Shadowmaker (Law at Work) [Hardcover]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Law at Work | Publication Date: April 1995

Suspecting a link between a series of murders and her mother's newspaper articles that expose toxic waste dumps, Kate Gillian resolves to figure out what is behind the shadowy figures she sees in the small Texas community.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Katie and her mom have come to Kluney, Tex., to escape trouble for a while, but trouble seems to be lurking around every corner. In her career as an investigative reporter, Katie's mom has run afoul of those who don't appreciate her efforts to bring to light the illegal dumping of certain toxic wastes, and now Katie, missing her city friends and ballet lessons, unwillingly finds herself involved in a puzzle of her own--the disappearance of the only girl to have befriended her. In her usual taut, thrillingly grim style, Nixon merges mystery with moral outrage and stand-taking; she develops parallel mother-daughter investigations deftly, allowing the mysteries to intersect momentarily and then dart off on separate paths. Strong female characters deliver a mandate to question authority and to adhere to personal convictions, even in the face of threats and ridicule. Affecting and fast-paced, this mystery delivers just the right amount of shivers to satisfy without eclipsing its message. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Eve Gillian takes a leave of absence from her job as an investigative reporter to write a novel, and she and her teenaged daughter, Katie, settle temporarily in a small, Texas seaside town. Threatening letters and spooky nighttime visitors keep mother and daughter on edge; the local sheriff isn't sympathetic; Katie begrudges leaving her Houston high school; and the townspeople fear for their jobs at the local waste disposal plant once Eve starts poking around. Then two people are murdered, and Katie uncovers a cabal of teenaged boys dedicated to petty and not-so-petty crime. A few scenes are suspenseful, but overall the mystery just isn't very mysterious. The characters are flat, except for the pitiful murdered girl so desperate for attention, and the villain isn't very ominous. The workings of the plot are too transparent and the red herrings too red. The setting is surprisingly generic and lacks a convincing sense of place. Nixon has a long string of suspenseful page-turners, but Shadowmaker is, unfortunately, not one of her stronger efforts.
Kathy Fritts, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0780752112
• ISBN-13: 978-0780752115
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,913,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The scariest book I ever read, it gave me the creeps, October 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadowmaker (Law at Work) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are a person who loves bonechilling mysteries with terror and suspense, you'll really love this book. Once you read one of Joan Lowery Nixon's books, you can't stop. This one in particular was probobly her best. In this book she gives you all the details, all the clues, all the suspects, and a surprising and frightful end. You can not put this book down, any spare time you have is definitely going to be spent reading this book. One word of caution: do not read "Shadowmaker" in bed at night. It's so good and so nerve-racking it made me sleep with the door open and the lights on.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, January 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadowmaker (Law at Work) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was emotional and phyciological book which twisted and turned you. It starts that Katie hates living in Kluney so when she and Lana Jean go to the carnival things happen. A carnival worker is killed, then Lana Jean is murdered. Katie's confused and along with her mother's investigations she doesn't know what to do. Nixon takes the book from there and weaves you into a believable story that could happen. A very good book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Mystery Book, June 2, 2005

By 

Gadi Singer (Cupertino, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadowmaker (Law at Work) (Mass Market Paperback)

Katie Gillian is a teenaged girl who moved to a little town in Texas with her mother. Katie was expecting to spend several months in a new school, with a few friends and little excitement. What she experienced instead was far from boring. This story includes crimes, murders, and adventures that are guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat. You are following Katie and her mother as they each solve a different mystery.
I loved the book and gave it five stars. The plot was great, and I could not put it down. I also liked the character Katie and the way she was real but also very brave. The author did a good job including surprises in many points in the story, and you only get to see the unexpected answer at the very end. "Shadowmaker" is an outstanding mystery book, and I highly recommend reading it.