Customer Reviews

Shadow Play

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This book must have gone directly from the author's laptop to the printer. Clearly there were no beta-readers. There was either no editing or the worst editing I have ever seen. Early on my heart sank when I noticed that the author was not able to keep track of who was driving Laura's truck. This happened over less than 4 pages! Later on Laura is touring the bad guy's house miles from the casino and suddenly they are walking through the casino back hallways. These are the kind of gaffes that even the most mediocre beta-reader or editor would have found and corrected.

But worse than the terrible writing, Mr Cole has lost his character. I have to think that the author had a female companion who kept Laura real and kept Cole on track. Laura has changed from the sensitive, driven woman who captured our attention and hearts into an androgynous almost-boy whose attitudes and reactions ring false. Characters do change, just as people change; but I'm not interested in this new Laura. Rest in peace, Laura. I'll miss you.

There is an ancient legend about a creature known as the "Skinwalker". It is neither a man nor a beast. And when people on the "Rez" are found brutally murdered, everyone blames it on the Skinwalker. Nathan Brittles is a member of the tribal police. Being realistic, he contacts Laura Winslow, a computer hacker/private eye who also happens to be his lover. Nathan and Laura hit the trail of the killer quickly, before any more of Nathan's friends die.

*** This novel is like two-in-one. There is the Skinwalker mystery and then there is the casino. The owner of the casino is planning to make it big (again) by making movies. He is constantly trying to woo Laura who shows little interest at all.

The story is very slow in beginning and I found myself having a hard time getting into the tale. The author, David Cole, uses Indian legends and modern day technology in this story that is filled with twists and turns. This is a great idea, however, I found the wording to be distracting. I had to reread pages often to understand what was happening. I also found many things to be too predictable, especially involving the casino owner. I could not help but like the characters of Nathan and Laura. The author did a good job on creating their personalities. I even learned a bit about Native American beliefs and customs. All-in-all, I believe this to be a good book. A little slow, a bit predicable, but good. ***

Reviewed by D. Wilson.