When I started this book I thought that this was either going to be a 2 star read or even a possible DNF but then around the 30% mark it started to click and I was able to get into the flow of the story.

The reason I was able to continue was without a doubt the characters of Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist, along with her partner Brodie Baarda, a London detective, both of whom have been asked to assist in capturing the Shadow Man. I loved their chemistry. I loved Connie's take no shit attitude against Brodie's more gentile and polite manner. They were just so much fun to read and their sections were so very good. (I'd love to see these two again - just throwing that out there Ms. Fields!)

My problem came with our perpetrator. I was actually repulsed by his description and because of that I wasn't able to take this seriously. At first. Eventually I found my footing and by the end of the book I do know why this person is the way they are. TW: If you have any type of tooth phobia then steer clear of this! Yikes.

If your in the mood to spend time with a very demented psychopath then The Shadow Man should fit the bill perfectly. 3.5 stars!

My favorite Connie quote: "The world would be a much better place if being a complete dick were illegal."

Ain't that the truth!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A woman disappears. Another is dead. Where is Elspeth? Massive police resources are thrown into finding her and then there is another disappearance and then another.
I am not a big police procedural fan. However, this is not a book dominated by your average police investigation. We follow DI Baarda who is seconded to the scottish force as well as Dr Woodbine, a psychologist. In other chapters we follow the story of the disappeared and also get glimpses inside the mind of the person who took them.
I found this a well written, interesting and in places thoroughly gripping book. I found it interesting to look inside the mind of the person who is taking these people. Piecing together those clues as to why they are doing this. In fact I enjoyed most of the characters. Dr Connie Woodbine is a bit odd and, in places, implausible. She does & says some things which I really struggled to see her getting away with in reality. There are also certain aspects of the ending concerning Dr Woodbine which didn't quite sit right with me. However, on the whole, the book worked and I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book. Having previously read several books by Helen Fields I was delighted to be offered this ARC. This stand alone story begins with a kidnap going terribly wrong and a woman dies. Things escalate when the kidnapper becomes more desperate in his quest and begins to accumulate people to join his ‘family’. A race against time begins to find these unfortunate souls. Dr Connie Woolwine, an American psychologist assists DI Baarda in trying to understand the motives of the kidnapper. Without giving away any spoilers, the described condition was fascinating to discover and understanding the mind of a sufferer instilled further fear and tension into a book packed with the many actions of a person who has no sense of fear or repercussions. A definite page turner and one I hope will be just the start of a series with these two likeable characters, whose chemistry bounces off the pages. A great read and one I can thoroughly recommend.

Elspeth has found herself in a living nightmare. She has learned the rules, but now Meggie has jointed her in this unknown location. She needs to teach Meggie the rules, but Meggie is a young girl, who doesn't want to play by the rules. She wants her mommy. While Elspeth and Meggie try to escape Xavier, a man in a wheelchair is added to their group. Why has the shadow man put them all together? Another great read from Helen Fields. Thanks netgalley.

I am a fan of Helen Field’s books so when I saw this I had to read it. It’s a standalone book this time which I was a bit nervous about as I love the Luc and Ava series, but I needn’t have worried. This one is just as good, well written with good characters.

Set in Edinburgh , someone is kidnapping people, but why? What does he want? Fergus is a strange “man” but I found his character really interesting and the book kept me guessing right the way through.

Loved seeing some familiar faces as well. Highly recommend this book.

Oh wow I loved this!
Absolutely devoured it in two sittings. I'm a fan of Helen Fields anyway but she has surpassed herself here. Fantastic!

Helen Fields is the author of the series of D.I. Luc Callanach detective novels. Having read a number of the books in the series, I was keen to read this latest book by the author. Like the Luc Callanach series, this book is set in Edinburgh and follows an investigation by Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team (MIT). Some of the MIT’s minor characters from previous books feature in this story, but two new characters are the main protagonists in this book, which therefore can be read as a standalone. Detective Inspector Brodie Baarda, an Eton-educated detective from London has been drafted into Edinburgh’s MIT due to staff shortages. Also seconded to the investigation is Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic psychologist from Massachusetts in the USA. The story revolves around these two main characters, both outsiders to Edinburgh.

At the outset of the book, a woman has been abducted. Connie Woolwine has been brought in to provide a profile of the offender. Later on, another woman’s dead body is discovered and more abductions occur. There develops a race against time as Connie Woolwine and D.I. Baarda attempt to track down the missing persons. As in the author’s previous books, the tension is maintained throughout and there was plenty of action and drama, resulted in my wanting to keep reading and find out what happened next. I should add a care warning that some of the descriptions in the book are very graphic.

