A novel of psychological suspense about an idyllic community rocked by a serial killer--and a dark secret. Detective Ben Wade has returned to his hometown of Rancho Santa Elena in search of a quieter life and to try to save his marriage. Suddenly the community, with its peaceful streets and excellent public schools, finds itself at the mercy of a serial killer who slips through windows and screen doors at night, shattering illusions of safety. As Ben and forensic specialist Natasha Betencourt struggle to stay one step ahead of the killer--and deal with painful episodes in the past--Ben's own world is rocked again by violence. He must decide how far he is willing to go, and Natasha how much she is willing to risk, to protect their friendship and themselves to rescue the town from a psychotic murderer and a long-buried secret.
With fine, chilling prose, acclaimed author Alan Drew weaves richly imagined characters into the first of several thrilling novels of suspense featuring the California world of Ben Wade and Natasha Betencourt.
Shadow Man reveals the treacherous underbelly of suburban life, as a man, a woman, a family, and a community are confronted with the heart of human darkness.
Praise for Shadow Man "Excellent, atmospheric . . . [a] superb police procedural . . . [Ben Wade] is but one of many sharply etched characters who help make
Shadow Man a stellar achievement, a book that unspools like a dark-toned movie in the reader's mind."
--The Wall Street Journal "The crime part of this novel is superbly done: Wade, along with forensic expert Natasha Betencourt, are both indelible characters, and the passages from the criminal's perspective are chilling. Yet there is also a lot of complex emotion--a lot of novel, if you will--going on here, especially in the excavation of Wade's past and in the tension between the remaining wildness and the parcels of civilization carved out of the valley."
--LitHub "[Alan] Drew's debut psychological thriller succeeds admirably. There are three hearts of human darkness within, and it is for the reader to decide which character is the true 'shadow man' . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power."
--Booklist (starred review) "Drew's engrossing novel works equally well as psychological study and cop thriller, literary novel and genre piece."
--Kirkus (starred review) "Drew's cinematic descriptive powers, which he displayed so well in his debut, are on full and wonderful display [in
Shadow Man], helping to make it an absolute must-read this summer."
--Bookreporter "Entertaining, well-constructed . . . The darkness that affects [Ben] Wade, a lone wolf rides horses for pleasure, forms the heart of the story, and Drew draws it out nicely while still moving the plot forward."
--Publishers Weekly "Recommend this one to fans of Michael Connelly, Tana French, and Dennis Lehane. . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power."
--Booklist (starred review) "Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be. . . . A home run."
--Lee Child, author of Night School
Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written, patient but propulsive, serious but suspenseful, grown-up but gripping,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be.
Lee Child Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down, an accomplished thriller by a writer to watch. Alan Drew is a rising star, blending suspense and humanity with consummate style.
William Landay, author of Defending Jacob Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel.
Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin Part murder mystery, part family drama, Alan Drew s
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It s the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door.
Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family In Alan Drew s electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own, lucid and relevant. His main character, Detective Ben Wade, is an outsize but knowable force, up there with Marlowe and Jake Gittes.
Shadow Man is an enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish.
Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West"
"Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written, patient but propulsive, serious but suspenseful, grown-up but gripping,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be."
--Lee Child "
Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down, an accomplished thriller by a writer to watch. Alan Drew is a rising star, blending suspense and humanity with consummate style."
--William Landay, author of Defending Jacob "
Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel."
--Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin "Part murder mystery, part family drama, Alan Drew's
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It's the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door."
--Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family "In Alan Drew's electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own, lucid and relevant. His main character, Detective Ben Wade, is an outsize but knowable force, up there with Marlowe and Jake Gittes.
Shadow Man is an enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish."
--Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West-Recommend this one to fans of Michael Connelly, Tana French, and Dennis Lehane. . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power.-
--Booklist (starred review) -Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be. . . . A home run.-
--Lee Child, author of Night School -
Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel.-
--Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin -
Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down.-
--William Landay, author of Defending Jacob -Always thrilling and often terrifying,
Shadow Man is a descendant of Chandler's
The Big Sleep. Underlying the grisly dangers of Drew's novel is the forceful honesty of all good California noir.-
--Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus -
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It's the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door.-
--Lauren Grodstein, author of Our Short History -In Alan Drew's electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own. An enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish.-
--Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West-Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written, patient but propulsive, serious but suspenseful, grown-up but gripping,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be.-
--Lee Child -
Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down, an accomplished thriller by a writer to watch. Alan Drew is a rising star, blending suspense and humanity with consummate style.-
--William Landay, author of Defending Jacob -
Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel.-
--Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin -Part murder mystery, part family drama, Alan Drew's
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It's the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door.-
--Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family -In Alan Drew's electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own, lucid and relevant. His main character, Detective Ben Wade, is an outsize but knowable force, up there with Marlowe and Jake Gittes.
Shadow Man is an enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish.-
--Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West"Recommend this one to fans of Michael Connelly, Tana French, and Dennis Lehane. . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power."
--Booklist (starred review) "Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be. . . . A home run."
--Lee Child, author of Night School "
Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel."
--Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin "
Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down."
--William Landay, author of Defending Jacob "Always thrilling and often terrifying,
Shadow Man is a descendant of Chandler's
The Big Sleep. Underlying the grisly dangers of Drew's novel is the forceful honesty of all good California noir."
--Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus "
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It's the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door."
--Lauren Grodstein, author of Our Short History "In Alan Drew's electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own. An enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish."
--Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West"Excellent, atmospheric . . . [a] superb police procedural . . . [Ben Wade] is but one of many sharply etched characters who help make
Shadow Man a stellar achievement, a book that unspools like a dark-toned movie in the reader's mind."
--The Wall Street Journal "The crime part of this novel is superbly done: Wade, along with forensic expert Natasha Betencourt, are both indelible characters, and the passages from the criminal's perspective are chilling. Yet there is also a lot of complex emotion--a lot of novel, if you will--going on here, especially in the excavation of Wade's past and in the tension between the remaining wildness and the parcels of civilization carved out of the valley."
--LitHub "[Alan] Drew's debut psychological thriller succeeds admirably. There are three hearts of human darkness within, and it is for the reader to decide which character is the true 'shadow man' . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power."
--Booklist (starred review) "Drew's engrossing novel works equally well as psychological study and cop thriller, literary novel and genre piece."
--Kirkus (starred review) "Drew's cinematic descriptive powers, which he displayed so well in his debut, are on full and wonderful display [in
Shadow Man], helping to make it an absolute must-read this summer. . . . Drew's prose will remind readers by turns of Dennis Lehane and T. Jefferson Parker. This is a remarkable work that you will want to read in one sitting, simply because its author sinks the hook so deeply from its first paragraph that it is impossible to put down until completed."
--Bookreporter "Entertaining, well-constructed . . . The darkness that affects [Ben] Wade, a lone wolf rides horses for pleasure, forms the heart of the story, and Drew draws it out nicely while still moving the plot forward."
--Publishers Weekly "Recommend this one to fans of Michael Connelly, Tana French, and Dennis Lehane. . . . The Steinbeck-like passages about the vanishing cowboy landscape contribute to the novel's power."
--Booklist (starred review) "Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written,
Shadow Man is everything a great thriller should be. . . . A home run."
--Lee Child, author of Night School "
Shadow Man revises the old detective story and turns it in several fascinating directions. Alan Drew writes with precision, subtlety, and a streak of suspense that does not often color the literary novel."
--Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin "
Shadow Man is smart, chilling, and impossible to put down."
--William Landay, author of Defending Jacob "Always thrilling and often terrifying,
Shadow Man is a descendant of Chandler's
The Big Sleep. Underlying the grisly dangers of Drew's novel is the forceful honesty of all good California noir."
--Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus "
Shadow Man has everything I like in a novel: grit, heart, and nail-biting suspense. It's the sort of magically absorbing novel that keeps you turning the pages and checking the locks on the door."
--Lauren Grodstein, author of Our Short History "In Alan Drew's electric new novel, Southern California in the 1980s is so palpable it is almost a character of its own. An enrapturing read from its start to its unpredictable, enthralling finish."
--Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West
