The Shadows: A Novel

"This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own... As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder."
- The New York Times

The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it's attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul's friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn't just the murder.

It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...

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352 pages

Average rating: 7.53

107 RATINGS

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10 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

Shahna
Jul 18, 2024
6/10 stars
A little disappointed by the ending.

It's giving me 'Slender Man Stabbings' vibes.
breannahernandez
May 22, 2024
8/10 stars
It took me awhile to get into this one which is surprising since I love horror/thriller novels. I did find the lucid dreaming aspect intriguing, but I did feel like I was always missing something from the plot. I did enjoy this read overall and how the past and the present intertwined with each other throughout the book.
spring.reader
May 28, 2023
10/10 stars
The Shadows is a phenomenal novel! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and when I thought I caught onto the authors secrets of what was happening. The genius turned my world upside down, and left me speechless all with this novel.
Anonymous
Apr 26, 2023
8/10 stars
Lazy review time! Also it would be hard to not spoil anything while providing details beyond the what's already in the blurb.

Creepy. Twisty. Sad. Hard to put down once I got about 1/3 of the way through. A lot going on but easy to keep it all straight. Looking forward to reading another Alex North book.

4 Stars
Anonymous
Apr 24, 2023
8/10 stars
The Shadows is a great read about urban legends and lucid dreaming. It reminded me of the Slenderman phenomena of today. The book was written from multiple points of view so you get into the heads of a few different characters. I thought it had a fairly brisk pace and is definitely worth your time. Alex North is becoming a new favorite.

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