One woman turns up dead while another seems to have been kidnapped. The MO is similar but puzzling at the same time.
Then the case gets even more strange with the kidnapping of a 12 year old girl and the brazen attack and kidnapping of a handicapped man.

What connects these victims and who is the perpetrator?
Are they still alive?

The Shadow Man was a fast paced and action packed thriller.
This was a bit more on the darker side which I loved.
Definitely had some good creepy moments and I absolutely loved the dynamics between Connie and Detective Baarda.

The Shadow Man" is a crime thriller novel by Helen Fields. The story is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, & follows the investigation of a series of murders committed by a mysterious and brutal killer
Connie Woolwine, a Forensic Psychologist consulting with DI Baarda of Scotland have to figure why 3 people of different age group, gender have gone missing and is this the first time the Shadow Man has committed a crime like this.
As the story unfolds, the tension builds, and the duo face numerous challenges, including conflicts with their superiors, personal demons. The novel also explores themes of family, love, and betrayal, as the duo uncover shocking revelations about the killer’s past. This book also talks about what can happen if incorrect medical treatments are experimented.

This book was gripping, suspenseful and an absolute bone chilling thriller.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio, Netgalley and Helen Fields for approving the audio ARC in exchange for honest review.

I read and listened to this book simultaneously and one thing is for sure... this is definitely a book to read! Fantastic and fast paced thriller and I got to learn about two new conditions (medical and psychological). The narration was superbly done by both Robin Laing and Cathleen McCarron. I particularly loved the male narration as he really nailed Fergus's character. My first book by Helen Fields and loved it!

I received both an e-Arc and audio Arc of the book from the publishers Avon/Harper Collins Audio and the author Helen Fields via NetGalley.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Wow! This is the second book I have read from Helen Fields, and it was just as good as the previous one I read (which was One for Sorrow). I really loved this book, which was fast paced, creepy, dark, gruesome, shocking and thrilling. It is one of those books which shocks you so much that you are just sitting there with your mouth open, thinking 'oh my God'.

The story is set in Edinburgh, with DI Baarda and Connie the forensic psychologist. Some people go missing, and it is discovered that they are taken by a male psychopath, who is looking to make up his own family, but he does so in a horrific way.

The characters of the book are all beautifully sculpted and presented; my favourite was the young girl, who was just a wee strong superstar.

The two narrators of the story were outstanding, and did a perfect job bringing the story to life.

The ending of the book was amazing, and I don't really know what else to say, but WOW!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Man is Helen Fields' first standalone book following her 'Perfect' series. I must admit I haven't read any of the series but I'll definitely be adding it to my TBR pile. The Shadow Man features Fergus, the eponymous shadow man, who is a terrifying figure. He suffers from Cotard's syndrome, also known as walking dead syndrome, and believes he is dead. This belief gives him enormous freedom to do what he wants, no matter how dangerous or immoral. He's grotesquely skeletal giving him the appearance of Jack Skellington, and he desperately wants a family of his own. The only way he can achieve this is to kidnap members of the public and imprison them in his flat. This is how Elspeth, Meggy, and Xavier come to be locked in his flat and they must find a way to escape.

There has been a refreshing blend of thriller and horror in recent years and <em>The Shadow Man</em> expertly brings the two genres together. The book is incredibly dark, disturbing, and violent as Connie, the profiler trying to identify and catch Fergus, comes closer to understanding his behaviour and puts herself in danger to save the three victims.

Each of the characters in The Shadow Man is exceptionally written and there's plenty of suspense throughout to keep any reader gripped.

The Shadow Man by Helen Fields narrated by Robin Laing and Cathleen McCarron is a crime story worth listening to. Elspeth has been kidnapped, forced to marry and now held in a house, she is not the first to inhabit the rooms with furniture screwed the floor and the windows blocked up and won't be the last, although her capturer Fraser, is dying he hasn't finished. The Edinburgh crime team have called on the expertise of forensic psychologist Connie Woolwine to profile the perpetrator, she is teamed up with DI Baarda who together form a formidable team to help rescue Elspeth. Her eccentric ways and his Britishness create a good pairing, both professionally and socially as they set to work hunting down the shadow man.
The narrative switches between the detectives and the victims getting clues to why he's kidnapped Elspeth and why, he has to have more. The plot moves along as Fraser is running out of time to complete his goal, he gets careless and the police get closer, concluding in an action packed ending. The characters are written well, Connie the brash American always pushing the boundaries, Baarda's Boss is brilliant, think Carmichael in line of duty! Meggy, the second victim who I also really like, she is determined not to die. The narrators for the characters are good, the Scottish accent for Fraser was particularly droning - just like the real thing!
Overall, this is a good crime thriller, with plenty of action, a little bit of gore and a good plot. 4*
Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

3 seemingly random people missing and locked together in a flat by the shadow man.

