This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I thought that Lucy Clayburn was given a tough time of things in book one but, blimey. Paul Finch really does not like to make life easy for his protagonists. Weaker people would have given up, walked away while they still could. Maybe it's her heritage, the combined strength of her parents which has leached into her character by virtue of genetics that keeps her going. Maybe it's just that the author likes to imbue his characters with traits that make them not only smarter than the average bear (cop), but. also with a strength of character that makes you instantly warm to them Root for them. Makes you want to watch them kick ass. Lucy manages that and a whole heap more in Shadows but not without some real personal pain for her along the way.

This time around we see Lucy making her way towards the Robbery squad with a very brief secondment to the unit following the receipt of some intel from an informant. The case she is working on is quite tense, a street robber who just happens to moved onto the streets of Crowley having kicked up his m.o. from aggravated theft to murder. This case is pretty full on, the apprehension of the perp full of Paul Finch's trademark tension, action and jeopardy and it certainly earns a few brownie points for Lucy. But it's a short sharp shock after a tense opening to the novel and perhaps only really a prelude to the main focus of the book.

The main story revolves around the criminal underworld, an organisation that Lucy is sadly all too familiar with courtesy of her father. Someone is robbing some of the crime syndicates top bosses, with quite dramatic results, but you can tell from the way the story plays out that it is not as straightforward as it seems. Old fashioned turf wars or something just a little left of centre? Well, you can read and find out, but it is certainly a story that left me conflicted. I can't feel a great amount of sympathy for the victims, but the methods of the thieves is more than a little extreme. Not overtly graphic, but certainly packed with violence, these are not books for the sensitive of nature.

I do really like the character of Lucy. Straight talking, focused, committed and really street-smart, she has a clear knack for the job and an innate ability when it comes to catching the bad guys. She has mixed fortunes when it comes to the personal side of life, but then this does kind of ring true given her dedication to her career which had taken a bit of a knock following the events in book one. That sets her up for some additional conflict in terms of a face from her past who works in the robbery squad, as if her father's choice of career isn't problematic enough. But she is kind of gung ho, led by action, perhaps a little foolish in walking into situations she may not be able to get out of. Perhaps it's quite lucky that she has herself a guardian angel - even if she doesn't know or want it ...

Full of fast paced action, tense stand offs and twisted motives, this is a book which kept me hooked and kept me guessing. I mostly listened to the audio book which was perfectly narrated, and can definitely recommend them if you like to listen to rather than read your books. There came a point where I could finally see where the story was going, but I have to admit that it came very late on in the book, all of the clevely spread trail of breadcrumbs leading us to a very unexpected conclusion. The tension was off the charts by the end of the book, the jeopardy for Lucy, and her mother, quite intense. My pulse picked up, my bum moved closer to the edge of the seat and my urge to press on and race to the end absolutely grew. And it didn't disappoint. I'm off to find book three now and kicking myself for not reading (or listening to) this sooner. Definitely recommended if you like your reads to be. a. full on thrill fest.

Great story by Paul Finch. Really fabulous story, that kept me turning the pages!! A thrilling plot, and characters.

This book was a quick moving thriller tale with well written characters and a followable plot. The story kept me interested thoughout.. I recommend it!

Shadows by Paul Finch is the 2nd book in the Lucy Clayburn series. Due to the authors background as a former policeman his storys always have the added authenticity required to make a gripping book even more thrilling.

*thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

This was just OK. I found it hard to get into and my mind did keep drifting. I also think that there were just too many characters which made it harder to follow. I liked Lucy, but that's pretty much it. I just couldn't really get into this. It clearly just isn't for me.

This is the second book in the Lucy Clayburn series, but unfortunately I haven't read the first book yet. However I think this will read nicely as a standalone book, and if there was any references to events to the first book, I don't think I missed anything major. This was really a great read, and worth your time and effort!

First time I have read a book by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it,a gripping read which held my interest,was well written and has made me want to read more by the author

A good second instalment in Paul Finch’s Lucy Clayburn series, although it could easily be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to book three
Thanks to Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review

I am a massive fan of Paul Finch and this book is no different. I love Heck and I will read what ever you want to write.

Firstly, thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a pre release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a nutshell, the plot revolves around DC Lucy Clayburn and her bid to climb through the ranks of Greater Manchester Police as quickly as possible. During this novel, she single handedly takes on a machete wielding mugger and murderer, and a semi automatic gun toting robber, among various other lowlifes of the fictitious borough of Crowley, Gtr Manchester. In her quest to break into the elite Robbery Squad, Clayburn, daughter of a gangland kingpin, goes against protocol time and again to save the day for the law abiding citizens of my home city.

While this is the second outing for DC Lucy Clayburn, it can be read as a stand alone novel. Indeed, at the time of writing this review, I haven't read the first novel in the series. Admittedly, there are references to what she got up to in the first episode, but not so that you can't get the general gist of what happened. The novel itself doesn't really go along at any kind of pace, and I found that I didn't feel compelled to keep reading to find out what happens next. I never once had that "just one more chapter" feeling. I also found the story to be a bit predictable - sure there were twists and turns to the plot, but very few of them held much in the way of surprise. Add to that the main character isn't particularly believeable - let's be honest here, how many real life police officers would chase a machete wielding mugger into a derelict high rise block of flats then take him on in a fight? And not face any kind of disciplinary action from the force?

A book that had so much potential let down by unbelievability, a predictable plot and lack of pace.

This series was not as gripping as I hoped it would be. I didn't enjoy Stalkers but decided to give the follow up a go just to see if there was something missing from the first book, but it might just be the pacing that isn't doing it for me. I will however give the Mark Heckenburg books a go.

Paul Finch never surprises me! This story was fantastic I loved being back with Lucy and it was such a good story! I can't wait to read more if they are any more stories! I loved it!

Shadows by paul finch.
As a female cop walking the mean streets of Manchester, life can be tough for PC Lucy Clayburn. But when one of the North West’s toughest gangsters is your father, things can be particularly difficult.
When Lucy's patch is gripped by a spate of murder-robberies, the police are quick to action. Yet when it transpires that the targets are Manchester’s criminal underworld, attitudes change.
A fantastic read. A gripping twister of a read. Loved the characters well most of them. 5*.

I have been meaning to read this authors work before now but never got round to it. This was the first one and after finishing this one I realise I have been waiting too long!

Great book, excellent police procedural and a real page-turner.

Highly recommended and 5 full stars.

Lucy Clayburn is back! Winning her last case she has earned some points among her colleagues in the police forces. But this time she has more challenges to face. There is a strange person who robs people taking money out of ATM machines. The Creep is so scary and violent that police has to call all the forces to catch the guy. And there is another even more strange case. Well-known criminals are being robbed. There are two people wearing ski masks who pass the most secured places in the city to enter into devil’s den and actually steal from the best in the criminal business. And they are very violent.

Being a woman in the police department and a daughter of well-known top-criminal, Lucy has to prove herself one more time. After all, she is one of a hell character!

But how to catch the bad guys who actually are not the bad guys?

When I started reading Strangers, the first book in the series, I didn’t know what to expect. With Shadows, I already had some expectations. While I enjoyed reading the second one in the series, I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn’t much of Lucy’s personal life, like in the first book. I was hoping her personal life would continue to develop in the book number two. However, this was still an adrenaline filled read a twist around every corner. Fully packed with action and tension, this book won’t let you sleep at night. At least until you finish reading it.

My first ever Paul Finch book and I did like the scene setting and physical descriptions of the main characters. I warmed to the heroine DC Lucy Clayborn who is quite likeable, stubborn and able to ride fast motorbikes! The story is set in Manchester's gangland and rolls along well although the middle 'bit' was not so enjoyable. Lucy's relationship with a gangland member put me off and thus only 4 stars. I am looking forward to the previous "Lucy" book.

This book was a real let down. The plot is boring and slow and it did not make sense in fact I gave up with it.

You couldn't work out if Detective Constable Lucy Clayburn was a good cop who followed the rules or was she a bent officer? Please go either one way or the other and just let us in on what cop she is.

It needs more story and more details and just a better view of the book.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this latest book from Paul Finch. I am a huge fan of Paul's books and was interested in seeing how the new character DC Lucy Clayburn developed in this 2nd instalment. I wasn't disappointed!
The action starts with Lucy receiving a tip off from an eccentric informant regarding the whereabouts of a nasty piece of work known as The Creep who has committed several violent robberies in nearby towns. During the course of looking further into this Lucy comes into contact with the Robbery Squad and finds herself energised and interested in the work they do.
The story develops at a furious pace and before long Lucy is headlong into an investigation relating to high profile attacks and robberies of several well-known underworld criminals - including Lucy's secret biological father who is a major player within the underworld community.
The twists and turns are fast-paced and clever and I have to admit that even though I felt confident that I had identified the culprit early on at no point was my enjoyment of the story spoiled.
Very much looking forward to the next instalment in DC Clayburn's rollercoaster life! A great read!

Great book. Was great to see how Lucy was handling herself with the revelation of who her father is.

Fast paced and gritty as expected from Paul Finch! Loved it,