Customer Reviews

Shadow Laws

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the marks of a great series writer is the ability to connect the reader with one principle character from one work to another. The character must be strong, he or she becomes the readers recognition of the author's work and one that the reader knows will be the pivot point of the entire storyline. In the same token each story must be able to stand alone and such is the case with the writings of Jim Michael Hansen. To me, this is the mark of an exceptional writer.
Author Jim Hansen has accomplished this task in his second work, "Shadow Laws," by drawing us again into the work and life of Homicide detective Byson Coventry as he begins a hunt for yet another killer of innocent young women. We are comfortable knowing our detective yet if this is our first read of this outstanding author's work, we are drawn into the life of Coventry by his defined descriptive writing of Coventry's character, life and occupation.
In the beginning of our read we are witnessed to a fatal car accident caused by a careless couple who hide their hideous crime; we will not be told how this interweaves with the story at this time, but you will be shocked how important this event becomes. We travel to Denver and meet Taylor Sutton,Esq. and her friend Nick who informs her that he needs her help with a delicate matter.
He has a mysterious client, one who he has only talked with on the phone, although he has taken his retainer. Now he feels this same man is trying to kill him and he doesn't know why. He has taped their conversations and wants to know if it would be against client privileges to take these tapes to the police as he feels he maybe a killer. However, the client never actually admits to killing anyone but the undertone that he has is there. Chilling!
We are then taken into the life of Detective Coventry; a young woman is missing. Perhaps she has only decided to take a few days off away from everyone, but Coventry knows deep in his gut that this is not the case. Soon we are in the midst of the chase for a very sick man who likes to play games with the police, attorneys and the women that he kills. He is a self-made star and a man to be feared, one who is exceptional in leaving no clues, nothing left to chance. Creepy!
The storyline twists and turns, rounds corners and comes to dead-end streets as you desperately try to piece together how all the characters are interwoven with our killer and each other. And it doesn't stop there as our detective becomes involved with a woman who is the neighbor of the missing girl. There is a problem however, as this woman seems to have a secret past, and Coventry,like it or not, must find out what that is. One point I feel I should mention is that this work is a little more racy sexually than the first, however it does not take away from the suspense or storyline of this book. Every character that our author brings into play in this work is important to the story, yet believe me you will not be able to figure out why until the very end.
"Shadow Laws," is fast paced, a work that is ingenious at keeping the reader totally in the dark and absolutely shocking as the truth is revealed. As you read it, mysteries are layered one upon another, characters are interwoven, yet separate, and answers seem to be totally out of reach as the clock ticks away until the final hour where death may well become the victor. A nail-biter, page turner read, one that has all the elements that simply must be there for a top-notch murder mystery . Draw the shades, leave the lights on and double lock the doors as you settle back for a bone-chilling adventure.
Outstanding and Exceptional! Highly recommended!

Attention, thriller fans. Another tale you'll want to read. Chills will crawl over your skin and up your spine as you join Detective Bryson Coventry in his latest case.

An accident, a lawyer's search for a mysterious killer and a policeman's hunt for a stalking killer, all cross paths in this chilling tale. They merge into a story you won't be able to put down once you pick it up.

Lawyer Taylor Sutton is hired to identify a mysterious caller who seems to be bragging about being a killer. She is soon hot on the trail and runs headlong into danger. Will this be the end of her too?

The car accident results in murder by the very killer Coventry is searching for, a man who has kidnapped a young art student and they fear for her life. But the student has a surprise in store for the killer.

A fast-paced, well-plotted tale by very talented author Jim Michael Hansen that will keep you focused, wanting to know what will happen next. Danger lurks on each page.

Highly recommended for any mystery or thriller fan. A tale you'll read more than once. Enjoy. I sure did.

SHADOW LAWS by Jim Michael Hansen: In this second of the "Laws" series, Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry, and beautiful young attorney Taylor Sutton, are separately hunting vicious killers but for very different reasons. A lawyer friend of Sutton's has a mysterious client, with whom he has only talked by phone, that he thinks is trying to kill him. He has tapes of their conversations that are not conclusive and wants Sutton's advice as to whether he can ethically turn them over to the police. In the meantime Coventry is looking for a missing woman that he fears is dead. Soon they are in pursuit of a sicko who likes to play games with his victims, the police and attorneys. Eventually the paths of Coventry and Sutton cross and they close in on the truth. Another excellent outing.

This book has an interesting story for the readers but the author has nothing on his mind except endless sex and drinking bouts. He really should stop writing mysteries and go to the steamy sex romance side of authorship. Here are lawyers and detectives, male and female and the first thoughts, their seemingly only thoughts are about getting "drunk and laid" and I am quoting the author. Catching killers and crime investigation seem to annoy them and get in the way of their sex lives. This might appeal to some people but I'm not one of them. The plot and story could have been a good mystery but it is really the authors take on his idea of a wonderful world filled with gorgeous females and hunky men having a tremendous amount of sex. It becomes rather boring. His first book wasn't as bad, but this book is just ridiculous. If you like books with endless sex scenes, this is for you. If not, skip it.

A serial killer has terrorized the residents of Denver. Homicide Detective Bryson Coventry leads the investigation that seems to be always a bit too late, almost as if the culprit somehow knows his every move. Getting a bit paranoid, Bryson wonders if someone in the inner law enforcement circle could be the maniac.

As Coventry digs deeper into understanding the nightmarish world of his adversary, attorney Taylor Sutton also seeks to bring to justice to a diabolical killing machine. Soon their cases interconnect, but in spite of reluctantly comparing their notes, neither is ready for the next kill by a predator whose pleasure is hurting people. As more die, Coventry and Sutton wonder whether they need to cross the legal line both are sworn to uphold into the shadowy realm where their foe makes death the law of the cement jungle.

This is a terrific police procedural- private investigation thriller that grip the audience from the start because the cases feel like they come from headline news. The subplots are fast-paced and merge smoothly into a strong serial killer tale. Readers will enjoy the chilling inquiries made by the intrepid but fearful lead pair; however, afterward will keep the lights on as no one will want to meet who makes the laws in the shadow of night.

Harriet Klausner

Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry returns (Night Laws) in Jim Michael Hansen's Shadow Laws. Art student Ashley Conner is missing and Coventry believes she's been hunted and captured by a vicious killer who kills his targets after playing a game of dice with them. If they lose, they die. Attorney Taylor Sutton has been hired by her long-time friend, Nick Trotter, to locate a mysterious client whom he thinks is a killer.

At first glance, it appears that Coventry and Sutton are investigating separate crimes and killers. But their cases soon intersect. The hunters become the hunted, a person without a name becomes a trusted confidant, and others hide deadly secrets.

Shadow Laws is a thriller that will keep you turning the pages while you remind yourself to breathe. Hansen's ability to build what appear to be separate stories that ultimately intersect is a talent not often seen in the thriller genre. His realistic approach caused me some bad dreams and I found myself making sure my doors were locked and when driving I kept looking over my shoulder. That's a powerful storyteller.

That said, I didn't understand and didn't like attorney Taylor Sutton. She was an over-the-top character who came off as an unsympathetic drunken 'slut.' I might have liked her if the reasons for her behavior had been explained.

Armchair Interviews says: Overall, Shadow Laws is a scintillating story.

Shadow Laws is riveting and captivating. It features bold characters (especially Taylor Sutton), witty dialogue and non-stop action. The pacing is spot-on, a solid combination of intrigue, suspense, and eroticism. A first-rate thriller, this book is damnably hard to put down. It's a tremendous read

Shadow Laws is the second book in the Laws series featuring Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry. All the books in the Laws series are stand-alone thrillers and can be read in any order. Bryson Coventry and his African American partner, Shalifa Netherwood, return in every book to a new and exciting adventure. The series includes Night Laws, Shadow Laws, Fatal Laws, Deadly Laws, Bangkok Laws and Immortal Laws.

This Author has released this same book, with minor name and location changes under the name RJ Jagger.
In fact, all of "RJ Jagger"'s books appear to be the "Laws" books.
The author blog picture for both authors is also identical.
Books are formulaic and only OK with a protagionist who never ages a day, and continues to say the same thing in every book:
I have been fortunate to have been able to read samples on Kindle while only actually buying one book.
There is a dim Shadow of Mickey Spillane here, but for the most part, it seems that the books are fantasy fullfillment for the
author.

This novel presented a pretty good story, but nothing you won't get from a 1,000 other suspense novels out there. This story for me, though, was disappointing because of its obsession with sex and drinking. Every page had someone having sex, thinking about sex, or getting drunk out of their minds and then having sex or thinking about sex. It became annoying and distracted from the story. Someone is running around Denver, Colorado killing people every few days and the all the characters in the book have as their first priority is sex and drinking. That is probably more like the real world than not, but makes for a less enjoyable read. Interestingly, I think most of the reviews here are by the author or publisher.