Though Shadow City is the sequel to Present Tense it can be enjoyed as a standalone – but I do recommend you start with the first book to follow the character arc. This story has the dual setting of Sydney, Australia and Cape Town South Africa, and dual protagonists Sergeant Jackie Rose (Aus) and Detective Schalk Lourens (S. Africa). It begins with the murder of a young woman in Chinatown, Sydney. Just as Rose gets her teeth into this case, she is ordered to hand it over to Australian Federal Police. Meanwhile, a young South African girl, recruited to study in Sydney, is reported missing. Lourens is suspended from duty, and he uses the opportunity to visit his daughter and investigate the girl’s disappearance, bringing him into partnership with local detective Rose. They join forces to investigate these cases and find they are the tip of a horrific iceberg. Who can they trust? How can they prevent the exploitation and deaths of more young people? Can they bring the missing girl home safely? This is a dark, believable story of cross-continental crime and corruption, but the author deftly interweaves the personal stories of Rose and Lourens to give light and shade and to connect us with the characters and their mission. We also see Sydney through the lens of a visitor and are part of the inner turmoil for Lourens – here is a veteran South American cop who will always be marked by the Apartheid, who may or may not have a career to return to, who is not sure where he fits in the world.
I highly recommend Shadow City for its values as a thriller, its insight into the ongoing division and violence in South African, and for the characters of Rose and Lourens who I hope will return in a third book.
Shadow City is out now. 5.0 stars

Well I recently finished this book and before I got around to doing my review I saw the next book was out. So I thought I had better get this written quick smart. Having never read anything by this author I was not sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The two things that drew me to this book was the Australian connection and the South African connection (due to family and friends I know from both places).

But this book gave me more than I was hoping for. I love the character of Schalk Lourens who is a detective from Cape Town and Sergeant Jackie Rose of the Sydney Homicide Squad. They come together to solve a horrendous crime. This book has all the twists and turns of a great crime read, It kept me interested throughout and the writing made it easy to read and follow so I never felt lost. Great characters, great plot/story and great writing. Can't wait to read the next one which I have just requested!

Thank you NetGalley and Echo Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

4 stars
This is the second book by Conyer featuring the character of Schalk Lourens, a veteren detective from Cape Town, South Africa, but you really don't need to have read the first book to get this one.

It is a gripping thriller that starts as a bit of a slow burn but then really takes off with some twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The action all takes place between Australia and South Africa, and it seems clear to me that the author has a deep love for both countries. But, let's be totally honest here, you can love your country and still be disappointed in it. Whether it be government corruption, long-held racism, heinous crimes, etc., the st0ry really captures the inner turmoil of the protagonists dealing with these big themes as they race to solve the murder they were initially tasked to solve. Some parts I found a bit hard to read because of the main subject matter - human trafficking - but the story is really about shining a spotlight on this global problem, and it was treated with enough care and compassion by the author that I still ended up enjoying the book quite a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Natalie Conyer, and Echo Publishing for providing me with a digital advance review copy of this book for free to read and review. All opinions are my own and provided voluntarily.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

“Shadow City” by Natalie Conyer is a riveting crime thriller that seamlessly blends the gritty realities of police work with the atmospheric tension of a cross-continental mystery.

This novel, penned by a Ned Kelly award-winning author, takes readers on a dark and twisting journey from the bustling streets of Sydney to the shadowy corners of Cape Town.

The story begins with the discovery of a young woman’s body in a food court in Sydney’s Chinatown. The victim has been brutally beaten, tortured, and marked with a distinctive sun tattoo. Sergeant Jackie Rose of the Sydney Homicide Squad is called to the scene, and what initially appears to be a straightforward murder investigation quickly spirals into a web of corruption.

Jackie teams up with Schalk Lourens, a veteran detective from Cape Town, who brings his own set of skills and baggage to the case. Together, they navigate a minefield of deceit and manipulation...

