Wow this book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It follows two detectives who are investigating the disappearances of seemingly random people and in doing so uncover a cannibalistic cult living right on their doorstep.

This is probably the goriest book I've read in a very very long time but it was done in a way that was actually pretty good! The first third or so of the novel was a bit slow but the rest of it definitely picked up the pace and made the slow start worth it. It particularly enjoyed finding out all of the small details that pointed to the cause of the weird behaviours within the cult as it all felt really well done and attention grabbing. The end was really good and I'm definitely glad I didn't read this in the evening because I definitely would've been nervous to go to sleep right after.

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this copy to review.

Not for the squeamish. It's gruesome. It's nasty. It's also a pretty good story! It'll have you sleep with the lights on and jump at the shadows , and make you feel like your been watched . So if you like horror then you should check this one out , it's perfect for a dark stormy type read when your by self.

This one should come with a warning label, but still super engaging, this series just keeps getting better and Graham has brought his A game. Jerry and Jamila are very likeable characters and I still love their relationship as this series grows. Fans of horror will love this one cannibals, cults and murder galore. I loved the writing style and am now going off to find more works from this author.

"The Shadow People" is not for the squeamish. It's gruesome. It's nasty. It's also a pretty good story! It does feel like things are taken a bit too far at times, and perhaps more should have been left to the reader's imagination. If you're looking for a book that has that extra shock factor, this is the book for you.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me, but it's personal preference - I think a lot of horror fans will enjoy this.

I'm kind of anal-retentive when it comes to dialogue. I strongly dislike it when 1) authors try to represent accents through misspelling words and 2) there's "floating head" dialogue, where characters are just going back and forth for extended passages with no action to anchor the scene. This text included a fair amount of both, and it just got on my nerves.

That said, the story does seem genuinely interesting and I'll probably look up spoilers when it's published.

This book... WOW!
I had no idea what I was getting into and boy oh boy what a fabulous ride this was!

This is a gory fest! This book is not for the queasy or the faint hearted. It is gory and oh so bloody good.
I could not stop turning the pages and despite taking mini breaks to process it all I just kept on reading because I needed to know the playout.

Det. Sgt. Jamila Patel and Det. Con. Jerry Pardoe are the ones who get called in when weird and supernatural crimes occur. They are called in when Three dismantled bodies are found in a London basement. The bizarre markings on the wall lead them to believe this is the work of a religious cult. The bodies which have been taken apart, roasted and eaten. The cult is not an ordinary cult. Its members are crazy, they talk only in grunts - a language of their own that is understood only by the other members.

And therein begins this bloody tale. I don't want to reveal anything more. Suffice it to say that this is a tale masterfully told by the author. It made me uncomfortable, made my heart pound and I could not put it down.

Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To give you an idea of my enthusiasm for this book--I started sending myself Kindle samples of his other novels by about 25% of the way through. Masterson has an exquisite skill with imagery--he will make you see things in your minds eye that you wish you could unsee. This skill paired with a unique and intriguing storyline make for a perfect horror thriller.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion.**

Once gain, Graham Masterston succeeded in giving me more than a few sleepless nights with this page turner--i was up until dawn reading it the first night and up until midnight the second night finishing it and creeping myself out over what I'd read. You hear a lot about suspension of disbelief being required when you enter into a book that has supernatural or extreme topics but one thing Masterston always succeeds at is NOT requiring any suspension of disbelief. His style and language is so completely spot-on that the reader doesn't have to suspend anything--you actually believe the scenarios happened--and this is the reason they're always so powerful and absorbing.
Not to be missed.

Goat headed god worshiping cannibals anyone? This book, although not actually part of an actual series has carry-over characters from two of Masterton's previous books. I'll confess it's my least favorite of the three. Like the previous books, The Shadow People is less horror and more gross paranormal mystery. I absolutely love the humor that Graham Masterton manages to get in these. As usual the main characters Jerry and Edge are hilarious and Jamila is totally focused on solving the case. It sets up the weirdness to come perfectly. If you haven't read Ghost Virus or The Children God Forgot you can still read each of them as a standalone. Masterton's descriptions of the cult were so vivid I could smell the smoke and stink. The mystery of who the cultists are and what calla dew is, was fascinating. The ending brought all the loose ends together nicely. I normally read two or three books at once but this storyline, much like his other books, was enjoyable and captivating. I ended up reading it straight through. I love reading about these police cases, keep them coming and I'll keep buying.

Trigger warning for cannibalism and child abuse.

When people begin to go missing off the streets, and others are found brutally murdered and eaten, detectives Jerry Pardoe and Jamila Patel are on the case. It is a case full of intrigue and horror.

This book is difficult to review. Like other books from Masterton, it reads as though it was written in the 1980s; in some ways, that's great - it's pretty raw and shocking. Masterton pulls no punches and writes some very gory scenes. The horror aspect is great. However, there are some passages that made me feel uncomfortable. There were some things said about people of different genders, economic and ethnic backgrounds that were problematic. Again, in the 80s, it would probably be fine, but now it comes across as unpleasant.

The plot is great, the writing is solid, but the above lets it down for me. I also found the constant slang spoken by most characters quite unnatural and jarring.

Thanks to Graham Masterton, NetGalley, and Head of Zeus for this copy.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book I’m not adverse to some blood and gore but personally I found this book to be far to graphic and over the top which is a shame as the plot had an intriguing premise.

This is a first class thriller by a true master of the genre. A great mixture of mystery, suspense and a touch of horror. Do yourself a favor and read this one today!!

Such a creepy premise and was perfect for spooky season reading! I thought it was well paced and while out there, it’s what I look for when wanting an exciting get-out-of-my-own-head reading experience! Gorey and creepy and perfect for October!

Oh my word!! I am shook after reading this book!! It is gruesome to the nth degree, crispy nipple anyone?

There were times I actually made retching sounds and Mr Graham Masterton, thank you, thank you!!! It’s probably one of the few books I’ve read without so much as an apple at hand to bite into. My fat club leader will be pleased when I hop on the scales this week.

I was slow to start this book but once I got reading it I couldn’t leave it out of my hands.
A riveting tale of cannibalism, cults, nazi’s and quite witty policemen.

Yes, it turned my stomach a time or two or more but I loved it and have no hesitation in recommending this book to fellow readers of the gruesome variety.

This is book 3 in the Pardoe and Patel series but no problems in reading it as a standalone.
And now excuse me while I hurry off to find more by this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the amazing ARC.

Graham Masterton’s The Shadow People is the third novel to feature the two London detectives Jerry Pardoe and Jamila Patel. Even if you have not read the two previous books The Shadow People reads fine as a standalone novel and makes passing references to the previous cases featured in Ghost Virus (book 1) and The Children that God Forgot (book 2). Part of my attraction for this series is the fact that it is partially set in the Tooting and Streatham areas of south London where I live. Horror legend Masterton has been on vintage form with his recent work, with The House of a Hundred Whispers being another I loved

The Fantastic Fiction website calls this the Ghost Virus series however, I refer to it as the ‘Pardoe and Patel’ series as ultimately it is the two detectives who connect the three books. At previous points in the other two novels their police colleagues have referred to Jerry and Jamilla as the ‘Ghostbusters’ as whenever there is a weird case or something unexplainable they are called. In Ghost Virus it was killer possessed clothing (don’t ask!) and in The Children that God Forgot freaky deformed children and witchcraft oozing from the London sewers. Just to be clear, the plots of these novels are totally ridiculous and hark back in style to the type of ridiculous horror which was hitting the bestseller shelves in the eighties. Very few do this type of thing better than Graham Masterton.

Just when you think it might be impossible to top the antics of book two, Masterton does exactly that with the incredibly gruesome Shadow People. This is an incredibly violent book and has multiple sequences of cannibalism and torture with people being nailed to the walls and worse. It is not for the squeamish and because the torture is often inflicted on random normal people snatched from the streets going home after work it makes it even more realistically painful. At certain points others gouge out their own eyeballs and eat them. Do not say you have not been warned. The Shadow People deserves more trigger warnings than you can poke a cat at. Even the hardiest of readers will flinch at the nails through the kneecap sequences.

As with the previous books the story is told via multiple points of view, but in the police narrative concentrates on Jerry Pardoe, who is ranked lower than Jamila Patel. Jerry has always had a secret crush on his boss but has always kept their relationship professional (Jamila would undoubtedly reject him anyway). The reader gets glimpses into Jerry’s private life, but not Jamila who remains a mystery. If this series is to have longevity then I would suggest Jamila needs to have a stronger and more distinctive voice and not just a sidekick to Jerry.

Right from the start you know The Shadow People is going to be a vicious read when police discover a shopping trolley full of human skulls whilst investigating a spate of homeless people disappearing. Masterton gleefully describes the police discovering huge fire pits which they quickly realise are full of half-digested human remains. Shock quickly mounts when they realise the sheer number of people the individuals the remains come from. Before long the police are on the hunt for a ritualistic cult inspired by Neothilic cannibals. How do we happen to have Neothilic cannibals in modern day London? Even for a Masterton novel that reasoning is farfetched! Long term fans familiar with his work will undoubtedly take it in their stride, newbies to his work might be laughing in disbelief.

