3.5

First book by this author and I would recommend it. I liked the writing and characters. The pacing was decent though occasionally slowed down by a bit of repetition and excessive detail. The multiple points of view were handled deftly. Some nice surprises and chilling moments kept me invested.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

I'm surprised by how shockingly GOOD this book is!

It follows forensic psychologist Connie, who's teamed up with Detective Baarda to locate kidnap victim Elspeth.
Elspeth's been taken by mentally ill Fergus and it's a race against time to save her.

To me that premise isn't unique.
I think I've read four books this year where a bad guy keeps a woman prisoner.
That's why I wasn't expecting to be WOWed with this one.
I was wrong. The Shadow Man is IMPRESSIVE.

These are my reasons for why it deserves five stars.
🔴 Connie's character - You know how sometimes a character will have a profession that's irrelevant because it's not part of the story's plot? Not the case here. Connie's a psychologist and it shows all throughout the book. She's often analyzing people's behavior. There was a couple of times I thought the author was adding things to impress me with her knowledge of the subject, but that was fine with me because I WAS impressed.
🔴 Meggy's character - She's 12. A difficult age for an author to write as. The kid usually sounds like an immature adult or an annoying child but here it was convincing.
🔴 The final scene - TERRIFYING!! I was genuinely scared.
🔴 Fergus' character - He's crazy but it goes beyond that. He has an actual diagnosis and his behaviour realistically follows the symptoms of his condition. Field's is even ballsy enough to write from his POV at times and it's brilliant.

To me, in a crowd of similar books this one stands out!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.

The Shadow Man is a dark and disturbing crime thriller set in Scotland. After the kidnapping of Elspeth, Connie, an American forensic psychologist, is called in to assist DI Brodie Baarda in tracking down the kidnapper. Connie’s own troubled past helps her greatly as she profiles the unpredictable offender. The story is told through the eyes of various characters, including Connie, the victims, and the kidnapper himself. I especially loved Connie’s perspective because I found her to be a dynamic and hard-edged character. I would love to read another book following her work. Although the pacing of the book was somewhat slow to build, the second half of the novel really paid off and I was very satisfied by the end. The antagonist’s beliefs and actions are absolutely horrifying and will probably haunt me for a good while. I always love when creepy book gets under my skin and sticks with me. Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Shadow Man’ by Helen Fields in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Angela prepares to go to bed unaware that a man is inside her bedroom watching her every move. As he lies next to her she fights for her life but is overpowered and her body found the following day when her husband and children return from their trip. Elspeth Dunwoody is his next victim, then twelve-year-old Meggy Russell followed soon after by paraplegic Xavier, but rather than dispose of them he keeps them alive as they’re his new family. American forensic psychologist Dr Connie Woolwine is brought in by Edinburgh MIT to advise DI Brodie Baarda on how the kidnapper’s mind works and what he might do next.

I’ve read all the books in the ‘Perfect’ series and thoroughly enjoyed them but though well-written I didn’t think ‘The Shadow Man’ was quite as good. All the ingredients were there for it to be an exciting thriller but for some reason it was just a bit wide of the mark. I thought the beginning was slow and laborious and it wasn’t until I was three-quarters of the way through that it started to get exciting with an ending that I found gripping and made me unable to stop reading. Should Ms Fields decide to write another thriller with Connie Woolwine and Brodie Baarda it’ll be interesting to see how their characters evolve as I can see it becoming a popular series in the future.

Honestly amazing!! I loved this, had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

Thank you Helen and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

I really enjoy books by Helen Fields so you can imagine my delight when I got the chance to read this. It is a standalone thriller which will chill you to your core!

The descriptions of the perpetrator are awful and scared the life out of me! I really enjoyed the storyline (gruesome as it was) and the characters Woolwine and Baarda were a fabulous combination of which I would love to read more about in the future.

Another great read from Helen Fields! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a thrill ride! I loved this mystery/suspense thriller!
We meet Dr. Connie Woodbine who is accompanied by Detective Baarda to search for a missing woman and her abductor. Along the way, we see first hand into the world of the abductor/killer and it is creepy! The characters were well written and developed, The reader follows a fairly predictable path, but it was still thrilling nonetheless! Highly recommend for fans of mystery/suspense/thriller/crime novels.

Three more people have been kidnapped. The kidnapper doesn't have anything good in store for them. He is ready to die. He doesn't want to die alone. He will take them with him.
A psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes. The race by the police to save the victims from certain death is heart stopping.
A great read with!

Solid 4.5/5

Being an avid psychological thriller reader I often feel as though I always know what's coming, or the story itself has been done before, but Helen Fields proved me wrong with her newest novel The Shadow Man.

This gripping novel follows the story of Fergus, a mentally destirbed man who wants to enquire himself the perfect family before he dies. Too bad the wife he wants is already happily married, and the daughter he has so carefully picked out, is far from obedient and sweet. As people start going missing the police call in a criminal profiler who will turn out to be the master of puzzling this complex and intricate case together. Will they find the victims before Fergus completes his family, and takes them with him into the afterlife? This book will have you guessing right until the last moments.

My only complaint is that a LOT of the information comes from dialog. I personally like when a story is told more and less dialog. Unfortunately the sections that were the detective and the profiler were almost all dialog and it got a bit dull at times and that's the reason it was 4 instead of 5 stars.

This is a fast paced thriller that will keep you flipping pages long into the night, and check your surroundings a little more carefully while walking in the park.

Thanks NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I often wonder how authors can think up such sickening plots... "The Shadow Man" by Helen Fields is a prime example of this. A kidnapping crime with twisted ideas, brilliantly written and addictive to read.

The Shadow Man is a standalone thriller that follows American Forensic Scientist Dr. Connie Woolwine and Detective Brodie Baarda as they attempt to find missing persons in Edinburgh. We know the abductor from the get-go as we have his POV involved in the storyline. He is terminally il and wants to recreate his ideal family by keeping them locked in a house. It’s only when an abduction goes wrong that the pieces start fitting together.

A character-driven novel that’ll leave a chill. If you’re faint-hearted this book may not be the book for you. I loved the chase of trying to track down the kidnapper and the missing persons but it at times it could be a tad slow. I was gripped at about 70% of the way through, but to get 4 stars I need to be invested a lot earlier. Overall, a decent read!
Thanks to Netgalley, Helen Fields and Avon Publishers for my copy of The Shadow Man.

For fans of Fields' "Perfect" series who delight in her gritty, dark plots and expertly drawn characters, don't miss this stand-alone book. It is vintage Fields with a creep factor in her Shadow Man villain that is both off-putting and riveting. For those who have yet to read Helen Fields, you're in for a treat with this book.

American freelance psychological profiler Connie Woolwine lands a job in Edinburgh, Scotland helping to solve missing person cases that forensic data shows have been going on for decades. The most recent abductees, Elspeth, a society wife and mother and twelve-year-old Meggy, are abducted with only the barest description of the perpetrator. Connie and DI Brodie Baarda are tasked with solving the abductions and possible earlier murders. Catching this Shadow Man, who is suffering both physically and psychologically, is a cat-and-mouse-game with time running out for his victims.

Fields loves creating protagonists who are psychologically damaged themselves. In Connie's case, her own tortured background helps her understand the man she is after and aids in communicating with him. This fast-paced thriller takes the reader into the depths of some of the worst parts of past psychological treatment methods. It is both fascinating and gripping. I highly recommend <i>The Shadow Man</i> for anyone looking for an excellent crime thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this advance copy.

The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is a truly creepy thriller. Elspeth was taken first. She woke up locked in an apartment or house with only a man with her. He is the Shadow Man and he believes Elspeth will make him a perfect wife.

Then Meggy is taken by the Shadow Man, after finding the perfect wife, he needs a perfect daughter, too. Elspeth and Meggy know that they may not get out of this situation alive so they have to rely on each other to survive the Shadow Man. When he takes Xavier (because he needs a brother too) the three of them together will do all they can to fight to stay alive.

The Shadow Man continues to evade the police, they call in an American profiler to work on the case, Connie. As she teams up with the lead inspector Baarda, they are working against time to find these three people alive. The Shadow Man has probably killed more than once - will these three make it out alive?

This book is excellent - I loved the plot and the burgeoning relationship between Connie and Baarda. I believe this duo would make for good future reading. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I look forward to reading more by Helen Fields.

Helen Fields is an extremely accomplished crime thriller author, and this book continues to prove that. The pacing at the beginning was a little slow, despite starting with the killer's POV, but it really ramped up around 30% in and just kept going at a breakneck pace from there on. I really enjoyed the killer's POV parts, Fields really knows how to get into the mind of a deranged psychopath with a multitude of mental health issues! I feel that Connie Woolwine's character was developed throughout the book, but I wish that Baarda's character would have been explored more, as I felt his characterisation was a bit superficial. I loved the crossover with Ailsa Lambert and Superintendent Overbeck - part of me was waiting for a glimpse of Turner and Callanach, too!
I hope that this book marks the start of another series, as I do want to get to know these characters more, and the involvement of a profiler as opposed to another DI or DCI really adds a fresh element that differentiates it from the 'Perfect' series.

Helen Fields is a new author to me and I really enjoyed this book, on the strength of this one I will check out more of her work. I liked the way all the characters were portrayed , especially the female characters who were realistic , with no simpering and complete change of character whenever a male character is involved. I also liked the way the darker character was portrayed , chillingly normal in everyday situations but deadly in their crimes - as most serial killers turn out to be in real life.

It was also refreshing for the lead characters not to be a Maverick or have a long standing grudge against their colleagues or superior, which made for a good story with the different police departments working together to help solve the crimes. The writing kept me glued to the pages and the tension had me wanting to get to the end quickly to see how it all resolved...Highly recommend.

OH. EM. GEEE. Y’all. This book. So creepy good! I give fantastic 4.5 ⭐, rounded up to 5 ⭐!

The Shadow Man, by Helen Fields, is a very dark and sinister read – and I couldn’t get enough! It has everything. Captivating characters, compelling plotline and graphically descriptive writing made this one UNPUTDOWNABLE.  

Connie Woolwine, a forensic psychologist from America, is consulting in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is and her partner, Detective Inspector Baarda, are tasked with to profiling and catching a demented serial killer and kidnapper. Told from the dual viewpoints of Connie and the kidnapper is a gripping tale of female power and sinister misery coming together in one insane ride.

Hope there is a follow-up book. I’d love to see more from these characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK/Avon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. ❤️️

I’m always cautious about trying a new author, especially as my reading time is so precious. I had seen this book being advertised everywhere, and some of the authors I follow on Twitter were promoting it, so I did have my fingers crossed when I started it that they were all right! They were! I’m so glad that I took a chance on this one, it was flipping awesome! That first chapter gave me chills, and I just knew I was in for a brilliant reading experience.
Connie was formidable; I loved her outlook on life and her abrupt but likeable manner. I really hope we get to see her again in future books. Baarda, as well, has still got a lot left to uncover, he was just starting to come out of himself after his wife playing around, and I think he could blossom into a very interesting character indeed.
Fergis was a very well cultivated character and even thinking about him now is sending shivers down my spine. He was one messed up individual but made for great reading. He was unpredictable, leaving you sitting on the edge of your seat, not knowing which way the story was going to go. You didn’t know if anyone was safe or if Connie and Baarda would get there in time to save anyone.
So much research must have gone into all the fields covered in this book, and it really paid off. The book is one of those books you will remember and keep thinking about for a while.
If I hadn’t had already compiled by top five books of 2020, this would undoubtedly have been elbowing its way on there. I am going to have to go back now and read some of this author’s other work. Thank you for bringing this superb book out into the world!

This was a twisty creepy thriller that kept me guessing. I read through this one quite quickly, because I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

Thrilling and tense, The Shadow Man is a dark and twisted tale that keeps you turning page after page to find out what will happen next.

The novel is fast-paced and carries a sense of urgency. The narrative is split between the mysterious 'Shadow Man', his terrified victims, and Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic psychologist tasked with profiling the suspect. As the story progresses and each individual learns more about the others, the pace picks up and the stakes climb even higher.

It is well written and packed with unexpected twists and turns at every corner. Although the reader knows the identity of the Shadow Man from the start, this does not impact the suspense of the novel. Instead, it's a desperate game of cat and mouse, each side determined not to let the other succeed.

The camaraderie and developing relationship between Connie and her colleague, DI Baarda, provides a strong contrast to the often-graphic scenes in the Shadow Man's side of the narrative. Connie and Baarda are like yin and yang - she is loud and extroverted, while he is much more reserved. However, the two work well together and it is interesting to see how they learn more about the other as the case progresses.

The story is gritty and creative; the plot well-paced and tense. It is a solid thriller featuring a cast of memorable characters. From Connie and Baarda to the Shadow Man and his poor victims, this story is both shocking and unputdownable! Just watch out - it may leave you looking over your shoulder!

The Shadow Man is an excellent crime thriller with plenty of surprises, suspense, and disturbing details.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for an ARC of The Shadow Man.

I'll be honest, I hadn't read one of Helen's stories before but after this one, I will be looking at more of her books ASAP

The Shadow Man is cautiously creepy from the get go.

A suspicious man lurking in the dark..... my mind instantly taking me to fearful places.

This is a crime thriller with grit and substance.

We follow the team of forensic psychologist Connie Woodwine and DI Brodie Baarda from the Met Ops Team as they assist police in Edinburgh after the disappearance of Elspeth Dunwoody (something to do with a high profile person).

Connie and Baarda are what you'd call the complete opposites but their differing personas really helped the case. Connie is no nonsense, straight talking whilst Baarda is more polite, reserved but they complimented each other well.

Unfortunately Elspeth isn't the only person to go missing and as I saw 'The Shadow Man' deteriorate both physically and mentally I was moving further and further to the edge of my seat. Just how far would he go to complete what he'd started?

This isn't a book for the faint hearted, it is what I'd describe as quietly terrifying.

Although a stand alone I wouldn't object to more books with Connie and Baarda as the development of their relationship was just as capturing as the main story itself.

Deliciously, dark, The Shadow Man is a novel that is superbly executed, giving the reader a satisfying ending too.