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Shadow Man

Cody McFayden

Paperback 496 Pgs.

Publisher-Bantam

I have finished reading Shadow Man by Cody McFayden.  I really liked it.  There were a few little things that needed some tweaking, but for the most part, thumbs up.  Smoky Barrett is an FBI agent who has had her life riped away from her in a most terrible and horrific way.  A psycho killed her family and raped and tortured her.  She is so broken, but somehow she manages to come back and get with her "team" again to hunt down another wacko who has picked her as the ultimate hunter to try and catch him.  He says he is a true ancestor of Jack the Ripper and calls himself Jack Jr.  This guy is off the hook cukoo.  What he did to Smoky's  friend and her daughter was dispicable.  He knows everything about all of them, really personal stuff, and they are stumped to how he's finding this out.  Their computer geek Leo tells them anyone with hacking ability can get the info he did, but it is unnerving none the less.  Jack Jr. has given Smoky 1 week and then he is going to start killing the teams loved ones, hunting each and every one of them one at a time.

  
I like the characters.  They aren't as well rounded yet, I'll guess since it's just book one and your still getting to know them, but you get a great sense of their personalities.  Callie is a strikingly gorgeous red head, witty with a dry sense of humor, one thing that is driving me abosulutely APE and did my hubs as well - her overuse of the word, to the point of nausea, honey-love.  I can't stand it, it's became such a distraction when she speaks, it's so bad.  She uses it in almost every sentence to every person and it's horrid!  Hubs said it isn't half as bad in book 2, so maybe that was a beef with readers.  Alan is a huge football player sized man, yet gentle as can be.  He hasn't been developed totaly yet, but he is very kindhearted.  James is a jerk, case closed.  He is described as a word that rhymes with stick, very cold, cutthroat and at times nasty, but he is aces at what he does, and when he and Smokey are in the zone, she describes them as oil and bearings.  They can go into a crime scene and just pick it apart hitting off each other with such an amazing rhythm.  Their newest member is Leo, he is a computer geek.  Now, I don't know if he comes back in book 2, but the way he was introduced in this book, it was made to seem as though he is the newest member.  Sharp, knows his stuff, young and very green, this case rocks him in a way he probably was never prepared for.

The killer is quite something, what he does is very good in the psychological warefare category.  Knowing how to get under your victim's skin and shake them to the core makes for a wonderful killer.  Can Smoky get him before he hurts those who she loves?  Will she crack under the pressure of being back before healing from her own trauma? 

I have one problem, and I think it's due to my hubs.  I had an inkling of who it was from about halfway through, totally convinced by 2/3 of the way.  Hubs is very very good at detecting.  Being a cop was one of his greatest loves and he was, and is very good at it.  The 2 of us are real good people readers, and pick stuff up quick.  I have learned from the best.  Still a fantastic book, and I'm going on to #2.  Hubs said he's done, but that's ok, unless it's a real capoofa, I like to finish most series that I start.  I am way behind on John Sandford's Prey series, and James Patterson's Alex Cross series.  Oh well, sometimes I take detours, but there's plenty of time to catch up ; )

All in all, if this type of book is your cup of tea, go for it!  I give it 4 cannoli's ;)

Keep reading,
Paula