Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks | A Book Review of a Thrilling Suspense Novel
*I voluntarily received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts below are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links which means I will receive a commission based on sales generated via these links.
A THRILLING SUSPENSE NOVEL
Former forensic artist, Carrie Stuart Parks, is back with another gripping novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Woman in Shadow spares no expense for the sake of mystery with this fast-paced thriller set in the rural mountains on Idaho. As one woman seeks to remain hidden, a chilling set of events at the ranch where she is staying forces her into action. A definite page turner that will keep readers engrossed until the very end!
A woman off the grid.
Darby Graham thinks she’s on a much-needed vacation in remote Idaho to relax. But before she even arrives at the ranch, an earthquake strikes. Then a barn on the edge of town is engulfed in flames and strange problems at the ranch begin to escalate, and Darby finds herself immersed in a chilling mystery.
A town on fire.
More fires erupt around town, and a serial arsonist sends taunting letters to the press after each. As a forensic linguist, this is Darby’s area of expertise . . . but the scars her work has caused her are also the reason she’s trying to escape her life.
A growing darkness.
As the shadows continue moving in, pieces of the town around her come into sharper focus. To make it out alive, Darby must decide if she can trust the one man who sees her clearly.
“Unique, witty, and hilarious, Carrie's voice shines throughout Woman in Shadow. The perfect mix of intrigue, mystery and danger, this is most definitely a book for my keeper shelf.” —Dani Pettrey, bestselling author of the Coastal Guardians series
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★★★★/5 | Woman in Shadow delivers a terrifying, twisted series of events that captivated me from beginning to end! With her background as a forensic artist, author Carrie Stuart Parks pulls out all the stops to showcase her talent and capture her readers attention.
From the spectacular and mountainous setting, to a story that ebbed and flowed at a great pace, Stuart delivered a novel that easily kept me entertained. It read as if a horror movie met a game of Clue; multiple people trapped at a guest ranch while a serial killer roams on the loose with one woman trying to solve the mystery. Talk about edge of your seat!
I enjoyed Parks’ quick wit and sarcastic narrative. I found the story to be well-planned and delivered in a manner that kept the suspense and chill alive. I also loved her use of Holly and Maverick, two dogs who felt like secondary characters to me with their constant presence and role in the story.
While I liked the characters (Darby, especially), I craved relatability to them, feeling as if this novel could have used more character development. This fact made the romance portion of the novel feel forced and only surface deep. However, that is a personal preference and I feel that others may enjoy these characters much more than I!
The climax of this suspense novel was enjoyable, however the mysterious revelation at the end was only subpar. Overall, however, I really enjoyed the build and fast pace of the novel, enough to want to see it through to the end. I highly recommend readers try this one out for themselves, as I feel certain they’ll enjoy it for it’s thrilling suspense alone! Readers who enjoy authors such as Tom Threadgill, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason may also love this novel.
