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The Cracked Shadow
Having a flock of guardian angels is supposed to be a blessing. But there is a fine line between heavenly protection and constant following by a bevy of oddly dressed strangers.
When a Minneapolis Police Department desk sergeant asks a couple of colleagues for a favor, the two robbery detectives agree to talk to the young girl who has been coming to the police station for weeks, asking to see an officer who has long retired. The young woman confesses that she fears she’s being stalked and describes her stalker. Despite the stalker’s odd appearance and the fact that it’s a middle-aged woman, the officers believe the young woman and get ready to take steps to assure her safety. However, it weakens her “stalker story” credibility when the officers find out that she lives in a shelter for troubled young women and repeat offenders and is also a psychiatric out-patient. A more thorough check of her background reveals that she is the only survivor of a mass murder that left her totally alone as a twelve-year old child. Having no relatives left, the state took custody and placed her in institutionalized care. For years she was forcibly fed powerful psychiatric drug cocktails. It should have resulted in chemical lobotomy or at least the kind of damage that manifests itself in delusions.
The officers contact the young woman’s psychiatrist in order to close what they no longer consider a case of stalking, and learn that once the drugs were discontinued and the young woman was taken out of the institutionalized care, her mind regenerated on its own into a super functional, highly tuned and sensitive tool. The doctor is studying her case and believes it will result in a new breakthrough in genetics. The doctor’s endorsement of her patient’s sanity is a sufficient reason for the detectives to run the composite picture of the young woman’s stalker through the criminal database. But when a baffled technician asks them how is it possible that the stalker matches up with a female victim of a bank robbery that occurred thirty years ago in Nebraska, the young woman’s credibility fades once again.
When a Minneapolis Police Department desk sergeant asks a couple of colleagues for a favor, the two robbery detectives agree to talk to the young girl who has been coming to the police station for weeks, asking to see an officer who has long retired. The young woman confesses that she fears she’s being stalked and describes her stalker. Despite the stalker’s odd appearance and the fact that it’s a middle-aged woman, the officers believe the young woman and get ready to take steps to assure her safety. However, it weakens her “stalker story” credibility when the officers find out that she lives in a shelter for troubled young women and repeat offenders and is also a psychiatric out-patient. A more thorough check of her background reveals that she is the only survivor of a mass murder that left her totally alone as a twelve-year old child. Having no relatives left, the state took custody and placed her in institutionalized care. For years she was forcibly fed powerful psychiatric drug cocktails. It should have resulted in chemical lobotomy or at least the kind of damage that manifests itself in delusions.
The officers contact the young woman’s psychiatrist in order to close what they no longer consider a case of stalking, and learn that once the drugs were discontinued and the young woman was taken out of the institutionalized care, her mind regenerated on its own into a super functional, highly tuned and sensitive tool. The doctor is studying her case and believes it will result in a new breakthrough in genetics. The doctor’s endorsement of her patient’s sanity is a sufficient reason for the detectives to run the composite picture of the young woman’s stalker through the criminal database. But when a baffled technician asks them how is it possible that the stalker matches up with a female victim of a bank robbery that occurred thirty years ago in Nebraska, the young woman’s credibility fades once again.
299 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 20, 2014
Goodreads Winner Book
When Gina was a teenager she watched as her dad killed her entire family while she played dead. She ended up in a psychiatric ward for years and drugged out on all types of mind altering medicine. She was rescued by a psychiatrist who took her off the drugs and got her into a halfway house. She was still as much a prisoner there as she was in the hospital. Her relief was her work at a local TV station. During her lunch break she noticed that for past few days she has been being followed. She goes to the local police department to file a complaint and Max is assigned to her case. He and his partner find it disturbing that the woman that has been stalking Gina has been dead for over 30 years. Now they must find out if she really is crazy or if something supernatural is really happening.
Loved this book! Excellent writing!
This story line was so good and written in such a professional manner that it stunned me. I could not put the book down. I finished in less than day.
The characters were fantastic and the plot was even more so. It was however quite predictable. You know who killer is as soon as the evidence starts piling up. This book needed to be just a bit more suspensful with a better who-dun-it.
When Gina was a teenager she watched as her dad killed her entire family while she played dead. She ended up in a psychiatric ward for years and drugged out on all types of mind altering medicine. She was rescued by a psychiatrist who took her off the drugs and got her into a halfway house. She was still as much a prisoner there as she was in the hospital. Her relief was her work at a local TV station. During her lunch break she noticed that for past few days she has been being followed. She goes to the local police department to file a complaint and Max is assigned to her case. He and his partner find it disturbing that the woman that has been stalking Gina has been dead for over 30 years. Now they must find out if she really is crazy or if something supernatural is really happening.
Loved this book! Excellent writing!
This story line was so good and written in such a professional manner that it stunned me. I could not put the book down. I finished in less than day.
The characters were fantastic and the plot was even more so. It was however quite predictable. You know who killer is as soon as the evidence starts piling up. This book needed to be just a bit more suspensful with a better who-dun-it.
January 7, 2015
The young survivor of a mass murder, Gina Adams, believes she's being stalked. Considering that she's still under psychiatric care, the police are skeptical. Gina insists on filing a formal complaint and the police are obligated to investigate. Two detectives, assigned to the case, run the composite picture of Gina's stalker through the criminal database. But when a baffled technician asks them how is it possible that the stalker matches up with a female victim of a bank robbery that occurred thirty years ago in Nebraska, they believe the young woman should not have been released yet from the maximum security psychiatric institution.
OH GOD! :)
Ok, i won that book, autographed copy in Goodreads Giveaway and I'm so happy about it, cause book was great! I have one with terrible cover, but i gave it one look and don't look at it again, cause content inside is amazing.
I loved the protagonist- she is very strong character, survived very bad moment and at first no one belive her that she's being followed by someone, but she doesn't give up and look what happened. The narrative is so amazing! Author done good job.
OH GOD! :)
Ok, i won that book, autographed copy in Goodreads Giveaway and I'm so happy about it, cause book was great! I have one with terrible cover, but i gave it one look and don't look at it again, cause content inside is amazing.
I loved the protagonist- she is very strong character, survived very bad moment and at first no one belive her that she's being followed by someone, but she doesn't give up and look what happened. The narrative is so amazing! Author done good job.
May 9, 2014
I won this book through goodreads first-reads. This book was very slow at the beginning, while the author described each character, but once the protagonist of the story started seeing things, it started to gain my attention more and more. What called my attention was how intelligent Gina was despite being in a psychiatric institute for seven years, it was incredible how she knew things that other people didn't even though they worked in that area or used to do things related to what she was talking about.
And the twist at the end, it really wasn't a twist because they did probably analyzed all the probabilities of who was the murder.
I really recommend this book if you like thrillers. A must-read!!!.
And the twist at the end, it really wasn't a twist because they did probably analyzed all the probabilities of who was the murder.
I really recommend this book if you like thrillers. A must-read!!!.
December 27, 2013
It is nice book , I love it
September 4, 2014
I got this book in goodreads giveaway. A simple but interesting story involving crime, relationships etc which keeps you bound till end.
Want to read
June 21, 2014I have heard this is a great read.I Really want to read this book someday.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews