Shadowed

by Ken Hughes

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN'T SAVE YOU Paul lives in hiding, struggling to control preternatural senses no secret is safe from—and certain that nobody suspects he exists. He searches the city for answers, using his power and a few self-taught tricks to outwit those who have something to hide—and still he cannot remember what drove him away from the people he loved. And now Paul must risk everything to protect the family he left, make peace with a woman he's wronged and face enemies more ruthless than his worst fears, to at last learn what has transformed his life. Because the one person who knows, is the one who did it to him.

298 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2012

About the author

Ken Hughes lives in Los Angeles and has worked as a technical writer for missions to Mars and the governing body of the Internet (ICANN). He writes paranormal thrillers and urban fantasy, and has been known to argue over the difference between the two in his blog, www.KenHughesAuthor.com.

His novel Shadowed was nominated for a Global Ebook Award. The series he’s launching with the upcoming The High Road is meant to prove one thing: how writing a thrilling cliff-hanger for heroes who can fly takes writing to a whole new level. (Don’t get him started on puns.)

Reviews

[Lita Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadowed by Ken Hughes is a paranormal thriller about a young man named Paul who struggles with super-power enhanced senses, a family-based intrigue, and amnesia.

A dark world has consumed Paul Schuman, a former student who now survives by taking small burglary jobs stealing secrets. Not knowing how or why, when he concentrates, Paul can hear and see things a block away. He also has the uncanny knack of blending into crowds so well, he can walk past his dad in a hallway, and the father fails to notice the son at his elbow.

Mixed in the muddle are Paul’s brother Greg, sister-in-law Lorraine, their father, and the family PR firm at risk from loan sharks. Add in a conspiracy about a research lab accused of mistreating animals and cops investigating Paul’s string of burglaries, and the result is the film noir tone of Paul’s Shadowed world.

Hughes used a deft hand mixing many story lines. The hopelessness of Paul’s noir world, and his confusion with the amnesia were so well put, many times the story dropped me onto the gritty streets with the muddled hero. The bad guy was deliciously evil. The chase scenes were great. Paul’s cleverness with outsmarting a guard dog was well done.

Some elements of Shadowed disappointed. Resolving the central mystery of how Paul acquired his paranormal senses and the resulting amnesia did not come out clearly at the end. Without a thought, Paul plunged into reckless situations that seemed at odds with his cautionary paranormal talents. Shadowed delved so deeply into Paul’s point of view that it was difficult in the first half of the story to figure out what was happening. Once there, I did not like my time in this anti-hero’s scrambled head. Despite these challenges, I am glad that I stayed with the story to the end and got some answers, but just like Paul Schuman, I struggled with just muddling through.

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling Adventure

As a thriller, Shadowed, by Ken Hughes, reminded me of Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. I got drawn into the story as quickly as The Bourne Identity, and as frantically tried to figure out the story plot. With the paranormal element, the adventure was much more than just a thriller. The sheer twists and turns reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock.

Using his heightened Senses, Paul tries to gather information and track down clues. He’s hampered by his inability to remember, yet he’s convinced there’s a Reason for his superhuman powers.

On a deeper level, it’s also a story of a father and sons, and a story of brothers. It’s about people believing in each other, against the odds, in spite of lies and betrayals.

The book will thrill you, challenge you, and keep you along for the ride. Take a step into the Shadowed.

[Mirel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book free from story cartel in return for an honest review.

Where to start? The book is about Paul, who has to deal with super powers that come onto him suddenly. The book is well formatted and edited, no issues there. It was a pleasure to read a typo-free indie book.

However, I found the book very confusing. The opening chapter threw us into the story so quickly, that I reread the first chapter a few times to try and make sense of it, and checked online to see if I'd accidentally stumbled onto a book in the middle of an on-going series. Nope, opening book of the series.

It was so confusing, that it took me a very long time to get into. I usually read books in a day or two, a few more if I'm extremely busy. This book took me weeks to get through. Although I was tempted to give up in the middle, I persevered for the sake of giving it an honest review. Once I passed the halfway mark and reached the 60-70% mark, the reading picked up a bit.

My main problems with the book: There was so much back story alluded to, that it really needed another book. If Paul obtained his powers two years earlier, why do we only first meet him now? And all of the many, many, many earlier circumstances: history, stories, coping mechanisms etc which took place in those two years that are mentioned and hinted at only served to confuse the story more. Most of the characters were very one dimensional, good Paul, evil Quinn with the minor characters also very threadbare. How did Paul come across Sarah and what exactly is that connection all about? There's not much meat to that whole sub-plot. Nor did I feel that Paul grew very much from his experience from start to finish. What is most disappointing, is the feeling that there is so much more the book could have been.

Note: in my Amazon review, the book got 2 stars, basically because there 1 star is "I hated it" as opposed to Goodreads 1 star classification as "I didn't like it" (which is 2 stars in Amazon). While I didn't like the book, I didn't hate it either probably because I felt that the author had many good ideas and there was a lot of potential for more.

[Red Haircrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well-written, edited and formatted book, which was what notably caught my eye when first viewing Shadowed. Crisp, clean and thorough, it was a pleasure to see considerable care had been taken to present a professional appearance.

The premise of the story itself, someone discovering abilities in themselves they cannot fathom or understand, which distances them from other humans is a more common theme it seems these days. Paul, the main character, struggles with his heightened awareness, making choices and decisions after secretly observing sometimes nefarious others while still trying to protect his family and find out what happened to change him in this way.

Maybe it is why it took me a few tries to get started and finish, but I found I couldn’t connect with Paul and his motivations for the most part, nor the secondary characters with which he interacted. The story itself, however was told in a complex, suspenseful way other readers might enjoy.

Originally posted at http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this - a man suddenly beset by special powers who can't remember how he got them. With most stories where people have heightened perception, they seem to take it all in their stride, yet Paul seems to lack the intelligence to process all the extra data he gets. He lurches from one bad decision to the next because he's an ordinary bloke - not an expert politician, businessman or even PR person, though such characters surround him and leave him confused.

While I didn't like Paul much, I did feel quite sorry for him, which is why I found the ending funnier than I believe the author intended. Poor, poor Paul.

Four stars.

[Nicolas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but I had some core skepticism about the concept that never went away. Paul's actions through the first half of the book didn't entirely feel organic to me, and I spent most of that part questioning why he would get involved with his family again in the first place. It's a fun paranormal that almost leans closer toward superhero conventions, and the worldbuilding in that aspect was thoroughly visualized. Truth be told, I'd have been more intrigued by it if it had been more focused on his isolated borderline criminal underbelly existence, than by the storylines surrounding his family, his origins, etc.

[latybug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free download of this book from Story Cartel. Thank you!
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was suspenseful and kept the reader guessing as to who the good guys and bad guys really were.
I wanted to know more about what happened to Paul that gave him the ability to Open his senses, but I think the author may have done that on purpose, to make the reader feel as confused as the character.
The book did not really have an ending, it was just left wide open for a sequel.
I would recommend this book, and I would read more by this author.

[Jeff]

Interesting idea, slow execution

The idea of the main character's abilities interested me from the beginning. However, the story was slow to developed and the characters were all pretty thin. I needed more background and character back story development. I would be interested in how these powers came into being. Good luck w with future writing. I enjoyed the author's writing style.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHADOWED is a well written novel that asks the question "What if?" Paul has an odd ability: He can hear the slightest whisper. But can he put it to good use? This novel is more of an allegory but very readable and enjoyable.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to download this book for free thanks to Ken Hughes and Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.