What I Loved:
I loved the creepy characters in this story. Alex North does a great job of describing his characters and really allowing the reader to imagine each person. He makes them feel real, like they are coming right off the pages and being brought to life!

How I Felt:
The Shadows takes the reader into a story that starts 25 years ago when two teens were part of a murder. While one boy was captured, Charlie Crabtree escaped, disappearing without a trace. Now, Paul Adams, who was linked to the original crime, must return to his hometown to help care for his elderly mother. His mother keeps saying things about the murders…she seems to know more than Paul thought. When a copycat killer starts bringing up the past, Paul must face his past and question everything, and everyone.

This story was spooky and creepy, but I wasn’t absolutely terrified like I thought I would be. Which is honestly, fine with me. I don’t really like having to read with the lights on and my back against a wall! The plot was a bit complicated, and I think that it ultimately led to me being a bit less scared. The timeline jumps around, and there are people in the dream world as well as the real world. It created a very unique, but confusing story. I ended up never really settling into the plot and just falling into the world because I was concentrating so hard on where we were and with who. I think that this would be good to go back and read a second time. I might enjoy everything a bit more, already knowing who was who.

That being said, this was still a really good story with wonderful writing by Alex North!

The characters that North creates are fabulous. He has this perfect mixture of personality traits that makes for just the right creep-factor. Charlie Crabtree is a terrible character, and I think we can all agree that he’s the root of all evil. Thanks Alex North for adding this man to my nightmares!

The plot had some great twists that I didn’t see coming. It will absolutely keep a reader on their toes, and while there might be people that can guess some of the twists, I think the plot will provide surprises for any thriller-lover!

Overall, I enjoyed The Shadows. The complicated plot did not completely stop me from enjoying the story, it just slowed me down a bit. I enjoyed the pace and the characters!

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend The Shadows to readers that enjoy a creepy mystery!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
My full review of this book will post to my blog on 7/27/20.

“[She] stared at the pitch-black woods before her now. The Shadows, they called them here. She heard nothing beyond the heavy silence there, but she could sense the weight of the history that lay within them. History that seemed to have returned now. History that was taking life after life.”

A man confronts the truth of a horrific murder when he returns home twenty-five years later in Alex North’s latest, THE SHADOWS.

Paul Adams has stayed away from the small British town he grew up in, not wanting to remember what he so long ago experienced—the gruesome killing of a friend at the hands of two classmates. Back then, fifteen-year-old Paul and his best friend James fell in with the two other boys, one of them being the mysterious, somewhat odd Charlie Crabtree. Charlie leads their impressionable group into an exploration of lucid dreaming, encouraging them to document their dreams in order to seize control within them. But as intentions became malicious, and reality blurs with illusion, Paul left the group. In the end, however, he played a part in what would happen to his friend in the woods locals ominously deemed The Shadows—the place from where alleged killer Charlie Crabtree vanished.

Now back to care for his senile mother, Paul discovers there have been copycat murders. In fact, Detective Amanda Beck is investigating the latest when her path crosses with Paul. They each search for the truth behind what’s happening now, what happened then, and what happened to Charlie. Because now, things familiar and sinister repeat themselves, and again, Charlie is caught in the middle of everything he once sought to escape.

North (THE WHISPER MAN) delivers another haunting, unnerving thriller. Told in past/present timelines, his latest explores the relationships between friends, between fathers and sons, and the lasting effects of trauma. But it’s the dark and chilling atmosphere, the gruesomeness of the ritualistic murders, and the terrifying questions that linger, that unsettle and keep you on edge. I loved it.

Incredibly immersive, scary and unputdownable—this is one thriller you won’t want to miss.

3.8 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Paul Adams returns to his hometown 25 years after his friends committed murder and one of the culprits disappears. Copy cat murders are now occurring and his senile mother is saying strange things.

There were multiple times when I thought the story was over and yet there was a ways to go. I did like the wrap up at the the end.

THE SHADOWS
Alex North
Celadon Books
ISBN-13: 978-1250318039
Hardcover
Mystery/Thriller

Alex North is back, whoever he might be. “Alex North” is a pseudonym for a British crime writer of some renown. Who he might be was one the major genre guessing games of 2019 due to the publication of THE WHISPER MAN under the North name. That most worthy novel introduced British police detective Amanda Beck, who plays a role in North’s newly published novel THE SHADOWS. The inquiries into North’s identity will continue and probably increase, as the result of THE SHADOWS matching and exceeding the promise of its predecessor.

THE SHADOWS of the title refers a large and dense forest that gives the Gritten suburb of Gritten Wood its name. Paul Adams, a university lecturer, has reluctantly returned to his hometown after almost a quarter-century’s absence due to his mother’s illness. In the throes of dementia aggravated by a head injury, Paul’s mother slips between the present and the past, even as while bedfast in an extended care facility she gives him cryptic warnings about something hidden in his childhood home. The house, as well as the town, hold painful memories for Paul. It was in Gritten that a friend of Paul’s named Charlie Crabtree murdered one of his other friends and then abruptly disappeared. Crabtree was by any standard one of those people whose menacing demeanor would cause people to instinctively move themselves away from his presence. Paul is initially unaware that Amanda Beck is investigating a horrific murder in the town of Featherbank, which is less than one hundred miles from Gritten Wood. Improbable as it may seem, it appears that Crabtree may be alive and influencing others via internet bulletin boards to continue the pattern of murders which he started in Gritten Wood. It seems to be impossible, but it also seems to be true. Paul makes a number of startling, disturbing, and puzzling discoveries as he goes through his mother’s home, and augmented by his mother’s comments he comes to suspect that the truths which he has so long believed may in fact be wrong. When Beck becomes aware of the similarity of Crabtree’s actions over two decades before to the case which she is investigating now --- and others --- she journeys to Gritten Wood, just before what appears to be a chain of murders occur which make everything even more puzzling, not to mention dangerous for Paul. He may not survive that trip home. Thomas Wolfe said that you can’t go home again. In some cases, you also cannot leave.

THE SHADOWS is a thoroughly atmospheric read, one which does not rely on terror to propel the reader through it but rather a quietly suspenseful pacing that incessantly tugs one along. That said, there is a major revelation in the final third of the book that causes --- forces --- the reader to re-examine everything which has gone before. Beck, for her part, plays an interesting but for the most part secondary role in THE SHADOWS, an indication that North, whoever (s)he may be, is confident enough to change things up from book to book and to toy with reader expectation. That confidence, as demonstrated within THE SHADOWS, is well-founded. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2020, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paul Adams reluctantly makes his way back home to Gritten -- and to the Shadows -- for his ailing mother's final moments. He's avoided his hometown since a horrible murder rocked his world as a teenager, but he's never really been able to forget... He hasn't forgotten James, his former best friend, or Charlie Crabtree, the sinister classmate who dragged them into a nightmare-ish world with the ominous Red Man and a dark potential for turning the dream-world into reality. Charlie vanished after the murder, which not only made the entire ordeal into an urban legend but also inspired copycats to cause the same death and destruction in the years since. Upon Paul's return, memories come flooding back -- as does a sense of foreboding and the feeling that something, or someone, is watching him... from The Shadows.

Thoughts: Alex North's The Shadows is proof that a horror/thriller can also have beautiful prose. With insights such as, "When you saw something awful, you had to put it away in a box. The box was something you kept locked in your head, and you only ever opened it to throw something else inside," readers are not only sucked into a suspenseful murder-mystery/thriller, but also deep into the psyches of the main characters. There are shocking scenes that will give readers goosebumps, but there are also beautifully-written perceptions, character points-of-view, and entire scenes that will remain in readers' heads long after the last page. We are treated to each main characters' POV, as well as flashbacks between past and present, making for a well-rounded story with an interesting pace. However, it was sometimes difficult to discern what time period and whose POV was being given at the start of each chapter if you aren't reading several chapters in one sitting. A true sign of a good story for me, though? I would recommend not reading this right before bed -- I'm a huge horror fan and even I had at least one nightmare!

This creepy sophomore novel delivered some perfectly timed moments that had me both shocked and captivated. Author Alex North's second book after last year's memorable The Whisper Man also dives into the disturbing world of kids and violence, and the choices he makes throughout are never what I expected to happen next. This story pulls from a lot of different threads to create a unique story- lucid dreaming, a bit of a Stephen King feel, and a plot that has some callbacks to the real life Slenderman case. This is definitely one that had me wanting to leave the lights on, and since this story features a young detective who also appeared in North's debut, I'd love to see more books that go even deeper with Amanda.

What a wild ride. I mistakenly read this at night, home alone. Creepy chills and jumping at every creak of the house ensued. I devoured this in one setting. Highly recommend.

