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Shadowed Souls
Detective Henry Ike Pierce joins his colleagues to celebrate a destination wedding in Hawaii. Amid beautiful scenery and new friends, paradise has its surprises. A dying man on a beach utters seemingly disjointed words that may be a warning. Henry finds himself pulled into another maelstrom, pursuing elements of Miomir Kurić’s criminal enterprise, while a man seeks revenge for his father's death, one caused by Henry Pierce.
His responsibility for the death torments Henry. The man’s lifeless face and staring eyes haunt his dreams, and Henry’s internal turmoil imperils his colleagues and endangers his loved ones. A friend warns him that our worst memories and grief hide in the shadows of our souls. This young detective’s guilt casts a long shadow.
His responsibility for the death torments Henry. The man’s lifeless face and staring eyes haunt his dreams, and Henry’s internal turmoil imperils his colleagues and endangers his loved ones. A friend warns him that our worst memories and grief hide in the shadows of our souls. This young detective’s guilt casts a long shadow.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2022
1 person want to read
About the author
Mark Edward Jones
14 books26 followersMark Edward Jones is an award-winning author of mystery, thriller, paranormal, and speculative fiction. A retired higher-education finance professional, he began his full-time writing career after retiring in 2017.
Born and raised in Duncan, Oklahoma, Mark developed an early love of storytelling. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and public administration.
Detective Henry Ike Pierce Series
Mark’s debut novel, Peculiar Activities (October 2021), launched the Detective Henry Ike Pierce series and won first place in the mystery category at the 2019 Oklahoma Writers Federation contest. The second installment, Shadowed Souls, was released in 2022.
The third novel, Glass, is expected in 2027. Its manuscript won first place in the mystery category at the 2024 Oklahoma Writers Federation annual contest, marking Mark’s second first-place win in five years.
Expanding this universe, Mark is launching a new series centered on Eddie Stone, Henry Ike Pierce’s boss. The first novel, No Pain Wasted (2026), explores Eddie’s backstory, followed by The Costa Dossier in 2027.
Friday the 13th Series & Supernatural Fiction
Mark is also a contributor to the periodic Friday the 13th series—collections of mystery, suspense, and horror released on each Friday the 13th. His first three stories—A Gentleman from the Darkness (May 2022), Hell Is Empty (January 2023), and A Wicked Fate (October 2023)—follow the chilling exploits of assassin Karanosz Tasev and were later expanded into The Man in the Fedora (March 2024).
His supernatural suspense novellas Dormer (September 2024) and Dormer Christmas (December 2024) were expanded into She Watches, released in March 2025.
Science Fiction & Short Fiction
Mark’s upcoming science-fiction novel Tempus Mors is expected in 2028 and has already earned recognition, including third place at the 2023 OKC Writers’ Group contest. A short piece from that project, “Don’t Forget Us,” won first place in flash fiction and was named Crème de la Crème at the same contest. It was also a finalist at WriterCon 2024 and won the 2024 Southwest Writers Conference flash fiction category. Transmission 13 was the first-place winner of the Spring BookFest scifi category.
Another short work, “Alone in Warsaw,” won the 2025 Southwest Writers Conference short fiction category. Additional pieces include “The Girl in the Locket” and “The Milkman,” were published in the December 2025 Tornado Alley chapter anthology of Sisters in Crime. The short fiction called "Eve" will be published in April 2026 in Absolute, an OKC Community College literary journal.
Noir Short Fiction
A new series of noir short stories launches in 2026, beginning with Wrong Day to Quit in April, followed by bi-monthly releases through December.
Personal
Mark and his wife celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary in November 2025. They have three grown children and one grandson. His favorite reads include mystery, suspense, and international intrigue.
Born and raised in Duncan, Oklahoma, Mark developed an early love of storytelling. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and public administration.
Detective Henry Ike Pierce Series
Mark’s debut novel, Peculiar Activities (October 2021), launched the Detective Henry Ike Pierce series and won first place in the mystery category at the 2019 Oklahoma Writers Federation contest. The second installment, Shadowed Souls, was released in 2022.
The third novel, Glass, is expected in 2027. Its manuscript won first place in the mystery category at the 2024 Oklahoma Writers Federation annual contest, marking Mark’s second first-place win in five years.
Expanding this universe, Mark is launching a new series centered on Eddie Stone, Henry Ike Pierce’s boss. The first novel, No Pain Wasted (2026), explores Eddie’s backstory, followed by The Costa Dossier in 2027.
Friday the 13th Series & Supernatural Fiction
Mark is also a contributor to the periodic Friday the 13th series—collections of mystery, suspense, and horror released on each Friday the 13th. His first three stories—A Gentleman from the Darkness (May 2022), Hell Is Empty (January 2023), and A Wicked Fate (October 2023)—follow the chilling exploits of assassin Karanosz Tasev and were later expanded into The Man in the Fedora (March 2024).
His supernatural suspense novellas Dormer (September 2024) and Dormer Christmas (December 2024) were expanded into She Watches, released in March 2025.
Science Fiction & Short Fiction
Mark’s upcoming science-fiction novel Tempus Mors is expected in 2028 and has already earned recognition, including third place at the 2023 OKC Writers’ Group contest. A short piece from that project, “Don’t Forget Us,” won first place in flash fiction and was named Crème de la Crème at the same contest. It was also a finalist at WriterCon 2024 and won the 2024 Southwest Writers Conference flash fiction category. Transmission 13 was the first-place winner of the Spring BookFest scifi category.
Another short work, “Alone in Warsaw,” won the 2025 Southwest Writers Conference short fiction category. Additional pieces include “The Girl in the Locket” and “The Milkman,” were published in the December 2025 Tornado Alley chapter anthology of Sisters in Crime. The short fiction called "Eve" will be published in April 2026 in Absolute, an OKC Community College literary journal.
Noir Short Fiction
A new series of noir short stories launches in 2026, beginning with Wrong Day to Quit in April, followed by bi-monthly releases through December.
Personal
Mark and his wife celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary in November 2025. They have three grown children and one grandson. His favorite reads include mystery, suspense, and international intrigue.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 29, 2022
Great read! The second book in the Henry Ike Pierce series, but unlike other sequels this one stands alone pretty well by concisely summing up what you may have missed from the first book, usually with a wry understatement which I found particularly delightful. The original characters carry over well to this new Hawaiian backdrop and the new characters are entertaining (especially Danny Keaka). Be careful who you trust! The book was well-paced and unpredictable, even more intriguing than the first book. It's perfectly set up for another!
December 18, 2022
Excellent follow up to the first Pierce novel. Based on the action and story line, I hope we can count on many more books with this international intrigue. Fun read!
September 24, 2022
Another great read from this talented author. I love the main character, Henry, and enjoyed traveling with him to Hawaii. The setting was perfect and I could imagine I was there. And the mystery and intrigue didn't let up until the very end. The story kept me guessing right up to its exciting conclusion. Highly recommend and I can't wait to read more in this series!
July 2, 2023
Detective Henry Ike Pierce joins his family and colleagues to celebrate his partner’s destination wedding in Hawaii, but this one turns out to be anything but a honeymoon in paradise. The “I do’s” have barely been vowed when this romantic celebration morphs into a nightmare of mayhem, murder, and a race against time to destroy a brutal group of international assassins hellbent on exacting deadly revenge on Detective Pierce for eliminating the leader of the group.
Thriller author Mark Edward Jones takes readers on a whiplash-fast rollercoaster ride of emotions. Just when the heroes are out of the woods, another seemingly impossible mountain to climb smacks them in the face. Mr. Jones has created a cast of imperfect, but believable characters readers quickly become invested in and root for.
The detail of local language, social mores, architecture, food, and geographic scenery that Jones wove into the story gave it a high level of authenticity that enriched the tale. If you like a story with a plot that whips you around like a whirligig and keeps you guessing how it’s going to turn out, this book is right up your alley.
Shadowed Souls is a fast-paced tale sure to keep every reader on the edge of their seat and up long past bedtime and more than deserves the five-star rating this reader has awarded it.
Thriller author Mark Edward Jones takes readers on a whiplash-fast rollercoaster ride of emotions. Just when the heroes are out of the woods, another seemingly impossible mountain to climb smacks them in the face. Mr. Jones has created a cast of imperfect, but believable characters readers quickly become invested in and root for.
The detail of local language, social mores, architecture, food, and geographic scenery that Jones wove into the story gave it a high level of authenticity that enriched the tale. If you like a story with a plot that whips you around like a whirligig and keeps you guessing how it’s going to turn out, this book is right up your alley.
Shadowed Souls is a fast-paced tale sure to keep every reader on the edge of their seat and up long past bedtime and more than deserves the five-star rating this reader has awarded it.
July 1, 2023
Not realizing that this book was the second book in a series I spent most of this novel feeling like I was missing a great deal of information that would have been helpful in following what was happening. Putting that aside, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book that left me hanging at every turn of the page. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery and intrigue.
August 18, 2025
A great setting and fun characters make this an enjoyable read. I'll be sure to read more by this author.
Dianne McCartney
author of When Evil Returns and others.
Dianne McCartney
author of When Evil Returns and others.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews