Shadow Books

Ann Turner Cook is the individual behind the famous Gerber baby picture we all grew up with. She is a retired English teacher and member of the Mystery Writers of America. She resides in Tampa Florida with her husband, who assists her in her research.

Brandy O'Bannon is trying to make a name for herself in the newspaper business, and to do that she needs the elusive "big story." When her editor sends her out to investigate the story of a woman from New York who has been missing for twenty years, she springs into action. The woman had a two and a half year old daughter, and they simply vanished in the Cedar Key area. When O'Bannon arrives in Cedar Key, she quickly meets a woman named Cara Waters who may be the missing child, and learns of a skeleton found in the cistern in the basement of a local hotel which could be the mother. But what events transpired and how to track them down is the big challenge for Brandy. Her husband, John, is being actively pursued by his architectural intern, Tiffany Moore. The folk of Cedar Key are tight-lipped, and Brandy thinks they know much more than they admit. A fellow investigator is murdered, and Brandy begins to worry for her own safety:

"She had started across the narrow sidewalk toward a street lamp when she heard the scuffle of footsteps behind her. She whirled. A thick figure was rising from the basement entry, its face grotesque, a blur of mashed lips and flattened nose. Brandy dropped her suitcase. Her heart thudded and her fingers tightened around the straps of her bag. A stocking mask, of course."

Ann Turner Cook writes quite a colorful story for someone with such an angelic face. Her writing is of a high caliber, clear and full of action. She allows the reader to savor the story, yet become totally enmeshed in the action. Shadow Over Cedar Key is a high action, suspenseful, and yet tragic tale that is sure to pull at the reader's heartstrings. Brandy O'Bannon is a wonderful example of a young person trying to find her place in the world and yet keep her marriage from crumbling. Her own tale is a love story most haunting, as Poirot would say. An excellent and entertaining read from a talented and insightful author.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

A phenomenal effort by Mrs. Cook. I was intially drawn to this novel after a recent 3-day trip to Cedar Key and I'm so glad I came upon it. I'm an avid reader of Randy White, RBP, John D. MacDonald, Peter Matthiessen, Dennis Lehane, etc., and I'm sure that Mrs. Cook's books will lay next to theirs' in my bookcase for years to come. Brandy O'Bannon can hang with Doc Ford and Travis McGee any day of week. I almost wish I'd had Mrs. Cook as my High School English teacher, too, as maybe I would've turned into the writer I always wanted to be (instead of the 9-5 software professional I ended up being). Highly engrossing, highly suspenseful, highly characterized, highly rich in FLA history, and highly recommended.

I was not able to put this book down..the politics of South Africa seemed to put the reader in a very frightening place and sadly have things changed that much???

Written by one of music's most promising stars, Shadow People provides a unique and authentic portrait of Durban, Cape Town's District Six and Jo'burg's Sophiatown exactly fifty years ago.

Dhava Aiengar is a young pianist with brilliant prospects, but he has one problem: he is an "Indian" in apartheid South Africa. He is not allowed to travel and work where he likes or love whom he likes, and he spends most of his time dodging the police, Zulu rioters, Indian gangs and white thugs. Driven by a passion for music, Dhava, along with his friends Claude Tshikalange and Micah Bernhardt, defies everything apartheid stands for. They live life to the full, achieving acclaim and adoration from the townships to the most exclusive whites-only clubs... until the sinister machinery of apartheid starts to turn against them.

Shunna Pillay sang in Alfred Herbert's African Jazz and Variety, alongside such luminaries as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka. He resides in New York City and Connecticut.

In 2003, Hugh Masekela was featured in the documentary film Amandla!, about how the music of South Africa aided in the struggle against apartheid. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Grazin' in The Grass: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela, which thoughtfully details his struggles against apartheid in his homeland.

Hugh Masekela says, "Shunna Pillay tells this story of South Africa's 1950s with a deep sympathy for all those human beings in the world who yearn for freedom, liberty and the right to enjoy life on this earth ... This is a brilliant tale, told with the lack of fear which finally drove Shunna out of his country of birth."

Carol Tanzman has done an outstanding job in not only addressing violence/abusive behavior in schools/home but she also addresses the fears and concerns of teenagers. What a terrific communications tool to help a parent/teacher broach these issues with their teens and vise versa. Top all that with the fact that it is an entertaining read. It compels you to finish it as soon as possible.

The Shadow Place is the first book I have read that really captures the language and issues teens deal with today. I have given it as a gift to teens I know and they have all loved it. They see traits in Lissa and Rodney that are just like them. It gave us a great forum with which to discuss issues and pressures they deal with everyday. I highly recommend it.

The premise of the novel series, while not original (how original can we be when speaking about epic fantasy) is well written and envisioned. What Dillinger gives us is not so much a rote version of the "ancient-talisman-carried-by-the-hero" tale, but a polished, dialogue-strewn fantasy story, complete with a rich history and tapestry of terrain descriptions. For those who love fantasy, but dread long, drawn-out descriptive passages, SRTCoG delivers.

The story is original in that it treats the dwarven race with a great deal more respect than many in the fantasy genre. The heros, while wearing dwarven shells and spouting dwarven sayings, are thoughtful and very human. They are lovable and you will be pulling for them at every turn. Unlike his predecessors, Dillinger ensures that the usually two-dimensional, cookie-cutout, fantasy dwarf is as deep as the mithril mines they delve.

Beginning in the capitol city of Acleron, the main character, Thein, discovers an ancient artifact in a fallen heros shrine that links him directly to an even more ancient dwarven throne. The artifact, a plum-sized crystal, has been present in many cities throughout the centuries, each and every one of them reduced to "ruins and dust". These, the ruins of shadow, are what prompts the dwarven elders and king to strongly suggest that Thein take the stone away from Acleron. They enlist the help of three famous dwarves, including Ancor Grelin, one of the legendary troll-slayers of Acleron's past.

With his companions, Thein sets out on a journey to a distant realm, in search of a place called the Lords' Table, a fortress supposedly filled with retired kings, advisors, queens and seers. There, he is told, he will discover what should be done with this item.

Along the way, the group is joined by a human warrior whose entire history has been cut away from him by brigands. As they race from one realm to the next in search of their answers, they are ultimately faced with an important choice: should they travel to the Lords' Table which may or may not even exist anymore? Or should they travel through the dangerous Rill Forest to the ruins of Glath, birthplace of the artifact?

The final four chapters are thrilling and will keep you riveted. Oh, and be prepared for a killer cliffhanger. Can't wait for the next one!

Shadow ruins is an excellent written work by an excellent author. The book takes you through a time of mystery and magic and does so with ease. It is a book that you wont want to put down until you are done.

I found this book to be a very interesting look at the conscience of a laywer as he wrestles with the dilemma of winning a case or doing the right thing. Adding to his problem is the discovery of his father's diary.

As entertaining as Grisham, but, without the political correctness

An excellent debut by an Assistant Attorney General who knows what "real" law is all about. Fraiser takes you through a "normal/everyday" murder and the "normal/everyday" process by which an attorney is appointed to defend the man. The attorney does a little lying. So what, it's all to serve his client--what an attorney does, right? Then "!!! BAM !!!" the attorney's life is turned upside down--not to mention he is probably going to be killed.. Do morals make a difference? His father thought so, but this is the 90's. And the suspense and the danger builds and builds and builds.

Published by one of the smaller presses, and therefore certain not to get the advertising dollars that the bigger publishers spend on their authors, this novel will be overlooked by some--much to their loss. A great story

I loved this book! It sucked you into a different world every time you picked it up. I didn't want it to end. I am patiently waiting for more. I have read her other book "Zahrah the Windseeker" and felt the exact same way.

The shadow speaker's story begins in the year 2070, in Niger, West Africa. The time is after the Big Change. Ejii is a shadow speaker. This means that the shadows tell her stories of the people around her. This is very powerful magic; many people fear those with this power. Ejii is identified as a shadow speaker by her unusual eyes. She finds herself feeling isolated because of this and the fact that her father's children with other wives are treated as more important. Her father does not help her feelings of self-worth. He plans to marry her off to a lowly, lazy son of a baker. Ejii does not want this. Her father has claimed himself to be in charge of her people. He takes away women's rights and puts them in a lower status. To do this, he superseded the power of queen Jaa.

When queen Jaa comes to town with her two husbands, she immediately beheads Ejii's father and takes back control. Unfortunately, Ejii had to witness this. Still she is relieved to have her father's rule ended. She is sad because he was not always the evil, control hungry person that he had evolved into. Ejii is dealing with her own issues of who she and has not come to realize her worth. Queen Jaa wants to apprentice Ejii to her. Her mother feels that at 14 years of age, Ejii is still too young. Ejii feels pulled to leave, especially when the shadows tell her that she must go to help prevent a war.

Ejii leaves with her family's talking camel named "Onion." Along the way, she meets Dikeogu, a young man with a mysterious past. He was sold into slavery by his parents because they feared his powers. Dikeogu tries to hold on to his secrets. Having been betrayed by those close to him, he is afraid to trust. A big part of this adventure involves both of them discovering who they really are and learning to command their powers. As they journey to different places, they learn to develop their powers and they experience tremendous personal growth. They also learn to trust each other.


"The Shadow Speaker" is an incredible story. It is written for children aged 12 and up, yet as a middle aged adult, I totally enjoyed it. Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu has such a gift with words. She takes you into the hearts of Ejii and Dikeogu and makes you feel their pain. She also paints colorful pictures of the different places that they travel through. The magic, the people and the creatures all come alive through her writing. There are also a lot of messages contained with in the pages about personal growth for all of us. I would not want to miss this book for the world!


5 out of 5 spaceships


Reviewer: Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews

After reading Amy Meade's first two books (Million Dollar Baby and Ghost of a Chance) I was looking forward to Shadow Waltz and Ms. Meade did not disappoint. The characters, plot, and humor made Shadow Waltz a great read cover to cover. It was well worth waiting for and I am already counting the months, weeks, days,...until Ms. Meade's fourth book is released. I would recommend Ms. Meade's books be read in the order they were published, it will add to the reading enjoyment!

It is 1935 and the nation remains buried in the Great Depression, but author Marjorie McClelland and her rich fiancé Creighton Ashcroft barely feel its effects. They are making wedding plans when an interruption comes in the form of a knock on the door. Elizabeth Barnwell, who read about this couple solving two murders (see GHOST OF A CHANCE and MILLION DOLLAR BABY), begs them to find her missing husband Michael who vanished two days ago. They agree to help her; she tells them she found a mysterious key and a piece of paper with an address on it in a pocket of one of his pants.

They go to the address and find the butchered body of a woman whose face is smashed in, and her four extremities cut off. The house belongs to Ronnie Carter and a witness describes her lover as that of Michael. Marjorie and Creighton find him at his parents'' home where he proclaims his innocence. He is taken to jail. Marjorie learns that the victim's lover before Michael, Trent Taylor, is now a widower who made a fortune collecting a life insurance payout on his wife's death. Before she died, Ronnie accused Trent of poisoning his spouse; an autopsy proves his late wife had a deadly amount of arsenic in her system. Case closed except Marjorie thinks someone else has set up Trent, but her sleuthing almost gets her shot.

Since everyone in Ridgebury, Connecticut wants to get involved in the wedding, Marjorie buries herself into the investigation to avoid dealing with definitive decisions that people demand of her. Readers will feel like they are in the middle of a Tracey-Hepburn movie to include campy dialogue, misleading assumptions, and plenty of action. SHADOW WALTZ is a thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery that takes its audience dancing into a bygone era.

Harriet Klausner

It has the pace and pose of a well written novel. Hard to think that it's a collection of 3 books and a short. (although the short isn't tied to the main story line)

It introduces twists and turns that weaves the technology into the plot as part of the story. The technology isn't a prop, it's part of the background feeding the story and making every day things work and do the bidding of their masters

An excellent story, well written, that really shines in the single-book format. I picked up a copy and devoured it within a week - so much better than finding and buying three books. Shadow Warrior follows the story of Joshua Wolfe, secret commando and desert ninja, as he hunts down the last of the A'lar, an alien race he grew up with. Using his awesome ninja skills and secret commando gadgets he follows the trail from alien menace to ancient threat that will destroy the galaxy! Enjoy.

How can this be the end? After all there are so many great potential 'Shadow' titles left.

Shadow Whispers introduces bounty hunter Cisco Santiago on a personal hunt to solve a murder that happened 15 years ago on Dine land. Intelligent, gorgeous and intense, Cisco is a selfmade man who has escaped his gang background, wears his scars well and is a great hero about to meet his match. While shooting someone is a really good way to get their attention, it doesn't make for a great first impression. But Sunnie is way past the part of her life where she plans to ever make another personal connection. She's empty - consumed by guilt, grief and vengence - ready to sacrifice her life to end the Skinwalker evil even though the path she walks goes against all the Dine teachings of balance and harmony from her childhood. Initially, Cisco and Sunnie rub each other the wrong way. Their combustable partnership is one of necessity: Cisco needs a guide and Sunnie needs bait to draw the Skinwalkers into the open and for some reason they are interested in Cisco. But soon their anger transforms to attraction and then to something deeper that both of them try to deny but can't resist.

Linda Conrad does a great job with the romance between Sunnie and Cisco and with Sunnie's return to the world of the living. But Shadow Whispers looses half a star for the final confrontation with Skinwalker Wolf. In light of some of the secrets that were revealed in the story, this should have been a powerful moment and a chance for several of the characters to resolve issues from their pasts. Instead, the final meeting between the Brotherhood and the leader of the evil cult, the baddest of the bad guys, was extremely anti-climatic. There was also less of the Dine cultural elements brought into this story and that was one thing that made the other books so interesting. Other than those two minor nits, author Linda Conrad brought the Night Guardian Series to satisfying conclusion, tying up all the loose ends in the story while bringing back all the significant characters from the previous books for a final bow.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Sunnie has built a new life for herself as a sniper after the betrayal by her fiancé several months previous dashed all of her hopes for happiness. Now she has one mission, to take out the head Skinwalker, the Navajo Wolf, and end the horrors stalking the People at the hands of this monster and his shape-shifting witchcraft-practicing followers. Now her moment of triumph has arrived, or it would have if not for the stranger.

Cisco Santiago is a bounty hunter on a personal vendetta, to find out what happened to his father so many years ago. His quest for answers has brought him to Dinetah, the Navajo Reservation where he hopes to resolve the mystery plaguing him for most of his life. Just when he finally thinks the answers are within his grasp, everything gets shot to hell, quite literally, when a bullet meant for another finds him.

Sunnie is horrified by the mistake she made, but smart enough to realize Cisco may be able to help her. When Cisco and Sunnie reluctantly join forces to find what they both seek, they get more than they expected. The war between the Night Guardians, a brotherhood of Medicine Men, and the Skinwalkers has reached its peak and the final battle is about to begin. Additionally, Sunnie's dear friend Tory has been kidnapped by the Skinwalkers and Cisco finds some unexpected ties to the People. The last thing needs is to fall in love... but that might be the one thing that can put the past to rest once and for all.

Interestingly enough, Shadow Whispers, the final book in the series is not about one of the Brotherhood members, but a newly introduced hero. Don't fret though, he is every bit is strong and proud and oh-so-sexy as the rest of the Night Guardians. He's on a mission but gets bowled over, literally and figuratively, upon his first meeting with Sunnie. He has a few secrets of his own that are sure to intrigue readers.

Sunnie's heart was broken when her late fiancé betrayed her in his quest for power. But rather than blame him, she blames the Wolf, the Skinwalker leader who lured him to evil. Though she has moved beyond her past with the help of the Brotherhood, she cannot forget and her new quest drives her. One thing I love about Linda Conrad's heroines is that they are always strong and brave, not one to sit back and let the man protect her, but rather preferring to be the protector. Sunnie fits the mold of these heroines beautifully. She has honed her body, mind, and skills to a sharpness many don't expect of her. I would have liked to see her get to play a bigger role in the final showdown, and maybe using those sharpshooter skills she's acquired, but even so, I was not let down as I did see her strength and willpower shine through many times throughout the story. That and she did get to use those skills with a gun early on, when she shot Cisco by accident.

The love that grows between Cisco and Sunnie is strong enough to get them through the greatest of dangers. We see them grow from reluctant allies, to friends, to lovers, to soul mates. The development of their romance is very well done, growing naturally through the trials they must face.

Fans of the Night Guardians, be they ones who have been following from book 1, or those who picked it up mid-stream like I did, will thoroughly enjoy the conclusion to the saga in Shadow Whispers. All of our burning questions are answered as secrets are revealed and mysteries solved. We finally learn the secrets behind those scrolls, and many other things throughout the book. So sit back, relax and engross yourself in this explosive finale to the Night Guardians saga.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, August 2007. All rights reserved.

Shadow Wind is a great read! It's a spellbinding story full of adventure and surprise. The plot is fresh and clever with a mystery that develops around the main characters and their relationships, which were created by virtue of a remarkable past event.

Shadow Wind reads very easily, although the intricate plot and some nicely integrated sub plots provide a bit of complexity that demands attention from the reader, who is richly rewarded for the attention paid by the delightful twists and turns the story takes on its way to a thoughtful and provocative ending.

I would highly recommend this book, not only to readers interested in ships and sailing, but to anyone who appreciates a "hard to put down" book. I can hardly wait for the next Maxwell Houghton book, and I guarantee that anyone who reads Shadow Wind will be ready and waiting too.

Maxwell Houghton rejects the spoiled life of a socialite and the possibility of taking over his father's business. