The Shadow at the Door

David Raker #10.5

by Tim Weaver

FOUR MYSTERIES
It's a night just like any other in the Conister home - but then Paul heads upstairs and never comes back.
When his wife Maggie goes to see where he is, she can't find him. His phone and wallet are by the bed. The windows are locked from the inside.
Paul has vanished.

FOUR STORIES
Missing persons investigator David Raker is an expert in locating the lost. So when he's hired by Maggie, he knows that in every disappearance - however impossible it seems - there's an answer.
What he doesn't know yet is that his search for Paul Conister will become linked to three other mysteries . . .

ONE CONNECTION
A night patrolman on the London Underground makes a deadly discovery.
A cold case is reopened - but the key witness appears to no longer exist.
And thousands of miles away, a random shooting may not be random at all.

David Raker is key to unlocking the truth . . .

Genres: Crime, Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense

473 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2021

About the author

Tim Weaver is the Sunday Times Top 3 bestselling author of the David Raker missing persons series, the standalone thriller, Missing Pieces, and the novella collection, The Shadow at the Door. His novels have been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club four times, and his work has been nominated for a National Book Award and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is currently developing an original TV drama with the team behind Line of Duty. He lives near Bath in the UK. Find out more about Tim and his writing at www.timweaverbooks.com.

Reviews

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all a decent read. You get four short stories - one very short. There is a fairly conventional Raker mystery one - man goes upstairs in his own house and disappears. The next one is the rather strange short short story - definitely readable if odd. Then there is a Colm Healy story. Personally I found this far better than the others here. Called the Red Woman this was a "then and now" story and worked very well indeed for me. It also colours in some of the Healy back story which was very good. Finally you get Sleeper - Raker is an the US for this one and strictly speaking he is simply a bystander in it. The story actually is about the US detective that Raker met in No One Home. She is now retired and they meet up in New York. Despite being retired a case has got under her skin...

Any Raker fan will probably enjoy reading these however it certainly isn't the place to start the series. Quite a few previous cases get mentions and the book falls between "No One Home" and "Blackbird" (this year's story). The non Raker book Missing Pieces also makes a brief appearance. 3.5/5 but rounded up for the Healy story and the fact that Weaver does write well!

[Bruce Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I'd read all of Tim Weaver's "David Raker" novels, but, somehow, this one eluded me at the time. Also, it has an usual format which I'd never seen used before.
It was written during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 just after Weaver had finished his first standalone novel "Missing Pieces" and before he'd completed the research for his next Raker novel "The Blackbird".
It comes in the form of four separate stories, set in different times and different places, yet are in some bizarre way interconnected. The only common character in all of them is, of course, David Raker. Yet he only appears as the central character in the first story "The Shadow At The Door". In the second, "Bags", he is only mentioned in a brief message. In the other two stories, "The Red Woman" and "Sleeper", he is the secondary character; the lead roles being played by characters he's worked with before: Colm Healy and Joline Kader.
This was certainly a bold experiment, although I felt it only ninety percent succeeded. Whereas I truly enjoyed all the separate stories, I was a little less convinced by the integration. Still, that is a minor complaint about a very good book.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the David Raker series by author Tim Weaver so was eagerly anticipating his latest offering ‘The Shadow at the Door’. This is a little different to the usual offering in that it is four stories that we are told are connected and all feature characters from the David Raker series. A ambitious plan that proved to be a good read without for me reaching the heights of the other books.

The book is well written and each story is enjoyable but I long for the full length novel to come out later this year.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this - really makes me anticipate highly Raker 11 next year - The Shadow The Door is a brilliant lead in to it with 4 interconnected tales featuring characters from the series, including Raker himself.

Beautifully plotted each separate story has a life of its own whilst also somewhat playing into the others on different levels. The trademark intelligence of the storytelling is here in shorter form and each story is intriguing, compelling and addictive.

Excellent. Highly recommended.

[TishBee · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW domesitc violence and sexual assault.

At first I was bothered by how heavily the book leaned on the trope of heroic men being spurred to furious action because of violence against women. It felt like some really horrific violence was just there to show the male characters pain and anger about women being being hurt.

Then there were a few times in this book where characters would be throwing around suppositions and then without testing them any further, just decide on one as what they 'knew to be true' or worse, would suddenly simply know who the killer was without explaination or based not on any of their actual work, but rather some random coincidence.

Finally, there was the lack of resolution. I think the 'One Connection' mentioned on the cover was supposed to be David Raker, but that wasn't clear, so I kept waiting for the cases to tie together in some clever and satisfying way that never came. There were as many loose ends as there were too neat conclusions.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am without doubt a Tim Weaver fan, have been for years, this book is unique. I have both kindle and hardcopy. This isn't the usual Raker in more ways than one. I dont actually like short stories but this was always going to be the exception. Tim's ideas are mind blowing and I could not wait for this despite it not being my favoured format. Its good, it's clever, it's different however its caused a massive debate in my family, over the outcome of a case, would Raker do this? Tim says yes to us, it caused controversy, one family member said, he didnt know if he could read Raker again as a result. Yet this is what a novei is made from, its not safe, its not predictable, its Raker and Raker is different. Did it sit well with me No not at all, but this is Tim Weaver's writing for you, this is an author who isnt afraid to take chances, the entire concept is a deviation of his art, he took a chance , it worked. I wonder how long Raker can keep attaining such high standards but he is still doing it and I love him. 4 stories, 4 cases, Tim Weaver brilliance in writing. This is not a safe book, thats why its class.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Tim Weaver’s David Raker series, and I was eager to dive into The Shadow at the Door. A collection of four short stories that are intertwined, something that connected them, certainly had me hooked. I went in with high hopes, and happily devoured the book.

While this makes for a great addition to the David Raker world – it’s perfect for fans who have read all the books to date and want a little bit more – I will be honest and say it did not wow me in the way I had hoped. Each story focuses on something different, on someone different, and some worked better than others. It was certainly interesting to get more about the world, to do deeper into certain details, yet I feel this one left too many things open. It’s certainly a bonus in the world instead of something that stands completely alone, and really do hope those unanswered elements are handled in the future books.

All in all, a fun bonus, but far from my favourite by the author. While worth it for fans, I would not recommend this as a starting point as it relies quite a bit on prior knowledge.

[John Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

And The ONE Connection Was?

This sumptuous hardback front cover was simply irrisistible.
It boasted - Four short stories - four cases - ONE connection.
So I read the short stories, which didn't look connected at all, so I heartily looked forward to part 5 which would bring the four stories together.

This was going to be good, as the connection certainly had me fooled.
What a disappointment!
Bits of the stories were mentioned but they were NOT CONNECTED, as far as I read it; the only connection being that each story was investigated by David Raker or one of his fellow investigators from previous tales.
So I felt cheated.
No, I was cheated!

And so, be advised - these are four short stories, and that is it.
Yes, they are well told, no doubting it.
But that boast on the cover - ONE connection - ouch!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good oleTim Weaver. He does it again. He's good at keeping you engrossed. I'll give him that!

Four stories in this one. 2 over a 100 pages and a short one then a middle size one. Loved the one about Healy. You get to know him just a little bit more.

I'll be honest and say I missed what the connection was to all 4 cases as I was fighting to stay awake so may just have to reread that last bit.

[Dawn Marsanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out well for me and then faded.
I've not read any previous David Raker books, perhaps this was a mistake.
Sorry, but I didn't really get the connection between the stories and kept waiting for it so at the end felt disappointed.

[Maryam Haqqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off strong and first case was good. Went downhill with the second case and in the end i was just skimming and turning pages to get it to end. The last cases didnt even make sense. Would have given it 1 star had it not been for the first case.

[taylormaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great start but struggled to finish it. Far too convoluted, with stories that failed to merge and so many different names that I didn't know if I were coming or going.

[Renny Barcelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I was left confused and couldn't quite follow how the stories connect…

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was no connection. Rubbish.

[Ivan Dachs Hladík · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tak trochu jiný Weaver, tak trochu jiný Raker. Spisovatel od prvního příběhu hledače ztracených, vydaného roku 2018 (Hon na mrtvého) už spolu se čtenáři a hlavně za vydatné pomoci překladatelky Alžběty Lexové ušel dlouhou cestu. S každou další knihou získával nové příznivce, více jim odhaloval život svého hrdiny, lákal je do nových prostředí novými zápletkami. A teď znovu dokazuje, že může překvapit, a že je to dobré! Dva roky jsme u nás čekali od posledního Rakerova případu na tento kus, který je zase jiný, překvapivý, jiskřivý a strhující. Není vlastně samojediný, jde o čtveřici případů, které spojuje právě Rakerovo jméno. Čtveřici příběhů, které nebudete chtít (o)pustit.

Tim Weaver v minulých dnech oslavil půlkulaté narozeniny, pětačtyřicáté. Je tedy bezesporu mužem v plné síle, v ideálním věku, kdy už má plno životních i profesních zkušeností a přitom dostatek sil je všechny využít, prodat. I jako autor je vyzrálý, věty poskládané do stránek jeho knih působí lehce, že si je sám autor užívá a čtenáře tak nemučí těžkopádným nuceným kamením tlačeným před sebou radlicí. Naopak opět předkládá čtení, které je svěží, má spád, trvale příjemný rytmus. Čtenáře tak odlišný přístup k Rakerovým případům nemusí znervózňovat. Užije si knihu opět naplno.

Weaver tu znovu dokazuje, jak umí pracovat s postavami, tady především vedlejšími. I to, jak rychle je schopen vtáhnout čtenáře do míst děje a svého díla. Bez váhání. Tomu, kdo by se sérií David Raker začínal, je však třeba doporučit, aby tak udělal od prvního dílu. Stín ve dveřích funguje nejlépe ve chvíli, kdy už postavu vyšetřovatele a Weaverův styl máte pod kůží. Stín ve dveřích je knihou, k níž se budete rádi vracet, ačkoliv už budete Weaverovy předchozí kusy znát nazpaměť. A hledáte-li ideální „dovolenkové“ čtení, už nemusíte – Weaver vám ho podává.

Hodnocení: 95 %

[Thanh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf sau vụ đầu tiên vì không còn hợp với tư tưởng của tác giả. Căn bản thì anh Paul ảnh hành hạ mấy người lạm dụng tình dục, đánh đấm phụ nữ. Nhân vật chính của chúng ta ..điều tra ra (cũng không biết là điều tra không vì hầu như khúc cuối được dẫn dắt từ người trong cuộc).

Như mình nói, mình không hợp với tư tưởng của tác giả. Cảnh sát không làm gì là vì họ không thể. Bộ tưởng luận tội ai dễ lắm à? Hơn nữa luật pháp còn đủ thứ điều luật...so Paul tự trở thành người thi hành ần tra tấn mấy người đó.

Vấn đề là mình không cảm thấy anh này sai, song nhân vật chính của chúng ta cũng im luôn mà không thèm phanh phui vụ này ra ánh sáng. Nếu không phanh ra thì làm sao có sự chú ý mà khiến mọi người thay đổi? Làm sao cảnh sát có được bài học, và làm sao các điều luật được thay đổi tốt hơn?

Hự. Thế nên mình dnf ngay sau vụ thứ nhất.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story collection from the wonderful Tim Weaver, where all the stories are linked. They are all very good but not exceptional which is nearly always the case for the author's full length novels. On the plus side it is a nice treat for us fans of David Raker and keeps us going for the recently released new Raker case. Btw only found out about this collection as I knew a new novel was imminent, so this was a pleasant surprise.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these four linked stories and will be searching out more by Tim Weaver.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great crime novel, twists and turns and a great lead character. Loses one point for the four stories not intersecting as much as I thought they would. Very enjoyable quick read

[Helen Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how this would work, but was gripped within a few chapters. Excellent writing, again.

[Kristyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Susie Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, couldn’t put it down ,I loved the fact that the different stories pulled in parts of all the other David Raker books I’ve read , I would highly recommend Tim Weaver books, a joy to read,

[Tilly Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5.

[Tracey Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, not usually a massive fan of short stories but this was so cleverly done with the stories linking and featuring characters from Tim Weavers previous books, a real treat for fans of this author

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one only got four stars from me, as it was confusing from start to finish!
Each story was brilliant in it’s own right but I never felt there was any conclusion to some of them. Also there is no link between them, which I thought there was and I spent half the time trying to figure it out.
All the previous books have to be read first as many of them feature in this book.
I’m looking forward to the next one as it might give some answers.

[Nicole Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was a bit of a let down as I couldn’t work out why they were all connected.

[Rishika S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow at the Door is different from Tim Weaver’s other books. It’s a collection of short stories, with some shared characters. While Weaver’s main protagonist, David Raker, makes multiple appearances, the stories go beyond him. Read on to know what works and doesn’t in this gorgeous-looking collection of four short stories.

Genre:
Thriller, Crime

Length:
496 pages (Hardcover)

Blurb:
Four short stories come together in this collection by Tim Weaver. In the first one, David Raker is searching for a man who walked upstairs to his bedroom one night and simply disappeared. Months later, there’s still no trace of him and his desperate family turns to Raker. In the second story, a night patrolman on the London Underground finds something dreadful, but that’s only the beginning. Next is a story about a years-old case that revolves around a key recurring character. Can the past catch up to ruin the present? And lastly, another familiar face makes an appearance in a story where a personal vacation ends up becoming a whole lot more.

Overall Rating:
8 out of 10 stars

Plot:
Story 1: 10 out of 10 stars
Story 2: 10 out of 10 stars
Story 3: 8 out of 10 stars
Story 4: 8 out of 10 stars

Characterization:
10 out of 10 stars

Primary Element:
9 out of 10 stars for all stories’ suspense and thrill

Writing Style:
10 out of 10 stars

Part of a Series:
Yes. This picks up a little after Book #10 in the David Raker series, No One Home, and does have older characters come up.

