Customer Reviews

The Shadow Walker

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

 

 

The Shadow Walker is a lean, competently written story, but it certainly lacks bite. Unlike those who wrote the blurbs on the book's cover, I would argue that the story within does not do justice to its setting. Readers who are looking for an inside look at the nuances of an exotic culture interspersed with a first rate mystery thriller would be best served with the likes of John Burdett's far superior Bangkok 8. The crime scenes and procedures are supposed to be brutal but even those descriptions cover tired ground - the head and the hands removed? Check. Placed on a table to be found later? Check. Corrupt cops? Check. Trying to trace a phone call before the mysterious caller disconnects? Triple check. Characterization also is lacking. Nergui's past is never explored but only hinted at, and he does nothing to separate himself from other more vibrant mystery characters from other novels. McLeish, the inspector from the UK, offers no theories that I can think of and seemingly exists just so he can be taken hostage later (this plot point is revealed on the book jacket FYI-no spoiler). At one point, Nergui ruminates that he had come to know McLeish as not only a fellow officer, " but also a friend." I don't know how they became friends because neither character offered any information to the other that would foster such a relationship. Plot locomotion is created by a series of scenes that take place at dinners, in offices, and in bars, none of which take advantage of the Mongolian environment or are described in much detail. Upon further review, the dialogue, while serviceable and not cumbersome, consists mostly of the two detectives agreeing with each other that this case, indeed, is difficult to solve. Thumbs down, also, to the clumsy finale, in which a main baddie supplies a several-page exposition speech without much prompting, before leading to a conclusion that we have seen thousands of times before. This review reads like a slam, but the novel isn't an amateurish groaner - it just doesn't really break any new ground. I would hope that if Nergui turns up again we will see what makes the guy tick, and get away from some of the clichés that make this novel very, very average.

The Shadow Walker is the first novel by Britisher Michael Walters. It is an unusual piece of work in that the main character is a Mongolian detective named Nergui while the British character, Chief Inspector Drew McLeish, plays second fiddle. Also unusual is that the novel is set in Mongolia with much of the action occurring in the capital city of Ulan Bator.

This novel is well paced and manages to impart to the reader much interesting information about Mongolia today without getting dull. Both Nergui and McLeish are interesting characters and, along with the storyline, help to hold the reader's interest. However, the book's ending was abrupt and anticlimatic so much so that this novel does not merit a perfect 5 star review. Hopefully, Walters's next novel will have a more satisfying finish.

In Ulan Bataar, Mongolia, the police are stymied as a silent serial killer stalks the streets. The unknown culprit has left behind his fourth mutilated corpse with a severed head and limbs this time in a luxurious hotel. Former Serious Crimes Chief Nergui is ordered back to lead the official investigation, but is frustrated having made no progress at all in catching the predator.

He needs specialized help as serial killers are outside his experience or any member of the department especially his younger replacement as section chief Doripalam. British CID Chief Inspector Drew McLeish is sent to assist Nergui on his quest to catch the killer before more people die, but he realizes that he knows nothing about the land or the people that he is to profile as he is five thousand miles from home. They work as a team with Nergui providing the insight to the city, the suburbs and the Gobi while Drew brings the profiling even as the body count mounts.

THE SHADOW WALKER is a strong police procedural with an exciting serial killer investigation, but it is the location that makes this tale standout. Nergui is a superb cop, but readers will appreciate even more his in-depth tour guide role as he escorts the audience and Drew around the city, the suburbs and beyond.

Harriet Klausner

Although there is crime in Ulan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia, finding a corpse missing it's head and hands is far from normal. Negrui, ex-head of the Serious Crime Squad is ordered back to his former role with instructions to clear the case immediately. When the fourth victim is a British geologist, senior British CID officer Drew McLeish is sent to work with Negrui and his successor, Doripalam. The trail leads them through the capital city, to the steppes and into the Gobi desert trying to learn the connection between the killings when Drew is kidnapped.

Walker does a wonderful job of bringing the reader to present day Mongolia. His descriptions of the country, the contrasts in cultures and the winter season are so well done. It was fascinating to read a story set in a country about which I'd never given much thought. The characters of Negrui and Drew balanced well; neither was overbearing and I liked that both seemed a bit out of their depth. It was interesting to have Negrui be the lead character. The story flowed well; I certainly read it straight through, but the plot didn't completely hold together. There were incidents not really explained, the end felt very abrupt and the motive behind the crimes detracted from the suspense of the story. I found this a very credible first book, well worth reading for the setting alone, and look forward to Walker's second book.

I enjoyed this book, and was impressed with the calibre of the writing for a first novel. Recently I have read a number of books by established authors that I have found awkwardly, or just incompetently, written. Not so in this case.

Although it is basically just a (fairly involved) police procedural mystery, I thought the story-line and main characters were interesting, and there was also a good deal of information about socio-political and economic aspects of modern Mongolia which I found fascinating.

Overall, a good read. Not an award-winning novel, maybe, but I enjoyed The Shadow Walker enough to finish it in just two days (while doing other things), and to now be keen to read more by Michael Walters - particularly if the same setting (Mongolia) and main characters (Nergui and Doripalam) were used. In my opinion, The Shadow Walker is a very promising start to a writing career, and I would recommend it.

I agree with some of the other negative comments - it's a little clunky and unconvincing. It's major strong suit is that it is set in a very interesting location and the main character has the potential to be interesting. In the end though it was somewhat unsatisfying, even within the limits of the genre, in that the actual plot is weak and the author doesn't really get a good picture of Mongolia. Not a bad first start and I did enjoy reading it (because it's the only novel set in Mongolia that I've found - excluding his other works). Hopefully the next book in the series improves.

Interesting story set in a unique crime fighting environment. I got the impression that most of the local color came from web searches. A worthy attempt but it would have been better if it had more in depth authenticity.

Mediocre at best - the setting makes it somewhat interesting but the writing is poor - I would not recommend.