The Shadow Man - Helen Fields

I've quite enjoyed Helen Fields' D.I. Callanach series. When I saw she had a new book coming out, I didn't even read the flyleaf description - I just knew I'd be in for another great read. The Shadow Man was amazingly good! It kept me up late frantically flipping pages.....and double checking that the door was locked.

The prologue starts things off with a decidedly morbid scene that sets the pace for the story to come.  Fields gives us an unusual protagonist. Dr. Connie Woolwine is an American psychologist and profiler brought in to assist Scottish D.I. Baarda. The search is on for a missing woman, and then another, and then a child and then a man..... Are they connected? Are they alive? 

This duo worked really well for me. Woolwine is an unusual woman and her methods are different from what the tightly wrapped Baarda is used to. I enjoyed the banter between the two - it gave them personality and their own storyline in addition to the crime thread. (I would truly like to see more books featuring these two). Woolwine's profile building has the ring of truth to it and is believable. Fields has done her homework here.

The reader is going to know much more than our lead characters do. Fields gives us a (very scary) glimpse into the actions and mindset of the suspect. The Shadow Man's thoughts and actions will give you goosebumps. Fields' description and depiction of him are visceral, unsettling and downright creepy. We are also privy as to what's going on with the victims. I have to say that of the three missing people, young Meggy stole my heart. She's a gutsy little girl faced with the unthinkable. But the others were just as well drawn.

There was more than one time where I thought the story had reached a certain point and was over. But, Fields kept me on my toes with turns I didn't see coming. The action is firmly in the 'edge of your seat' category. And the ending? Crazy good! I could see this book as a movie.