I haven’t read any of Helen Fields books before, but having read The Shadow Man, I will certainly be reading her again. This is one of my favourite books of the year.
Don’t let the flowers on the cover deceive you into thinking this is a pretty, light read, it is quite the opposite. It’s chilling, unnerving, disturbing, intriguing and full of suspense.
The book starts very quickly, and draws you right in to the mind of an extremely twisted, warped soul. His condition, both mentally and physically is not one I have read of before, and hope not to encounter in reality.
This is not a horror book, but our perpetrator absolutely puts the creeps into me. The thought of being watched by him, or touched by him literally puts a shivering shudder through me.
I love the reserved Britishness of Baarda, set against the brutally blunt Connie. The polar opposites making a dynamic partnership, excellent characterisation by the author. The story builds at pace towards a tense ending. During which I was making noises along the lines of “no”, “eugh” and “eeww”. You know those endings where you are hoping and praying the story reads the way you want it to? I was completely absorbed.
I know this is a stand alone book, but am really hoping there may be a follow up to see where the story and characters take us next.
This book would make a gripping start to your 2021 reading. Without doubt, a 5* read.

What a fabulous standalone thriller. This book is not for the faint hearted as the graphic and gory descriptions are something to behold!

This is a seriously creepy book with a psycopathic insane killer.. I initially thought the investigators were very stereotypical, Connie Woolwine, a brash American forensic psychologist and DI Baarda a typical reserved brit. However as the book progressed I really fell in love with this detective pair and found them really interesting characters. Another 5* read from Helen FIelds

Another brilliant book from Helen. I loved her precious book series, which I have yet to finish and I loved this one. It really creeped me out & I could imagine myself in the characters shoes. Its the first time I could ever get that deep into a book. Loved it and hope there will be more

1st from this author,was not disappointed a great read.From start to finish it kept you guessing,did not see the end coming so I was pleased it finished the way it did.Would recommend to anyone who likes murder mystery books.

I’ve read and loved all of Helen Fields books and when I was approved for this new one I just couldn’t wait to start reading it. From the first page it grabbed me and didn’t let go until the last page. I found I was constantly finding time to sit down a read another chapter or two as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen. I was not disappointed it had twists and turns and very thrilling moments. This book would make a wonderful film it keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through to the thrilling conclusion. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review. I wish I could give this book 100 stars.

This was my first book by Helen Fields and it won't be my last! This is a police thriller bringing together DI Baarda and Dr Woolwine, an american profiler.

You follow the story mostly from the perspective of the investigation but there are also passages written from the perspective of the Shadow Man. Some of these really gave me the creeps! At one point he is in someone's bedroom watching them, waiting for them to fall asleep before he takes them - very, very creepy! But there is a strong storyline which kept me reading to see what happens next. His motivation is gradually revealed and it all makes sense in the end.

I really enjoyed the partnership of Baarda and Woolwine and the fact that neither of them were local to the crime, leaves it open for them to get together again, potentially in another location, to solve another case. I liked the way that their staying in touch seemed likely at the end of this book but not certain. There could be a book two, this could be a series. Fingers crossed!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved it, it was an easy five star rating for me.

I'm a big fan of the Perfect series by the same author, so jumped at the chance to read the stand-alone novel set police Scotland. There's even an appearance by D.S. Overlord to make me feel right at home.

This is another dark journey into the mind of a very disturbed individual. This time it's Dr Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist and Brodie Baarda, a London detective, who have been brought in to assist in capturing the Shadow Man. Their developing working relationship adds depth to the story and is a clever way to learn their backstories as they have never worked together. I think that we have only scratched the surface though and I hope that this will be developed into a new series.

As the pressure mounts to find the abductor and his victims, there are some genuinely scary moments depicted. The pace is absolutely frantic and I raced through the pages to know how it was going to finish.

It's another cracker from Helen Fields, and I would like to thank the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, this book would have made a terrific Crimmnal Minds episode. A deranged killer-kidnapper with a very rare mental illness tries to make his own family from his stalking victems. This book was graphic and terrifying., keeping me up much too lasted last night. Strong women characters were an added bonus to this thriller.

I was so looking forward to reading this book I loved it, I hated it, I loved it and it drove me nuts!
BUT, the storyline is compelling and keeps you interested with more twists than a Curly Wurly!
A new Helen Fields police procedural with characters Dr Connie Woolwine, a fiesty, American forensic psychologist and DI Baarda, a ''think before you act'' kind of person.. They make a cracking team!

You can glean from the fly cover what this book is about and I am not going into the story.....that's for you to find out..... READ IT, if you are into psychological thrillers, you will not be disappointed!

I give this a 4 star rating for the storyline alone.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

Another spine-chilling book I read this year.

The Shadow Man is kidnapping people left and right. No one knows what happens to them but those who have seen him say that he looks like death.
Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist and DI Brodie Baarda of the London Police get together to track the disappearance of a woman in mysterious circumstances. What they find and how they do it forms the rest of the story.

But I want to talk about the Shadow Man here. If you have ever wondered what goes on inside the head of a kidnapper (or a rapist or a murderer), this is the book you have to read. This absolutely riveting, edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting (I think I will run out of adjectives) thriller is sure to capture your attention from page 1 and you can not put it down till you know what happens in the end.
Absolutely delighted 5 stars to the book. Will look for other books by Helen Fields.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC.

Wow!!! The Shadow Man by Helen Fields thriller had me reading late into the night. The book is thrilling and haunting as it delves into the scary, but very real, mind of a mentally unstable man. The characters are all very well developed and realistic. The shadow man is abducting women, children, and men... but what is his reasoning and what does he want to do to them? Chilling psychological thriller that is a must read.

This was a fun, quick chilling read! Well written, full of suspense, and thrilling! Had lots of the fun twists and turns, and some gasp worthy shocks! Definitely one that is hard to figure out, so don’t want to accidentally spill anything! If you love psychological thrillers, I recommend this one, as it’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!

What a gripping on the edge of your seat book. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. Connie tells it like it is. She doesn't sugar coat things and that probably rubs people the wrong way but I like it. Connie teams up with DI Baarda to find a missing woman. The case takes on one bizarre turn after another. The story telling goes back and forth between the kidnapper, Connie and the victims in the book. I liked the book, it was refreshing to read about Connie and DI Baarda. You learn about Connie's past a little in this book which is what shaped her to become the person she is now. The kidnapper was very interesting to read about. I hope there are more books with Connie and DI Baarda in the future.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily giving my honest opinion*

What a book, absolutely loved it.

Brilliant psychological thriller which is full of suspense which is right up my street.

It’s hard to review without giving much away but if you like thrillers then give this a go

What better way to spend lockdown by reading a Helen Fields novel!!! It's an inventive story full of strange characters like Fergus, for instance, who is sick in body and mind. A dead woman, a missing wife and mother and then a schoolgirl are missing. Are the situations related? There's so little information forthcoming. Connie and Baada have to investigate if there are possible connections. Connie is convinced that she's looking for kidnapped women and not bodies. Are her instincts correct? Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

An excellent well written read which kept me involved in the story line with good descriptive characters. For me personally it wasn't an edge of seat thriller and I could put it down but overall I enjoyed it and can recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thrown together by terrible circumstance, three strangers must try to escape one man’s insanity.

From the police point of view, this situation is difficult to comprehend, let alone solve for the Shadow Man seems invisible.

I loved the way the story and the tension built terrifyingly slowly, as we suffer along with the victims as they try to understand what is happening to them and why.

This gripping and seriously gruesome story wound itself around my throat and refused to let go, long after I finished reading...

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book!

Fergus is terminally ill and dying, but before he leaves this Earth, he wants a family who’ll miss him. He decides to create his own makeshift family by kidnapping victims and forcing them to play house with him. Of course, his captives are none-too-happy with this predicament, so they are desperate to try and escape him.

Meanwhile, Detective Baarda and forensic psychologist Connie Woolwine are in a race against the clock to find them before it’s too late.

Wow. The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is a truly unnerving page-turner filled with a compelling cast of characters.

I found the police procedural aspects of the story particularly well-thought out since the author has first-hand experience as a criminal law lawyer. I also appreciate that she did extensive research to make the psychological profiling aspects of the story as convincing as possible. It really paid off, adding a sense of realism to each page.

All and all, I recommend The Shadow Man for fans of phycological thrillers, and I know the blurb says this is a standalone book, but I truly hope to see more of Dr. Connie.

A truly atmospheric novel that will chill readers to the bone. The plot moves quickly and is told from multiple perspectives, giving readers insight into one deeply disturbing mind. Not for the slight of heart as the narrative is quite descriptive in nature. Dark, gritty, and downright elusive. Everything this genre should be. Loved it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheShadowMan which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#helenfields #psychologicalreads #leavethelightson #avonbooksuk #bookish #tbralert #readreviewrepeat #bookstagram #bookblog #booktweets

My first read by this author. I liked the cover and the title reminded me of The Whisper Man plus early reviews were very positive.

Nearly the first half of the book was a bit of a chore for me mainly because of the creepy perp/plot was not engaging me as much as I’d like but the investigative chapters held my interest.

Then there was an introspective moment at the halfway point about one of the characters that brought this story out of the ‘Shadow’ for me.

The second half of the book was quite good in building this story to an effective, powerful ending.

Excellent writing. Intriguing characters are always so important and the story ended with my two favorites. I do feel another title may have fit better but this was still a good one.

A definite recommended read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.