Customer Reviews

Shadow of Death

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After reading the reviews by other reviewers, I feel as though I must have read a different book.

The story takes place in 1967-1971, but it has more of a sense of the 90s than the 60s or 70s. The author actually uses the term "politically correct," despite it was a time long before the term was in vogue. In fact, this is the most politically correct novel I've ever read. If somebody had instructed the author to write a story with every conceivable politically correct example possible, well she did that, and the result is that the characters are stereotyped, from the spoiled wife to the misunderstood husband.

The book is also "sloppy" in details, e.g., a crime takes place on Wednesday night and then we go to Thursday but then it's suddenly the weekend. What happened on Friday? A husband hums "happy birthday" to himself, but we don't find out it had been his birthday until the following week. The protagonist has her car parked in the parking lot but wonders if she should call her husband at home to come to pick her up. We get a "clue" about a "yellow-hair[ed]" woman who turns out to be a young intern but we don't even know that until several chapters later. These kind of sloppy mistakes in the details of a story ruin a book for me.

Another huge disappointment for me was that Michael Palmer, an author whose work I have enjoyed and admired, endorsed this book, which is what compelled me to take a chance on Patricia Gussin. Now I remember why I usually hesitate to try new authors without a firm recommendation from a fellow reader.

"Shadow of Death" is one of those rare novels that exceeded my expectations. I purchased it expecting a traditional medical thriller, but the story offered much more depth. The jacket flap quotes Michael Palmer, one of my very favorite authors, who like Patricia Gussin is a physician. All of his books have landed on the New York Times Best-seller List and since he endorsed SHADOW OF DEATH in two different places ("The suspense is riveting and the pacing masterful. This book will leave you gasping for breath." and "Only a physician who is also a great writer could have crafted this novel."), I looked forward to reading about an evil-doctor or a hero-doctor. That would have been fine, but what I found was a personal story of terror. Gussin's protagonist, a compelling and very human young mother and medical student, is attacked and raped. A mistake in the E.R., a mistaken identity, and the violence of the Detroit riots propel the plot as two families, one middle class white and the other urban African American, intertwine amidst violence and threats and deadly secrets. Along the way there's a lot of medicine, an incredibly detailed, gruesome picture of Detroit in 1967, a fascinating `sixies' background, intense career-family challenges, a romantic flair, and most impressive to me, the weaving of multiple social and cultural and racial and moral layers into a seamless, believable and terrifying suspense novel. SHADOW OF DEATH is a page-turner, but one with deep texture.

As a history teacher I seem to gravitate to historical fiction novels but also love medical thrillers. I picked up "Shadow of Death" because it seemed to be a combination of both. I was not disappointed, the story begins with an accurate depiction of the Detroit during the riots in 1967. Throughout the story you are reminded of the political unrest that occurred during the 1960s & 1970s. In addition to the historical perspective, I was equally impressed with the story line of Gussin's main character Laura Nelson. The story was so realistic that many times I thought, What would I do in this situation? How would I respond to such terrible events as being attacked and raped? Gussin's plot and connections make the novel a page turner and difficult to put down. Gussin masterfully intertwines the story of two families, one middle class white and the other urban African American is terryifying and suspenseful story. It is a great read!

The main reason I bought this book was because of comments in other reviews about "twists and turns", which is a big selling point for me...BUT, the author's use of frequent and obvious foreshadowing made it too predictable for me. It hooked me in at the beginning, but I sort of "deflated" thereafter as every prediction I made came true. Blah...

Shadow of Death takes its title from the Bible but the title also refers to the fact that every death casts a shadow over the survivors, particularly when violence is involved. More AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY than a conventional thriller, this well-paced novel is in a category with Thomas Cook's award-winning RED LEAVES. It deals with the repurcussions of a violent event on the lives of ordinary, good people. It emphasizes the ripple effect of acts of violence and our reactions to them throughout our lives and those close to us. A truely thought-provoking book. Excellent for discussion groups. I recommend it very highly.

"Shadow of Death" is a riveting mystery --- hard to put down! The author's clear writing style is refreshing....the characters are believable...in fact, real enough to make you care what happens to them....keeps you turning page after page.

I had a hard time putting the Kindle down once I started reading this. Very suspenseful with many twists and turns, and just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws another curve your way. My kind of book!!!! It seemed so real and plausible, that I actually found myself getting angry at Laura every time she made another "not so wise" decision. I would highly recommend this, but be prepared to get totally engrossed in the storyline and probably want to read it straight thru to the end!

I didn't expect this book to be so thought-provoking! It reminded me a lot of the movie Crash, as all the characters' lives and decisions tragically impacted one another. Other reviewers pointed out a few minor nitpicky details, but I don't believe they negatively impacted the story line in any way. I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading the author's other related works.

Overall, I did enjoy this story. It just semeed to tie up all a bit too neatly. After her initial decision in the very beginning, everything else was completely taken out of Laura's hands. People and events moved and collided all the way through to the end in what were some pretty big coincidences considering the size of the city Detroit and its suberbs.

It was a great concept and the author did a fairly good job of following through with her storyline. But the strongest characters didn't seem to get enough page time. And the ending tied things up too neatly without our main characters really having to confront the consequences of all that had happened. In the end, Laura's initial decision meant she didn't have to make any decisions.

I gave it four stars because I read through to the conclusion without thinking of quitting before the end. The writing style was good, the characters well drawn and their motives pretty clear. It was just all too neatly done in the end.

I found this book interesting but slow. At times it was hard for me to keep reading. A little morethan halfway through it picked up and I then found it more enjoyable.