In her Shadow by Kristen Miller pays homage to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in the form of a murder mystery. Five months pregnant Colleen moves into her boyfriend Michael's house, an estate called Ravenwood. Colleen can't help but notice that she is essentially taking the place of Michael's missing wife, Joanne. There are reminders of her everywhere from her perfume to her robe, and even her favorite meals. There is an entire wing of the house that is off-limits to Colleen. Michael alludes to some deep dark secrets and grows worried that she might find out.

Upon first reading the novel, it seems like Colleen is going to be the main character. That idea quickly vanishes as the narrative switches focus from her life to various characters trying to figure out what happened to Joanne. The narrative is written from several characters' points of view including the main characters Colleen and Michael. Rachel, Michael's colleague's wife and their next door neighbor, and Detective Shaw, a policeman investigating a neighborhood murder, also have their own sections. This really keeps the pace fast and suspenseful.

The sections jump around between time and points of view, which also adds a quickness to the plot. Sometimes, it's a little too quick and I can't help but feel that some characters are a bit underdeveloped, especially Michael. Rachel and Travis, the friends, are much more believable as a married couple. I enjoy the banter between them and can sense the unspoken tension in their marriage. It's a much more realistic relationship than Colleen and Michael, but maybe that's the point. Michael and Colleen together isn't supposed to seem natural.

The title of each section takes the suspense up a few notches. Instead of the typical chapter one, two, or three, it's titled with the event that's happening or about to happen. It's a step above foreshadowing because I know what's going to happen, I just don't know how or why. There is a method to this that made me smile once I'd finished the book.

I did not see the ending coming! This was definitely a well crafted thriller and some of the things I found unbelievable in the first half all made sense by the end. This is an exciting, suspenseful read that seems well suited for a screen adaptation I'd gladly watch.

When pregnant Colleen moves into Ravenswood with her former boss and current boyfriend, Michael, she sees feels the presence of Michael’s missing spouse Joanna everywhere. Colleen struggles to be herself in Joanna’s footsteps, and it becomes even more difficult when Joanna’s body is found buried near Ravenswood.

Told from the point of multiple narrators, In Her Shadow, weaves together the mystery with what happened to Joanna with the demons that each of the characters face. Overall, I really enjoyed this thriller and found myself staying up too late to read. My thoughts on who killed Joanna changed throughout the novel, and there were definitely some surprised gasps along the way!

Lots of twists and turns, keeps your attention. While some are predictable others are not! I loved it. Every character was unlikeable. This was a great read, highly recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Suspense and murder make a good book if done well, Ms Miller achieved both very well in this story. Two detectives, one trying to get a promotion while the other is dealing with his grief try to sort through the suspects, which are several. Lots of secrets exposed during the investigation, while the main character is thwarted at every turn by the essence of the missing wife of her boyfriend. The house staff, even the boyfriend are not forthcoming with any information, everything is how Joanna wanted it, and nothing seems to be changed when she moves into the house, even her coffee is served how Joanna wanted hers. I did get frustrated at times that she didn't speak up, at least to the chef and housekeeper about simple things, but that goes with her quiet personality. Didn't see any of the ending coming which covers everything that was questioned, was all quite shocking. Great ending! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the pleasure of reading this ARC.

I enjoy the thriller genre and so enjoyed this book. It keeps the reader guessing throughout much of it, even tho’ the few titles of the various sections gives a bit of a hint.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read many years ago for my AP English class Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and loved the fact that it had the whodunit mystery thrill that overshadowed the difficult vocabulary use that made the book somewhat of a headache and when I heard In Her Shadow was available to review that had a lot of the mystery thrill, I had to jump at the chance. In Her Shaddow tells the story of Colleen and her boss/lover Michael with Colleen being pregnant with Michael's baby. Michael travels with Colleen to Ravenwood, his estate and as Colleen meets some of the locals she begins to wonder why everyone is asking about Michael's wife Joanna and her disappearance. After a hostile staff greeting and being portrayed as a mistress, Colleen begins to feel unwelcomed and starts to have nightmares about Ravenwood and mental visions of Joanna. After Michael's briefing with the police, Colleen begins to wonder the secrets of Michael's past. Colleen must do whatever it takes to uncover the truth about Michael even though nothing is quite as it seems. After being quarantined, I was in the mood for a good mystery thriller and I am glad that I have found In Her Shadow to satisfy that craving. I know our library community will crave and love this book as much as I do.

We will consider adding this title to our Mystery/Thriller collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Oh wow, good mystery, suspense novel, much like Colleen's favorite book Rebecca. Michael owns his own business, lives in a very expensive home in San Francisco, his wife is missing, and his girlfriend is pregnant! His best friend and neighbor Travis, and his wife Rachelle, his cook Dean, and Michael himself all come under suspicion once Joanna's body is found, close to their homes, in a very exclusive neighborhood, that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. In this book we have lust, adultery, wealth, envy, and murder. Who did it, what is everyone hiding, including Joann?
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

4.25 Stars

This book is a standalone story by Kristin Miller.

Basic premise: Young woman is pregnant with her boss’s baby and his wife, who was originally missing is discovered dead not far from their house.

This is one of those books where you really need to pay attention to the clues in order to not be completely surprised when the killer is revealed. And the killer is indeed quite a surprising one.

Colleen is constantly reminded of Michael’s dead wife whom he has kept her room completely in tact just as it was when she disappeared and their baby’s nursery is being kept a secret from Colleen as well. Lots of secrets in this one. Everyone has a motive to have killed Michael’s wife, Joanna. So this mystery is really engaging and makes you want to keep reading on.

I don’t want to say too much about the actual plot since all the clues are so important and I might unknowingly reveal the killer’s identity. But be aware that the point of view, the “I” character, changes quite frequently in this book and it can become a bit confusing at times when the changeover happens.

Overall it was a really good read, I was engaged and it was quite a doozy of a revelation when the killer is finally unearthed.

If you enjoy a good mystery/thriller, definitely give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Randon House Ballantine Books and Kristin Miller for an ARC of In Her Shadow.

When Colleen becomes pregnant with her boss, Michael's, baby, he moves her to his home, called Ravenwood when complications with the pregnancy arise. Michael's wife left him months ago but, no one has filed for divorce yet. Colleen feels like she will never live up to the reputation of Joanna, Michael's wife. When a body is found and it is proven to be Joanna, Colleen finds herself trying to find out who killed her and prove Michael innocent. This book is a well written, fast paced thriller that reminded me of du Maurier's Rebecca, one of my favorite books. It kept me up well past my bedtime reading.

In Her Shadow

In Her Shadow aptly describes this suspenseful, psychological thriller. Colleen is the pregnant girlfriend of Michael, her married boss. Michael’s wife, Joanna, abruptly left him six months ago and he has not heard from her since.
The more Colleen emerges herself in Michael’’s life - she is always in Joanna’s shadow. A shadow she is not sure she can overcome. This book is a worthwhile read that includes evil, greed and murder. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
The comments and review of this book are my honest opinion.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Colleen's favorite book is Du Maurier's "Rebecca." Unfortunately, she finds herself in a very similar situation when she moves into her boyfriend's magnificent home called Ravenwood. It is only now that she learns that Joanna, Michael's wife, disappeared mysteriously about 6 months before this. Colleen is now 5 months pregnant with Michael's child. House staff and neighbors all rave about how wonderful and beautiful Joanna was. Can Colleen compete with her memory?

Soon, a decomposed body is discovered in a nearby shallow grave. It is Joanna! Suspicion falls on each of the main characters in turn and the detectives argue about how to proceed.

The ending was a total surprise. This is an excellent book for fans of psychological mysteries.

What a great read. The book opens with a dire situation. Colleen is pleading to keep her unborn child safe, She is at the bottom of the stairs and knows the house is on fire but she is unable to get up. The reader is invited into the story with each section telling how many days until the murder of Colleen.. The tension steadily builds. It's easy to become involved with the characters who are skillfully written. The ending surprised me. Just when I thought the story was finished there was a giant surprise. I enjoyed every moment of the book.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#InHerShadow #NetGalley

In Her Shadow is a well written psychological thriller. Well crafted plot and characters. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 7 April 2020 .


Holy moly what a twisted, wild ride.

The beginning of this novel finds us witnessing Colleen broken and bleeding on the floor of the wine cellar at Ravenwood. There is a dark figure at the top of the wine cellar stairs. And then we switch to the past, and the title of the chapter is “One Week until Colleen’s murder.”

Colleen is pregnant with Michael’s baby and about to move into Michael’s home, Ravenwood. It is a spectacular home set across from a Monterey cypress grove and the Pacific Ocean. It is an exclusive community known as Point Reina. Michael and his wife owned this home, but his wife Joanna has been missing for about six months now. Missing, as in left and hasn’t been heard from. Colleen is understandably uncomfortable entering Joanna’s domain, but Michael is insistent that it’s time.

About 24 hours after Colleen has moved into Ravenwood, a body is found in the cypress grove. A woman’s body. The small, close knit community of Point Reina is thrown into a media circus as police and forensics comb the grove and unearth the body. Who is the woman in the shallow grave?

In Her Shadow makes every character a suspect, in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. Each character has secrets behind the mask worn every day for the world. It is such a small community, it is amazing that they can keep all these secrets hidden. But Miller has written a novel that was so compelling, I finished it in two nights (would have been one but I did finally have to fall asleep!)

Loved this crazy story about wealth, privilege, and the secrets we keep to keep up appearances. Can’t put it down!

In her shadow is a dark thriller with a lot of mystery! Characters are developed great and the plot is thick!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Her Shadow is a contemporary mystery/thriller by Kristin Miller. Ms. Miller has provided readers with a well-written book. You may need a road map to follow all the twists and turns of this story. Colleen is engaged to Michael and pregnant when she moves into his house with him. When his wife turns up dead Colleen suspects everyone. This nail-biter kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book and I have to say, Ms. Miller shocked me at the end. I enjoyed reading In Her Shadow and look forward to reading more from Kristen Miller in the future. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A pregnant young woman becomes obsessed with the disappearance of her lover’s wife, only to discover that she may be headed for the same fate. This book starts out as a slow tale of love and deception, but when new perspectives are introduced the story really gains steam. Be prepared for major twists!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is a big twist that I didn't see coming at the end for sure although much of the story went as I predicted from early on. The characters are interesting enough to keep my attention although the detectives were stereotypes that fell flat. The main one, Shaw, was given some backstory to make him at least human but his partner was a caricature of the cop who only cared about his ambition. It cheapened the story.

I did feel sympathy for the main character whose life has been a tough one but at times it was hard to watch her accept situations that were not healthy in order to strive for happiness. It was a good hook. I also believed her love and trust of the husband enough that I was on her side in fighting for him.

The twist was good but I hated the exposition of it. It was all telling and no showing in the very end. It angered me enough to feel cheated. Considering this book was fairly short, I can't figure out why we weren't given the experience of the big twist. The attempt at being clever was a gimmick in this one but overall it was a quick read that held my attention.

Miller writes exceptionally taut suspense, this one filled with lies, deception, cheating spouses, and one nasty little murder. The plot is fast paced with juicy new developments surfacing in every chapter. Suspicion bounces from character to character until there’s virtually no one left to trust. This is one of those stories you’ll want to read again just to spot the cues you missed the first time through. Crazy good.

Michael Harris, head of Harris Financial, is in a quandary. Joanna, his wife of five years, has left him, texting that she’s moving back to Los Angeles. How cold is that? And although he can’t quite bring himself to file for divorce, he probably should. His personal secretary, Colleen Roper, is pregnant with his child. When complications arise with the pregnancy, Michael insists Colleen stop working and move into his mansion, where she’s totally out of her depth, living in Joanna’s shadow.

A very captivating thriller. Loved the characters in this book. Very fast paced and kept me guessing throughout. Many different possible suspects.