Another excellent read!!! Isobel had a fantastic life, a gorgeous husband and a successful business. Then she fell from her balcony or was she pushed? It is assumed it is an accident and 4 years later everyone is slowly coming to terms with it. Then her sister Jessicas' young daughter starts to act strangely. She starts to say things about Isobel that she shouldn't know. is someone feeding her this information or is she being contacted by Isobel? Jessica and Isobel have some history with the ghostly side of things. Is there a message somewhere in this? Jessica needs to find out.
I loved this story, there are so many twists and turns and everyone has their own story to tell. Thanks to Mark Edwards, the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 amazing stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Mercer, and Mark Edwards for letting me read a copy of this book.

This is a frustrating review to write because there’s so much I want to say, but can’t because I don’t want to give anything away. I have read a few of Mr Edwards' books before and this one might just be the best one I have read, although I have still got a few of his books left to read.

I was gripped to this book from a few sentence's in and as I was making progress and nearing the end I had to do anything I could think of to make the book last just that little bit longer, hence why it has taken me a while to finish it.

Just when I thought I had figured out whodunit Mr Edwards thought it would be a good idea to make the atmosphere that little bit darker and throw me off the scent and chamged things round, I am glad that he did this because I dont think the ending that I had figured out would make quite as much sense as his did, he is after all the author.

Well Done Mr Mark Edwards on another amazing book. You have continued to keep me interested and I shall definitelybe remaing as a fan of yours.

I would highly recommend this book.

Absolutely unputdownable. Loved it. This isn’t the first of his books I’ve read and have many more on my kindle to read in the hopefully near future.
The twists and turns that this story takes , the characters that grow on you. It’s all a winner as far as I am concerned.

Oh. My. Flipping. God!
What a belter. Another belter. Another creepy as hell offering from Mr Edwards that had me questioning everything and everyone in this book!
Jessica’s sister died five years ago … it was an accident. A tragic accident.
Wasn’t it?
Olivia, Jessica’s four-year-old daughter, never met her aunt Isabel, she was conceived just a few short weeks before the accident, so how is she now talking about things she shouldn’t know? Things from Isabel and Jessica’s childhood that no one else knew.
As things start to take a sinister turn, Jessica has no choice but to rethink the conclusion that Isabel’s death was an accident.
This is a hard story to talk about in terms of the plot, but rest assured, there are twists and turns and revelations that will leave you gasping for breath!
Edwards is on form again with In Her Shadow, not that I expected anything else! Bringing us another psychological thriller with a supernatural twist, he expertly draws you into the world and lives of the characters, characters who are perfectly developed and a plot that is well thought-out and executed to perfection.
I loved Jessica. Disturbed by what is going on, she is drawn into a web of secrets and lies she had no idea about, her world is being rocked to its very core, but she stays strong, she does what she needs to protect her family, and she stays true to herself while doing it.
With a stellar cast of supporting characters, all of whom are believable and realistic, In Her Shadow is an all-consuming thrill-fest that will completely captivate you!
Highly recommended by this Little Bookworm!

EXCERPT: Olivia lifted her head from Jessica’s shoulder and stared at Pat.

"Will it hurt?" she said.

"Pardon?" Pat looked from Olivia to Jessica and back again.

Jessica knew Olivia was going to say something terrible. She could feel it. She tried to hurry away, nodding an apology to Pat, but she was too slow. Olivia was still staring at the dinner lady.

"When you die," she said to her. "Will it hurt when you die?"

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Isabel’s life seemed perfect. Successful business, beautiful house, adoring husband. And then she was dead.

For four years Jessica has never doubted that her sister Isabel’s death was an accident. But when Jessica’s young daughter seems to know long-forgotten details about her aunt’s past, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that there’s a more sinister truth behind the tragedy.

As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations about her sister, and about the people she loved and trusted most, it becomes clear Isabel’s life was less than perfect and that Jessica’s might also be at risk.

Did someone murder Isabel? Are they now after Jessica and her family? The key seems to lie in the hands of a child. Can Isabel reveal the truth from beyond the grave, or is the answer closer to home?

MY THOUGHTS: This is slightly different from anything I have previously read by Mark Edwards, but I can't tell you why for fear of spoiling it for you. I found the first half of the book a little slow, but that was just Edwards laying the groundwork for a gripping second half.

Edwards had me suspecting any and everyone of causing Isabel’s death. As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations, we see the same events through Isabel’s eyes. An intriguing and satisfying read.

😊😊😊😊

THE AUTHOR: I write psychological thrillers. My influences include writers such as Stephen King, Ira Levin, Ruth Rendell, Ian McEwan, Val McDermid and Donna Tartt and movies like Rosemary's Baby, Single White Female, Fatal Attraction and anything in which scary things happen to ordinary people.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of In Her Shadow by Mark Edwards for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Dear Mr. Edwards,

Well, Mr. E, I have to hand it to you. I have read 7 of your 8 novels, and number 8 is the best of all! That’s saying a lot, as The Magpies and Follow You Home are pretty magnificent. Actually 6 of your books have earned 5 big gold stars from me. Now before you get all pleased with yourself, this one was only perfect, not perfectly perfect.

First some good stuff. I have to say I have never dissected anyone’s books like I dissect yours. In fact, I get help from my book buddy Jan. We rip ‘em apart on Google Docs, chapter by chapter. This time around we knew we could nail it, as after all, we know you really well. We know how that brain works. We could write your stuff. Maybe. Anyway, we smugly picked out the baddie about 9 times each. Yeah, it was someone different all 9 times. Then we ran out of characters on our cast list. It was like 90% in, and we had to concede that there was NO baddie as we had eliminated every one of them. I can’t remember ever going so far in a book and running out of suspects. Gotta give you that one. And yes, you readers out there, there is a baddie! Sort of.

I really should dock you for this next one, but I can’t. Gosh, there are so many weird things happenings in this book that it was impossible to gather them up in one nice ball and assign a nice cohesive explanation to it all. We even wrote all these events down and analyzed them to death—all for naught. In a way, that was fun. Like rolling down a long hill as a kid and standing up all sick and nauseated, but happy, as that’s fun, right? However, despite all that joy, I was getting really irritated that I had to write, “I’m confused” to my buddy about 15 times. I don’t like writing that, Mr. Edwards. It is painful thing to admit. But kudos for you for weaving all these things perfectly (almost) together by the end.

Sorry, but I have to call you out for cheating a few times. Or as my buddy would say, “Mark’s being convenient again.” Being convenient by making stuff happen that gets you through a potentially tough section to write. I let most of that stuff pass because you and I have a many-year relationship now and I know you just can’t help yourself, but really—do you actually think a 31- year-old woman wouldn’t recognize a high school classmate whom she shared a pretty awesome kiss with when both were 17? Come on, Mr. Edwards, tongue was involved, and not only that, but people’s looks just don’t change that much during that age range! Much as I love you, I just can’t let that one go, Mister.

OK, some people will ding you for making Jessica somewhat wild and crazy the second half of the book. Not me. To me she was rightfully panicking and reacting accordingly as you were pulling some nasty strings on her. Poor Jess.

Now others for sure are going to nick you for this story lacking the usual unrelenting creepy crawly suspense that seems to be your hallmark. I have to agree that was partially lacking, but this was such an engrossingly darn good whodunit that I kinda didn’t notice that too much at the time. Since I am a major fan of darn good whodunits, I’m giving you a pass on this one. But you know, Mr. Mark, you are on my “best suspense writer ever” pedestal, so maybe you could sharpen up that part of your game for your next book.

Props for the shout out to the “Me Too” movement. I liked that immensely!

And how about that ending? Some people will hate it. I loved it. Particularly how you dealt with Olivia, Jess, and Izzy. Smokin’ good!

So, in summary, this book is a winner, a home run, and fabulous use of my reading time. I have to remind you though, Mr. Edwards, that you messed with my head twice this year. That means I am twice as determined to break you next time. So bring it on and beware--my buddy and I are ready to get even!

All my love,

Your fan now and forever,

Christine XO

Thank you to Net Galley, Thomas Mercer, and Mark Edwards for an advanced copy of this novel. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

This is my first Mark Edwards novel, more that I have just not got around to reading anything by him rather than never having heard of him.

Jessica has never got over the loss of her sister, but when her daughter Olivia starts blaming things on Izzy, and then states that Izzy didn’t fall to her death, she was pushed, Jessica has to face the reality that her daughter seems to know a lot more about Izzy’s death than she should.

I really enjoyed this, in that the plot twists and turns, and Jessica has no idea who she can trust.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy. I am only sorry it took me a while to get round to reading it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I have been a fan of Mark Edwards' writing for some time now and this latest publication, 'In Her Shadow' does not disappoint. Four years ago, Jessica's sister met an untimely end by falling off her balcony at home. Jessica has always thought that this was nothing more than a tragic accident, a life cut short. Not murder. Not suicide. However, Jessica's four-year-old daughter begins acting strangely at both home and school. She claims 'Aunt Izzy' is talking to her and passing on messages. She says that the death was not an accident. Thus begins a story that will have you suspecting everyone and believing nothing at face value. A gripping and enjoyable read.

In Her Shadow seems slightly different to other books I've read by Mark Edwards, however this doesn't make it less brilliant, just slightly less chilling.
There are many twists which turn the story on its head, and I thought I'd worked out what was happening a few times, but couldn't have got it more wrong if I tried!
I'm glad Mark stepped outside of his comfort zone with this, because the end result was certainly worth it!

Thank you to Net Galley, The Publishers and to Mark Edwards for an ARC copy of this fabulous book.

OMG.... A Gripping, Tense, psychological thriller that keeps you guessing all the way!

Isabel's life seemed perfect. Successful business, beautiful house, adoring husband. And then she was dead.

For four years Jessica has never doubted that her sister Isabel's death was an accident. But when Jessica's young daughter seems to know long-forgotten details about her aunt's past, Jessica can't shake the feeling that there's a more sinister truth behind the tragedy.

As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations about her sister, and about the people she loved and trusted most, it becomes clear Isabel's life was less than perfect and that Jessica's might also be at risk.

Did someone murder Isabel? Are they now after Jessica and her family? The key seems to lie in the hands of a child. Can Isabel reveal the truth from beyond the grave, or is the answer closer to home?

I personally to not like books on the paranormal activities, but it goes on to more than that and at first " Oh not not my type of book", but I was so wrong, this is a great book, with an intrigue, tension and suspense that is hard to get with a psychological thriller, slow burning it is not, fast paced it is, with an incredible supply of characters, red herrings. With a clever storyline that switches between the past and present, as well as different points of view, one being Isabel's, the past and present giving just small pieces of the puzzle, but just also teasing you and keeping so many secrets to near the end...

In Her Shadow is a gripping tale of family secrets, lies and obsession from the two million copy bestselling author Mark Edwards.

I have read most of Mark Edwards books, and I think this is his best so far, I really could not book this book down.

A clear five star book.

Did she fall or was she pushed? Jessica’s older sister, Izzy, died four years ago in what the family thought was a tragic accident when she fell from the balcony of her home. Olivia, Jessica’s four year old daughter, imforms her that her Aunt is telling her that she was pushed. Doubts about Izzy’s death makes Jessic determined to find out the truth. The story is told mainly from Jessica’s perspective but with chapters from events leading upto Izzy’s death. This is a superb psychological thriller, full of suspense and tension.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this book.
It's my first Mark Edwards's book and it won't be the last. The book is a supernatural/crime/ psychological thriller that kept me gripped from the first pages.
The story and the characters .....just excellent! loved it from the start till the end.

Not a book to read when you are alone in the house. Very creepy and spooky premise which doesnt go too far (thank goodness) The twists and turns came up on when you were least expecting it and I was kept guessing right to the end.

I enjoyed the writing style and the first half of the book was ok because of that. I could not finish the book. I lost interest and stopped about 40%. I do believe the premise of the child-talking-to-ghost is one that I've never enjoyed. So, while I didn't enjoy this book, I do like Mark Edwards' writing style, so, I may try a different novel by him.
I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent book ! Read it in a day ! So unexpectedly good ! Great characters ! Very original story line. You think you know what happened, you think you know who did it, trust me...…………… you do not ! Loved the main character, Jessica ! Strong, determined and pushed to the limit ! What will she do when she finds out who killed her sister ? Fast paced and a true thriller ! You will love this book !

Great read. I’m not normally a fan of paranormal books but this is a believable plot with lots of twists and turns and relatable characters.

In Her Shadow by Mark Edwards

Set in Beckenha, London, this is the story of Jessica and her sister Isabel. Isabel, married, happy and ran a successful business, then one day, she is found dead after an accident.

5 Years later, Jessica, still grieving her sister’s death and her 4 year old daughter, Livvy, mentions things from Isabel’s past that she couldn’t possibly know. She tells her mum, Izzy was pushed by the bad man.

There is so much tension in the story, with possible ghosts and murder, you wonder what’s going to happen. Real fear for Livvy and Jessica and plenty of suspects keep you on the edge.....Mark Edwards has created a nerve wracking, real psychological thriller. Well written and clever, I loved every minute.....

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Title was archived before I could get to it, unfortunately. Looked forward to reading it, perhaps I will look into buying it instead.

I’ve always been a Mark Edwards fan so was really looking forward to reading In Her Shadow. But I have to admit that when I started it, I really wasn’t sure what was going on as it seemed to have a very different feel to it. The paranormal plays such a large part in the narrative here and that both intrigued and surprised me. But I was more than willing to dive in and see where this book would end up taking me!

Having lost her sister Isobel in an accident four years ago, Jessica is now trying to come to terms with what happened. But when her youngest child starts talking about things that it’s impossible for her to know about, Jessica realises she needs to dig deeper into her sisters perfect life. Was Isobel’s death really just an accident and if not then who is keeping secrets and why?

The supernatural element was a surprise for me within this storyline but one that worked really well! And using a child as the vessel for the unraveling of revelations about Isobel’s past was creepy as hell!! There’s just something spine chilling about spooky kids isn’t there? Olivia knew things that it was impossible for her to have knowledge of and she was unshakable in her belief that the aunt who had died before she was born was the one giving her the information.

There were some twisty shockers along the way here that kept me completely on the edge of my seat right up until the final pages. And I really loved this sinister storyline especially as it kept me guessing throughout! Mark Edwards really does a brilliant job of creating an ominous and tense atmosphere in his books and this is a particularly compelling example.

Definitely recommended by me-just read it in the daytime!

After reading The Retreat, I jumped on the opportunity to get Mark Edwards' new book from NetGalley, and was not disappointed!

Jessica, mother of a preteen boy and a four year old girl, lost her sister while she was pregnant with her youngest. She's always believed that Izzy fell from the balcony of her lavish home, and the death was ruled an accident. Until one day, when Olivia, her daughter, begins talking to the aunt she never knew. Olivia says people don't fall from balconies, bad men push them. This sets Jessica on edge, and when other weird and creepy things start to happen, she goes into a full blown panic and begins to investigate. Everyone is a suspect, and the twists and turns are just impossible to figure out. I haven't been this frightened by a novel in a very long time.

The only negative is that there are a few too many things going on as far as the ending is concerned, but overall, this was an intense and highly entertaining read. I am definitely a Mark Edwards fan now, and look forward to reading more from him in the future.