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Shadow Valley
Mackenzie Morgan thinks she's doing the right thing by taking her teenaged daughter, Bella, into the Appalachians on a photography shoot. Fleeing a crumbling marriage, Mac needs some time to bond with her daughter and escape the betrayal that still leaves her numb. But when a drifter abducts Bella and carries her on horseback deep into the woods, Mac must pull from her greatest reserves to fight for her daughter's safe return.
When her soon-to-be ex-husband arrives, old wounds flare, and Mac turns to Caleb Howell, a local ranger, who helps keep her focused on the most important task: finding Bella. Then astonishing evidence comes to light that reveals the abduction was not as random as they first believed. But as hours turn into days, Mac must struggle to keep her hope -- and her terrified daughter -- alive.
When her soon-to-be ex-husband arrives, old wounds flare, and Mac turns to Caleb Howell, a local ranger, who helps keep her focused on the most important task: finding Bella. Then astonishing evidence comes to light that reveals the abduction was not as random as they first believed. But as hours turn into days, Mac must struggle to keep her hope -- and her terrified daughter -- alive.
377 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 28, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 26, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
April 13, 2020
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Believability: 5/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 5/5 Stars
This was an intense, action packed read that I really did not want to put down once I picked it up. For those that love stories about how far a mother will go for her child, this is a great one to grab. While I’m kind of stuck on the short and sweet side of this review, that so isn’t what this book is. It was just a really great read that is worth the time to pick up.
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Believability: 5/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 5/5 Stars
This was an intense, action packed read that I really did not want to put down once I picked it up. For those that love stories about how far a mother will go for her child, this is a great one to grab. While I’m kind of stuck on the short and sweet side of this review, that so isn’t what this book is. It was just a really great read that is worth the time to pick up.
September 13, 2014
When I started this book I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t like it. I found the exposition too abrupt . Fortunately I gave the author time to shift smoothly into the accelerating plot, to my great delight. This became one of those books to be picked up at any opportunity during the busy day and read into the night.
I’ve read far too many “chase” thrillers where the author fails at pacing – usually falling into a rushed, jerky, cinematic unfolding of action that leaves the reader feeling cheated. If there is one technique that Gwen Hunter shows she is an expert at in this book, it is the exact pacing needed for a book narrative – never dull, never rushed, consistently forward moving and exciting. The pauses and the action seem timed just right – plausible, thrilling, and leaving the reader feeling she or he is in the midst of the unfolding action – not wishing to back up the DVD to review a hurried scene.
Like her photographer narrator, Hunter has a sharp eye for surroundings and natural beauty. Once into the backwoods, Hunter’s description of the landscape is evocative and sure. Anyone who loves the woodlands of the Southeastern hills and mountains will enjoy this thriller for the journey, if nothing else. It is clear that the landscape is vivid and loved in her imagination.
As the chase unfolds, the reader enjoys the stages of the narrator’s growth of personal awareness – not something I expected during the exposition of the first few chapters. A good many other characters are also introduced and the author’s hand is sure in their depiction – revealing the awareness the narrator would have of them through interaction, avoiding the sneaking in of third-person omniscience, and never giving so much detail about them as to slow or derail the action which is the center of this narrative.
These are the great (and dominating) strengths of this novel that I find – the vibrant sense of landscape, the perfect timing of the narrative, and the emergence of the narrator’s deeper self-awareness. If I have one complaint, it is that the narrator begins, several times, to reflect on the ethics of taking of another’s life – indeed the introduction to the novel (repeated at the end) pushes that forward as a theme. Yet the narrator never seems to go anywhere with those thoughts, never comes to a conclusion. Most disturbing to me, the narrator leaves hanging the idea that she should have killed her adversary when he first appeared, based, it would seem, on her “uneasy feelings” about him. I wish she had come to some sort of resolution about the impossibility of acting on such feelings. We have come through a number of tragedies in this country where it seems people have been killed because a gun-wielder had been “uneasy” with them and felt justified in “standing their ground.” To be fair, these horrors postdate the novel.
