The Shadow Chaser

JM Mystery-thriller #6

by John Matthews

Andre Lemoine, one of the world's leading geneticists, is on the verge of the medical breakthrough of the century: a link with rare primates that could unlock a vital key in the search for a cure for AIDS and cancer.


But part of Andre's quest is driven by a pressing medical threat within his own family, and when his breakthrough brings him into conflict with two ambitious ruthless rivals - it plunges Andre into the race of his life; a race which takes Andre from the dark jungles of Africa and Brazil to the seamy backstreets of Paris and Philadelphia. A nightmare world of thieves, hookers and pimps, lab bombers and FBI agents - far removed from the safety of his lab bench.


For Andre the stakes have never been higher. Because, as the threat to those Andre loves looms stronger, it becomes a race through the shadows of his family's dark past to, ultimately, face death head-on.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller

480 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2003

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The themes in this book were really interesting- medical research in both aids and cancer with competition for a lucrative financial and prestigious prize leads to all sorts of shenanigans.
There is however a lot that frustrated me about the read; the hero Andre, a brilliant scientist has the world on his shoulders, to the extent that eventually instead of empathising with him I lost interest in the perpetual drama of his life, and it was about 100 pages too long.
Although I was struggling to make progress in the end I just put my head down and ploughed my way through it to the extent that in the end I enjoyed the book.

[Woolie]

I didn't know of this writer when I picked up the book from a bookstore in the airport. A habit I picked up in my later years at university each time I would fly home.
I hadn't been reading long at this point (had given up reading for fun once University took over), and was interested in incorporating a new variety of authors. I was intrigued by the cover and the synopsis on the back. And I can say I was swept into a thriller unlike many others. A medical thriller, the clock is ticking, will the protagonist save the child?


I won't give anything away. It was an immediate page turner. I rather enjoyed it. Happy to have found John Matthews' thriller.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off well, pulling me in as some fast-paced events unfolded, but then suddenly there was a second plot, lots of complex biological tests & too many characters to keep track of. I truly wanted to enjoy the ride, but found myself floundering & struggling with the plot.

[Karunakaran N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Shadow Chaser by John Matthews... Seemed to be dwelling out of the plot never had a gripping point throughout the novel... A dragging read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather convoluted story with several storylines running through the length of the book. Company espionage, theft and backstabbing forefront in an attempt to find a cure for AIDS and then cancer

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relentless thriller with lots of cliffhangers and some rather dodgy medical science.

[Cindy Meilink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put together some researchers trying to discover cures for AIDS and Leukemia, a scientist desperately trying to control his personal life, some stolen research secrets, and you have the makings of a very good story.

Andre Lemoine is a researcher on the edge of losing everything he holds dear. His adopted son Eban, from Africa, has AIDS, and his birth son, Joel, has Leukemia. His marriage to Charlotte is all but over, but emotionally, she is ill-equipped to stand alone. His brother has been arrested for stealing and is sent to prison, and he discovers that his father is not the man who raised him.

Andre works frantically to come up with the cure for his children while trying to juggle the remnants of his life.

The clock is ticking...

Recommended.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was a very well written story I had problems getting into it. Like I said it was very well written and had an excellent story line but hard to get into and didn't keep my attention like a lot of books I read. This book is about a man who went overseas and learned of a lot of people who had contracted Aids and HIV. He got to know quite a few of them on a very close level and in the end agreed to take a young boy home and raise him and try to cure him because he was the last of a family that had passed away from the disease. This man is a doctor and is trying his hardest to save the lives of people who have contracted the disease and it is a race against time to save the boys life by finding a whore who has the disease but is not moving forward.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a great plot, but it is loaded with way too many errors. Most of the errors are grammatical, or idiomatic. The author needs a good editor, not only to correct the errors, but also to tighten up the book. Too many pages are the result of an over-building of suspense.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, thrilling read. Moving on the second soon. Well paced, characters fully fleshed. Riveting!