Review: The Shadows by Alex North

Title: The Shadows

Author: Alex North

Published: July 2020, Celadon Books

Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary: 

The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man

You
knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister
smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he
might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago,
Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s
attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest
corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul
Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree–and his victim–were
Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his
mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every
inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

It’s not long
before things start to go wrong. Reading the news, Paul learns another
copycat has struck. His mother is distressed, insistent that there’s
something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him
of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn’t just the murder.

It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again…

My thoughts: It’s
not too often that I read a book so far ahead of it’s publication date but I
just couldn’t help myself with this one. Last year, I loved Alex North’s debut novel, The Whisper Man, so when I got my hands on his sophomore novel, I had to read it right away…and let me tell you – this one is just as good, if not a little bit better! So mark your calendars
for July 7th when this one hits the shelves…you will definitely
want to pick up a copy or you can even pre-order this book now!

I loved everything about this book. It is dark and haunting and gives off such creepy vibes that you might want to rethink reading this one at night, especially since it deals with lucid dreams. I wouldn’t say it’s outright scary, but rather just another eerie book that is so intriguing you find yourself wanting to keep reading, even in the dark!

This is such a layered, complex plot that pulled me in right from the start. And there are so many little threads that keep you hooked. I loved that it alternates from the present to the past, and that it seamlessly moves back and forth in time. As you learn something in the present, you go back into the past to find out how it came to be. I loved the way this worked, and it kept the book moving at just the right pace.

This is a very addicting read and there are some twists that pop up that shocked me so much that I found myself flipping back to earlier chapters to see if I had missed something. But at the same time, I was eager to keep reading to see what would happen next and how these new developments would alter what I now knew…these twists only made me love this book even more! 

I will be recommending this book to all my thriller-loving friends and have definitely put Alex North on my must-read list. I cannot get enough of his writing. If you love binge-worthy, fantastically creepy books, you definitely need to add this one to your list of books to read.