DNF at 23%. I love the Unsub series and Shadowheart was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. I almost started reading the day I got it but decided to save for vacation. All that to say - maybe I was doomed by my own expectations being too high.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. I gave it longer than I normally would and hoped I would get pulled into it but I didn’t and decided to set this one aside. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

5/5

This remains one of my all time favorite series. Just like the last three books, this was so so good. These books read like episodes of Criminal Minds. While reading this one, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!! The way the author gives the readers nuggets of information that the FBI agents don’t know is sheer perfection. I very much enjoyed all of the twists and turns of this case! I’m already impatiently waiting for the next book!!

really good book with great pacing and sucked you in. characters remind me of a csi show. enjoyed it.

I really enjoy the UNSUB series. This one was good but seemed a bit of a wilder, more sensational plot, if that’s possible in a series about wild, sensational serial killers. The events were less personal to Caitlin, so that may have been part of the disconnect for me. I was still very caught up in it, just not as emotionally involved as I had been with the previous installments.

This is a must read! The case is dark and full of suspense. I was sucked in from the beginning and read it in one sitting. I love these characters. Caitlin is so dogged and fascinating. And Sean gets better with each story. Then there's that ending! It left me sputtering and anxious for the next one. Just wow!

Not your typical serial killer chase novel, but a well plotted well character developed crime novel that grabs the strings and doesn't let go. I loved the research Gardiner has worked into a intricated plot. Well done. Great series

The UNSUB series is one of my all time favorite series and as soon as I saw there would be a book 4, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately. I loved being back with Caitlin, Sean and the rest of the crew. Shadowheart felt like it had a little less of the personal touches of Caitlin which I've enjoyed historically and was a bit more focused solely on the Shadowheart case, however, Gardiner can do no wrong and this was still a winner for me!

Thank you to Blackstone for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This talented author has written a page turner. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author. Realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. Red herrings kept a me guessing. The ending is not easily discerned. Two serial killers make for a story that is unique.

A new addition to a successful series that has some excellent ideas and plot structure. Reading an advance version left me with a feeling that some editing is still needed.

If you like thrillers the Unsub series is perfect. The newest book of the series holds up with the "edge of your seat" thrill that the previous books had. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series so far but I think that this one brings me back to the feelings I had when I read the first book. Even though a bit predictable, I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I hope that the next book will dive more into The Ghost.

Very, very disappointing. I was a big fan of the Unsub series from the first -- I thought UNSUB was one of the finest crime novels in its sub-genre I had ever read -- but the subsequent titles have all come up short of UNSUB's extraordinary promise, and SHADOWHEART is by far the worse book in the series.

Instead of displaying the diamond-hard focus of UNSUB, it's soft and flabby and seems padded with endless repetitious rumination that is of little use in advancing the narrative. And it was a confusing enough narrative to follow already with far too many constantly shifting points of view and time jumps. Unfortunately, understanding the narrative was made even harder for me since the publisher provided an ARC so badly formatted that time breaks and even dialogue were often run together and required the text to be pulled apart and decoded before it could be read.

The worst part of SHADOWHEART was the downright laughable ending. It rested entirely on an outrageous and unbelievable coincidence and then concluded with yet another ridiculous coincidence. It's a text-book example of lazy writing.

It always pains me to have to speak badly of a book I have been provided here, but publishers are entitled to and should expect honesty from advance readers, and this was simply not a good book. Meg Gardiner is capable of far, far better. She showed that brilliantly in UNSUB. I hope she can somehow recapture that magic if the series continues.

Great book! This book definitely got my heart pumping! It had a bit of everything! It had high suspense, action packed, murder, serial killers, revenge, blood shed, great police work, and some really crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as its well worth reading! Its a heart pounding page turner! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The incomparable Gardiner adds another novel to her UNSUB collection. FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix is dealing with a nightmare – two serial killers are trying to outdo each other in a twisted and deadly competition. Effrem Judah Goode sits in prison, drawing pictures of the women he’s claimed to have killed while their anguished families look for any clues in the pictures that will lead them to the remains of their loved ones. At the same time, another killer is leaving new victims at the site of Goode’s murders. Caitlin is left with the task of finding the connection between the two killers and must risk her own safety and sanity to stop the killings and bring some semblance of closure to the grieving families of the victims/ One of Gardiner’s best