The Shadow of God

We rated this book:

$12.99


Mitch Stern’s wife has just left him, and he’s hoping to distract himself in San Francisco. Unfortunately, he ventures where he shouldn’t, and, although he is the first character we meet, he doesn’t last long. His body washes up on shore several days later and is investigated by Mike and May, two detectives from opposite sides of the Golden Gate Bridge. The story switches back and forth between their case (and evolving relationship) and the romance of Jim and Liz. Jim is a reserved software developer in the middle of a divorce, and Liz is a vivacious law school graduate in the middle of an engagement. Their chemistry is immediate.

Steve Jackowski does an excellent job of weaving these storylines together, deftly switching between many perspectives. He also manages a very subtle transition from a romantic adventure (albeit, one that starts with a murder) to a compelling, complex psychological thriller. While the first half of the story is a bit slow, it is still interesting, and the second half just flies by. Once the various puzzle pieces started coming together, I couldn’t put it down.

The only real complaint I have is that the dialogue is occasionally clunky, particularly in the beginning when Jim and Liz are getting to know each other. However, either this isn’t a problem later in the book or I just didn’t notice because the story was so thoroughly engaging.

Jackowski lays out the information in such a way that everything is in place long before you discover it. This is a very smart book, perfect for both readers who like to try to solve the crime before the characters do and readers who love to reread mysteries to see all the hints early on.

Featuring fascinating characters, a rare psychological disorder, and twists that would make even the best mystery writers proud, The Shadow of God is one novel you don’t want to miss.


Reviewed By:

Author
Star Count 4/5
Format Trade
Page Count 322 pages
Publisher CreateSpace
Publish Date 12-Jun-2014
ISBN 9780989972925
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue October 2014
Category Popular Fiction
Share

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “The Shadow of God”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.