Woman in Shadow

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART

WOMAN IN SHADOW

Award-winning author Carrie Stuart Parks combines her expertise as a forensic artist with her talent for crafting a gripping story in this page-turning web of light and shadow.

A woman off the grid.

Darby Graham thinks she's on a much-needed vacation in remote Idaho to relax. But before she even arrives at the ranch, an earthquake strikes. Then a barn on the edge of town is engulfed in flames and strange problems at the ranch begin to escalate, and Darby finds herself immersed in a chilling mystery.

A town on fire.

More fires erupt around town, and a serial arsonist sends taunting letters to the press after each. As a forensic linguist, this is Darby's area of expertise..but the scars her work has caused are also the reason she's trying to escape her life.

A growing darkness.

As the shadows continue moving in, pieces of the town around her come into sharper focus. To make it out alive, Darby must decide if she can trust the one man who sees her clearly.

My Review:

I don't pre-order many audible books -- I prefer to browse my wish list, looking for a book that matches my current mood -- but when I saw that Carrie Stuart Parks had a new book coming out I couldn't click on the pre-order button fast enough. Was even tempted to set my alarm for midnight on release day so I could get started right away. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I managed to restrain myself until six a.m. but then it was compulsive listening all the way!

Parks has a knack for creating prickly heroines who are uniquely intriguing. Darby is just such a one -- battered and scarred by life's injustices and battling to make sense of where she's ended up. She's an alluring combination of snark and grit. And her sarcastic inner dialogue makes even the most serious discussions grin worthy. Thankfully she has enough self-control not to let the sass out...most of the time. :-)

I'd never heard of a forensic linguist before so that aspect of the suspense was really fascinating. And woohhheeee -- the suspense! Talk about gripping! There's so much I want to say but can't for fear of posting spoilers. But the way it plays out, all the the secondary characters involved who may or may not be suspects. The multiple twists, turns and dead ends! The gasp-out-loud moments. The times I guessed right. Even more times I guessed wrong! I was mesmerized from start to finish.

And in the midst of all that, there's even a solid faith thread as Darby struggles to find God in the midst of her pain. 

Add in a hint of romance, two crazy cool dogs and a title that fits the story to perfection (I have a thing about clever titles) and I was in storyland heaven. My only complaint -- it was over way too soon! 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Woman in Shadow, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 24 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!