In Her Shadow

Another fabulous read from Mark Edwards - couldn’t put it down. Lots of twists and unexpected turns that keep you guessing!

Jessica is happily married with two children. The loss of her sister over four years ago, is still very much felt. Even more so when her daughter Olivia starts to mention things about Izzy (Isabel) that there is no possible explanation as to how she could know them.We are taken back and forth in present day with Jessica trying to get to the bottom of things with her daughter and questioning if her sisters death really was an accident. In the past we get to see more of Isabel and what her life was like in the lead up to her death.The author will have you questioning everyone. I felt certain that some people were totally innocent and hadn’t even considered them of being guilty of anything. The author would throw something into the light though that made me have doubts about them all. I loved Olivia’s character and the kind of supernatural feel as to whether there is something even more sinister afoot.In Her Shadow was a pulse racing read that I struggled to tear myself away from. I was kept guessing throughout until the heart pounding conclusion. It makes you question how well you really know your loved ones. Another great psychological thriller of a read by the author.

Not my cup of tea

I would never have downloaded this book if it was by any other author because I’m not a fan of books with a supernatural theme. But I am a big fan of Mark Edwards and I’m glad I bought it because I was riveted, despite the theme. I love that Mark creates ordinary people with ordinary lives and injects a creepy and menacing element.As always with Mark’s books, there are numerous twists and turns so just as you think you sussed out the villain it veers in another direction. I would say that there were a few words where I had to stop and look up the meaning (nascent, uxorious, priapic) and a couple of American terms which seemed unusual for a story set in south London (candy instead of sweets/chocolate and courtyard instead of front garden). Also, I’m not sure the makers (or users) of Lynx and Sure toiletries will be happy with the repeated references to it smelling like ‘cheap deodorant’.On the whole though, another great read from this author – but please, Mark, just don’t go down the supernatural theme again!

An intriguing read I enjoyed it although I wouldn’t normally be interested in this kind of book . Glad a read it .

A good read

Jessica’s older sister, Isabel, appeared to have the perfect life. She was beautiful, ran a successful business and was married to a man she adored. Then, four years ago, she unexpectedly fell to her death from a balcony.Jessica always believed it was an accident. However, her four-year-old daughter, Olivia, is now claiming her aunt Izzy – whom she never met – is angry because a bad man pushed her off the balcony. When she also begins to cite long forgotten details about Isabel’s past, Jessica starts to feel there is something more sinister behind her sister’s death.Despite the police conclusion that Isabel’s death was indeed an accident, Jessica’s mother – who consistently maintained her son-in-law, Darpak, was responsible for her daughter’s death – is only too ready to accept her granddaughter’s story that Isabel’s spirit has returned to seek justice. Jessica, however, is more sceptical, but when Olivia’s strange behaviour starts to cause concern at school, she decides to investigate her daughter’s claims and hopefully uncover the truth about Isabel’s death.Although ‘In Her Shadow’ gives the impression of being a supernatural novel, there is much more too it than that. Olivia’s claim of talking to her dead aunt is simply the catalyst for a thrilling investigation into the truth behind Isabel’s death, one which systematically exposes a trail of secrets and deception which eventually brings everybody into the spotlight of suspicion.The more Jessica learns about Isabel’s life, the more she realises it was far from perfect and, as she delves more deeply into the events leading up to Isabel’s death, the list of suspects grows ever longer.As with his previous novels, Mark Edwards has created the kind of situation that could easily happen to anybody, which makes the story all the more credible. With so many potential suspects to choose from, it is an intriguing and engrossing read that will keep you guessing right until the end.

A mix of psychological mystery, ghost story and murder investigation (possibly). An enjoyable read, if only for the way in which Lawrence produces suspects, Agatha Christie style. However, there is a twist, unlike most ‘Who dun its?’ we can’t be sure that a murder has actually been committed, and rather than a big exposé at the end, suspects and false trails are disposed of rapidly.