The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is a creepy crime thriller. She introduces a character I would like to see again. Dr Connie Woolwine is a forensic psychologist, and she is Paired with Met criminal investigator Brodie Baarda. Connie is requested to help on a case Edinburgh investigators can’t make head nor tail of. The abducting of a young mother, then a young girl in odd conditions, and then, a young paraplegic man. None of it follows any pattern to connect the motive and understand the reason behind the crime. However, Connie is sure they’re completely connected… and that the victims may be alive. With just an incredibly vague description to go on – two untrustworthy witnesses portraying the criminal as ‘like Jack Skellington’. Connie needs to sort it out before abduct victims turn into bodies.
We know who the criminal is all along the story. However, as the book advances, we gradually come to a more deep understanding of precisely why Fergus is behaving the way he is. Connie is a couple of steps behind what’s uncovered to the reader, which unquestionably increase the mystery. The horror of what the victims are surviving though as Fergus uncovers his dream of an ideal family… and his disappointments to make it on prior attempts.
There’s a considerable amount of body horror here, including involuntary medical treatments, rape and assault, dental triggers and major mental disorder prompting dissociative episodes. It’s quite a lot, most likely enough to place this into the medical thriller category as well as crime thriller.
Connie is a fascinating character with a major medical quirk of her own. Some time in the past a head injury left her with damage to her optic nerve and achromatopsia, making her colour-blind. For Connie, the world exists in black, white and grays. I had more problem regarding an idea behind character Baarda, who really appeared to be there just to be eye candy and for Connie to flirt with. I don’t know whether Helen Fields intends to proceed with this character in the series. However, I’d need to see more character advancement for Baarda on the off chance that she does.
The Shadow Man by Helen Fields definitely had me gripped all the way to the end. What’s more, I’m captivated enough by Connie and specifically want to read more about her. Though The Shadow Man is not must read novel. It is an interesting to read.
Also Read: The Unwilling: By John Hart