Some of the alternative points of view were a real highlight, especially as we saw the inner workings of the cult and an internal power struggle within the group and what happens when two young brothers are kidnapped from a Scout campsite.

You just cannot take these books seriously otherwise you might struggle with the casual sexism and other non-PC comments regarding race and gender which pop up in the book. Also, there was too much Cockney slang, which might grate with non-British readers, and since the book is predominately set in south London this area does not speak this dialect, which is more east London.

One wonders where Graham Masterton might possibly take the ‘Pardoe and Patel’ series next? I almost have a gleefully morbid fascination in discovering what could possibly top The Shadow People in levels of grossness. But this author has been around the horror block so many times absolutely anything is possible.

Definitely not for the faint-hearted and I'd recommend people not to read this book when eating food.
Macabre, gore, cannibalism all form a part of this story and seriously folks, the depth of writing is such that you can easily smell the burning and hacking which frequently happens in the storyline.
Detectives Jamila & Jerry are taksed with seemingly a case of 'homeless' people but soon discover that much lies beneath the surface.

This book is recommended to only those hardcore gory fans and definitely not for those who are looking only at evil and sinister people and cults.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest feedback

Recommended : 3.5, its a good book, just not for me.

You kind of know you are in for a bumpy ride when the opening chapter of a book features police officers finding a shopping trolley full of human skulls.
I often go into book reviewing blind to the plot and look to be surprised and I must admit I was expecting something supernatural with a title like The Shadow People, but this story falls more into the cult category.
Early on this can be quite difficult to get into, with some of the protagonists coming across as deeply unlikeable but once you realise that Masterton is working in a grey area where there is no black and white, good versus evil, you can appreciate what he is doing here.
Given that his cult are feasting on humans, he doesn't hold back either, with some chapters seeing innocent people literally ripped to shreds. If you have a thing about eyeballs, this probably isn't for you.
Around the midway point we also have a sideplot involving different strands of the cult, which you aren't entirely sure will be paid off.
The Shadow People becomes more of a procedural as it develops but as we ramp to the finale you almost expect something loud, brash and spectacular whereas Masterton pivots to something deeper and more brooding.
The Shadow People is an original and at times horrifying read that is certainly not for the squeamish.

What an awesome book! This was a horror/police procedural following two detectives who are investigating a cannibalistic cult that worships an ancient god.

I had no idea this was book 3 of a series when I requested it but it works perfectly fine as a standalone. It was fast-paced and gruesome with some very vivid imagery. It is very gory so proceed with caution if you're sensitive to that.

The alternating point of view narration in this made for some great, well-rounded story telling. I especially loved the perspective of the cult members it followed and that of the victims. It was interesting to see into the minds of some of the group members and equally as horrifying to get into the mindset of the victims as horrible things happened to them.

The end was tense and thrilling. The supernatural flair of this book really bumped this up another notch for me.

My one and only criticism for this is the language used in dialogue. The characters use a lot of Cockney slang which I found really hard to follow at times. I did get more used to it by the end but it was a bit jarring at first.

I will definitely be going back and reading books 1 and 2 of this series now. If you're looking for a bloody horror with a supernatural element and a police mystery to solve this is a book for you!

Thank you to #netgalley and #headofzeus for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

To be fair, I have not read the other books in this series, so I can't complain about the lack of character background. I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, and as a frequent horror-reader I wasn't put off by the gory, gruesome details. What I had trouble getting through, however, was the dialogue. They lay on the colloquialisms pretty thick and there are also some parts I found borderline offensive when discussing other genders/ethnicities and mental health.
It is not poorly written, but if we have similar tastes, you may want to skip this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to read and review this advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and I am so glad that I was granted an ARC because now I want to read them all! The Shadow People is a fantastic combination of police procedural and horror. It is gory and not for the feint of heart, but I loved every second of it. I was not aware when I started this that it is a part of a series and it does lack some background character information because of that. But I would still recommend it as this did not detract from the story.
There is a good balance between the investigative storytelling and narration by the victims/cult members. As a reader, I felt that I was fully encompassed in the world the author had created. This book is gripping, I had difficulty putting it down or getting other things accomplished while reading it because I could not look away. I will be sharing this one in my horror book club and can't wait to discuss with fellow horror lovers!
Thanks so much for the ARC Netgalley and the publisher. I am planning to read the first two books and other works by Masterton, he may just be a new favorite author!