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The Shape-Shifters
Widowed Janet Herbert has two small children to raise. Out of work and with unemployment benefits running low, she needs a knight in shining armour to sweep her off her feet and carry her away on a big white stallion. The stranger in town is very handsome—and so very, very French. But the more she learns, the more uncertain she becomes. Jean Gagnon has just done seven years for a crime he says he didn’t commit. Worse, everyone in town seems to think he has a half a million dollars buried somewhere out there in the rugged hills of the Ottawa Valley. When a shape-shifting coyote shows up to steal his money, his life and his girlfriend, Jean Gagnon’s survival skills are put to the supreme test. For Jean to prove his innocence and live in peace with his neighbours seems well-nigh impossible. In the words of Slick Wilson, ‘You can’t change who you really are.’ Available in multiple formats from Smashwords.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2011
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Louis Bertrand Shalako
18 books72 followersLouis Bertrand Shalako lives in Canada. He studied Radio, Television, and Journalism Arts at Lambton College of Applied Arts and Technology in Sarnia, Ontario. He enjoys cycling and swimming, and is a lover of good books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 28, 2011
For anyone who knows me, I have a large soft spot for all fantasy type characters, and shape shifters are towards the top of my list of favourites. So naturally, I was quite eager to get in to this read. I was not disappointed as action began from the first word. Intrigue was weaved as scenes were set, but just enough to introduce characters, rather than give too much away. Louis laces magic in to the story with each word, even though the supernatural isn’t immediately apparent.
As each character has their story told, I must admit I got a little confused, but their tales were believable and it didn’t take long for everything to tie in together. Changes between nicknames and surnames for the four hunters made their scenes hard to keep track of at times.
There is a sweet yet dark feeling of reality to this story that keeps the pages turning. This is a book I would most assuredly read again.
As each character has their story told, I must admit I got a little confused, but their tales were believable and it didn’t take long for everything to tie in together. Changes between nicknames and surnames for the four hunters made their scenes hard to keep track of at times.
There is a sweet yet dark feeling of reality to this story that keeps the pages turning. This is a book I would most assuredly read again.
January 14, 2012
The Shape-Shifters – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds – Desserts
He withdrew deep into the recesses of his very being and got in touch with his actual, living soul, as he had learned, quite by accident, so many years ago. He withdrew from conscious thought and into the core of self, where the ego and the subconscious mind peacefully co-exist, at least when they are not at war. His mind became a warm black pit, swirling with stars, galaxies, and everything in the cosmos, and he subsided into it, floating on a blood-red sea, where he contemplated the three most abstract objects, the red box, the blue sphere and the four-sided yellow-golden pyramid. His mind focused on the most universal of all abstract forms until he could pick them up and feel the weight of them, touching the hardness, the smooth-polished surfaces… His head started to cave into his body. Proceeding slowly at first, the transformation accelerated. His feet withdrew and retracted up and out of his boots and into his pant legs. His hands disappeared up into his sleeves. His grimy clothes were seemingly half-empty now, writhing and twisting in and on and of themselves as if taking on a life of their own. A sock fell to the cold, wet floor beside his boots. A thin wisp of blue vapor rose up in curlicues and arabesque shapes in the dim light of the single forty-watt bulb. The clothing squirmed into a new shape on the chair, as the ropes fell limp and slack all around what remained of Jean Gagnon.
Jean Gagnon is released from prison after being found guilty of robbery. Throughout his whole imprisonment Jean declared his innocence, all to no avail. Needless to say, his feelings for the system and the people that convicted him are filled with anger and resentment. Now he is a free man and can start his life anew. Or can he?
Janet Herbert is a widow with two children, Jason almost nine and Ashley 3 1/2. Her husband Don was killed in a construction cave-in four years earlier, before Ashley was even born. The town of Scudmore had lost the mill and jobs were almost non-existent so her struggle to keep a roof over kid’s heads and food on the table was becoming almost impossible. Then she met Jean.
Jeff McCabe, Harry Morden, Slick Wilson and Ted Hiltz are hunting buddies. Their hunting isn’t always legal but it kept them going. Then they met Jean. After finding out that he had been convicted of stealing half a million dollars, they had an idea. They would abduct him and do whatever it took to make him tell them where the money was hidden. This would be easy to pull off and they would all be rich enough to get out of Scudmore for good. What they didn’t bargain for is the fact that Jean is a shape-shifter, and not the only one in town.
‘The Shape-Shifters’ will take you on a hilly ride as Jean tries to put his life back together. He has inherited an old mansion that will cost him a fortune in upkeep, which he doesn’t have. It seems his only way out will be to sell and move on. He just didn’t expect Janet to step into his life and totally change his life. He also didn’t expect the four hunting buddies to take him in at the same time a child had been abducted. With his history of prison and the accusations of mental illness, the whole town turns against him. He is accused of taking the child and murdering her. Jean’s future looks hopeless.
The Shape-Shifters is a book that I hope readers will enjoy. I also hope Louis will continue with future stories. I totally enjoyed this book.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat
He withdrew deep into the recesses of his very being and got in touch with his actual, living soul, as he had learned, quite by accident, so many years ago. He withdrew from conscious thought and into the core of self, where the ego and the subconscious mind peacefully co-exist, at least when they are not at war. His mind became a warm black pit, swirling with stars, galaxies, and everything in the cosmos, and he subsided into it, floating on a blood-red sea, where he contemplated the three most abstract objects, the red box, the blue sphere and the four-sided yellow-golden pyramid. His mind focused on the most universal of all abstract forms until he could pick them up and feel the weight of them, touching the hardness, the smooth-polished surfaces… His head started to cave into his body. Proceeding slowly at first, the transformation accelerated. His feet withdrew and retracted up and out of his boots and into his pant legs. His hands disappeared up into his sleeves. His grimy clothes were seemingly half-empty now, writhing and twisting in and on and of themselves as if taking on a life of their own. A sock fell to the cold, wet floor beside his boots. A thin wisp of blue vapor rose up in curlicues and arabesque shapes in the dim light of the single forty-watt bulb. The clothing squirmed into a new shape on the chair, as the ropes fell limp and slack all around what remained of Jean Gagnon.
Jean Gagnon is released from prison after being found guilty of robbery. Throughout his whole imprisonment Jean declared his innocence, all to no avail. Needless to say, his feelings for the system and the people that convicted him are filled with anger and resentment. Now he is a free man and can start his life anew. Or can he?
Janet Herbert is a widow with two children, Jason almost nine and Ashley 3 1/2. Her husband Don was killed in a construction cave-in four years earlier, before Ashley was even born. The town of Scudmore had lost the mill and jobs were almost non-existent so her struggle to keep a roof over kid’s heads and food on the table was becoming almost impossible. Then she met Jean.
Jeff McCabe, Harry Morden, Slick Wilson and Ted Hiltz are hunting buddies. Their hunting isn’t always legal but it kept them going. Then they met Jean. After finding out that he had been convicted of stealing half a million dollars, they had an idea. They would abduct him and do whatever it took to make him tell them where the money was hidden. This would be easy to pull off and they would all be rich enough to get out of Scudmore for good. What they didn’t bargain for is the fact that Jean is a shape-shifter, and not the only one in town.
‘The Shape-Shifters’ will take you on a hilly ride as Jean tries to put his life back together. He has inherited an old mansion that will cost him a fortune in upkeep, which he doesn’t have. It seems his only way out will be to sell and move on. He just didn’t expect Janet to step into his life and totally change his life. He also didn’t expect the four hunting buddies to take him in at the same time a child had been abducted. With his history of prison and the accusations of mental illness, the whole town turns against him. He is accused of taking the child and murdering her. Jean’s future looks hopeless.
The Shape-Shifters is a book that I hope readers will enjoy. I also hope Louis will continue with future stories. I totally enjoyed this book.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat
September 2, 2013
I liked the general form of writing style. I like some aspects of the subplots. I was not a big fan of how they were woven together. The shape shifting was not very well. The first half of the tale gave me no clue as to the who the shape shifter was. By the time the shifting started, I had forgotten that it was a science fiction tale. Overall, it was just executed very well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews