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Signy Shepherd #2

Dark Territory

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In her newest assignment for the Line, Signy Shepherd embarks on a rescue mission to save Lizzy Stone and her baby boy in Susan Philpott’s heart-racing thriller, Dark Territory.

Cut off from the Line, what will Signy Shepherd do when the very people she protects become more dangerous than the threats they’re escaping?

Signy Shepherd has spent her career with the Line, a modern underground railroad, shepherding at-risk women out of peril. When Signy takes Lizzy, a young woman desperate to save her infant son, under her protection, the case appears to be like any other. With a severe winter storm on the horizon, Signy drives Lizzy and her son out of the city. Suddenly, she finds the police hot on their tail, and when Lizzy’s erratic behavior propels them into further danger, Signy begins to suspect that her new ward is not the victim she claims to be.

Meanwhile, Signy’s PTSD-stricken mentor, Grace, investigates Lizzy’s husband. But Lizzy’s husband is hiding secrets of his own, and soon Grace finds herself out of her depth. As the treacherous blizzard closes in, the entire operation spirals out of control. Isolated and relying on nothing but her instincts, Signy is confronted with a choice that will force her to risk not only her own life, but those of the people she cares about most.

Expertly plotted and featuring a fiery protagonist, Dark Territory is a taut, high-speed thriller about a young woman who will stop at nothing to save the people she loves.

448 pages, Paperback

Published January 12, 2016

2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read

About the author

Susan Philpott

4 books16 followers
When I was a kid, Nancy Drew was my hero. A titian-haired, teen sleuth with a female friend named George? A self-reliant girl not afraid to take on the big boys? It didn't get much better!

When Harriet the Spy came along, I was in heaven. In fact, my first attempts at creative writing include my super secret spy book, in which I kept track of the mysterious comings and goings of friends and family. Unfortunately, puberty intervened, and my spy book was discarded, left to molder along with the rest of my childhood fantasies.

Fast forward many years, and I earned a Master's degree in Zoology, eventually working at the Metro Toronto zoo, I carted away more poo than I could have ever imagined. I loved working with tigers and orangutans, lemurs and rhinos. I even got used to snakes and spiders. Best of all, shoveling all that sh** re-ignited my creative spark.

Lots more school later, and I was working as a mental health social worker. Talk about inspiration. The people I worked with lived with serious mental illness...and with courage, grace and determination. But, unlike Nancy Drew, their voices were often not heard, their stories left untold. The light bulb finally went on, and kick-ass Signy Shepherd was born.

In Blown Red, the first installment in the series, Signy is recruited to the Line, a shadowy underground railroad shuttling abused women out of harm's way. She has no idea that her first solo case will set her on a collision course with a renowned photographer concealing a murderous past; a relentless tracker with an explosive secret; and her own violent demons.

The long journey to Blown Red reminded me that adventure is always just around the corner...if you want it to be. And my super secret spy book? It's back where it belongs...tucked under my arm, ready and waiting for that next big scoop.

To order Blown Red, or to pre-order Dark Territory (coming Jan 12/16) susanplease visit me at http://www.susancphilpott.com

For a glimpse into the sillier side of my writing life check out dumpygrace.blogspot.ca

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Krissy.
305 reviews
January 13, 2016
Originally posted at http://wanderlustbooksandtea.blogspot...

Dark Territory is the second book in the Signy Shepherd series by Susan Philpott. The first book, Blown Red, was released last year and it was fantastic! This book was even better, in my opinion.

Signy works for the Line, which is an underground railway of sorts that helps women escape terrible situations, which is as empowering as it sounds. Signy helps transport the women to their new lives, and of course, runs into trouble along the way.

In this book, Signy is tasked with helping Lizzy Stone and her young son, Justin, escape her successful doctor husband, Solomon. Solomon seems like the perfect husband and father with a successful medical career, but he is definitely not the man he appears to be; however, neither is Lizzy. Signy has to decide whether Lizzy is telling her the entire story, and if she's not, how can she help someone who may be more dangerous than Solomon?

What I love about these books is that you don't always know who you can trust. I wavered between trusting and not trusting Lizzy, which made the book more interesting. On the surface, Lizzy seemed like a scared wife/mother, but underneath, she may have been hiding her own demons.

Grace is another character who returns, and I'm glad that we got to see a little bit more about her and her past. I was feeling a little skeptical of her after Blown Red, but she really grew on me throughout this book. I'm excited to see where her character goes next.

Signy is definitely my favourite character. She is tough, resourceful, smart, and not afraid to kick some ass when necessary. She had a rough start in life, but that hasn't stopped her from becoming an absolute necessity for the Line and the women she helps. She's a little more vulnerable in this book, as she needs to ask for help from a person that she doesn't exactly want to. I was pleased to see her more vulnerable, though, as it added more depth to her character. I can't wait to see how else she'll grow as the series continues.

This book is perfectly paced; even when the action stops the story is continuing to move forward. It will leave you flipping the pages as fast as you can, and will never let you stop wondering who to trust. It will make you cheer to see women being portrayed as strong and successful people who can more than handle their own. Philpott is fantastic at crafting characters you'll want to see succeed.

I do have two small gripes. I was a little sad that the book took part mostly in the U.S. I loved that Blown Red took place in Canada, and I hope that Philpott chooses to set the next books back in Canada.

The only other small thing is that at times, there are scenes that are so graphic they had me cringing. This is to be expected in a thriller book, though, so while it didn't bother me a lot, I could see it bothering those who may be a bit more sensitive.

I would recommend reading Blown Red first, because you'll have more background on the characters, but you could probably read this as standalone and still enjoy it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heart-pounding thriller with kickass women at the core.
259 reviews6 followers
August 25, 2025
This was a solid follow-up to Blown Red, with lots of action, high-stakes drama, and a few twists that definitely kept me guessing. Signy Shepherd is still a badass, and I liked that we got to see a more vulnerable side of her this time around. Her relationship with Grace and her brother Alex added some nice layers, even if they’re all a bit emotionally messy (which, honestly, makes sense given their histories).

The premise (a modern underground railroad helping abused women escape dangerous situations) is still one of the most interesting parts of the series. It’s empowering but also dark, and Dark Territory leans into that even more with some pretty heavy themes and graphic scenes. At times, it was a bit much for me; not gratuitous exactly, but definitely intense.

That said, I did find parts of the plot a little hard to buy into. Some character decisions felt like they were there mostly to move the story along, rather than something those characters would realistically do. And Lizzy? I honestly didn’t know what to make of her most of the time; which might have been the point, but still made it harder to stay invested in her storyline.

All in all, it’s a tense, twisty read with strong female leads and a fast pace. Not perfect, but definitely entertaining if you’re in the mood for a dark thriller with moral gray areas and a storm that’s just as chaotic as the characters.
336 reviews18 followers
December 5, 2016
The Underground Railroad - where "conductors" help women escape from bad situations but for the most part, all they have to go on is the woman's say so. Signy wonders about her new "passenger" as things are not quite adding up. A severe winter storm plays havoc with their travels and an amber alert for her "passenger" and her baby creates a lot more problems. Then there is Signy's brother, The Tracker, who just recently showed up in her life. Signy's mentor, Grace, goes to interview the "passenger's" husband, a celebrated physician - is he really the monster his wife claims him to be?

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Profile Image for Angela.
275 reviews5 followers
September 20, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect with Dark Territory as the book was gifted to me and I hadn't heard of Susan Philpott previously. I was pleasantly surprised. Great pace, action packed, and mostly believable methods used by the characters to get themselves out of multiple harrowing situations. The characters are well written; tough, flawed, determined, and loyal to their cause and each other. I think reading Blown Red first would have added to the experience, but I don't think not having read it took anything away. I would look forward to finding out how the story continues if a third installment comes out.
Profile Image for Dean Cummings.
315 reviews38 followers
August 26, 2017
Signey Shepherd is given her newest assignment, to rescue Lizzy Stone and her baby boy from an abusive household. While safeguarding the two, she becomes cut off from her Line support. It's just about that time that she discovers that the person she's protecting may be more of a threat than those of the rescued woman's husband.

Philpott's story was terrifying in several places, but she wasn't overly descriptive with the gory details. A solid, well developed story, but it didn't quite "reach" me the way I like a story to.
939 reviews10 followers
June 23, 2018
Another great read in the series. About 3/4 of the way into the book, I thought I was going to have to write a stern letter to the author for letting Signy and Grace be so stupid yet again!! But it all worked out well in the end and I do look forward to the next installment in the series. Kudos Susan, I really like your characters, well at least your non-evil characters, lol!!
Profile Image for Madi.
566 reviews21 followers
May 19, 2018
This one was surprisingly good!
Profile Image for Kelly Macfarlane.
161 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2018
Did not love. Some OK parts to it, but too many implausibilities and characters making stupid decisions seemingly only to advance the plot.
1,611 reviews
June 7, 2019
It probably would have been better to have read book 1 but never the less I found the book quite a ride.
Profile Image for Graeme Waymark.
Author 2 books8 followers
September 21, 2016
If any of my Goodreads friends would like to read a new Canadian author, Susan Philpott is good. She is entertaining and strong in her character development. The fact that both this novel and its prequel, also read and reviewed by me, discuss a 'Canadian Line' is curious for us Canadians. Yet this line is not without precedent as there has been at least two young people's help 'lines' across the country that I was aware of in the sixties and seventies especially during the 'Hippie Era' when many a youngster became homeless at as young an age as eleven.

These two novels approach the hypothesis that a line exists of 'social workers' with strong resources to assist young women in trouble. That trouble can be a lot more than being without basic supports. The novels are strong, interesting and I would recommend them to anyone seeking a good story line by a Canadian who can match the output of any international author today.
Profile Image for Lori Twining.
268 reviews
January 20, 2016
In Dark Territory, Signy Shepherd is back for another adventure, only this time she is transporting a mother with a young child to Lake Placid in the United States. Things aren't what they seem. Danger is surrounding Signy at every turn. People are telling lies and they are hiding secrets... but whom should she trust? The answer is definitely not clear.

I must admit, this second book reads better than the first book. It gets deeper into the minds of deceitful people. People who want to succeed at any cost. Philpott writes some edgy scenes, and I smiled when she was able to make me squirm with some of her descriptions of what happens in the lab. Without giving too much away, I was excited to read about the connection to "Henrietta Lacks" and the scientific research. This book is not your average thriller with police chases, raging snowstorms, a tracker on their heels and bad people trying to rule the world, it actually has some substance, some scientific reasons, why this fictitious story is actually plausible. Very well done, Susan Philpott.

I was hoping for more "Zef" (damn, I love that name), Signy's love interest from book one. I really enjoyed the on-again, off-again love affair with the guy who couldn't be more wrong for her. Instead, we had a few scenes with a new love interest Ben. This guy is different, intriguing, but still a complete mystery. I am looking forward to book three for more of Zef and Ben!

If you are looking for a fast page-turning novel, you should read this book. I highly recommend it, but if possible, read book one first. It will help you understand the connections between characters better, allowing you to have the full Signy Shepherd experience.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
(because I love fast-paced thrillers, edgy & cringeworthy scenes that gross most people out, a kickass protagonist, Dumbledore references and of course, I still love the name Zef).
Profile Image for a s h.
166 reviews12 followers
November 24, 2016
Originally posted on citygirlscapes.com.

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Susan Philpott’s Signy Shepard in the thrilling Blown Red. I remember not expecting too much when I was sent the book, but I really enjoyed it and was an instant fan of Signy. When the follow up novel Dark Territory was released, it somehow squeaked past my radar, but as soon as I realized I missed the train, I did what I could to catch up.

In my opinion, Dark Territory was even better than it’s predecessor. What I missed a lot in the first book was more background on Signy, which we get here. She unravels a bit more as a character, but she’s still tough as nails and still takes on some terrifying bad guys this time around.

And I mean terrifying. There were some really graphic and disturbing details in this novel, perhaps not for the faint of heart. But Philpott has a great balance, she wasn’t gratuitous with the details, it was just enough to paint the awful picture and give us an idea of what Signy was really up against.

I really enjoyed that Signy’s brother Alex returned for this novel too. They have a complicated relationship and it certainly wasn’t a happy reunion, but the complexity of their dynamic added another layer to the story and I liked seeing that come together.

I’m still such a fan of the modern underground railroad concept, which helps remove distressed women from their abusive and torturous marriages. This was a great concept for a book and I like that so far, each book has focused on a difficult case. This particular case was many levels of difficult, with lots of twists and turns and reinforcements needed. It kept me on my toes from start to finish and has be wanting more!

I’m going to have to keep a better eye out for the next book, because this is one series I can’t get enough of.
2,556 reviews12 followers
April 24, 2016
This is the second Signy Shepherd book, after "Blown Red", which I have read. Again, there is difficult subject matter, given that the books are about the 'Underground Railroad" to help abused women and their children escape dangerous situations and recreate themselves somewhere else in North America. The books also detail the dangers to those volunteers who are 'conductors' on the railroad. This one has its' improbable elements, or at least we can only hope that they are improbable, since the alternative is quite chilling as an explanation for some of the missing women who are never found.

There is also more connection between Signy and "the Tracker", the brother who saved her infant life when their mother was murdered, even if Signy has been highly skeptical of the truth, and if "the Tracker" seems rather amoral in his business dealings. They are both flawed characters, with redeeming qualities, as is Grace, another conductor, who also fits that picture. All three of them barely survive this adventure, and the ending is rather discomfiting. Which is the greater good, and which the greater evil? How can we tell? There may be some echoes of the Bernardo/Homolka quandary.
130 reviews4 followers
Read
April 2, 2016
Do you like mysteries that have dark undertones? Books that will keep you guessing til the very end?

Maybe you enjoy books that will have your heart beating fast and your nerves on edge hoping that what appears is most likely going to happen will change at the last minute.

If you do, this book is for you.

You'll notice that it only took me four days to read it, which is unusual due to working full time and looking after 5 kids at home. I just couldn't put this book down when I had even a few minutes to read it.

Susan Philpott writes a very intriguing and enjoyable thriller that will just keep you looking for more.

This is a must read.
Profile Image for Anna.
168 reviews
May 17, 2016
4.5 stars. Won as part of goodreads d
giveaways.

Easy reading mystery/thriller. Interesting subject matter - underground railroad for victims of domestic violence. I could have done with about 17 less "your fat friend"s from the villain though. He could have changed up his vocabulary a bit.

Continuity from book 1 (which I didn't read) was addressed and mostly just confused me a few times before I kinda put it together. Now I understand why many procedurals do a mini summary of previous plot threads.

Great read within the mystery/procedural category.
1 review
April 17, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2nd Signy Shepherd book.
The character development was exceptional.
If you're looking for a fast paced, thriller ride into the underground world of women desperate to escape abusive relationships this is the book for you. The twists and turns are abundant and even SHOCKING! Perfect summer beach reading. You'll be looking for the next book!
212 reviews6 followers
April 19, 2016
The book was awesome! I really enjoyed it, I read the book very fast i couldn't put it down. I have some favourite characters but can't say might be spoilers :) It is good mix of mystery & thriller.
66 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2016
Excellent book, hard to put down.
Good development of characters and lots of action and suspense.
Looking forward to her next book!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews