed this novel. The two storylines--the first being the serial killer case, the second being the teen suicide--intersected well and kept the book moving. Ben's ties to the teen were surprising and gave the book an emotional depth I wasn't expecting. While I'm not sure Drew could keep up the emotional rollercoaster for every novel, I could see Detective Ben Wade becoming a recurring character in a series. If so, I would certainly read the next book. 3.5+ stars.

( 2 1/2). This is a story we have read before. A damaged cop come to grips iwith his own set of problems while he chases an even more damaged killer. The strength here is in the characters. We have four or five of them who are really good, really believable and make this book a very enjoyable read. The California setting is extremely well utilized as well.

SHADOW MAN is everything a good detective story should be. The killer is not cartoonish; if fact many readers will feel compassion for him. Detective Ben Wade is human, rather than superhuman, and engages in believable police work. The book follows two story lines: Wade tries to catch the killer but also is confronted with his own flawed past and has to face up to it. No spoilers, but the parallels between the two stories will make the reader sympathize and root for Wade. It would be a delight to read more about Ben Wade so I hope Drew is planning a series. Just a great book! Fans of C.J. Box and Robert Crais will enjoy this book.

Shadow Man is really two stories in one, one that is current and one that happened years ago. Alan Drew has done an excellent job of merging the two stories through our "hero". With the first chapter the reader is drawn into the current story and feels like the characters are old friends. I was given an early copy to review.

Crime fiction fans going in to this book looking for the typical, but comfortable, signposts of the genre may come away disappointed. What you have here is more layered, more nuanced, and far more exploratory than the usual. Sure, there is the deeply flawed and haunted cop, but in Drew's able hands Detective Ben Wade rises above the trope so common in the genre. This is a dark, brave, poetic book that should find its way to many best-of lists for 2017. On the surface, you have a police procedural (possibly psychological thriller) that starts with the italicized rantings of a madman serial killer. From there the story explodes and the serial killer angle bumps up against that of an apparently staged suicide from a local boy who stars for the high school swim team. When Detective Ben Wade catches the case of the suicide, he realizes an echo of connection from his own dark past. To say more about where this beautifully dark story goes from there would rob future readers of the enjoyment they would find by reading it on their own. Highly highly recommended.

Detective Ben Wade returns to the quiet town of his childhood. He hopes to save his marriage by sheriffing in a small town instead of Los Angeles. But being in this town brings back repressed memories that interfere with his life. And then, there is that serial killer. In a small, quiet town?! Ben must face the memories of someone whom he trusted and what must still be happening after the death of a young man. Is it suicide or the serial? Ben is busy with two tragedies past and present. The outcome is a surprise waiting to be discovered.

Shadow man begins as a serial killer is watching a woman preparing her evening meal completely unaware that she is being watched. Detective Ben Wade is called in to assist in the investigation. It quickly becomes evident that this quiet Southern California town now has a serial killer who is adept at being still, quietly waiting to sneak undetected into the homes of his victims. Assisted by medical examiner, Natasha Betencourt, Detective Ben Wade attempts to solve this crime, when the body of an illegal teenager is found in a field. Could these cases be related? The M.O. is not the same, the serial killer strangles his victims, this young man was shot in the head with all signs pointing to suicide. Troubled by the youths death, Detective Wade begins looking into this death and his past comes rushes back to him.

Detective Wade has a secret and it has haunted and affected him for years. His secret has had a negative effect on his marriage. He currently has joint custody of his daughter and keeps a close eye on her and his ex-wife. If dealing with a murder investigation is not enough, Ben has issues to deal with at home. He is uncomfortable with his daughter dating a boy a couple of years older than her and fears she will make some poor choices that he hopes she does not regret.

As the investigation continues we see Detective Wade wrestle with his past, his conscience and his feelings of responsibility. He is a good man. It was touching to see him offer to pay for the burial of the dead youth. He is also a conflicted man with a lot on his plate. His conflict is really what made this book shine for me. Yes, this book is about solving a crime(s), but it also a glimpse into one man's life. We see his inner struggles, his hard time trying to be a protective loving father without alienating his daughter. He is attempting to cope with his divorce, trying to figure out his friendship with Natasha, deal with his elderly Mother and also be a good detective. It becomes evident as the bodies pile up that his secret cannot be hidden any longer.

This isn't your classic murder mystery/thriller book. I found this to be refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE mysteries. I love police procedural books. I worked in forensics for years and these books get my juices flowing especially when done well! But this book is different in the best possible way. There is not a lot of police procedural in this book but there doesn't need to be. Work is being done to solve the cases but the real beauty is in Ben's conflict, his struggles, his story as he attempts to hunt down a killer and put another behind bars.

Yes, we do get to see into the mind of the killer and his horrific childhood. His mind has become as twisted as his body. These glimpses are insightful and also serve to keep the crime/mystery part of the book moving. But let's be real - this book is about Ben. As Martha Stewart would say "It's a Good thing." I found this book to be a perfect mix of various elements: mystery, thriller, drama, etc. The pacing of this book was great - nothing felt rushed or forced. Living in Southern California, I could easily imagine this book taking place, I had a vivid image in my mind on Ben and his daughter horseback riding in the mountains, the fields the migrant workers worked and lived in, the quiet dusty towns. This book had mood and atmosphere which almost felt like another character at times.

I received a copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

When I read the publicity blurb for this book, it immediately ticked all the boxes for me. Thriller? Excellent. Set in the 1980’s? Cool. Compared to Dennis Lehane? Hand it over.

But….despite an eek-inducing prologue, what we have here is a book that is being marketed to appeal to thriller fans which IMHO does a disservice to the author. This is a beautifully written story about a broken man trying to come to terms with his past. He just happens to be a cop involved in the search for a serial killer.

Ben Wade is a former LAPD detective who moved back to his hometown of Rancho Santa Elena in an attempt to save his failing marriage. It didn’t work. He & Rachel divorced but maintain an amicable relationship for the sake of daughter Emma.

Santa Elena is a carefully planned bedroom community designed for those seeking to escape the crime & bustle of Los Angeles. It’s a safe place to raise your family & Ben’s biggest challenges are handling drunks & shop lifters. That’s about to change.

There’s been a series of murders in Orange County with a specific MO & when a woman is found dead in her home in Mission Viejo, it appears the killer has moved into the area. Body #2 confirms their fears & for the first time, Santa Elena’s shocked residents begin to seriously consider locking their doors. Ben & his colleagues are stumped. Their workload gets heavier when the body of a teenager is found in a strawberry field. Despite being an illegal immigrant, the boy was a star swimmer on the local high school team & destined for an athletic scholarship to college.

A handful of short chapters interspersed throughout the book put us inside the mind of the killer. It’s a scary place to be & as he describes scenes from his childhood, we begin to understand how he became a twisted man.

But the vast majority of the book belongs to Ben. Initially, he comes across as a sympathetic character who spends a lot of time thinking about past mistakes & mourning what he’s lost. Instead of making things better, moving back to Santa Elena seems to have had the opposite effect. The added job stress is a catalyst for his increasingly erratic behaviour but it’s not until late in the book that we realize what was always simmering below the surface. As Ben reminisces, we learn of his childhood & how the early death of his father was a turning point. These passages are poignant & atmospheric & you feel for the little boy who remains even as Ben grow into a rebellious teenager who goes on to become a cop. As the story progresses, there are definite parallels between him & the killer. Both are held hostage by their pasts & it makes you ponder how they ended up on opposite sides.

This is not a thriller & that’s no bad thing. It’s a slow burn type of book with a strong sense of time & place, written in fluid & descriptive prose. Maybe the publishers found it difficult to assign a label. For me, it’s more a character driven police procedural. Yes, there are mysteries & it does contain a killer but everything revolves around & serves to develop the MC. So if you’re looking for an edge-of-you-seat kind of read, you may be disappointed. But if you’re in the mood for rich, literary drama you’ll find much to enjoy here.

SHADOW MAN is a great twisty novel worth reading . It takes a bit to get into but one you get into the novel it is well worth it.

5 stars

Just a note on this book: When I went to read it, the title was shown as "Silent Witness." So I'm not really sure what the true title of this book is?

Ben Wade of Santa Elena, a former LAPD homicide detective, is called out to assist in the investigation of the murder of a woman in her home. The perpetrator has cut through the screen door to gain access. It seems the citizens of this sleepy little town believe that a locked screen door is enough to protect them from harm.

The detective in charge, Rafferty, and Ben are afraid that there is more going on than appears. They fear that they have a serial killer on their hands.

Ben is called to the scene of the murder of a young boy. He was found shot to death. He interviews the little Mexican community, but no one claims to know him or anything about him. A frustrating situation.

At the same time, Ben is trying to cope with his 14-year old daughter. She’s just starting to evolve into rebelliousness. Ben and his ex-wife, Rachel, have a good relationship and share custody freely.

Natasha is the medical examiner on the case. She discovers that the murder had small hands with which he used to strangle the dead woman. She is also a friend of Ben’s. Warm and compassionate, she gets involved with her “patients” to the degree of talking to them and empathizing with them.

The death of the Mexican teen opens a whole new can of worms for Ben and Natasha. Ben investigates the death, but runs into his past and the ghosts that lie there.

At the same time, officers are combing the hills, using any means necessary and searching for the serial killer.

This book is extremely well written and plotted. It reads seamlessly. We learn about Ben and Natasha’s pasts. We learn about Emma and Rachel. In fact one could go so far as to say while it is a suspense/detective drama, it is also a story about the power of a person’s history and the harm it can still do in the present. The book is absolutely brilliant. I will most definitely look into more of Alan Drew’s novels.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group/Random House for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book to read.

Shadow Man is supposed to be the story of a serial killer who was horribly abused as a child and the efforts of the police to track him down and keep him from killing others. However, the book is really about Ben Wade. Ben Wade is one of the detectives on the case and while the victims of the serial killer affect him greatly and he gives his all to catch him, it is the apparent suicide of a young teenager that really shakes up his world. Much more than just a search for a killer, Shadow Man is about others living in the shadows of what happened in the past. The novel is set in the 1980s in a small one time ranching community near LA, and the beautifully described scenery and small town feeling make the setting a character on its own. Shadow Man could be called a thriller but it is really much more than that, with characters that are so real you can feel their pain.

I'm between 4 and 4.5 stars on this one.

Shadow Man begins with the somewhat-paranoid musings of a person as they set out to murder a woman who is alone in her home, cooking dinner and unaware of what fate is about to befall her. When police detective Ben Wade is called by a friend to assist with the murder investigation, it's not long before all involved realize that Southern California might have a serial killer on their hands, one with a penchant for strangulation, for slipping through screen doors and unlocked windows.

While the prospect of a serial killer has everyone on edge, it's another death that sends Ben reeling. The body of a teenage boy is found in a field, and most signs point to suicide as the cause of death. But as Ben and his longtime friend Natasha, a forensic specialist, begin uncovering clues to the boy's identity, the life he led, and the secrets he kept, Ben's carefully compartmentalized life begins to shake. He's starting to wonder if it was wise to return to his hometown, Rancho Santa Elena, and all of the history that it held for him.

As Ben and his colleagues try to stop the serial killer before he strikes again, Ben tries to find answers in the boy's death as well, answers he might regret finding or deny seeing. But while he's trying to do his job the best way he knows how, he's also dealing with his own family crisis, as he realizes his teenage daughter Emma may be growing up faster than he is ready for, and he must tread a fine line between being concerned and overprotective.

Brooding and atmospheric, Shadow Man is as much a story of one man's battle with himself as it is a crime novel about a serial killer. And that's what surprised and delighted me so much about this book. Given how it began, I expected it to be your typical crime novel, with a fascinating yet flawed main character, and lots of intrigue around the killer and what made him tick. And while the book certainly has its requisite chase scenes and exploration of the killer, this is more a book about Ben and his past, and how what he tried to flee all those years ago is about to spill over and affect a lot of other lives.

The plot ultimately isn't surprising, but it doesn't matter. Alan Drew makes you care about his characters and makes you want to root for them, even as you watch them blunder and not always act in everyone's best interests. These characters are all the more interesting because of their flaws, their hearts and emotions, and the things they try to keep secret. This is a testament to Drew's storytelling ability.

If you go into Shadow Man expecting a police procedural or crime thriller, you'll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a well-told story with a good dose of crime, you'll be able to enjoy this book as much as it deserves to be enjoyed. There are a lot of interesting ideas explored, far more than your typical mystery.

NetGalley and Random House provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This mystery takes place in Southern California in the 1980's. Solid mystery, but slow pacing in places. Duel timeline as the protagonist must deal with his past in order to solve the current murder. Trigger warnings for child abuse.