THE SHADOW WRITER
by
ELIZA MAXWELL
Genre: Psychological Suspense / Domestic Thriller
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Date of Publication: May 1, 2019
Number of Pages: 348
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Every writer has a story. Some are deadlier than others.
Aspiring author Graye Templeton will do anything to escape the horrific childhood crime that haunts her. After a life lived in shadows, she’s accepted a new job as protégé to Laura West, influential book blogger and wife of an acclaimed novelist. Laura’s connections could make Graye’s publishing dreams a reality. But there’s more to Laura than meets the eye.
Behind the veneer of a charmed life, Laura’s marriage is collapsing. Her once-lauded husband is descending into alcoholism and ruin and bringing Laura nearer to the edge.
Behind the veneer of a charmed life, Laura’s marriage is collapsing. Her once-lauded husband is descending into alcoholism and ruin and bringing Laura nearer to the edge.
As the two women form a bond that seems meant to be, long-buried secrets claw their way into the present, and the line between friendship and obsession begins to blur, forcing each to decide where her loyalties lie. Running from the past is a dangerous game, and the loser could end up dead.
As a life-long reader and now librarian, I have read quite a few thrillers over the years. As a result, it’s not often that I’m taken by complete surprise with the plot twists in a psychological suspense novel. However, there were so many unexpected turns in The Shadow Writer by Eliza Maxwell that I felt I needed a neck brace for the whiplash when I turned the last page! This is the first that book I have read by the author, and though it's a bit of a cliche, it won't be the last. I already have The Grave Tender and The Widow's Watcher queued up on my eReader.
Narrated by multiple characters, not always named, The Shadow Writer is a little confusing at first. But I was engaged enough in the story that I just decided to go with the flow and put myself in the hands of the author to do with me what she would. Eventually the cords of the narrative, so twisted throughout the book, came unraveled and I was able to see the story clearly. The Shadow Writer is a somewhat dark story, and I know just the kinds of readers to whom I will recommend it. Fans of psychological suspense novels won’t be disappointed, so long as they know going in that they are being taken for a clever ride and are comfortable not always seeing the end of the road they are on while reading.
I didn’t notice any discernible editing issues that caused me to pause, other than that the novel is written in the present tense, which can be a bit harder to read. The author manages it fairly well, with changes in tense taking place as the narrators occasionally look into their pasts. There are some chapters in italics that work to make you question who is speaking and create tension and pace to engage the reader to continue turning the pages. The story is compelling in that the reader knows certain things about the past of the main character, Graye Templeton, but the author doesn’t tip her hand too soon in revealing everything.
A courtroom trial is only given two lines late in the book, which was a little surprising. However, for the book length and the ultimate surprises to come, I do understand why it was necessary to write the story that way. Some chapters written as a dark fairy tale are intermixed in the narrative, and I will admit that this left me scratching my head at times; but I was having such a great time with the book that I happily just kept reading until all the threads came together in the end.
This is a complex tale, and in the hands of a lesser writer, it might have gone off the rails. But Eliza Maxwell manages to hold the story together in such a way that the ultimate surprises, though shocking, make sense. If you like your reads dark and twisty, this one is definitely for you. I recommend.
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS: Signed Copy + $25 Amazon Gift Card
ONE WINNER: Signed Copy
APRIL 30-MAY 10, 2019
(U.S. Only)
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Great review, and SERIOUSLY about the whiplash! Really enjoyed listening to this one.
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