This one wasn’t for me. I wasn’t enjoying the characters and found myself loosing attention.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for my gifted copy

This was my first book by Graham Masterton and it won’t be my last.i loved it! It is full of suspense, mystery, supernatural thrills, and horror; there was never a dull moment. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of horror or supernatural thrillers like John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series.

Be warned: it is abut graphic in areas and includes cannibalism. But I loved the ending and finding out the how/why behind it all. This is the third book in the Patel and Pardoe series but I read it without reading the first 2 and loved it and nothing was given away about the first 2 books either.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A disturbing and twisted detective story. It was addictive and constantly left the reader on their toes wanting to know what happened next.

'The Shadow People' by Graham Masterton is a thriller that follows detectives investigating the disappearances linked to a cannibalistic cult. It's a good read for those who enjoy dark and intense mysteries, but not for the faint-hearted!

This was a creepy good time. I think it had really good atmosphere even if a bit slow. I would recommend it to other horror fans.

"The Shadow People" by Graham Masterton is a chilling horror novel that delves into the investigation of a ritualistic cult inspired by Neolithic cannibals. The story is centered around DS Jamila Patel and DC Jerry Pardoe, who are tasked with solving a series of gruesome and mysterious crimes.

Hm, basically a story that wouldn’t feel out of place of a good horror B-movie, it was decent. The problems I had with Ghost Virus are here, and seem to be more a nature of the writer or books. These aren’t enough to destroy the story, or stop me enjoying it, which I did, and I’d say the positives outweigh the negatives, but I can see that’s an uneasy balance and could tip the wrong way very easily.
Full review on YouTube

This book has that '80s vibe you'd associate with those covers that were beautifully detailed and incredibly gruesome. God knows Masterton put out plenty of those.

Don't judge a book by its cover though because this is pretty classic Masterton- if a touch more grounded than something like Walkers or The Manitou.

The plot would probably be schlocky in a lesser writers hands, an ancient deity and a cannibal cult roaming the streets of London, chowing down on the local homeless population but the characters are richly developed, and the descriptions are vivid, sometimes stomach churning.

I'm a big fan of a good strong opening chapter and this one fits the bill nicely.

"Blimey, someone's having a barbecue!" - enough said.

It's an even split of police procedural and horror. So, if you're not a fan of either, it might not be your cup of tea. But if you're someone who enjoys both or craves a blend of the two, this book could be your sweet spot. Personally, I'm not usually drawn to police procedural plots, and this is the first in the series I've read. Still, I had a great time with it, mainly because Masterton's an absolute veteran and knows his way around a gang of cannibals.

"The Shadow People" by Graham Masterton is a supernatural thriller that blends elements of horror and suspense to create a tale of otherworldly menace. While it has its moments of eerie intrigue and delivers on some spine-tingling scenes, it also has its drawbacks that impact the overall reading experience.

Masterton's writing is atmospheric and adept at conjuring a sense of dread. The premise of shadowy entities lurking in the darkness and the mystery surrounding them make for a promising setup. The author crafts moments of tension and fear that effectively engage the reader and keep them invested in the story.

THE SHADOW PEOPLE – by Graham Masterton

Did you say Cannibalistic Cult In London?!? Why, Yes Please And Thank You!!

THE SHADOW PEOPLE is the first Masterson Book I have read (And Won’t Be My Last) and is Book Three of the Jerry Pardoe and Jamila Patel series.

Though a slow build throughout, the story’s premise is Disturbingly Creepy-Good—which seems to wrap up too quickly—but manages to close with the perfect scene.

Regarding characterization, I found Jerry Pardoe to be a complete A***hole, which made the circumstances centered around him moments that I cared little about, yet I remained empathetic to the plight of his coworkers and loved ones.

Thank You, NetGalley and Head of Zeus Publishing, for providing me with an eBook of THE SHADOW PEOPLE at the request of an honest review.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Three stars.
This is the third book in a series, which I was unaware of when I started it, but it worked well as a standalone, so don't worry if you also haven’t read the others. As with many of the author’s novels, this one is gory and most definitely not for the faint of heart. Shadow People was the second book I’ve read by Graham Masterton. The Manitou, my first, was a fun, campy horror novel fun which I really enjoyed , so I was really looking forward to this one. I found The Shadow People a little harder to get into, but ultimately it was a good if disturbing read that lived up to my expectations after The Manitou.

I’m very grateful to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Shadow People.

Thank You NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this novel by Graham Masterton. The following is my honest evaluation of this author's product: "Now That's A Fine Kettle Of Fish."

While I have heard of Graham Masterton occsionally in various literary circles, this was my first experience with his actual writing. It looks like I picked a real doozy of a novel as an example of his work! True horror fans will be hooked by the very first sentence. "As soon as he had smashed down the office door with his sledgehammer, Ron could smell meat burning." Not only is that a successful hook but it's also 'a taste of things to come'. If that doesn't rev up your appetite to read this book nothing else will. Sorry for the puns but they are very apropos to this story.

When true horror aficionados select a novel to read they expect gore, shock, fear and often disgust. While you will definitely get those aspects in this book, I would rate them at an 8 out of ten. Call it "soft horror" if you will. While the descriptive sections are not over the top, they will leave no doubt in your mind as to what is occurring. Even though the author comes straight at you with these events, he doesn't rub your face in it, leaving the reader to fill in the fine details.

Graham Masterton shows his writing chops by creating an imaginative modern day London where a cult of homeless people worship a demon god and speak a neolithic language which uses growls, yelps and screams to communicate with each other. They also capture, cook and eat London residents. At the root of all this is a strange elixir that is partaken on a daily basis and keeps them in some kind of stupor. And yes, it all makes sense at the end.

Most horror novelists love to splash you repetitively with deep visceral shock, demanding your attention and focusing your thoughts on the immediate and pervasive action. Graham Masterton however is a bit more delicate in his presentation. He shows you the way yet allows you to flesh things out with your own imagination. It is more fantasy than true crime novel. "Bon appetite!"

If you’ve got a sensitive stomach, do yourself a favour and stay away from this one. The first 10% contained some of the most gory details I have ever read and didn’t let up. Despite being extremely graphic the story and case itself was engaging and shocking. I didn’t realize this was the third book in a series until I started this review, so there’s no concern about jumping into this one without having read the previous ones. With that being said I myself will have to look at picking up the others because if they’re anything like this one I know I won’t want to miss them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus as well as the author for this ARC.
#NetGalley #HeadofZeus #TheShadowPeople #GrahamMasterton
Gore! Gore! Gore! Yay! This book was so fun!!! Consider this your trigger warning, this book isn’t for the faint of heart!
Two police officers who have become known for their adeptness with cases that are bizarre or supernatural in nature are called in to investigate a particularly brutal triple homicide that appear to have been cooked and consumed. They assume that it’s the work of a cult or a serial killer. Couldn’t be more than that. Could it?
This book was deliciously gory. It was an absolute bloodbath.
The descriptions of the crime scenes were visceral and detailed. This book is apparently the third in a series but it works well as a standalone novel. As I’ve said, I thought the gore was great and the writing is perfect. I’m not normally a fan of police procedurals, but this one combined cannibals and procedure beautifully. Much like the film, “The Silence of the Lambs”. Hannibal Lector would be proud!
As proud as Lector would be, it seems like he would have chosen to stick with either procedure or supernatural. Normally, I love a supernatural tale, but in this case, I would have preferred this book to stick with explainable things. The supernatural stuff wasn’t as fun as I would have normally thought. It just didn’t seem necessary. Who knew?
All in all, this book was a lot of fun and I will be checking out the previous three installments.

This book was super creepy. The gore in this was a little too much for me and it made it difficult for me to get into the plot. I liked the cult setting but I felt the beginning was a bit slow. It has heavy themes and you need to be in the right mindset to read this book, but the plot was good (especially in the second half)

This book was a bit of a let down for me. When I saw "The Shadow People" described as being about cannibals and cults, it sounded right up my alley. The writing just didn't click for me and it left me feeling disconnected from everything that was happening.

Characters 3/5
Continuous descriptors of "the fifty-ish man" and "the man with the broken nose" and other variations left me feeling like the characters were just substitutions for a casting call. The book has a very cinematic feel to it, like you're watching an episode of a crime show, but the characters just didn't feel complete.

Plot 2.5/5
I am a very plot-driven reader, but without solid characters to connect with, the plot just didn't interest me. That said, I think this could make for an interesting TV show episode.

Storytelling 2.5/5
I realized after I finished the book that this was the third book in a series. That may have added to the cinematic/TV-show style feel it had, but otherwise, it didn't feel like it was a third book. All of the pieces needed to understand this story were included in this book, but the characterizations and writing was too distracting for me.

Enjoyment 3/5
The description may have set my hopes up a little too high. I think lovers of crime shows could potentially love this book/series, but I might recommend trying book one first to see if the characters are set up better.

Atmosphere 2.5/5
For a mystery/crime book, there wasn't enough suspense or tension for me. Whenever a hint of suspense would be laid, the next chapter normally resolved the question. There was no puzzling things out, which I often enjoy with these types of books.

Not for the faint of heart. Definitely check trigger warnings before picking this one up. At times I found it a little too much for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I loved the cover. I typically love horror. But this one was just a bit too much for me. I don't mind books that are so gross I can't eat while reading them but this one was a whole new level.

And because I found this over-the-top gross, I had a really tough time getting in to the plot. I wanted to like Jerry and Jamilla but couldn't concentrate on them long enough because of the long stretches of feeding frenzies breaking it up. The last half had a lot more police work and I liked that more but I just never found my groove in this one. I wish I'd liked it more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

DNF - unfortunately this didn't really grab me. I didn't love the characters and I wasn't able to get into it

I'm sure many people will enjoy but it's not for me