Edinburgh police don't necessarily connect the dots on the crimes until Connie, an crime psychologist assisting on a case connects the dots.

Initially Connie really annoyed me. She sounds robotic and lacks in personality, which is how her character is described but she does eventually become a but more human and more tolerable as the story develops.

This audiobook is interesting as it has two POVs with two narrators. Fergus is played well. He is creepy and slimy sounding, exactly as you would expect his character to be. His brute strength for someone so unwell come across in his sheer determination. Creepy thrilling read thats definitely gripping.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC.

I am loving the influx of the the variety of audiobooks ARCs that are now available - and The Shadow Man is one of the recent audiobooks that I had the opportunity to actually be able to listen.

The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is my introduction to the author’s works - and it was actually one that I thoroughly enjoyed - a psychological thriller that kept me on my toes from the start till the end.

Connie, our protagonist, is a forensic psychologist on loan to the Scotland Yard for some very intriguing missing persons case. Connie is no nonsense, sarcastic and foul mouthed confident lady who basically connects with criminals far better than she could with her colleagues.

The missing people have absolutely nothing in common with each other, spanning ages, sexes as well disabilities; but Connie is the one who starts to understand that there is a common thread that connects all of them together.

Unlike majority of the Audiobooks, the one thing that’s absolutely enthralled me in Th Shadow Man was the way the narrator(s) ended up emulating the multiple POVs in different accents as required by the characters themselves, making the experience of listening to the audiobook; a wonderful experience.

The Shadow Man is a creepy psychological thriller that sets the field for some amazing and thrilling books in what I hope would be a long term series with Connie as the protagonist!

Excellent audio book!!! I really enjoyed this physiological thriller. The narration was superb and the story kept me turning the pages !

Really enjoyed this Audio book , I enjoyed the story and the narrators pace was spot on
I read/listen to a lot of psychological thrillers and wasn't sure I would enjoy this after listening to the first couple of chapters but as the story progressed I found I liked the main characters Detective Inspector Brodie Baarda and Psychological Profiler Dr Constance 'Connie" Woolwine who are thrown together to find a high profile missing person.
The story develops as a seemingly straightforward missing person case and turns into something far more sinister as the pair realise that they have more than one missing person on their hands.
The more into the investigation they get it reveals .a very dangerous man there are unexpected twists and turns at every corner. it's a desperate game of cat and mouse, each side determined not to let the other succeed.


I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an audio copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

What a fabulous author Helen Fields is! I've worked my way though the DI Callanach series and loved all of the books, so I jumped at the chance to listen to this stand-along book!
The Shadow Man is a gory thriller that manages to get the perfect balance between an interesting crime with a twisted perpetrator and a well-drawn team of other characters with detailed back stories.
There are some scary moments in this book, particularly towards the end. The descriptions of the perpetrator and his fantasy stayed with me for a long time after the audio ended.
Overall, The Shadow Man hooked me from the outset and I stayed listening for several hours at a time! Highly recommended.

“Scale is irrelevant when you’re the captive.” The Shadow Man by Helen Fields.

Been meaning to post about this audiobook for weeks now. Just haven’t been able to take a decent picture. 😂 And one off my NetGalley shelf!

4 stars. I did the audiobook and may I say, Fergus is absolutely creepy here. Kudos to the narrator for that.

I think I enjoyed it more as an audiobook. The narrators effectively conveyed the emotions of the characters, the creepy sickness of Fergus, Connie’s rather smart-mouthed attitude, Barda’s steadiness, Meggie’s bravado, Elspeth’s resignation, and Xavier’s pragmatism.

Connie and Barda are racing to catch Fergus, who seems to always disappear after the crime. With at times, little support from the chief of police, and as a result, from the rest of the force. A modern day crime fiction, told in the alternating points of view of Connie and Fergus.

Fergus is creepy and sick and really made me pause whenever it’s his turn. Connie at times, got on my nerves for being a bit abrasive. But I was rooting for her to hurry up and find Fergus and the people he abducted before the worst can happen.

I thought at one point it was almost over... but no, it just got more dangerous for Elspeth, Meggie, Connie and Barda.

In the end, it felt like the author set it for a sequel if needed. Or it could end there too.

Thank you Harper Collins UK Audio, Avon Books and NetGalley for the copy of this book. It was exciting and I enjoyed it.

Fast paced thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat. Really enjoyed getting to know the central characters

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.

I listened to the audiobook of The Shadow Man and it was chilling and scary. The story is fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat, The story is written from multiple points of view, which made it even more interesting.

My thanks to Netgalley for my audio copy of The Shadow Man. This was one of the most psychologically chilling and creepy book ever. I think this effect was maximised by the brilliant narrator.

My favourite book so far this year! It ticked all the strong female lead boxes for me with a forensic psychologist named Connie who's personality has been forged through personal loss and another strong female is brought to the fore with one of the kidnap victims who is young but believably fierce for a long time. Connie is teamed up with Detective Barda which is an uneasy alliance for much of the book but the tension is perfectly worked throughout. I listened to an audio version and my audio books usually keep me company while I bake so I kept looking for excuses to make things so I could listen to more of this novel. The narration is splendid and helps the book come alive in a way that made me want to look over my shoulder more than once....just in case the Shadow Man was watching and had decided I was a perfect specimen for his needs.

Honestly, I don't know if I liked this book or not. The storyline itself was good. Where it really fell flat for me was the dialogue. Connie was every American cliche rolled into one dysfunctional human being. "Get this rushed through the police labs. And I mean rushed like fast food, not rushed like new legislation." Good grief, does anyone talk like this? Combine this with the way the narrator chose to perform her voice grated on my nerves from the moment Connie was introduced. It had the feel of the "Matchup" stories where two writers come together to write a story that pairs up the authors' famous protagonists. Sometimes it works and sometimes if feels forced. This pairing felt forced. I have a feeling that the narration really soured me on Connie, so I am giving this book the benefit of the doubt. So I'm giving this book 3 stars, my average rating, because the story was well-written and held my interest even though I had a hard time getting past the dialogue and narration of Connie.

EXCERPT: A sleeping woman watched over by the stranger who had hidden for hours in the shadowed bay of her bedroom curtains. That's all there was to the scene. He was a spider, patient and unmoving, poised to drop and stun his prey. There was no malice to it, only need.

ABOUT 'THE SHADOW MAN': He collects his victims. But he doesn’t keep them safe.

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.

And he’s watching.

MY THOUGHTS: Chilling and creepy! I did a read/listen of The Shadow Man and even the voice of the Shadow Man gave me goosebumps!

I had never heard of Cotard's Syndrome or Walking Corpse Syndrome which is a rare mental disorder in which the affected person holds the delusional belief that they are dead, do not exist, are putrefying, or have lost their blood or internal organs. One of the consequences of Cotard's syndrome is self-starvation because if you're dead, you don't need to eat. And this is what our 'Shadow Man' suffers from.

Fields has written a gripping story which is told from the perspective of The Shadow Man, his abductees, and American Forensic Psychologist Connie Woolwine who is working with Detective Baarda to find Elspeth. Even though we know from the outset who the Shadow Man is, Fields keeps the tension ramped up and the pace frantic as Baarda and Connie try to piece together what is happening, often clashing in their views.

There's a lot of really crazy stuff going on in this book, but nothing that is going to require the reader to suspend belief.

If you are looking for a fast paced, exciting chiller-thriller, this is it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheShadowMan #NetGalley #helenfields @Helen_Fields
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #psychologicalthriller #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Helen is a former criminal and family law barrister. She currently commutes between West Sussex, Scotland and California. She lives with her husband and three children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Avon Books UK for providing me with both a digital ARC and an audiobook of The Shadow Man written by Helen Fields, narrated by Robin Laing and Cathleen McCarron, for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

WoW, ...........WoW...........what a Book The Shadow Man by Helen Fields was.......I had the book from netgalley, then
I was lucky to get the audioBook to listen to......This was just brilliant..
The Narrators were: Robin Laing, Cathleen McCarron and they were perfect for this new book by Helen. I was hooked from the very beginning and till the end. Helen Fields has created a great serial killer in this novel who was a true monster in every part and this book is not for the faint hearted, So be warned!.

I highly recommend this book a dn was a cracking read and great to listen to as well. I can't recommend it enough! Just Brilliant!!!

I loved the cover to this book and was perfect...........

Big thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon books UK and NetGalley for my copy to read and review.

Connie is an American forensic psychologist who only sees things in black and white (literally!) She is partnered with DS Brodie Baarda to look into the disappearance of a young woman in Edinburgh.

This is a very dark book with a fair bit of gore, and as I listened my blood ran cold. The Shadow Man is so scary . His sick both mentally and physically and Ms Field's descriptions of his made my flesh creep. The book starts fairly slowly and I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy it, but about 25% in it really took off and I couldn't stop listening. The climax was truly intense and scary.

Connie is a brilliant, interesting character. She is a brash American with a unique way of working, and is the perfect foil to Baarda who is more restrained. I loved Connie's back story which helped me to understand her. At the moment this book is a standalone, but I'd love to meet Connie and Baarda again.

The narration by Cathleen McCarron and Robin Laing was superb.