I was hooked on this story very quickly!
I was reading the physical copy of this and enjoying it but today received the audiobook and it really added to the whole atmosphere and creepiness of the story. The narrators, #JohnHefferman and #HannahArterton did a wonderful job capturing the sense of fear and foreboding in this book. Once again Alex North has brought a terrific story through his writing.
The story is compelling in the plot and dual timeline, being told from the perspective of the characters and story of a horrific murder that occurred 25 years before in this small town and the current day timeline of one the main characters being summoned back to town for his mother's failing health. Paul had moved away for university and tried to not think about the events he lived through as a teen. This strategy was somewhat effective until he returned back home to handle his mother's final days. He is quickly drawn back into the previous events and then current events that seem to follow the same course. I enjoyed some of the locales and the references to North's prior book, The Whisper Man.
My only critique of the story is a pet peeve of mine, and may have to occur when marketing the same book in the UK and USA. There are many phrases and terms used throughout the audiobook that were believable as read by narrators with UK accents and the story is clearly set in England. There is also the reverse where terms are artificially changed for the US crowd and it sounds awkward with an English narrator. I found several instances where the physical book had one version and the audiobook had the other. I don't believe there is anything lost in a novel that is kept in its original form, be that UK or USA. Most of people reading these books have enough experience with the differences in terms that we get it.
5/5
#Netgalley #NetgalleyAudiobooks #TheShadows #CeledonBooks #MacmillanAudio

I’m not sure which story creeped me out more, The Whisper Man or The Shadows. I was legit jumpy reading this book.⁣
⁣
Alex North takes us back to Featherbank with Detective Amanda Beck following the thick, dark, haunted, scary forest of The Shadows where Red Hands lives. ⁣
⁣
Charlie believes in lucid dreams and Red Hands and tries to get a group of kids- Paul, James and Billy involved to have Red Hands harm people. ⁣
⁣
Flash forward 25 years, another boy is found dead, and an Internet forum discusses Charlie and Red Hands and lucid dreams that got this boy killed. Charlie has been missing for years.⁣
⁣
Where is Charlie? Who is Red Hands? What lies in The Shadows?⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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#bookstagram #books #TheShadows @celadonbooks #thriller #horror #bookcommunity

3/5 stars

I really wanted to love this thriller since it sounded right up my alley. In the beginning it had a very true crime vibe to it which I LOVED and is one of my favorite things in thrillers. Eventually this book just fell flat for me especially the ending.

Charlie Crabtree has a dark imagination and a sinister smile. Twenty five years before the beginning of the book, he did something awful. He coerced his friend into helping him commit a murder in hopes of leaving this world for one of dreams. Charlie disappeared after the murder and was never seen again causing it to be one of the most talked about on internet—inspiring more than a couple copycats.

Paul Adams, our protagonist, remembers the case more than anybody else because Crabtree, the other murderer, and the victim were all his friends. While Paul never fell for Crabtree's menacing philosophy, his whole world because wrapped up in this one person and he vowed to never let Crabtree have the power over him again. Paul has slowly put his life back together away from the city that caused him nightmares. But his mother took a turn for the worst. Though every part of him screams to be as far away from the murders as possible, he knows it's time to return to the place of horrors.

This book had such an interesting premise but what originally put me off is the timeline. There are chapters that take place in current day and others that are flashbacks to 25 years ago and while that itself isn't confusing, the author managed to make it so. Paul in current day would often refer back to things that happened 25 years ago but each was drawn out so much it resembled that of a flashback leading to confusion.

The writing in this also resulted in me feeling not much suspense. The pacing was just a bit off and made me feel more bored and curious. The ending also didn't really impact me that much and seemed a bit lackluster. I feel like the author could have ended similarly but if he just went about writing it (i.e. using different characters to reveal some things) it could have been more of a big boom rather than a sad sizzle. This book also tried to tie in wayyyyy too many things (his mothers health, creepy house antics, copycat murders, flashbacks to old murders, Charlie's disappearance etc.) and I felt like some of them seemed to be forgotten and weren't fully explained. Sometimes authors do this so everything is not wrapped up in a neat bow but it didn't feel intentional.

With all of that out of the way I do want to get into some positives in this book. I did really enjoy learning about the copycat murders which was done from the detective perspective. I honestly wish I had a bit more of that to cut down on the emotions of Paul's POV. The flashbacks were also quite nice because you actually got to see Charlie which made the reading experience feel more grounded. Charlie was show to be really disturbed which really added to the atmosphere of the whole novel.

There are two things that were hinted at that could have been explored and way more detail and I think would have been a lot better of a focus than some of the other things. The first is the creepiness of the house and the feeling of Paul being watched in it. I definitely think there could have been more which would have aided the atmosphere but the bit we got was really enjoyable. The creepiness was also explained away in a manner I didn't particularly care for, so I wished it would have been for a different reason. I also think it was hinted at that a lot of the online followers of the case seemed almost cult like which could have been amplified a bit more. It would have added more reasoning behind the current day murders and overall would have made the story flow better.

This book was by no means bad but it also had many ways it could have been improved. This is nothing to write home about and there ware much better thrillers out there then this one. The Shadows just tried too hard and was doing too much to focus on any one topic to flesh it out enough.

I really liked North's previous book, Whisper Man, and wondered if this new book would live up to my expectations. No worries there!! I loved this one as well. North has a way of writing that draws the reader in and evokes a feeling of unease and mystery. The characters are believable and the setting appropriately creepy. There were a few OMG moments in the book that I certainly didn't see coming!

As with Whisper Man, there is the sense throughout that something supernatural is happening - and we don't know until the end whether that is true or not.

This was a real page-turner!!

This is one of those books that I just had to finish once I started. I typically shy away from the supernatural genre but the lucid dreaming was an interesting twist. I also enjoyed the dual timelines and thought it worked well to tell the story.
This book has some nice twists and turns which make it a very solid read.

Actual 3.5 stars

This was my first book by Alex North and I was really excited for it given all the rage his first book, The Whisper Man, had (a copy of which I now have!). The story follows Paul Adams, who returns to his hometown after 25 years to visit his mother on her deathbed. Call has not returned home for nearly 2 decades since something pretty terrible happened when he was younger - leaving two boys murdered and another vanishing into thin air. Paul had hoped leave the past behind him but when he’s forced back so many unanswered questions rose back to the surface.

This was an interesting read and well written I just found it to get a bit confusing at some points, making it hard to follow at times. Although it didn’t quite work for me, I am excited to still reward his debut novel and think fans of that one will enjoy this one too.

Thank you Celadon for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Shadows
By: Alex North


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
Alex North has once again freaked me out with The Shadows. I don't read many scary books because I'm easily disturbed. I did read The Whisper Man, and of the two books, it's my favorite. That doesn't take away from The Shadows, though, because I found this story very enjoyable. The looming presence of sinister creepiness that cloaks the story is a well executed atmospheric character and one of my favorite aspects of the story. This tangible vibe sets the stage for lucid dreams, which I thought were rather bizarre. I don't believe in the idea of this type of dreaming, so it was a suspension of disbelief scenario for me. Regardless, the dramatic tension never swayed and kept me riveted yet wanting to cover my eyes. I was surprised by the bloodiness of the story because it was just unexpected. Who wants to read a predictable story, though? I don't give spoilers- so, no details here-but I think fans of the bizarre, freaky or intangible will find The Shadows a satisfactory tale. The fraidy cats, like me, should dive wildly, headfirst, into this book, embracing the terrifying, yet oddly fun, madness and gore and hair raising words on these pages. Nightmares be darned!

"We have to do something about Charlie."


Charlie Crabtree with his dark imagination and creepy smile committed a murder twenty five years ago that rocked and shocked the local community. The crime destroyed lives and continues to have an impact all the years later. Now, there is a copycat, inspired by that heinous crime years ago, who is communicating with someone online and planning more evil.

When Paul left town, he had no intentions of going back. He was briefly friends with Charlie Crabtree and also friends with Crabtree's victim. But his elderly mother has taken a turn for the worse and he comes back to town and learns that his mother believes that there is something in the house. Worse yet, he begins to feel as if he is being followed and the ghosts of his past continue to haunt him.

"I don't care if you ever think about me at all. I'll think about you instead."

I have conflicted feelings about this book. There were parts that impressed me, parts where I thought "Are you kidding me", parts where I thought "Holy Shit" and parts that I wasn't engaged at all. There is a big twist and reveal, something I didn't see coming and other things that just didn't work for me.

This story is told in two time lines. The past when Charlie Crabtree is talking to his friends about lucid dreams and how they can meet in each other's dreams. Then there is the present day, where Paul has returned home to visit his sick mother while in the same time, a police officer named Amanda is investigating the copycat crimes.

The book did pull off some nice twists and turns but it never really blew my socks off. I found it to be a solid 3 - meaning I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. There are some creepy parts and the cover is fantastic, but overall a solid book.

I look forward to more books by Alex North. He's a talented writer who knows how to put the creep in creepy.


Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you loved The Whisper Man, you’ll love The Shadows. It was just as creepy, terrifying and engaging if not more. I love to creeped out and scared to pieces when I read thrillers and Alex North nailed it. You will love this one trust me

After loving The Whisper Man last year (it was my #1 thriller and I recommend it to EVERYONE) I could not wait to get my hands on Alex North’s new book The Shadows. This was definitely one of my most highly anticipated summer releases so my expectations were sky high. As a result even though I liked this book I was a little let down because it just didn’t have quite the same wow factor. That being said I’m still a huge North fan and can’t wait to see what he writes next!

Paul Adams returns home to be with his ailing mother and gets swept up in memories from his childhood. One of his childhood friends, Charlie Crabtree, committed a gruesome murder & disappeared without a trace. Now there may be a copycat killer on the loose and his mother claims to have seen someone in the woods. Is Charlie back or is something more sinister at play?

Bouncing back and forth in time I loved the town lore element that kinda reminded me of the “Slenderman” scariness a few years ago. Like your favorite scary story told around the campfire this book has all the chills & thrills!

4.5/5 stars

Chances are you knew a kid like Charlie Crabtree when you were growing up. A bit off, always on the outskirts of the group, a clear dark side that always made you second guess if they could do something truly sinister. Twenty-five years ago, it seems Charlie did do something awful. He committed a brutal murder and then seemingly vanished. Paul Adams remembers that day and Charlie Crabtree vividly. They were once friends and that day marked a horrible experience for Paul that made him unable to be in his hometown. He has returned over two decades later to be with his ailing mother. When he returns he finds that chapter of his childhood never really closed and as a copycat killer strikes in a nearby town, Paul’s old wounds will be reopened. Could Charlie have returned?

Last year I fell in love with Alex North’s writing after devouring THE WHISPER MAN, so when I heard he had a new book coming out this year to say I was excited is an understatement. THE SHADOWS is one of those books that encompasses a lot of plot devices that work together to make a book perfectly suited to my reading tastes.

THE SHADOWS follows Paul Adams, who has recently returned home to spend a few final days with his ailing mother. After spending twenty-five years avoiding his hometown, he has come to realize that you can’t outrun your past. In fact, that idea is shoved in his face as unsettling things start happening around him. Imagine hearing a banging on your door in the middle of the night only to wake up to bloody handprints on your door. Creeped out? Yeah, me too!

My favorite aspect of this book was the concepts of lucid dreams. They’re what Paul has believed all these years played an active role in Charlie Crabtree’s murderous plot. I’ve always been fascinated by dreams and the meaning of dreams, so to have them play such a large role in a crime was truly fascinating! I think this is one of those concepts that will either be a hit or miss with readers and make the book a divisive read.

THE SHADOWS smartly uses flashbacks to Paul’s childhood, his present day situation, and another narrative discussing a copycat killer. Each narrative adds new elements to the truth about what is happening in the present day with both Paul and the copycat killer, while also revealing what happened in the past. I love the way these narratives weaved together to meet at a climax toward the end of the book with several big reveals.

North truly has a way with words and creating stories that are subtly unsettling. THE SHADOWS is a great representation of crime fiction with coming of age elements to the story. If you’re looking for something a bit different, pick this one up!

A huge thank you to Celadon Books and Bookish First for my gifted copy!

Paul and Charlie were friends, until Charlie committed a shocking crime. Years later, when Paul returns home, things begin happening. Which reminds him that Charlie was never caught after his crime....could it be him again?
Another exciting Alex North book!

I really enjoyed this book. After reading The Whisper Man, I was excited to see how this book is. Amanda, one of the detectives from The Whisper Man, is the same detective in this book, but only because where she lives there has been a copycat murder.
This book engaged me from the beginning and it had so many twist and turns in the plot I did not know what to think at first. There was so much emotional angst, acts of violence committed and not who I thought had done them. There was heartache and feelings of guilt as well.
Paul, a man who left his hometown twenty five years ago, has had to come back, as his mother is dying. This is where the book begins and it goes back in forth in time from Paul at a young age, and how he had gotten involved with a few kids from his school, one in particular, Charlie Crabtree.
Charlie is behind what starts all the horror, and up until the last part of the book we see how everything he started affected so many lives, even when it seems like he has disappeared.
I think this book is fantastic, and I hope that Alex North writes many more books.
I gave this book 5 stars, and look forward to the next one!