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Mousebane & Red Mist #2
The Shadow that Stalks Behind
Three weeks on from that night and ChameleoMan & friends are riding high after their first vigilante victory... but Dan & his cats are about to face something far deadlier.
Stopping a mugging was almost too easy, but when a body turns up in the industrial estate, Dan begins to wonder if the superhero life is really for him. Catman is missing, the police are asking tough questions, and shadowy figures stalk the street at night.
With time running out, Dan, Andrew, and the Flash must race to uncover the truth—before the law starts pointing fingers at them. But something darker lurks in the shadows. A sinister presence prowls the forest… Is it an ally, or a threat far worse than they could possibly imagine?
The Shadow That Stalks Behind is the action-packed, laugh-out-loud second book in C.J. Powell's Mousebane and Red Mist series. If you loved There’s Something Wrong with the Cats, this suburban sci-fi mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Stopping a mugging was almost too easy, but when a body turns up in the industrial estate, Dan begins to wonder if the superhero life is really for him. Catman is missing, the police are asking tough questions, and shadowy figures stalk the street at night.
With time running out, Dan, Andrew, and the Flash must race to uncover the truth—before the law starts pointing fingers at them. But something darker lurks in the shadows. A sinister presence prowls the forest… Is it an ally, or a threat far worse than they could possibly imagine?
The Shadow That Stalks Behind is the action-packed, laugh-out-loud second book in C.J. Powell's Mousebane and Red Mist series. If you loved There’s Something Wrong with the Cats, this suburban sci-fi mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2025
59 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Powell
6 books70 followersHi, I'm Chris. I write fun science fiction mysteries and thrillers set in the real world with lots of humour.
Sign up to my mailing list to find out about offers and deals and occasionally receive a free novel!
Find more at my website - https://www.cjpowellauthor.com
You can follow me on social media...
Tik Tok / Instagram / facebook -@cjpowellauthor
A little about me...
I enjoy authors such as Jeff Vandermeer, Blake Crouch, and P G Wodehouse.
My favourite films are Alien and The Fifth Element.
I live with my wife and daughter and enjoy retro computer games, pretty much all science fiction movies, and if I ever get the opportunity I love to rock climb. I also play bass most weeks in a rocking wedding band.
Sign up to my mailing list to find out about offers and deals and occasionally receive a free novel!
Find more at my website - https://www.cjpowellauthor.com
You can follow me on social media...
Tik Tok / Instagram / facebook -@cjpowellauthor
A little about me...
I enjoy authors such as Jeff Vandermeer, Blake Crouch, and P G Wodehouse.
My favourite films are Alien and The Fifth Element.
I live with my wife and daughter and enjoy retro computer games, pretty much all science fiction movies, and if I ever get the opportunity I love to rock climb. I also play bass most weeks in a rocking wedding band.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 23, 2025
Cheerful weirdness
The second Mousebane & Red Mist (or Catman & The Flash, if you ask the humans) book brings all the things that you’ve missed in British literature… an invisible man complaining of how cold it gets running about naked in the winter, rapping squirrels, a mind-reading cat in a wheelchair, giant evil tadpoles, a woman wielding dueling plant misters— what’s not to like?
Book one must be read first, but both are recommended together.
The second Mousebane & Red Mist (or Catman & The Flash, if you ask the humans) book brings all the things that you’ve missed in British literature… an invisible man complaining of how cold it gets running about naked in the winter, rapping squirrels, a mind-reading cat in a wheelchair, giant evil tadpoles, a woman wielding dueling plant misters— what’s not to like?
Book one must be read first, but both are recommended together.
April 28, 2025
Catman and The Flash
I love these stories. My favorite chapters are the ones done by The Flash. I love the feline insights. And all the new critters introduced in this one! They're adorable!
I love these stories. My favorite chapters are the ones done by The Flash. I love the feline insights. And all the new critters introduced in this one! They're adorable!
May 6, 2025
Superb sequel
Excellent continuation of the adventures of The Dixons, Andrew and the stars of the story, The Cats.
This book brought closure to one story arc whilst laying the foundation for the adventure to continue. I look forward to reading more about Catman, The Flash and Scratchtacular.
Excellent continuation of the adventures of The Dixons, Andrew and the stars of the story, The Cats.
This book brought closure to one story arc whilst laying the foundation for the adventure to continue. I look forward to reading more about Catman, The Flash and Scratchtacular.
July 21, 2025
I love this book and the first one so much. If you're a cat lover, you should definitely read these books. We need a third book based on Scratchtacular!
August 11, 2025
I absolutely loved this book! Maybe I'm a bit biased because I love cats, but the story is a wonderfully wild ride from start to finish. I can't wait for the next book!
November 19, 2025
Can't wait for the next onr
I enjoyed this series, which got quirkier as it went along! I hope a 3rd book is in the works...
I enjoyed this series, which got quirkier as it went along! I hope a 3rd book is in the works...
May 24, 2025
Another awesome book, loving the new characters and the plot, can't wait for the next one. Always a surprise around the corner.
December 1, 2025
This series is so delightfully unhinged: clever and imaginative, and it consistently manages to be both silly and thoughtful at the same time. Book 2 brings us further along in the adventures of Dan, Amy, Andrew, and their feline friends (along with some new and old characters). I loved every minute of it, even though sometimes the swing between ominous and hilarious was a little disorienting. There were some truly absurd moments in this book, and I mean that in the best possible way. I feel like this would be a fantastic Netflix series, I'd watch the heck out of it! (Maybe Andrew Garfield as Dan?) But until that happens I'll keep my fingers crossed for a third book, I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet to this particular universe. 🙂
This is not a standalone so please read Book 1 before you read Book 2. Not only is Book 1 awesome and you should read it for that reason alone, but also you'll be lost in Book 2 if you don't.
This is not a standalone so please read Book 1 before you read Book 2. Not only is Book 1 awesome and you should read it for that reason alone, but also you'll be lost in Book 2 if you don't.
May 29, 2025
Another fantastic read from CJ Powell! The Shadow That Stalks Behind had everything I love in a book strong character development, a gripping storyline, and that perfect blend of suspense and humor that kept me turning pages and laughing out loud, (literally! I have not audibly laughed so much when reading before I came across Cj Powell) the whole way through. Powell has a real talent for creating quirky, relatable characters and weaving them into weird, wonderful stories that are as entertaining as they are original. I couldn’t put this one down highly recommended
April 24, 2025
The forest is different. Something new is happening.
Way back this very same month in 2022 ("Don't you remember, dear? We had just bought the new fax machine!"), I read my first C.J.Powell book "A More Perfect Human" - the quote/unquote "fast-paced" first chapter in his 'Chrysalis' scifi series. And in these short 3 years - with most of that time seeming to have only started earlier in 2025 (oi vey, cried a weary world) - I have put Powell squarely in the top bracket of my "must buy" list of authors. Seriously, I don't know if you lean more towards quotes from very Americana-focused "gosh I sure love me some baseball" films or prefer your Old Testament references, but to muck up a quote utterly and without remorse: "If Powell writes it, I will read it!" And definitely, his latest offer "The Shadow That Stalks Behind (Mousebane & Red Mist Book 2)" will do little to discourage me from continuing my habit moving forward!
Who in their right mind could come up with something so … so bizarre?
But so that no one fears that I am recycling reviews or that the author is just slipping in the same theme with different mammalian lead players every few months, "Shadow" (doesn't get any lazier than that, eh?) is a much different book compared to its predecessor, namely, "There's Something Wrong with the Cats" (I don't think all the Mousebane and Red Mist bits were originally included with that one, sorry). Even though we are also faced with the reality of dismemberments and even holes being put in various heroes (no worries, he got bettah!) in this chapter, the first book definitely felt a bit harsher in terms of the violence inherent in the system (I'll stop now). This one is a good continuation but I certainly didn't feel quite so - what's a good word here? - tense as I did during the shenanigans of the initial story-line.
Teleportation. DNA-altering frogs. Weird technology. It made sense.
Now a lot of that may have to do with the fact that this time it was much more reassuring that Amy, or Mrs. Dixon if you prefer, was not being held against her will and looking at a terrible future as a human trafficking victim. I mean, that's really the kind of thing that can ruin anyone's day! And granted her loving husband, CJ - oops, I mean Dan! (ha! No hinting there of the almost autobiographical feeling that permeated the two books, nope!) and his pal Andrew - aka ChameleoMan and his faithful sidekick Rounders Bat Person - now are doing their vigilante/superhero-ish darndest to keep the streets of North West Surrey (or thereabouts) safe for all! You remember Dan, right? He's the wedding musician who can now go a bit invisible and who sometime in the past married way out of his league. He's even adorably dorky, too, while running around suffocating from anxiety and a general need to blend in without actually being seen! Hm, there's possibly a metaphor in there. Maybe an idiom or two as well…
It is worth reminding them every now and again who is the superior species.
So all that's pretty much how we left it before along with some cats with strange but conveniently handy mutant powers. Along with everything else, Dan is still struggling with some of the decisions he was forced to make - most of us would agree they were the right ones - but he does spend a lot of the book being haunted by same. But have no fear, for Catman and Flash (yes, yes, we know) are also still here! As are the Concealed Claw, the Frogman, and a whole slew of more DC-worthy bad guys that naturally have silly names and even sillier powers! But do NOT get me started on The Night, The Terror in the Shadow, The Ghost, or even The Wraith or they'll switch the whole bloody cast again! And if anyone with a devilish gleam in their eye offers you a nice cuppa while you're reading this, decline… POLITELY! Otherwise they may go all Ripley on you and make you rethink your choices in life! You terribly naughty people you…
If I don’t lie to them now, we’ll never get to the truth.
Yep everything should be just fine especially since it's been 3 whole weeks!!! now since everything went all kits up (hee hee) and the neighbourhood and surrounding forest are all back to normal! Hm, I'm not sure that even Alanis Morissette would call that ironic, would she? I dunno, that's one of Powell's jokes, don't let me steal it! BUT in the interest of writing an interesting book that generates lots of interest, we do, in fact, find that things are not back to what most of us would consider the aforementioned normality and that, in fact the return of in fact, even more things seems to be getting weirder and weirder by the day! Or perhaps better said by the night as there's a lot of lurking involved.
That seemed a little too coincidental to be a coincidence.
No, with his usual aplomb - which I think is a bass guitar technique - CJP brings in even more strange happenings, strange beings, and just general chaos. We do get to know at least one police officer much better this time - could Dan actually have not 1 but 2 "mates" by the end of this? - as well as become reacquainted with some of the previous cast who were doing nothing we can talk about nor describe in any way clearer than 'it's complicated'. And no, I don't think that is because all of these people are really just letting the Facebook world know they're f*ckbuddies which we all know is what that means at least on social media. Hm, have I also mentioned the growing number of drug dealers that this small and serene English setting seems continues to grow. Yeah, that's kind of discouraging in many ways.
He laughed again. A real head-thrown-back mwahahaha this time.
But like I've said before, Powell's writing just flips all the switches and transports us (ha! You'll figure that out!) to situations both extremely suspenseful and yet somehow more often than not also somewhat hilarious. Granted it's a dry humour but who wants their haha's delivered all moist and sticky, eh? Oh speaking of which, there is a "gathering" of characters in this one - no, no, NO I will definitely not give this one away, just trust me - that make this whole book worth at least one read. And when the rap battle goes down, well, you just know the insanity has been treated like a cheap amp and turned all the way to 11. But it all fits together in some kind of far too easily identifiable way that I just love and have loved and will no doubt continue to love each and every time one of these books comes out! Who wants a hug? Anyone?
Sarcasm so thick you could spread it on toast.
If I could conclude with anything be it positive, negative, gender neutral plusquamperfect, your call my only regret about "Stalking Shadow" is that I kind of wish I had read Book 1 AGAIN before I read this. No, I wasn't exactly lost but I'm also not exactly young anymore either. Ha ha, no after they found me half-naked and wandering around in the woods, what I mean to say is I think that would have made for a real treat of a journey albeit never more than 10 or 20 minutes away from the same spot and still during the same late November to December-ish timeframe. I will say though that if we get a Book 3 - and yes, suspiciously and deliciously enough there were hints of more to come at various spots (I mean, what about our missed dinner with Vicky and Frank?) - then I will definitely bundle up the entire set and treat myself to a re-read from the get-go! It's just that good!
Way back this very same month in 2022 ("Don't you remember, dear? We had just bought the new fax machine!"), I read my first C.J.Powell book "A More Perfect Human" - the quote/unquote "fast-paced" first chapter in his 'Chrysalis' scifi series. And in these short 3 years - with most of that time seeming to have only started earlier in 2025 (oi vey, cried a weary world) - I have put Powell squarely in the top bracket of my "must buy" list of authors. Seriously, I don't know if you lean more towards quotes from very Americana-focused "gosh I sure love me some baseball" films or prefer your Old Testament references, but to muck up a quote utterly and without remorse: "If Powell writes it, I will read it!" And definitely, his latest offer "The Shadow That Stalks Behind (Mousebane & Red Mist Book 2)" will do little to discourage me from continuing my habit moving forward!
Who in their right mind could come up with something so … so bizarre?
But so that no one fears that I am recycling reviews or that the author is just slipping in the same theme with different mammalian lead players every few months, "Shadow" (doesn't get any lazier than that, eh?) is a much different book compared to its predecessor, namely, "There's Something Wrong with the Cats" (I don't think all the Mousebane and Red Mist bits were originally included with that one, sorry). Even though we are also faced with the reality of dismemberments and even holes being put in various heroes (no worries, he got bettah!) in this chapter, the first book definitely felt a bit harsher in terms of the violence inherent in the system (I'll stop now). This one is a good continuation but I certainly didn't feel quite so - what's a good word here? - tense as I did during the shenanigans of the initial story-line.
Teleportation. DNA-altering frogs. Weird technology. It made sense.
Now a lot of that may have to do with the fact that this time it was much more reassuring that Amy, or Mrs. Dixon if you prefer, was not being held against her will and looking at a terrible future as a human trafficking victim. I mean, that's really the kind of thing that can ruin anyone's day! And granted her loving husband, CJ - oops, I mean Dan! (ha! No hinting there of the almost autobiographical feeling that permeated the two books, nope!) and his pal Andrew - aka ChameleoMan and his faithful sidekick Rounders Bat Person - now are doing their vigilante/superhero-ish darndest to keep the streets of North West Surrey (or thereabouts) safe for all! You remember Dan, right? He's the wedding musician who can now go a bit invisible and who sometime in the past married way out of his league. He's even adorably dorky, too, while running around suffocating from anxiety and a general need to blend in without actually being seen! Hm, there's possibly a metaphor in there. Maybe an idiom or two as well…
It is worth reminding them every now and again who is the superior species.
So all that's pretty much how we left it before along with some cats with strange but conveniently handy mutant powers. Along with everything else, Dan is still struggling with some of the decisions he was forced to make - most of us would agree they were the right ones - but he does spend a lot of the book being haunted by same. But have no fear, for Catman and Flash (yes, yes, we know) are also still here! As are the Concealed Claw, the Frogman, and a whole slew of more DC-worthy bad guys that naturally have silly names and even sillier powers! But do NOT get me started on The Night, The Terror in the Shadow, The Ghost, or even The Wraith or they'll switch the whole bloody cast again! And if anyone with a devilish gleam in their eye offers you a nice cuppa while you're reading this, decline… POLITELY! Otherwise they may go all Ripley on you and make you rethink your choices in life! You terribly naughty people you…
If I don’t lie to them now, we’ll never get to the truth.
Yep everything should be just fine especially since it's been 3 whole weeks!!! now since everything went all kits up (hee hee) and the neighbourhood and surrounding forest are all back to normal! Hm, I'm not sure that even Alanis Morissette would call that ironic, would she? I dunno, that's one of Powell's jokes, don't let me steal it! BUT in the interest of writing an interesting book that generates lots of interest, we do, in fact, find that things are not back to what most of us would consider the aforementioned normality and that, in fact the return of in fact, even more things seems to be getting weirder and weirder by the day! Or perhaps better said by the night as there's a lot of lurking involved.
That seemed a little too coincidental to be a coincidence.
No, with his usual aplomb - which I think is a bass guitar technique - CJP brings in even more strange happenings, strange beings, and just general chaos. We do get to know at least one police officer much better this time - could Dan actually have not 1 but 2 "mates" by the end of this? - as well as become reacquainted with some of the previous cast who were doing nothing we can talk about nor describe in any way clearer than 'it's complicated'. And no, I don't think that is because all of these people are really just letting the Facebook world know they're f*ckbuddies which we all know is what that means at least on social media. Hm, have I also mentioned the growing number of drug dealers that this small and serene English setting seems continues to grow. Yeah, that's kind of discouraging in many ways.
He laughed again. A real head-thrown-back mwahahaha this time.
But like I've said before, Powell's writing just flips all the switches and transports us (ha! You'll figure that out!) to situations both extremely suspenseful and yet somehow more often than not also somewhat hilarious. Granted it's a dry humour but who wants their haha's delivered all moist and sticky, eh? Oh speaking of which, there is a "gathering" of characters in this one - no, no, NO I will definitely not give this one away, just trust me - that make this whole book worth at least one read. And when the rap battle goes down, well, you just know the insanity has been treated like a cheap amp and turned all the way to 11. But it all fits together in some kind of far too easily identifiable way that I just love and have loved and will no doubt continue to love each and every time one of these books comes out! Who wants a hug? Anyone?
Sarcasm so thick you could spread it on toast.
If I could conclude with anything be it positive, negative, gender neutral plusquamperfect, your call my only regret about "Stalking Shadow" is that I kind of wish I had read Book 1 AGAIN before I read this. No, I wasn't exactly lost but I'm also not exactly young anymore either. Ha ha, no after they found me half-naked and wandering around in the woods, what I mean to say is I think that would have made for a real treat of a journey albeit never more than 10 or 20 minutes away from the same spot and still during the same late November to December-ish timeframe. I will say though that if we get a Book 3 - and yes, suspiciously and deliciously enough there were hints of more to come at various spots (I mean, what about our missed dinner with Vicky and Frank?) - then I will definitely bundle up the entire set and treat myself to a re-read from the get-go! It's just that good!
June 19, 2025
Another winner from C.J. Powell! This was a great sequel to There's Something Wrong With the Cats, with more character development and as much humor, suspense, and fun as Book One. Now hoping for a Book 3!
June 15, 2025
Cute and quirky. Thought we lost our feline hero’s in this one! CJ builds a good story, and again in this one we’re cheering on the good guys right from the start. The bad guys are bad, there’s strange new friends (and enemies). I’d sure like to have a Mousebane or Red Mist of my own! A fun read overall. Keep it up CJ!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
I absolutely loved this book, loved everything about it
-the story line
-all the twists and turns
-the characters
-fun and cheeky lines
-the book cover
Thank you for your imagination
Will be patiently waiting for the 3rd book :)
-the story line
-all the twists and turns
-the characters
-fun and cheeky lines
-the book cover
Thank you for your imagination
Will be patiently waiting for the 3rd book :)
September 12, 2025
Brilliant sequel
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and book two did not disappoint! Action, suspense, humour, rap battles with the wildlife, sheer genius. Please hurry up with book 3 (there has to be another, I need to know more...)
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and book two did not disappoint! Action, suspense, humour, rap battles with the wildlife, sheer genius. Please hurry up with book 3 (there has to be another, I need to know more...)
November 30, 2025
My rating is a bit biased because I didn't reread book 1 before picking this up after more than a year apart. I wish I would have because there was a lot of reference to book 1 that I didn't remember, and I had a hard time following parts of book 2. That said, the humor and silly elements I loved so much the first time were still very present in this read, and overall I had a great time with it. I do think that there were less cats this time around and I wish there were more, but I did like seeing Amy be much more involved. She's an awesome character and rounded out the story in a really fun way.
May 14, 2025
Truly worthy of a 5 star rating. This is one of those rare instances wherein the sequel is better than the original. And the original was great! Powell has the ability to spin a tale that keeps you engrossed with the plot but still chuckling (a lot). Though there is plenty of action, character development is paramount. I felt like even the least of characters were fairly fleshed out. I put Powell right up there with Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore. I hope he has many more books in his future.
December 19, 2025
After There's Something Wrong with the Cats, I thought this was going to be a straightforward superhero series. Couldn't have been more wrong! Nothing straightforward about it! Twists and turns and shifting alliances. Giant cats! Talking squirrels! Even a dragon (or that's what they call him now). And a trio of lovable, slightly inept humans stumbling through the chaos. A quartet, actually, if you count the detective. Great sci-fi fun with dry British wit. Looking forward to the next installment.
September 30, 2025
I've read both books and found them funny. I have a 23 lb. ginger cat and a tiny 16 lb. callico. It was easy to actually see them in the Flash and Catman. Powell claims he does not have cats. I find that hard to believe. If it's true, he did an amazing job of creating these two characters. It was a fun read.
September 7, 2025
I just loved the first Mousebane and Red Mist book, so was looking forward to reading #2. I tried, but it was just sooo bad. And the cats were barely in the story. I can't even explain how bad it was. I kept thinking it would end soon, but when I saw there were 100 pages left I just couldn't go on.
October 10, 2025
It's very rare that a book can make me laugh or express any emotion, but this is certainly the exception! Love how messed up, funny and creative the author got with this- can tell they enjoyed writing this.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews