In The Shadow by Joe Stephens

In The Shadow: A Shalan Adventure by Joe Stephens

Joe Stephens is a fellow contributor to the Writing Wranglers and Warriors blog which I write for every second Saturday. I expected the novel to be a gripping one from comments I'd read elsewhere about the novel, but I certainly didn't expect the ending in all it goriness. Joe's personal religious convictions shine throughout the novel, but even if you're not of the same inclinations the convictions of the characters are convincing.


If you're a fan of the gritty, gory private detective novel, you'll probably love this one. 

Here's what I put on Amazon and Goodreads - as well as here.   

This was a gripping story which dealt with some extremely difficult subjects, though the interlinking of what was happening to the protagonists was very neatly done as the story progresses. Very sad things happen to the adult main characters, Harry and Dee, but their faith takes them forward out of the abyss of traumatic situations. The reader finds young Jennifer’s shadowed past isn’t over. Potentially extremely serious harm is  awaiting her but Harry is a stalwart at her side, his vow to keep her safe one he will not lay aside. The main characters are all easy to like but I also took a shine to Otis the policeman friend of Harry and Dee. Whether or not you have the same religious conviction as Harry and Dee, it’s good that the book highlights the kindness they extend to Jennifer, who is essentially a vulnerable stranger to them. The dire deeds of the ending became almost unbearable to read, and the new reader to the story needs to be prepared for some shocks at the end.

I hadn't realised that this was book 3 of the series but when I've got through my current TBR list, I'll be picking up the first two books and reading them.

Slainthe!