Highlighted Takeaway:
A different take on the David Raker series, The Shadow at the Door shines the limelight on other known characters too.

What I Liked:
Tim Weaver’s short stories are slightly different in style than his novels… but in a good way. They’re just as enthralling and filled with twists. I especially enjoyed how Weaver delved into stories of secondary characters.

What I Didn’t Like:
There is nothing specific to dislike in this book.

Who Should Read It:
If you’ve been reading the Raker series, I would highly recommend picking this one up. It is definitely a good addition to the arc development of David Raker as well as other key characters.

Who Should Avoid:
The Shadow at the Door is probably not the best starting point if you’ve not read any of the David Raker series. And I don’t think it’ll be spectacular as a standalone either.

Read It For:
One of the best insights into a secondary character that you come to care for over the past books.

[Andrea Hulme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very special Raker book. Firstly, the book looks absolutely stunning. What a beauty to have on my bookshelf. I also loved the dedication, and the lovely Author’s note.
This is a unique and brilliant book and I felt like I was part of something really exceptional.
The Shadow at the Door is made up of four short stories. Each delivering the same intensity and nail biting suspense as always. Each short story is a masterclass in building tension in miniature form. Maybe even makes you head spin even more, with the little snippets, teasers, puzzles and spectacular red herrings contained within each story, but then also across the 4 stories.
The first story ‘The Shadow At The Door’ is classic Raker. From where we start off, to where we end up in this blistering, shocking story is incredible. There is a point where we hear that Raker has already stopped breathing and I felt exactly the same! I loved that Robert Hosterlitz, who we came across in Broken Heart got a mention.
‘Bags’ is the 2nd story. This was the story of a night patrolman on the London underground and that was enough to give me the chills. Not only did I feel like I was there in the story, but also when it was so quiet that you could hear the wrinkle of the patrolman’s trousers I was there listening in, making deadly discoveries, questioning everything.
‘The Red Woman’ is the 3rd story and I really loved that Healy became the central character in this one. I love Raker, but what a fabulous character Healy is. I really loved that we got more of Healy’s backstory. This one was gut wrenching, stomach churningly brilliant. I was reading this with a sense of dread and foreboding. There were many OH NO what is going to happen here moments. Raker and Healy are such a superb pairing.
‘Sleeper’ is the 4th story and with this one Raker is on a trip to the USA to meet Jo Kader who we met in No One Home. The twists and turns, snaking around, being pulled in one direction and then another in the most tantalising and extraordinary way was just perfect.
The Epilogue and Appendix cleverly ties everything together and we get the tempting taster for The Blackbird. That’s next on my list.
If you have read any of Tim's books before you will love this, if you have read all of Tim's books you will love it even more.

[Lizixer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Weaver writes superior page turners, following the cases of his main character David Raker. I had read one Raker book before this, one of the ones in the middle. Weaver’s books are pretty easy to pick up the thread of no matter where you enter the series.

Remembering how I’d ripped through the last one, I took this one out of the library. It’s a little different from the usual “one major mystery in 400 odd pages” format. Weaver has created four short stories / novellas which reference past and future stories and characters in the Rakerverse but all of them stand alone as short stories. Raker appears in them but not always as the main character, and there is a story arc that links them. This portmanteau style is almost filmic in the way it jumps around in space and time, but still very easy to follow.

Of the four tales I thought the second one, Bags, was terrific, a tale that reads like a ghost story and that twists so admirably that I didn’t see the end coming at all. The first tale was a straightforward Raker investigates an odd disappearance, the third centres on an old character from a previous book and the fourth moves the action overseas and features a different detective entirely with Raker as a side character. All the stories were well-plotted and intriguing but the shortest story was probably my favourite as Weaver moves away from the conventional procedural style into something more gothic.

[Keith Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I stated in a previous review, Tim Weaver likes to mix up how he writes a book and this novel is no exception. There are four cases, separate but interlinked stories - not just together, but across other Raker books, too. The first case is first person Raker, the second is really short and involves a guy who walks Underground tracks at night, the third is a Healy case - present and past flashbacks, and finally there's an investigation by another character in a previous Raker novel, with Raker peripherally involved.

Overall, it's a very well written book with lots of little callbacks and easter eggs that are nice to see (for example, Raker has his first meeting with Rebekah Murphy off camera). Particularly with the first case in the book there's the usual seemingly impossible scenario to be solved, along with a bit of suspension of disbelief required.

However, my conclusion when I finished was, is that it? The cases all conclude, but they're kind of solved for the protagonist, with a confession by the antagonist. There isn't really a crescendo and, ultimately, it's the uniqueness of the novel structure itself and the linking to all the other previous Raker novels that's the 'star' of this book. A really good read that leaves a kind of emptiness at the end...