I love this author’s K-9 series, but I’m often Leary when they do a standalone book. In this case, the book is a great addition to this author’s work. Krista and Hailey have started a sight on Twitch to give advice about the problems in life. Things are going well until someone asks about how to get the attention of a woman they are interested in. Social media can be a good thing but it can also be used for evil.
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I couldn’t put Shadow Play down. From the very first chapter, the tension had me hooked. Sara Driscoll does an amazing job creating a suspenseful, high-stakes story that kept me guessing the entire way through. It’s one of those thrillers that pulls you in and doesn’t let go until the very end. If you’re into gripping, edge-of-your-seat reads, this one’s definitely worth it.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reading of Shadow Play by Sara Driscoll.
Krista is a physical therapist that always gave great advice. Her friend and gamer Hailey created an advice podcast on Twitch. People liked to ask for general advice about parents, children, marriage, jobs, until one day a poster because a bit too stalker ish making Krista uncomfortable with doing the podcast anymore.
It was an entertaining read with a lot of details.

Shadow Play, Sara Driscoll's August, 2025 standalone release, is an edge of your seat thriller even before the danger is confirmed. When Krista Evan's college roommate suggests that they coordinate on a livestreaming advice platform, the physical therapist never imagines that her enjoyment in giving personal advice to her patients would lead to terror entering her world. She finds the highly successful show a blast and feels like the group makes a difference in each other's lives until one person resents the advice that Krista and Hailey offer. Although game blogger Hailey assures Krista that they can easily manage one troublemaker if they have to, the tech wizard is hesitant to act, and when she is finally forced to, things don't work the way she and the monitors expect.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for allowing me to read and review and ARC of Shadow Play. I have been an avid fan of Sara Driscoll since I first discovered her FBI K-9 series a couple of years ago and have read everyone book she has written since then, so naturally I was excited for the chance for an early read of Shadow Play, and it did not disappoint even my high expectations.
#NetGalley #Kensington #SaraDriscoll # ShadowPlay

Krista, a physical therapist in Chicago, and her gamer best friend, lead a streaming advice show twice a week on Twitch. I'm not a gamer or a streamer, but found the story relatable anyway. A stalker shows up in their stream, and their lives will never be the same. Technology can be useful, and at the same time, terrifying. This suspenseful book will reel you in and keep you enthralled until the end.

As one of the April Mom's, I can attest to the closeness, and real love we have for our online friends!

This is more than just a murder mystery as it explores grief and friendship. Krista is trying to keep herself busy between work and her Twitch channel she hosts with her best friend Hailey so as to not dwell in grief on the loss of her fiance from cancer. She truly wants to help people and it shows. Unbeknownst to her, she has attracted the attention of a murderer. He starts reaching out via their Twitch show. Hailey and the moderators at first think it's just a prank but soon change their minds. Despite the lack of information the police get involved and misgivings, trust issues, and danger start to develop. It is a race to find the killer before he gets his ultimate target, Krista. The mystery part of the book is methodical and figuring out the killer, impossible. The detail on the Twitch channel and all the technical components of it were a little too much information for me, but others may have a different opinion. While I realize details matter and the author did an amazing amount of research to get it right, it just isn't my thing but don't let that stop you from reading as the mystery part is brilliant!

Krista is a Physical therapist and her positive antics seem to help bring her patients back to health faster. With her best friend Haley they gather a top notch crew to do twitch pod casts, The viewership grows fast and is very popular. Unfortunately, there are trolls that pop up anywhere and everywhere. Their broadcast seems to have attracted an unusual level of troll. One that they cannot block and seems to be like a bad check, he keeps bouncing back onto their site. She gets into even darker concerns when her stalked shows her how serious he is. He shows how easily he can get into her home. She is faced with life or death with his person. Not that I do live stream anything, but, I am making my adult granddaughter read this book as a 'this could happen to anyone'. Sara(a.k.a. Jenna)has done some deep research to show 'this can happen to any one' reality. This is a heart racing realistic page turner. A definite home run!

An amazing stand-alone thriller, Shadow Play kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop reading.

It's a new take on thrillers that helped me see the social media world in an entirely different light. Plus, it's the first time that I've read a mystery where the protagonist is a physical therapist. And, that was something that I found quite interesting.

As always, Sara Driscoll's writing style made me feel part of the story. I experienced all of the feels, from love and heart break, to fear and shock.

The friendships and familial ties are deep. The characters are multifaceted, and the plot kept me guessing.

If you're looking for a book with interesting characters and non-stop action, then I highly recommend Shadow Play.

This is another well-crafted book by Sara Driscoll (a.k.a. Jen J Danna). She dives into the world of social media and online gaming, using her deep research skills to build a believable story. Her ability to build suspense is also masterful. All of us worry to some degree about having accounts hacked or identity theft, but she brings those issues to life as her killer stalks physiotherapist and personal advice program host Krista.
My stomach clenched as I read about the killer repeatedly getting past security protocols to post violent comments on Krista’s chat, but realizing the guy was actually getting into her apartment was terrifying. The tension continues to mount until Krista finds herself in a fight for her life. Don’t miss this exciting new thriller by Sara Driscoll.

As usual Jen hit it out of the park! This is a very relevant plotline.
This author knows how to ratchet up the suspense, at one point I actually had goosebumps! It is very obvious that the author did a lot of research to get this story just right.

In these days of so many social platforms, the overconfidence of anonymity, and people posting their biggest problems and deepest secrets online for total strangers, this is an extremely relevant plotline.
Despite being of an age that some expect to know this stuff, I've never tried Twitch or Discord to be familiar with how it all works. Luckily, Krista is new to scene so Hailey explains it all to her and the reader without it feeling clunky or lecturing.
Krista is an interesting mix of physical therapist and Internet advice guru, Hailey is a tech whiz, but you understand their friendship. You really hate the mysterious stalker, and appreciate Zach's support. It just goes to show how vivid and defined the characters are. Krista's connection to the killer came as a surprise to me and a really interesting twist, especially when you realize there was a seemingly throwaway mention earlier. This author always knows how to bring the suspense. I was feeling Krista's stress just from reading! Such a well-developed plot, and obviously a ton of research into the technical side to set everything up.
I don't usually think in these terms when reading, but this time it did cross my mind once or twice that this could make a good movie.