As a fan of the the D.I. Callanach series, I enjoyed this book and found it to be to be an interesting spinoff. Indeed, the premise bears some similarities to “Perfect Remains”, one of the early D.I. Callanach books. I found the main characters well drawn, both of them coming to the investigation with personal issues. It was also an interesting, and different, perspective to have a story featuring a criminal profiler, and I enjoyed reading about some of the unconventional methods she employed. The city of Edinburgh also features strongly in the narrative and it was fun to track the movements of the various characters around the city. Overall, I found the book to be a thrilling and interesting account of a major police investigation into a bizarre series of crimes.

Another fantastic crime thriller by Helen Fields which follows a different set of characters but is still set in Scotland.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. One of which is a forensic psychologist. However, in real life a forensic psychologist rarely works with the police and definitely wouldn't draw up criminal profiles as accurate or specific as the character does in this book.

As always I loved the writing and pace of this book. There was never a point where I was bored or disengaged.

I thought I knew where the story right from the start, but the author manages to add some really interesting elements, to shake up the plot and make it stand out from all the other crime thrillers on the market.

I particularly liked the character who couldn't see colour, I thought that was really interesting.

The ending was pretty intense but kept me hooked right till the last page.

Overall, I highly recommend this thriller as I do all of Helen Fields books.

TW: death, violence, murder, mental illness, suicide references, kidnapping, death of baby and gore

Thanks netgalley and Helen Fields for letting me read a very edition of this book. I loved it.
Really could not put it down, brilliant.
Don’t want to spoil this story by giving too much away.
A man who thought he was dying, and never having a family decided to kidnap a family.
He wanted to be loved as that had been missing all of his life.
So he got hold of a wife, a child, and a brother do they could be one happy family.
But things did not work out for him as planned, and the maniac he was turned out to be a monster as well.
Five stars and more.

I loved this book. If you've read the "Perfect..." series you'll know Helen Fields can create drama, tension & intrigue aplenty. Her villain is chilling & totally unique, his crimes are deeply disturbing.

From the prologue you know this story is going to be very creepy. Then the action starts & the book rarely let's up as the story moves at pace. Fields has a way of inviting you to get to know her characters quickly, they have little nuances & quirks that humanise them & make you want to like them or loathe them. I wish I hadn't had to put this down, if life hadn't got in the way I'd have read this in one amazing go.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go. Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth. Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.

I am a big fan of Fields' books and was excited to read this standalone. Imagine my delight when I discovered previous characters feature in this something dedicated readers always appreciate. Back the plot and wow what a crime read this is! Fields has thrown everything at this; this is horrifying, grim, full of despair and agony and yet, out of nowhere comes hope which overwhelms the read and ensures there is still that positive sheen to it. I was absolutely hooked by this and completely incapable of putting it down. More to point I did not want to.

As I have said this is a very different crime read and I think that is because we follow the victims as they desperately fight for survival. I am not going to say who if any survive but it is following them and seeing them seize every opportunity that makes this read so full of hope. They really are in a desperate situation but they cling on to anything that might keep them going and it made for gripping, emotional reading.

Staying on the subject of the characters, Fields has created a mixed bunch that all bring something to the plot. They may not all be likeable but they are definitely realistic and enable the reader to get behind them and root for them. I have to give a special mention to Connie, she is such an interesting character, I was obsessed with her. Connie's profession is fascinating, her personality intriguing and her background turns out to be just as interesting. Connie absolutely made this read.

I have already touched on this but I really do have to express how horrifying and grim this read is. The plot is one of the darkest I have read in a long time, not in a gory way but in an all too real way. Fields really captures all the terror and I felt like I was living the life of the characters. It makes for incredible reading but be warned this is a very dark and disturbing read.

'The Shadow Man' has everything you want from a crime and then has the added bonus of Connie who really makes this read. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.

Shadow Man is an exciting thriller that brings us into the mind of a psychopath as he chooses his victims and deals with his mental state. Dr. Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist and London Detective Brodie Baarda are investigating a murder and multiple kidnappings in Edinburgh. Since we see into the killer’s mind, we know from the start what his plan is and his very disturbed reasons for kidnapping and murder. Woolwine and Baarda can’t seem to catch up as there is one kidnapping after another. A woman, a man and a child have all been locked into a windowless apartment and they don’t understand why, but we know.

This is a fast-paced book with twists and turns along the way. The villain is so different from most other books of this type, that it was hard to guess what would happen next. I raced through this book and enjoyed the real-time events. It made me feel the anxiety and stress of trying to solve this case. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading other works by Helen Fielding, the author. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Totally creepy, addictive read. A mentally ill man will stop at nothing to get the perfect family, even if he has to murder multiple people to get it. Dark look at the mind of a serial killer who has kidnapped three people and locked them in an apartment together. The people are strangers but must work together to try and survive and outwit the seriously demented man who put them there. Full of twists and turns and extremely dark, this book was impossible to put down. Highly recommend.

Connie is an American Psychologist invited to help out in a high-profile kidnapping. As she begins to gather clues the case explodes as a child and a wheel-chair bound man are both kidnapped too and the perpetrator is linked to a previous gruesome murder. Meanwhile Elspeth, Meggie and Xavier have to try to find a way to escape their kidnapper whilst surviving his temper and his punishments. Locked in a flat, they don't know each other or why they are there. All they know is the Shadow Man has them.

I particularly enjoyed this book. The characters were brought to life and the plot was intriguing. With the narrative swapping between the victims, the perpetrator and the investigators the story was fast paced and exciting. Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for allowing me to preview this title. I shall certainly be looking for other books by this author

The Shadow Man was such a chilling and eerie read! It kept me at the edge of my seat and I especially enjoyed the chapters based on the 3 victims! They each have different backgrounds and different ages but, that is what was needed for them to be taken in the first place. The other chapters are your typical crime book where we follow detectives, named Connie and Baarda, where they find out information and try to solve the case. However, these sections are what make it so good!

Fields had a very clever way of writing, and I felt as if I was in the room with the victims - fighting for survival. This book was suspenseful throughout and at certain moments, I got goosebumps. The thought of being kidnapped and trapped, is terrifying and Fields really depicts the whole situation well. The Shadow Man is just as creepy as you’d expect him to be, and there is a lot to find out about his story too. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, then this is a book for you!

Massive fan of Helen Fields books and this one is definitely one of her best. Could not put it down once I had started! Definitely worth reading

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK.

5 STAR READ. This was a sensational book, i read this so quickly within 24 hours as well, it had me hooked and wanting more, it was very page turning book as well, i definitely recommend for all as you will not be disappointed i loved this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was creepy in a good way and kept your attention throughout.
I also learnt new things which is always a good thing.

The plot was intense and well planned out and kept my interest throughout the book. I really needed to get to the end to find out what happened.

This was my first Helen Fields but won;t be my last..

My favourite character was Meggy, she was a little firecracker. and she was so well constructed.

With thanks to NetGalley and to Avon Books for the arc in return for an honest and fair review.

DI Brodie Braada from the Met has met up with American profiler Connie Woodwine in Edinburgh. They’ve been called in to help with the kidnapping case. Elspeth is the daughter in law of a high profile businessman and it’s all hands on deck. Despite a ransom call it comes clear that this isn’t a straightforward abduction and a stranger has taken Elspeth for unknown reasons. Then a twelve year old girl, Meggy, is abducted from outside her school. Connie is convinced that the two cases are linked but how can she and Braada stop a killer who believes he’s a ghost and invisible to everyone else around him?

Great read - hope there will be more cases for Braada and Woodwine as they made a great team.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Helen Fields for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I LOVE Helen Fields and was delighted to be offered a ADR of her new book The Shadow Man due for publication early 2021. This standalone (or perhaps first of a new series) had intricately entwined references to the "Perfect" Series by way of Overbeck and Aisla Lambert but the books are in no way linked, it was just a wonderful reference to the rich scenes and characters Fields developed and I felt immediately drawn back into this world.

Set again in Edinborough the book focuses on two man characters who are equally electrifying with the gorgeous detective Detective Baarda and Constance "Connie" Woolwine, the unconventional no holding back american forensic profiler.

The crime is fitting with Fields style of graphic, claustrophobic thriller prose laced with horror and suspense and I raced through this book. I love that she has stuck with rich, deep characters and a fast past unwinding of the story that has you equally awed and frustrated with the police, detectives and Constance. A homage to the original "psychological thriller" rather than the flimsy shallow suspense novels of late. Well done Ms Fields a cracking novel and I highly recommend! 5/5