Conyer excels in creating multi-dimensional characters. Jackie Rose is a determined and resourceful detective, whose personal struggles add depth to her professional persona. Schalk Lourens, with his gruff exterior and haunted past, provides a perfect counterbalance to Jackie. Their partnership is one of the highlights of the novel, showcasing a dynamic interplay of trust, tension, and mutual respect.

Conyer’s writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the essence of both Sydney and Cape Town with vivid detail. The narrative is well-paced, balancing intense action scenes with moments of introspection and character development. The dialogue is crisp and realistic, adding to the authenticity of the police procedural elements.

“Shadow City” delves into themes of corruption, justice, and the moral complexities of law enforcement. The novel also explores the impact of crime on communities and the personal toll it takes on those who seek to uphold the law. Conyer handles these themes with nuance, providing a thought-provoking backdrop to the thrilling plot.

Note: Some plot twists may be predictable for seasoned crime fiction readers. The dual settings might be confusing for some readers initially.

Ultimately, “Shadow City” is a compelling addition to the crime fiction genre, offering a gripping narrative that keeps readers hooked. Natalie Conyer has crafted a story that is both thrilling and thought-provoking, with characters that linger in the mind long after the final page.

Whether you’re a fan of police procedurals or looking for a new thriller to dive into, “Shadow City” is a must-read.

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the setting and the depth of characters. This is the third book in a series but does well as a stand alone. Definitely interested in what else this author has written.

An excellent crime novel set in South Africa and Australia. Well written and plotted with plenty to say about life, politics and more in both countries.

The second novel in the Schalk Lourens series, SHADOW CITY uses his home of South Africa as one location for the story, introducing a new character, Sergeant Jackie Rose to lead the action in Sydney. The story begins with the discovery of the body of a battered and tortured young woman in a food court in Sydney's Chinatown. To Jackie Rose, initially it looks suspiciously like yet another drug murder, but there is an odd tattoo on the young girl and some complications when it comes to identifying her. 

What Rose doesn't know is around the same time, in Cape Town in South Africa, a young girl supposedly with a scholarship to study in Sydney has disappeared, her family very worried about where she could have gone having supposedly started at the college before vanishing. Lourens, meanwhile, has been suspended from duty with the South African police force, and unable to ignore the distress of the young girl's mother, takes on a background investigation, which can coincide with a visit to his daughter and her partner, who recently moved to Sydney to pursue work opportunities. It turns out that there are a lot of South African's who have recently moved to Sydney, and via a series of connections, Schalk finds himself with somewhere to stay, something to drive, and time on his hands when he arrives. Although, as a suspended cop, he didn't expect to find himself drawn into Rose's investigation team, and neither of them could have dreamed of just how depraved, powerful, and desperate to rid themselves of any opposition, the forces they find themselves up against could be.

Interweaving politics, policing, corruption and crime, Conyer has tackled some horrendous subject matter in SHADOW CITY, culminating in the discovery of a ring of modern day slavers. Readers may find the sparse, carefully described details of what is happening to young women and men who think they are coming to get an education, and a future, confronting to say the least. It's an awful story, that somehow comes across as even more uncomfortable when you compare it with the happy home / happy relationships / love affairs that go on around the two main characters. Schalk and Rose find themselves attracted to each other and his daughter is soon in a new relationship with the laid-back, Aussie bloke whose home includes the granny flat Schalk is staying in. Convenient, and a touch of soap opera maybe, but by the same token it wasn't totally unbelievable. His daughter's previous partner is a bit player at best in this story, but he is part of the ex-pat community and the gateway for Schalk to come across some people who are shoulder-deep in corruption. It turns out that many of the reasons for so many people to be participating in some pretty depraved behaviour are depressingly inter-generational, speaking of some serious, long-term, damage and patterns of repetition.

The investigation teams in Sydney and South Africa work in cooperation with each other and there are elements that kick off on both sides of the equation, to be clarified or finalised on the other. Both investigations, however, do settle around who and what Schalk in particular knows. He's the glue that brings both these teams together, and the impetus for much of the action, particularly in the later part of the book.

