Thank you to the publishers – Inkshares - for giving me access to this book as an E-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Drawn in by the beautiful cover and the interesting synopsis, I’m saddened to say I didn’t connect to this story at all. We follow PI Duster Raines and a sort of urban fantasy-like world where Raines gets roped into a missing persons case.

For me, this was merely okay, but hey, what’s not a good fit for me is a great fit for someone else and that is fine!

Well written and evenly paced tale of an almost stereotypical hard-boiled detective who discovers he has the ability to access alternate universes, via his 'Shade' (a quasi clone of himself), who has ambitions of ruling the Universe (of course). The story benefits from a first person narration, and would fit well in the MCU. Hopefully this is the first of a series, as the novel ends after a climatic battle, and with the potential for more.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC. It is unfortunate that this book is not for me. I don't think I'm the right audience for this book.

to avoid damaging your rating, I won't post my review for this book.
The opening tone and cover are similar to the Nightside dark-fantasy detective novels by Simon Green. However, the prolog is rough, with missing punctuation, frequent fragments, and awkward word choices. The main character in chapter one is repulsive, criminal, and unsympathetic. A global search and replace inserted an extra t in front of every ellipse, indicating a need for proofreading. I stopped after chapter one when he beat an officer unconscious for a legit traffic stop.

This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza is a fusion of noir mystery and sci-fi all wrapped up in a blockbuster format.

As a single, broke, alcoholic with PTSD, private detective Duster Raines hasn’t got a lot going for him.

In desperate need of cash, he agrees to meet Madison Andrews to investigate the disappearance of her husband, Dr. Andrews. Little does he know that this case will plunge him into unknown depths. He uncovers secret tunnels, a green stone that casts weird shadows of himself and robot dogs; all whilst eluding a group of elite mercenaries who are tailing him.

We can definitely see Mendoza’s background in screenwriting shine through in this novel as the action sequences are as if plucked right out of a film. Raines’ inner struggles mixed with a high stakes plot really strike a great balance between psychological depth and action.

The cast of characters is great, the plot is well thought out and leaves us wanting more at the end; perhaps a sequel is on the cards?

I was really hooked until the end and could definitely see this as a movie.

Fans of noir mysteries with a supernatural edge will eat this up.

Thanks to Josh Mendoza, Inkshares and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Facebook was pretty good. This story is interesting, but it was also scary and creepy at times. I like that a time travel/time bending themes in this book. It was a bit dense and it was hard to get through at points.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This was a strong entry in this genre, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. The characters were written well and was engaged with how realistic they were. Josh Mendoza has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more in this world.