Shadowheart

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

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!

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.

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

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!

Shadowheart is book for in the UNSUB series by Meg Gardiner.
I love a good police procedural plus as serial killers in the mix and I’ve got myself a date with a book.
Gardiner doesn’t disappoint with her newest addition to this fantastic series.
I was so engrossed in her writing that I almost felt like I was part of the story .
A fast moving and exciting story. Meg Gardiner is an excellent storyteller and the book flows in such a way that kept me up late at night to finish the story.
The suspense is palpable and keeps the reader flipping this pages.
This series reminds me a lot of Criminal Minds! If you enjoy the show then you’ll really enjoy this book/series.
Gardiner has written another wonderful thriller!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this
amazing eARC!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review, but I can't say I am an unbiased reviewer. Meg Gardiner is one of my favorite authors, and I was tremendously excited to read an advanced copy of her latest UNSUB novel. I stayed up all night reading it because I made the mistake of starting it just before I intended to go to bed! Let's just get this out of the way: SHADOWHEART is a GREAT thriller that was gripping, fun to read, and it's definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

This UNSUB novel brings us on another adventure with FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix, Rainey, Sean, and the rest of the crew you've come to look forward to seeing in this universe. You can read the plot outline on Goodreads or Amazon, so I won't give too much detail on the story specifics. This UNSUB entry takes Caitlin into decidedly more feminine territory, which was really refreshing to read and experience. Almost all the characters in this book are women, and it's ultimately a story about mothers and daughters, and the nuances of that special bond.

Another aspect of this novel I greatly appreciated was the attention Gardiner paid to Caitlin's mental health. Caitlin has struggled with self-harm and stress overload in the past, like many other detectives in many other books and movies, but Caitlin has recognized that this behavior is both unhealthy and ineffective for herself and her work, and she is working with a doctor (I can't remember if it was a psychiatrist or psychologist) to develop healthier patterns and responses to her stressful and emotionally grueling work as a detective. Caitlin actually has a day off in this book! And takes time for herself and her little family! I almost cheered for her when she put on some Janelle Monae at the end of a long day.

I LOVED SHADOWHEART and I hope the rest of the UNSUB and Gardiner fans enjoy it as much as I did! Can't wait for the next one.

Meg Gardiner is back with another pulsing serial killer thriller. Caitlin Hendrix, FBI agent, must make the connection between a killer in lock up and one still at large. Efrain Judah Goode murdered multiple women years ago. Now a new killer is on the loose, playing connect the dots with Goode's murders. Caitlin must look beyond her training to see how the two could know so much about each other. She races to save innocent lives from destruction as the two killers clash.

Caitlin Hendrix is such a likeable character. This series has been great to follow. Her dynamic has changed and so has her circumstances. Caitlin continues to face cases that push her to the limits. I could read this series for days. There's so many moving parts that all come together so nicely.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy. I truly enjoyed reading this one way early. Now just to wait for the next one.

When 2021 came to an end, I hopped on a call with the rest of the BTB crew, and we gave our year-end award winners, while also mentioning what books in 2022 we were most looking forward to. I had mentioned that I was looking forward to an untitled Meg Gardiner book, although there had yet to be any mention of one. As I sat down, now in 2023 to read the newest novel in her UNSUB series, Shadowheart, I was so excited.

Meg Gardiner once again absolutely crushed it. With one of my favorite book series, Meg Gardiner delivered another brilliant serial killer thriller that will leave readers gasping for breath.

When a killer, drunk out of his mind, drives his car into a police station parking lot with dead people in his backseat, Caitlin Hendrix is called in to investigate. The deeper she digs, and with the killer behind bars, she realizes there is a copycat - the Broken Heart Killer - killing people under the cover of night and dumping them in the river. The deeper Hendrix digs, the more she discovers about the killer and the copycat, racing against the clock, trying to stop the copycat before they kill another victim. On top of this, she is still trying to solve another investigation simultaneously.

Meg Gardiner once again delivers a top-of-the-line thriller with Shadowheart. One of the most intriguing and pulse-pounding novels I've read in some time, I couldn't put it down. It's one of those 'read it while you walk around the house', 'read it while you eat breakfast', 'read it during work meetings', 'read it in the washroom' type of books. It was literally hair-raising (I took a picture of the goosebumps one of the parts gave me). Gardiner is second to none when it comes to crafting a twisting and turning plot, creating lovable and hateable characters, and keeping readers locked in from page one until well after the book is over. This is a novel I will remember for a long time - Gardiner's best book to date.

Meg Gardiner is back with a thrilling new edition to her Unsub series. Shadowheart is Gardiner at her best....gritty, raw, emotional psychological thriller that's hard to put down! It's a must read for fans.

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!!

Yes - A new book from Meg Gardiner. Shadowheart is an addition to the Unsub story.

"FBI Profiler Caitlin Hendrix is working a case with a copycat serial killer whose crimes have a connection to another killer - Effrem Goode. Caitlin must unravel the connection between the two if she has any hope in stopping the copycat."

I really like this story from Gardiner. There are lots of connections that Gardiner shows us a little at a time. But the final reveals have lots of a-ha moments. She does a great job tying things together.
There are multiple psychopaths in this story and all are terrifying.
There is a side story continued from the previous books about a character called The Ghost that is not resolved but has some interesting continuation.
There are several names to keep up with - that was my only struggle. By the time you get to the end though you'll know them all.

Great story from Gardiner.

A new UNSUB book...sign me up! I am a big fan of this series, even though it is hard to get in Australia. I purchased the first 3 books in the series and binge read them, very sad when the last one was finished. I was thrilled to see that book 4 was coming out and I was even more excited when I was approved for an early ARC, so thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing.

It was so good to be back in Caitlin's world and the FBI BAU. Give me a book with a serial killer and I am on happy reader. Shadowheart gave me not just one sadistic murderer but multiple. Caitlin and the team are on the hunt for a copycat killer - the original killer is in prison and still denies 3 of the murders he has been put away for.

This is a faced paced, action-packed page turner. I do suggest reading the other 3 books in the series first or you will miss so much. It is dark and fairly messed up. That will make you want to keep reading well into the night like I did. An intense and satisfying read - bring on book 5

Meg Gardiner’s UNSUB series is my favorite series of all time. I said what I said! I fell in love with this series’ dark and unapologetic storytelling—you just never know who Gardiner will axe off and it’s so creepy! I loved every installment of this series and her latest, SHADOWHEART, is no exception.

This time around, FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix, is in New York City, trying to find a copycat killer who is repeating the work on a serial killer who’s been jailed since the late ‘00s. In a Tennessee prison, Efrem Judah Goode has been drawing the victims of his past in response to coming forward with their identities. At the same time, this copycat killer, nicknamed the Broken Heart Killer (you’ll find out why) is killing people in the same locations that Goode left his victims back in 2008. These two serial killers have a twisted relationship somehow and Caitlin needs to find out what it is before more people are murdered.

This book starts a bit slower than the previous Unsub novels, but once you get to about 80ish pages, you’ll be hooked. I am so tired because I read the book in one sitting. After I read the book, I double check the locks and behind the shower curtain before bed because this book seriously creeped me out. SHADOWHEART felt the most like a standalone than its predecessors because we didn’t get much insight into Caitlin’s personal life, so fans of the series may have opinions about that, but I loved it nonetheless. I hope this series continues to thrive because I can’t get enough.

This one was a real page turner!! I haven't read the rest of the series, but that didn't slow things down for me. Each character, especially Caitlin and Finch, pull you into their lives. They make you feel everything that they do and more. Caitlin, FBI agent, on the trail of a killer that like to work in the shadows. Finch, a confused teen, who only wants to know where she came from. I hope to read the rest of this series and highly recommend this one, wish I could give it more than 5 stars!!!

I loved this book! I read this book so quickly. The Unsub series is not for the faint of heart. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this, never knowing where Meg was going with the story.

I love anything Meg Gardiner and the Unsub series. It always feels good to return to familiar characters and build on past books. I'm a fan forever. I'm sad that pub day is pushed back for this one, because then it will be that much longer until I can buy a copy for my shelves!

This was a truly thrilling read.

I loved our Main Character and I was definitely all in on this story about two serial killer rivals. It was seriously creepy!

Highly suspenseful and an absolute page-turner of a read. One of those I didn’t want to put down until the very end.

I definitely want more.

• ARC via Publisher

Thank you so much to Meg Gardiner and Blackstone Publishing for my copy of this book! I am OBSESSED with the Unsub series and I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this book to come out! This book was about serial killer Efrem Judah Goode, a man who duct taped and murdered women before he was sent to prison. Now he is drawing haunting portraits of his victims, and a copycat is remaking his work. To stop the killings, Caitlin needs to find the connection between Goode and this new killer.

Thoughts: This book starts slower than the others, but is just as good. The story is complex and interesting and still has the underlying search for the Ghost. There were multiple perspectives in this story, as well as multiple psychopaths. The negative is that the reader gets a lot less of Caitlin than in the past, and a lot more of other characters. I wish she had been more of a focus, as well as a bit more of past storylines.

This book almost felt like a stand alone, and could definitely be read as one. I also didn’t notice a case that this book mimicked, so that was interesting as well. There was a lot of travel time in the book that broke up the fast paced tension, but besides that, this was another amazing hit! 4.5 stars for this wonderful book!

UNSUB was my quarantine obsession and I audibly squealed when I saw that the series was continuing. With cliffhanger after cliffhanger, this book is so hard to put down. (Me literally sneaking peeks at it during Sunday brunch). Between following the investigation of a prolific serial killer's cold cases and the appearance of a copycat killer? The thrills are impeccable.

And the TWISTS!! While I saw a handful of them coming, I was blindsided several times. And in a thriller, I absolutely looooove that. I don't know if I'll ever be tired of Caitlin Hendrix to be honest, but Book 5 may be a natural ending point for this series. Because god damn, Ghost deserves a book of his own.

*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A dark and riveting blend of true-crime with thriller elements led by a formidable protagonist you’d want watching your back. Meg Gardiner continues to reign over the dark genre of crime thrillers.

Reading Shadowheart is not for the faint of heart. Expect frayed nerves, heart palpitations, a daisy chain of gut punches, sweating the ending and yelling at characters who can’t hear you. It’s a thriller that causes a reaction you feel throughout your body. Brilliant and chilling stuff from the marvelous Meg Gardiner.

FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix is on the hunt to stop the Broken Heart Killer. This serial killer appears to be a copycat of Efrem Judah Goode, a man convicted of multiple murders and serving time in a Tennessee maximum security prison. The crimes and locations are very similar to the point where Hendrix wonders if there’s a connection and communication between the two. And she’s tasked with a clear mission – find the connection, stop the killings. Caught between a devious psychopath and a vicious UNSUB, this case will be anything but easy. But Hendrix will stop at nothing and risk everything to solve the case, hunt down the killer and put an end to the mayhem they have wrought.

The UNSUB novels constitute the best serial killer series in print today. Combining tremendous pacing with storytelling that will scare the ever-loving crap out of you – and featuring terrifying psychopathic killers that will cause you to have your head on a swivel anytime you leave the house – they will have you frightened of the dark and lead to questioning your sanity anytime you’re walking alone at night.

Shadowheart fits this to a T and is a superb continuation of the series after a three-year hiatus. Caitlin Hendrix continues to grow and evolve as a character while exhibiting incredible intellect and drive to relentlessly pursue and thwart a prodigious murderer. The plot is fantastic with The Silence of the Lambs vibes. Goode the Hannibal Lecter to Hendrix’s Clarise, the law enforcement officer needing the insight of a jailed sociopath convict to track down the new serial killer. And it works incredibly well, moving at the speed of light with tensions ratcheting up every single page until it explodes like a shotgun blast. It’s simply fantastic.

Meg Gardiner is an incredible writer and her talents are on full display in the remarkable Shadowheart. Don’t miss this book…but don’t read it in the dark. You have been warned.

Quite honestly, I DID NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO END. It is so fabulously written by Ms. Gardiner... and Shadowheart featuring FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix picks up very close to when the previous book left off. In addition to chasing the Ghost, Caitlin and her incredibly talented team are drawn into the life of convicted serial killer, Efrem Judah Goode. He's drawing pictures of his victims and leading the FBI on a chase to try to determine the identities of the women in his drawings. To compound this, a copycat killer is recreating Goode's kills and leaving a broken heart drawing at their body drops. As Caitlin digs deeper, the entire case seems to circle around a girl named, Finch, who believes her Mom was one of Goode's initial victims. Absolutely one of my favorite books of the year! And the ending... WOWZA! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for an advanced reader of this book - the opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the book #ShadowHeart by #MegGardiner. This book, the fourth installment in the Unsub series, is absolutely phenomenal. Caitlin is after another serial killer, or a copy cat killer-Broken Heart Killer. It’s pack full of chasing, murders and drama and I cannot wait for the next book!

4.5 stars
I was so excited when I got approved to read an early copy of Unsub 4 and it held up so well. This series is so good and the latest installment was thrilling, complex, and kept you wanting to learn more.
The latest installment has Caitlin continuing to work in the BAU and solve a series of copy cat murders of someone in jail. The complexity of the case has Caitlin going all over and working to solve the case.
This series is perfect for fans of Criminal Minds.

Thank you NetGalley and blackstone publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The wait for a new book in the Unsub series might be long, but it's always worth it. Anyone who was ever a fan of the Criminal Minds television series should be reading this book, as it also hits the right combo of investigative work with high drama, tension, depravity, and peeks into the mind of the killers that make that compelling. It's hard to put a book like this down (so I didn't).

The latest installment in Meg Gardiner's Unsub series was absolutely worth the wait. I've heard comparisons between this series and the Criminal Minds television show and I think that's pretty fair. If you're a fan of true crime TV, profiling, forensics, or just want a thriller that will grab you on page one and never let you go, Shadowheart has what you need. Don't miss this dark and daring tale. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the review copy.

Thanks Meg for another fantastic Caitlin and team novel. The twists and turns for both plots kept me on my toes. Of course, we were left with not one but 2 cliffhangers.