SHADOW CITY needless to say is exposing some complicated issues, but it's doing it in a novel that's both powerful and surprisingly engaging, given the subject matter. The dialogue is believable, and the mixing of Aussie slang and South African terminology gives it a lighter touch when required. Schalk's part tourist viewpoint of Sydney works and the comparisons between there and Cape Town give the reader a real sense of the foreigner in a foreign land, a nice combination of nothing dividing like a common language, and a love for home despite the challenges. The plot moves along at a reasonable clip, although some of the elements of the ending are a bit drawn out, but then there's enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. There's also a big twist at the end that, upon reflection, makes enormous sense, setting up some potential for surprises come book three.

Finished this book this morning, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the second book by this talented author I've read, and I really think she will become one of my go-to authors. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good read that keeps you entertained until the very end.
TB

This story conveys a powerful message about a pressing issue we face today: trafficking. It sheds light on the number of individuals involved in each trafficking group. I particularly enjoyed our characters and the way their interactions felt natural and organic. This isn’t a straightforward story; it delves into various aspects and offers a comprehensive exploration of the case.

Natalie Conyer drew considerable praise, and a Ned Kelly Award, for her excellent first novel, Present Tense, which dived convincingly into the maelstrom of modern South Africa. Now with her second novel, Shadow City she continues her examination of the complexity of politics and policing in that country, while also addressing the broader issue of modern day slavery.

Shadow City moves seamlessly between Cape Town and Sydney, and reintroduces us to veteran South African detective Schalk Lourens and a new character in the form of Sydney Homicide Detective, Jackie Rose.

The book opens with the discovery of the body of a young woman in a food court in Sydney’s Chinatown. She had been beaten, tortured and tattooed with the image of a sun. Called to the scene, Jackie asks herself whether this was a drug murder, or something else. But before her investigation can get under way, she is ordered to hand the case over to the Australian Federal Police.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, a local girl recruited to study in Australia has fallen off the radar. Veteran detective Schalk Lourens, recently suspended from duty over allegations about past misconduct during white rule, has already made plans to visit his daughter in Sydney. Unable to neglect the plea from the missing girl’s mother, however, he decides to search for her while he is there.

Once in Australia, Schalk finds himself caught up in Jackie’s investigation, and together they join forces to expose a trail of corruption and crime stretching from the Sydney foreshore to the picturesque Blue Mountains and across the world.

Shadow City is a powerful and engaging novel. The descriptions are crisp and evocative, and the characters are nicely nuanced and convincing. Schalk’s outsider views of Sydney are interesting, and spot on, and the descriptions of Cape Town are also striking. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and the ending, although a little drawn out, is thought provoking, and offers the requisite excitement and twists you expect in a crime novel.

Underpinning the plot are seemingly astute observations on the political and social situation in South Africa, and the hidden trade in people smuggling and modern day slavery. There are also pointed reflections on policing in Australia and the influence of international politics. These troubling concerns are well conveyed and add some good flesh to the story, and help to propel it along.

Some of the relationships in the book are a little too convenient, but overall Shadow City is one of the best crime thrillers I have read this year.

Quote: “I don’t believe in coincidence. There has to be a connection.”

Review: I want to say thank you to the author for allowing me the opportunity to arc read Shadow City. I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. During this story you will follow along side of detective Jackie and Schalk as two case lead them to each other and they must team together to solve it. I am a HUGE mystery book lover and I feel like not very mystery book is well written but Shadow City blew me away. A true page turner and so many questions that made you keep coming back for more. I just love the relationship between the two main characters and the development of their characters. As this story unfolds everything starts to take shape, we learn shocking information that rattles you to your core. The ending truly was insane and I had no clue what in the world happened. I will definitely be recommending this book whenever I get the chance.

I love a good crime thriller fiction book. Shadow City quenched my appetite for a great thriller fiction. Don't miss out on this book, you will regret it.