Customer Reviews

Shadow Man

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the first book I have read by Katzenbach and I was very impressed. His characters literally jumped off the page and their voices were distinct. This is the first book I have ever read that made me want to turn back to page one and read it all over again as soon I was finished with it. I can't wait to read more of his work.

This complex thriller offers one of the most heavily fleshed out characterizations in recent years; that may be the book's biggest drawback, however. The interesting premise of a Nazi "catcher" still on the prowl is fascinating, but at the same time, Katzenbach makes us plod through a lot of superfluous narrative, that overstates many of the characters' inner thoughts and slows the pace down a little too much.
Overall, though, characters like Simon Winter; Walter Robinson, and Espy Martinez, are glowing in their richness and intricacies. Even Leroy "F" Jackson, an ignoble druggie, turns makes an astounding turnaround in dealing with the horrifying murderer.
There are some riveting scenes, as well; early in the book, there's a scene where Sophie gets ready for bed, and it is laid out so slowly that it creates a tremendous aura of suspense, as you know the old lady is going to bite the bullet. Unfortunately, other lengthy scenes, don't quite have this edge.
The ending is quite well done, and it has one of those "ah no" endings.
All in all, despite is plodding pace, it's a very well written story.
RECOMMENDED.

This is an excellent book of suspense and drama based on an interesting premise. For some, the war never ends and the hatred never diminishes. The joy of the hunt and the thrill of the kill must continue forever. Such is the mindset of the man known as The Shadow Man. For the elderly Jewish survivors who now live in Florida, their worst fears are realised as the horrors of their past come back to haunt them and, even worse, to kill them.

The Shadow Man was one of the people in Nazi Germany who was known as a catcher. A Jew who worked with the Gestapo identifying and flushing out Jewish citizens before sending them to the concentration camps. Seeing him and being seen by him was thought to be synonymous to death. Of all the catchers in Berlin, The Shadow Man was the most feared and most hated.

When one of the Miami Beach residents swears she has spotted The Shadow Man right there in the neighbourhood, the news is treated with some scepticism. But when the number of suspicious deaths begins to grow, the unthinkable possibility becomes more and more likely. The Miami police are up against a man who has had over 50 years experience. Okay, he may be a senior citizen now, but he's still very good at what he does and is just as determined as ever.

There are some remarkable characterisations in this story making it more than just a run of the mill suspense drama. From the suicidal ex-cop, Simon Winter, to prosecutor / avenger Espy Martinez and junkie Leroy Jefferson. All make vital contributions and at times provide some telling insights into what may motivate different people to act.

This is a fast paced thriller with a slightly skewed spin that manages to capture the attention from the opening page.

I've always been a fan of Mr. Katzenbach, and so I jumped at the chance to read Shadow Man, and Boy, was I surprised. This gripping thriller is both thoughtful and chilling, as a small group of concentration camp survives are picked off one by one by the title character, a Jew who hunted other Jews for the Nazis in WW2. Only two cops stand in his way, one white and retired, the other young and black. Together they must solve the mystery, before there is no-one left to say, and the killer disappears into the shadows once more. As usual, Katzenbach's vivid descriptions of Miami add flavor to the mix, and this deep look at a dark chapter in Jewish history makes the novel even more compulsive. An original winner.

Unlike some of the other reviews offered herein, I found this book quite refreshing. It offered a story that moved at a decent pace and offered some unlikely heroes. While this book isn't the best book I've read, it was quite compelling in its storyline. I found it immensely refreshing to find that the protagonists were not your everyday, run-of-the-mill "supermans". If you want to find a story that compels you to read further, yet without "suspending disbelief" too much, then this is the book to read. If you search for "the" book to define suspense fiction, maybe you should look elsewhere, however, if you want to find a diverting story, with nice balance, read this book! I'm going to read more from Katzenbach.

This Book is a definate page turner. Each chapter is full of exitment and intrige. I recomend it to any one who likes thrilling books.

This would make a terrific movie (I don't see too many thrillers coming out of Hollywood anymore). But, they would have to get Clint, since this is clearly who the author had in mind. This is the fourth Katzenbach novel I've read, and it would rank third in terms of scares. Wrong Man and Madman's Tale were truly chilling. But this is his most poignant ending. The supporting characters were well written, but had they been left out, it would've worked just the same, if not better. Still, a good and fast read, a great lead character, and one chapter (where he knows the killer is waiting for him in his apartment) is particularly excellent. It's been a while, I hope we hear from Katzenbach soon...I need a good chiller!

This is a great mystery dealing with holocaust survivors connecting events which occurred during WWII in Europe to current events in the USA. I found the book fascinating.

There are many books about holocoust survivors during the war years and inmediatly after, but there ae not many who talk about this subject in a totally setting (miami) and 50 years after the war, wich makes th book interesting.
Unfortunatly I think this book is more about police,detectives and shooting than anything else.
However, I think the book repeats the same information already given to the reader over and over which makes it a little boring.
Being spanish my first language, I would like to tell the author that the idea of including spanish sentences and words every now and then is not a bad idea, however please have it check out by a native speaker because the number of grammar mistakes is amazing!!!

After reading Just cause that was unbelievable good I had huge expectations from this book. However this book is not as half as good as Just Cause. It starts good and then the story keeps deteriorating and becomes unreliable and unrealistic. That is a shame since the idea is very good and the author has proven that he knows how to write.