I'll be honest, I only read this because (a) I'm on a bit of a thriller kick and (b) Netgalley has audiobooks now and this was one of the few ones I could grab and read instantly. So you can imagine my relief when I actually adored this!

This was spooky and creepy and almost what I hoped it would be. [Just for once, I want the suspected paranormal stuff to be real, not easily explained away by someone's mind playing tricks on them or someone returning to town to lay down clues. Just once, please. Give me a proper ghost without debunking it. (hide spoiler)] The premise of a dream world that can be entered at will was so fascinating. I loved the Past chapters that took us back with Paul to Charlie explaining lucid dreams and how to meet each other in their separate dreams. There's so much one can do with dreams and for a while it had a little bit of an Inception feel to it.

Redhands is very much a Slender man-like kind of local legend. Appease him and you will get what you want. There are several copy-cat murders that take place because of this mythos and the influence of/mystery surrounding Charlie's disappearance. It certainly kept the tension up throughout the book in wondering whether or not Charlie really did what he set out to do.

While I really liked the main characters, Amanda Beck felt like a bit of a waste. She doesn't exactly add much to the story line aside from little glimpses into police-related things Paul wouldn't normally see. I don't know that the book would have suffered much without her few chapters, and that sucks because who doesn't want a female detective with her head on straight coming in to crack the mystery?

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this, it just wasn't a five star book. The one plot twist had me reeling, and throughout it was difficult to stop reading--I need to find out what was on the door!--but the ending did not sell it. That's the problem with horror thrillers like this; a lot rides on the whodunnit and how it lands, and this felt a bit disappointing. Lackluster. Too easily explained.

Audiobook comments
The narrators were good choices for this. I'm surprised by how easy it was to follow because there was very little differentiation between voices. Whether it was the male narrator or female, there was very little difference to the pitch or tone to tell who was who.

Creepy. Great psychological thriller. A la Stephen King-esque. Story kept me intrigued. Well written. Narrative was good and very listenable.

The Shadows was a book full of twists and turns. We go back and forth between Paul Adams' present and past, with a look into the police investigation from Detective Amanda Beck's perspective. Something from Paul's past is back to haunt him when he heads home to visit with his elderly mother after she has taken a nasty fall in her home. I was glad I listened to the audio version, I think for myself personally, It would have been hard to differentiate between narrators, but having the audio and the brilliant actors doing the reading made it a quite enjoyable story. Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan do a great job of telling the story, and made it an easy story to listen to.

Truly enjoyable with an intelligent and surprising plot, The Shadows lands Alex North in the dreamworld of authors recommendable to all mystery readers.

North leads readers down the unworn fact-path of lucid dreaming, realistically weaving in and out of the forests of belief, manipulation and madness. North’s integration of fact into his fiction is splendidly done, resulting in quality entertainment, and his storytelling genuinely startles.

I tried NetGalley’s new audiobook app for this title, & the narrators were fantastic; the app itself was very functional and easy to operate.

I recommend The Shadows in either format, audio or print, with “purchase both” as the preferred option (a suggestion I reserve for only the most enjoyable and well-written mysteries).

Thank you, Alex North, for a terrific tale customers will love. Thank you, NetGalley, for the multi-format preview.

I enjoyed "The Shadows' much more than this author's first book, "The Whisper Man." This was very twisty and suspenseful. I hope that we have more to come from this author.

The narration on the audio edition of this books was good, but it is one that I would prefer to read rather than listen to.

Alex North has done it again. The Shadows will leave a reader on edge. 25 years ago, a horrendous murder took place when two young men mutilated their fellow classmate. One of the boys was convicted for the murder and the other seemed to vanish. What happened to Charlie Crabtree? Now, 25 years later, another murder in another town. This looks to be like a copycat, but was Crabtree involved? Paul Adam's hesitantly comes back to his hometown to care for his ailing mother. He never wanted to revisit his past, but now it seems that there are unanswered questions and his connection to Charlie Crabtree could help solve the mystery about what happened.

I listened to this audiobook and I have to say, it was very well done. I loved the changing narrators with the changing perspectives between Paul and the detective. I felt the voices added to the creepiness that this novel portrays and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Shadows is a character driven novel that is an amalgamation of different literary genres, part murder mystery, creepy thriller, speculative fiction, specifically, horror since the reader is intrigued by and the protagonists are haunted by a psychotic teen killer Charlie Crabtree, and yet it reads like literary suspense because of Alex North's poetic prose and intricate storytelling. North's words come to life beautifully in the audiobook when read by the narrators Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan. The story is told from two povs Paul Adams whose narrative takes place in the dual timeline as a teen and 25 years later an adult. The other pov is Detective Amanda Beck who is following a murder case which parallels the murder of Paul's friend. The story has some shocking plot twists, which I don't always enjoy, but these twists are well done and totally took me by surprise. Some of the shock was experienced more vividly because of the narration by Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan's which totally put me in Paul's and Amanda's headspace. In my opinion, the plot twists fit with the story and made for a thrilling conclusion. The Shadows audiobook is thoroughly enjoyable reading and listening experience.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book.

I have been starting to get more and more into thrillers as of late and this was a perfect read for what I have been craving. This book is a dual POV as well as told in two different times. The main part of the story takes place in the modern day, while the other part of the story takes place 25 years ago, when the town went through a brutal murder and lives were changed to the extreme. When it comes to a dual perspective and a mystery, things always get interesting because the magic about people is that we interpret things differently and sometimes that can be problematic in writing. In this case, I really think that this was helpful for keeping the story moving. Looking back there is so much foreshadowing that I missed and I can totally see where the different intricacies of the story start to meld together.

This story was so convoluted, creepy, intriguing, and surprising that I found myself really enjoying the story. I did get a bit confused at points and certain aspects seemed unclear as to their purpose until the very end. The big twist I did not see coming, the one not at the end, and did throw me but after I thought about it made complete sense.

When it comes to the audiobook itself, it was very well done. I am so glad that there were two separate narrators for this story. Listening to it really did enhance the experience and I would recommend the audiobook for sure. I find it easier not to look ahead as things get intense while listening to an audiobook rather than reading the physical book.

Overall, this is an intense story about mystery, murder, secrets, and ghost stories in a small town. I highly recommend if you are interested in thrillers and in murder mysteries. This book gets 4 out of 5 from me.

I rarely read thrillers and when I do I'm very intrigued and never guess the murderer and/or mystery. I can confirm I didn't guess anything but was really involved in the plot. One think I truly liked was that there was no forced romance storyline; it seems like authors think it's a must and most times it's truly unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the plot.
I loved the two narrators and their voices were perfect for the characters. I was captivated by the narration. Great job!
The plot is not as simple as it seems at first and, at some point I thought there were fantasy elements involved, but it's not hard to follow. There's only one point, which is a spoiler, that left me with questions, but everything else was, in my opinion, very well crafted.
Now I need to get my hands on the author's previous book that I know was loved by many!

First things first, since this is an audio-arc a special mention for the format. The book translated well to audio and was well produced. I really liked both narrators - Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan. The latter in particular added another dimension to the books MC. This was enjoyable as an audiobook.



Technically this is a psychological thriller with a few supernatural touches and a few crime tropes. MC Paul Adams returns to Gritton Wood to be with his dying mother. He hasn't been home since he left for university decades before and while he has kept touch with his mother, both of them have kept many things to themselves. As Paul walks down the familiar streets of his impoverished and under privileged childhood, memories begin to rise. Once, many years ago, Paul was friends with a boy named Charlie who exerted strange influence over their friend group. There was also Jenny, Paul's first crush and fellow horror fan. Paul can't quite remember the details of what happened, but he knows that this homecoming is laced with bad memories. Things he'd rather forget. Meanwhile, a young detective is working on a case where teenaged boys have killed a friend - sacrificed him in order to achieve access to a strange power. The trail is leading her back to a similar crime that happened in a low rent town almost twenty years ago.



If you like your thrillers with heart pounding action and plenty of gore, this isn't going to grab you. Personally, I enjoyed the faint creepiness as the reader is led through the dark creases in the human soul. At about the halfway mark, I was sure I'd figured it out and was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong about almost all of it. This is an incredibly poignant book that bridges the gap between innocence and experience. It's Paul, looking back on his own brutal coming of age and how that has shadowed so many lives in the years that follow. Ultimately it ends on a note of hope and healing but I found it by turns gripping and very sad. One of the things that struck me was that many people would find it strange that Paul and not seen his mother in years and not known that she was ill, especially since they spoke on the phone. You'd think there would be a bad relationship there or abuse. Some reason for him staying away, and that his mother might well have resented him never coming back. When you get to the end and find out why, it's heart-wrenching in how his mother's understanding, and how the life she built for herself after he left is revealed. Most unusually for a thriller, there are no out and out bad guys. No villains. All in all this was wistful and eerie with enough supernatural to give it a ghost story flavour. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Quite a creepy listen, I found the audiobook to be atmospheric. Paul went back home to be with his dying mother. In his childhood his friend had murdered someone. In the present time, there was a copy cat killer. He joined hands with the Detective to get to the truth.

My first book by this author, it was a slow listen, I had to speed up at a couple of places as I wanted to know the truth. The winding lanes of the plot line made the emotions stronger on me. I was fearful at a couple of places.

I heard the audiobook at night which added to the eerie feeling. Darkness made its way in the prose, giving me a great kick. The narrator was entertaining, with expressions and intonation.

Overall a fun listen. Got to read the first book by this author.

The Shadows is a highly anticipated novel for me and being able to read it is an absolute honor. Alex North is the author of The Whisper Man which was a massive hit when it came out last year. Everyone was talking about it. Most people seemed to love it and I personally really enjoyed it. I thought it was super creepy and atmospheric.

The Shadows is Alex North's second book. It's another adult thriller/horror. It's about a man named Paul who goes back to his hometown to see his dying mother. We learn that in the past as a teenager, Paul was involved (somewhat) in a group of friends who were involved in a murder. A boy named Charli Crabtree killed another person in the woods near the boy's houses. Several years later, during the current timeline, there is a copycat murder and something similar happens. That's the basic premise of the plot and I don't want to go into too much detail because obviously it's a thriller. You expect a lot of twists and turns, and I personally don't like reading or hearing about synopsis for thrillers all that much because I worry they give too much away.

So if you were to compare The Shadows to The Whisper Man, you would find that the plot is much slower. I found the book to be much slower paced until the ending which seemed somewhat rushed so for the majority of the book, it's kinda plodding along. You're getting to know Paul and his problems, and what went on in the past. It's told in dual timelines so we go from Paul in the present to Paul in the past.when he's interacting with Charli and the rest of his friends Slowly you learn why the past is relevant today. Alex North does a really good job of putting small things that kind of niggle at the reader and you just know something is being presented.

Overall this is a great read. What else can you really expect from Alex North? A slow burn creepy atmospheric read.

The narrator for this audiobook did a great job! This one was definitely creepy although not quite as creepy as The Whisper Man. I got huge Slenderman vibes and I loved it! In North’s true fashion he hit me with a curveball and some big twists!! Thank you kind sir!!

Now did I love this one as much as The Whisper Man? Not quite! Was I completely and utterly surprised by how much I liked this one? Yes!! Bravo Alex North!!! Your sophomore novel gets 4.5 very well earned stars that I rounded up to 5!! Keep these wonderful novels coming!!!!!!

I just listened to this audiobook in two days! It would've been one if I didn't had work but otherwise it was so good.
I am so glad that I listen to the audiobook because this is narrated by two different characters and if I physcially read this book I probaly would've been confused...
But, I wasn't and loved it! The male narrator made it even more creepier to listen to it at night....
I loved it! Gotta check out the wishper man now!(:

From the start, The Shadows immediately pulls you in and makes you feel attached to the characters. That is at least partly due to the fantastic narrators, which helped give the atmosphere of stepping into a creepy British crime show, which happen to be my favorite. The narrators did an excellent job with creating realistic dialogue. I can’t stand when narrators are too over-the-top or too bland with their voices, and the ones for this were perfect. I also didn’t realize that this takes place in the same universe as Alex North’s other book, The Whisper Man. I’ll definitely be checking that one out too.

When Paul was a teenager, he was detained for the brutal murder of his friend. After an investigation, Paul’s former friends Charlie and Billy were arrested. Billy was thrown in jail for 25 years. Charlie, the instigator of the crime, disappeared into woods nicknamed The Shadows and was never heard from again. Or was he?

Twenty-five years later in another town, a murder has been committed that remarkedly resembles the original murder. Detective Amanda Beck starts digging into the crime and comes across a website chat board where CC666 was giving tips to the boys who committed the new murder. Beck travels to the gloomy town to question Billy, who is now out of prison and living in his parents’ house. But when she arrives at the house, she finds that Billy has been murdered too. Other weird things are going on around town. Paul, who is back in town for the first time in 25 years to see his mother in hospice, is beginning to wonder if Charlie really is gone as things become stranger and stranger.

The timeline flips back and forth between Paul’s life leading up to the murder 25 years ago, and the present day where Paul has returned to his hometown of Gritten. We get both Detective Beck’s and Paul’s POV in the modern timeline, which was wonderfully narrated by 2 separate actors. I especially enjoyed the dual narration since the last audiobook I read had a man reading the woman’s part - poorly.

The story itself was atmospheric and creepy. I felt like I too, was traveling around Gritten, with its depressed streets and dark woods. And the little surprise that the author just stuffs in there completely shocked me. There is nothing like sitting slack-jawed in traffic wondering what you missed that you didn’t see it coming. I had heard of The Whisper Man before this, and now I definitely want to read it. What an entertaining ride!

I struggled to rate this. There were some great moments of tension where the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I was honestly scared, but the overall story was inconsistent in its intensity, and there were times my attention wandered. While there were some clever and interesting twists, this is a tale that is let down by its conclusion. I hated the ending. So much.

The audiobook narrators were good. I listened to this comfortably at 1.25 speed. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are exclusively mine.

I am reviewing the audio version of this book.

Alex North returns with The Shadows, after his previously haunting story in The Whisper Man. The Shadows is darker and the atmosphere is thick and gloomy.

The story is disturbing and unnerving. Paul Adams (masterfully narrated by John Hefferman) goes back to his hometown after 25 years of absence to visit his elderly mother. She has dementia, and after a fall, her health is rapidly declining. Paul left his town after a horrible incident involving three of his so-called friends, which ended in someone's gruesome death. The leader of the pack was a bizarre boy called Charlie Crabtree. A disturbing teenager obsessed with lucid dreaming and dark stories. No one knows what happened to Charlie after the murder. Paul has done his best to leave this incident behind.

Twenty-five years later, The crime has turned into an online myth, which in turn has resulted in copycat murders. Could Charlie be still alive and be responsible in some way?

The story develops in two different timelines, clearly marked at the beginning of each chapter (before, now). We get two narrators. Paul Adams, and detective Amanda Beck, who was first introduced in The Whisper Man.

If one thing can be highlighted about this story, is a disturbing and unnerving atmosphere and imagery (red hands, red hands everywhere!). Both narrators contribute to enhance the reader's experience. In particular, John Hefferman, whose voice made creeped me out and gave me chills.

Suspenseful, horrifying, heartbreaking, and sad, Alex North delivers a solid thriller.

The best way to describe The Shadows is deliciously malevolent.
The Shadows refers to a stand of woods behind a set of homes that was both the play spot for countless boys but was also the site of a gruesome murder of a local teen. Paul Adams was one of those boys that played and hung out in the woods with friends. And, it was a friend of his that was murdered so many years ago. Paul hoped never to return to his childhood home but is drawn back when his mother lies on her deathbed.
Then a copy-cat murder occurs bringing back all the unwanted memories to Paul. Lucid dreams, missing victims/perpetrators, sounds in the house, dark woods, unsolved crimes all work together to form a creepy chain of clues both reliable and not. The audio version does a great job of keeping the suspense climbing in its pacing. This is one to listen to with the lights.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early listen in exchange for an honest review.

The narration for this audiobook was a great choice. I loved how there was a male and a female narrator to play the two different parts. The speech was clear and the accents added to the story, not impeding it.

For the story, it was not for me. I struggled through The Whisper Man and this one was no different. I feel like there is so much hype, but it didn’t live up to my creepy expectations. I expected more suspense and terror and utterly creepy moments. However the writing did not give me that. It did however leave room for guessing and not much predictability. But I just found the storyline hard to follow, especially on audio.