The reader can, of course, use this narrative as a laboratory for exploring their own thoughts about when homicide can be justified. Having found so much else about the narrator psychologically engaging, I very much wanted to feel she had reached a resolution, which I don’t think she did.
Those who have enjoyed the well-known novelized narrative of an actual event on the 18th century frontier, “Follow The River” will feel the excitement of that narrative in this more modern version of the backwoods chase.
I’ve read far too many “chase” thrillers where the author fails at pacing – usually falling into a rushed, jerky, cinematic unfolding of action that leaves the reader feeling cheated. If there is one technique that Gwen Hunter shows she is an expert at in this book, it is the exact pacing needed for a book narrative – never dull, never rushed, consistently forward moving and exciting. The pauses and the action seem timed just right – plausible, thrilling, and leaving the reader feeling she or he is in the midst of the unfolding action – not wishing to back up the DVD to review a hurried scene.
Like her photographer narrator, Hunter has a sharp eye for surroundings and natural beauty. Once into the backwoods, Hunter’s description of the landscape is evocative and sure. Anyone who loves the woodlands of the Southeastern hills and mountains will enjoy this thriller for the journey, if nothing else. It is clear that the landscape is vivid and loved in her imagination.
As the chase unfolds, the reader enjoys the stages of the narrator’s growth of personal awareness – not something I expected during the exposition of the first few chapters. A good many other characters are also introduced and the author’s hand is sure in their depiction – revealing the awareness the narrator would have of them through interaction, avoiding the sneaking in of third-person omniscience, and never giving so much detail about them as to slow or derail the action which is the center of this narrative.
These are the great (and dominating) strengths of this novel that I find – the vibrant sense of landscape, the perfect timing of the narrative, and the emergence of the narrator’s deeper self-awareness. If I have one complaint, it is that the narrator begins, several times, to reflect on the ethics of taking of another’s life – indeed the introduction to the novel (repeated at the end) pushes that forward as a theme. Yet the narrator never seems to go anywhere with those thoughts, never comes to a conclusion. Most disturbing to me, the narrator leaves hanging the idea that she should have killed her adversary when he first appeared, based, it would seem, on her “uneasy feelings” about him. I wish she had come to some sort of resolution about the impossibility of acting on such feelings. We have come through a number of tragedies in this country where it seems people have been killed because a gun-wielder had been “uneasy” with them and felt justified in “standing their ground.” To be fair, these horrors postdate the novel.
The reader can, of course, use this narrative as a laboratory for exploring their own thoughts about when homicide can be justified. Having found so much else about the narrator psychologically engaging, I very much wanted to feel she had reached a resolution, which I don’t think she did.
Those who have enjoyed the well-known novelized narrative of an actual event on the 18th century frontier, “Follow The River” will feel the excitement of that narrative in this more modern version of the backwoods chase.
Read
January 28, 2013Love this book! Loaned it to a friend and never got it back- my parents bought me another copy!
February 18, 2021
This standalone stands up well to the test of time. I'm new to Hunter's books, and while I found certain problems with some of her others - things like the use of the Magic Negro trope and some rather racist leanings in her medical thrillers, this one doesn't have any of those issues. This one is well put together, and it's easy to suspend disbelief on the less than plausible aspects. The characters are, if not well rounded, then at least multi-dimensional. It was a fast-paced, fun little read. I'll continue to seek out her books to see how well they hold up because I do enjoy her writing.
August 5, 2020
I loved this book!
I read while I was cooking bacon, giving the baby a bath and walking the dogs. I’ve been in those mountains and kept picturing the scenery. I’m also a horse lover from a small town and felt right at home with the friendliness and acceptance from the town folks as well as all the horse talk and wonderful descriptions. Nice and cozy ending.
I read while I was cooking bacon, giving the baby a bath and walking the dogs. I’ve been in those mountains and kept picturing the scenery. I’m also a horse lover from a small town and felt right at home with the friendliness and acceptance from the town folks as well as all the horse talk and wonderful descriptions. Nice and cozy ending.
October 31, 2021
A really good book
Shadow Valley was a book that I couldn't put down until I finished it. This book was written by one of my favorite authors Faith Hunter, writing as Gwen Hunter. An excellent mystery that moves swiftly from page one. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed the adventure and hope you do too.
Shadow Valley was a book that I couldn't put down until I finished it. This book was written by one of my favorite authors Faith Hunter, writing as Gwen Hunter. An excellent mystery that moves swiftly from page one. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed the adventure and hope you do too.
July 29, 2025
Another great story deep in Appalachia - a mother searching for her kidnapped daughter. Interesting characters tracking a mentally unstable man who knows the land and how to escape and evade. Add in Caleb Howell - a ranger with skills and personality plus an attraction to Mac Morgan the kidnapped girl's mother.
August 24, 2020
Shadow Valley
A very commendable suspense/thriller - a bit long and perhaps too much attention to her injuries! The characters were well developed and believable! The wilderness tracker stole the show and the ending was exciting but some what predictable!
A very commendable suspense/thriller - a bit long and perhaps too much attention to her injuries! The characters were well developed and believable! The wilderness tracker stole the show and the ending was exciting but some what predictable!
October 12, 2021
Great story
Wonderful writing, fabulous plot twist and turns. I enjoyed the characters and the growth in the female lead. Such great descriptions of the scenery from a photographers perspective.
Wonderful writing, fabulous plot twist and turns. I enjoyed the characters and the growth in the female lead. Such great descriptions of the scenery from a photographers perspective.
April 7, 2018
Excellent pacing. Loved the fact that there was no foul language. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be the last.
January 2, 2019
This is my first time reading anything by Gwen Hunter. I thought it was really good and can't wait to read something else by her.
June 22, 2019
Now THAT was a wild ride! Oh my gosh was that amazing! Just non-stop intensity, but with such heart! Totally loved it!
October 30, 2019
Riveting thriller that will keep you glued to the book.
May 13, 2020
What a great read, I loved this book. Would recommend highly
November 21, 2022
I think I saved the best till last. A nerve wracking chase across the wilderness that makes this book a page turner. I think this would make a good tv series!
January 7, 2019
Awesome book!
June 25, 2010
This is not your typical mystery plot blended together and easily forgotten. I found this to be an exhilarating suspense novel with a romantic subplot that did not take away from the overall story. It was an almost inconceivable situation the mother was thrown into watching her daughter be abducted and not being able to stop the horror from occurring. Add to the mix her horrible soon to be ex-husband and the main tracker - and the plot is set. The action never slows down until the final altercation.
February 13, 2013
WOW!! This one takes you on an adventure as you follow a mom with the help of others chasing after her daughter who is kidnapped. This was hard to put down and kept you on the edge of your seat. This is the first book I have read by this author and you can bet it will not be the last. Highly recommended.
September 9, 2012
This was an awesome book- very suspenseful and didn't rush through, which was important because it made the story more realistic. It was the first Gwen Hunter book I have ever read and I will definitely be reading mmore.
June 9, 2014
Mac is a nature photographer on assignment. Bella, her daughter is along and they are camping in the spot where she has planned to shoot. Then a man comes into their camp...kidnaps Bella and buries Mac...
Now Mac must rescue first herself then Bella
Now Mac must rescue first herself then Bella
October 20, 2015
Awesome
I have enjoyed Gwen's series and decided to try a stand alone novel. I loved the characters so much I would enjoy a sequel novel to follow them. Excellent writing,compelling book!
I have enjoyed Gwen's series and decided to try a stand alone novel. I loved the characters so much I would enjoy a sequel novel to follow them. Excellent writing,compelling book!
February 23, 2010
A well-written book that kept me interested throughout. An easy, enjoyable, entertaining read with a satisfying ending.
June 16, 2015
Great read an adventure and romance. would have liked alike more talk about photography.
May 14, 2010
awesome book!
January 13, 2014
Average. Just average!!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews