Shadowplay

Anna Cameron #3

by Karen Campbell

A gripping, multi-layered crime novel from the author of THE TWILIGHT TIME and AFTER THE FIREYou are a police officer. This is what you do. You speak for the dead, and the desperate living.When Anna Cameron is promoted to Chief Inspector and moved to a new division, it should be a turning point for her. But if she thought having a female boss would make things easier, she'd reckoned without the fearsome 'JC' Hamilton.Then her mother goes into a coma in a foreign country and an old woman disappears from a Glasgow care home under suspicious circumstances, and Anna's career and personal life both threaten to implode. The gang-related murder of a young Asian boy and an assault on one of her officers only serve to turn the screws tighter - can Anna be both a good cop and a good person?

Genres: Scotland

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Scottish writer Karen Campbell is a graduate of Glasgow University's prestigious Creative Writing Masters, and author of The Twilight Time.

A former police officer, Karen can legitimately claim to have worked the streets of Glasgow, and her debut novel, described as 'gritty as hell, shot through with black humour', weaves personal insights and experiences to take a look at life behind the uniform - and the choices women make in life.

Reviews

[Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

How does anyone go into law enforcement in the UK anymore? They must not have read British crime fiction, or they might consider a different career path. Judging from the many, many gritty crime novels being published there, it is a soulsucking, thankless job. The superiors are always bullies, and the underlings backstabbers. The criminals are petty thugs who can't pull off an interesting offense to save their lives, and there is of course the mandatory Ruthless Reporter, sure to mess up the investigation. Then there is the gloomy weather, the disgusting food and all that weak tea.

This one is Scottish, and I am going to assume it is a realistic depiction of policing, because why else would you write such a bleak and depressing story? It's not bad, and there's nothing wrong with keeping it real and unglamorous, but the reality of police work seems to be fairly dull, making the reading slow going. Campbell details the everyday minutiae of the Chief Inspector's life, and the dialogue, while realistic, goes on and on just as it does in real life. And as in real life, it's not enjoyable. Makes me crave for Miss Marple and a neat murder in a library, and cucumber sandwiches.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not come across this author before but this is apparently her third novel featuring Glasgow policewoman Anna Cameron. Cameron is promoted to Chief Inspector and moved to the south of the city at the start of this book and is soon embroiled in all sorts of situations. The author is a good writer who certainly managed to manipulate my emotions as well as writing a compelling story which I just had to finish as soon as I started it. I have her fourth novel to read next and I will certainly seek out the first two.

[Mirren Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third novel in the Glasgow crime fiction series that Karen has written featuring Anna Cameron of Strathclyde Police, and it's the third one I've read in a few weeks. It was also my favourite so far. I can best describe it as a 'rocket-fueled' read! There are no dull moments in Shadowplay. It is packed full of plots and sub-plots, weaving and intertwining throughout and it's impossible to predict outcomes.

Ms Cameron is now a Chief Inspector and has moved to a new division, but she exhibits the same behaviours and characteristics that got her into (and out of) plenty of trouble in the past - one can't help but admire her courage. She seems to be mellowing a little with age, and her human side is revealed as she deals with the sudden and severe illness of her mother and a surprising love-interest. Many tensions between Anna's job and her private life arise during the story. Can she deal with them and still be a good cop and a caring person?

Great story, dealing with the disappearance of an old woman from a care home, gang-related murder of an Asian youth, assault on police officers, and a large counterfeiting operation; all shot through with the author's trademark black humour, gritty, atmospheric writing and credible characterisations. Absolutely loved it. (Jones)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one thing I really like about Karen's books is she doesn't patronize the reader. Every technical term isn't explained over and over. It's like she figures if we are reading crime we must read a lot, therefore we know a lot. This I like!
Shadowplay is set in Glasgow Scotland. There are many threads to the book, an Asian boy has been murdered by a gang of youths, an elderly lady has been abducted from a nursing home and a police officer is being followed and is then beaten up. This is the main character, Anna Cameron's first case(s)since she has been promoted and moved to a new station. (She has made a mess of her life in the previous books) Add to the mix the fact her mother is seriously ill in Spain, and she has feelings for someone she shouldn't, then you have another excellent novel. Setting is perfectly cast, I have only briefly been to Glasgow but the imagery is clear. Anna is a complex character, struggling to keep her sanity while dealing with many different things at once including a bitch of a boss.
Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Blair H. Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, as the story was based where I grew up. Stressful, as there was no break in the adversities facing the main character. Unrealistic, yet compelling in both the plot and characters. Difficult to put down. I still don't trust Rob!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story not too bad on the whole but finished a bit tamely.

[Miriam Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took some getting into but once i was there it was a good read. A lot of scottish colloquialisms which some people may struggle with

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ultimately disappointing. Disjointed, flighty, difficult to read. Stories did not sum up satisfactorily.
The main character has alot of baggage and is more than a tough cop--she is brutal.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Anna Cameron book I have read, although it is number 3 in the series. There are some references to past incidents but not that many that it spoils the story.

Anna is a complex character who is a beat police officer who finds herself promoted to a position where she rarely sees the beat and spends most of her time trying to work her way through the mire of divisional politics and the ever increasing paperwork. Add in a mother who lives in Spain who suddenly becomes seriously ill and life can't get much more complicated.

Anna's instincts are spot on when an old lady disappears, which quickly becomes a kidnapping. there is also the case of the police officer who has been so good at his job that the local 'neds' pay him a visit at home and things quickly spiral from there.

Despite all the hard times Anna perseveres and eventually a web begins to appear linking the kidnapping, money laundering, the harassment of the police officer and some local gang violence. A good police procedural set in and around Govan. Well worth a read, it even has a happy ending.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read with just as much enjoyment of the story, and, having read 2-300 crime novels in the interim, even more admiration for the wealth of the writing.

What a gloriously human person is Anna Cameron!
Flawed, complex, self-doubting and self-deluding as, indeed, are all the people around her, who may be guilty, or may not, but all are both, in part.
The sparkle of her writing is such that I despair of writing with similar verisimilitude: dialogue and description so very well-meshed.
I have her next novel on the shelf, awaiting, but will save it for a while, postpone the pleasure.

[Ulana Dabbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very strange book. Story was quite interesting and varied but it was slow to start with. I wasn't so keen on the accent and the language that this book was written in. I found it difficult to read and understand at times. I guess it gave authenticity to the plot but it put me off considerably at times and definitely slowed down my reading.
Main character and her workplace was very miserable. I could not really like Anna much because she was so off putting. Her workplace was full of back stabbers which add to the misery of it all.

All in all I have a mixed feelings about this one.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time with this author.

Kind of dark. A lot of the terminology I didn't understand because the story takes place in Scotland. From all the other Brit books I have read about cops, probably depicts female cops life accurately, as much as fiction can.

Good plot, but I'm not sure I liked the people.

[Jon Breakfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glasgow crime written by a superb writer. You'll love Karen Campbell if you haven't discovered her yet. Watch out for the twists and weaving of storylines.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a good book But it the third in a series
. i must remember to read all of them