Review: Shadow Man by Cody McFayden
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hollyg_05
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- Currently Reading: The Face of Death by Cody McFadyen
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Review: Shadow Man by Cody McFayden
4 out of 5 stars
This is the first crime novel I've read so while skimming through reviews prior to this, I was a little hesitant because a few people had said how cliche it is but I have to disagree. I can see their point but I thought the author fleshed out the characters to the point where it was not only bearable but the opposite of cliche.
I could easily state the summary of this book for you but I feel there are enough reviews stating the obvious so I'll just tell you how I felt while I was reading it.
From the very first chapter of this book, the author had me hooked. I couldn't believe this was written by a male in a female perspective. It was so accurate, in fact, that it was a little distracting for me. All I kept thinking about was the fact that the main character's voice was coming from the mind of a member of the opposite sex! That may seem juvenile but I'm fairly new to the Good Reads/Online Book Club community and I've only just starting reading extensively (I hated the assigned novels in high school and got no enjoyment out of it) so needless to say, there have been several books sitting on my shelf for years collecting dust, this being one of them, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a man could write so well for a member of the female community. Once I got over that fact though, this book had me lost in the world of it's protagonist, Smoky Barrett from the (almost) beginning to the end.
The book starts following the protagonist and her struggle dealing with the death of her husband and daughter. It delves so much into her mind and her emotions but without crossing the line into boredom. The description of her nightmares and her fears are so accurate to what I would assume someone in her position would be going through in real life that it's borderline scary. Which leads me to my next point...
A lot of reviewers have already mentioned that this book is not for the faint of heart but it deserves to be mentioned again in big, bold letters:
THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
It is gory. It is disturbing. It is excruciatingly detailed. And it is impossible to put down.
The thing I truly enjoy about this book, however, is something I already mentioned before - the characters. Not only is the protagonist one of the most interesting characters I've ever come across but the ones that follow her are given the same treatment from the author. Some will say that the others are stereotypical but I say the author gives them all that extra edge that makes them special. Even the characters you expect not to like, in the end you understand them and their motivations; what makes them tick and how they all work together as a team. There isn't one character in the book you don't like with the exception of the serial killer.
The serial killer - I managed to guess who it was a quarter of the way through the book. That's the only downfall if you're one of those people that likes surprises and hates the obvious outcomes but to me, it didn't ruin the book at all. The way the author weaves everything together is so compelling and it keeps you on the edge of your seat even after everything is revealed in the end.
Finally, my favorite thing about this book is McFadyen's metaphors. One of my favorites comes from the end of the first chapter. It reads:
"Life is smoke, plain and simple; we just fool ourselves that it's otherwise. All it takes is one good gust and we float away and disappear, leaving behind only the scent of our passing in the form of memories."
Yes, this book is dark but it is so, soooo worth it. I can't wait to read it's many sequels.
This is the first crime novel I've read so while skimming through reviews prior to this, I was a little hesitant because a few people had said how cliche it is but I have to disagree. I can see their point but I thought the author fleshed out the characters to the point where it was not only bearable but the opposite of cliche.
I could easily state the summary of this book for you but I feel there are enough reviews stating the obvious so I'll just tell you how I felt while I was reading it.
From the very first chapter of this book, the author had me hooked. I couldn't believe this was written by a male in a female perspective. It was so accurate, in fact, that it was a little distracting for me. All I kept thinking about was the fact that the main character's voice was coming from the mind of a member of the opposite sex! That may seem juvenile but I'm fairly new to the Good Reads/Online Book Club community and I've only just starting reading extensively (I hated the assigned novels in high school and got no enjoyment out of it) so needless to say, there have been several books sitting on my shelf for years collecting dust, this being one of them, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a man could write so well for a member of the female community. Once I got over that fact though, this book had me lost in the world of it's protagonist, Smoky Barrett from the (almost) beginning to the end.
The book starts following the protagonist and her struggle dealing with the death of her husband and daughter. It delves so much into her mind and her emotions but without crossing the line into boredom. The description of her nightmares and her fears are so accurate to what I would assume someone in her position would be going through in real life that it's borderline scary. Which leads me to my next point...
A lot of reviewers have already mentioned that this book is not for the faint of heart but it deserves to be mentioned again in big, bold letters:
THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
It is gory. It is disturbing. It is excruciatingly detailed. And it is impossible to put down.
The thing I truly enjoy about this book, however, is something I already mentioned before - the characters. Not only is the protagonist one of the most interesting characters I've ever come across but the ones that follow her are given the same treatment from the author. Some will say that the others are stereotypical but I say the author gives them all that extra edge that makes them special. Even the characters you expect not to like, in the end you understand them and their motivations; what makes them tick and how they all work together as a team. There isn't one character in the book you don't like with the exception of the serial killer.
The serial killer - I managed to guess who it was a quarter of the way through the book. That's the only downfall if you're one of those people that likes surprises and hates the obvious outcomes but to me, it didn't ruin the book at all. The way the author weaves everything together is so compelling and it keeps you on the edge of your seat even after everything is revealed in the end.
Finally, my favorite thing about this book is McFadyen's metaphors. One of my favorites comes from the end of the first chapter. It reads:
"Life is smoke, plain and simple; we just fool ourselves that it's otherwise. All it takes is one good gust and we float away and disappear, leaving behind only the scent of our passing in the form of memories."
Yes, this book is dark but it is so, soooo worth it. I can't wait to read it's many sequels.
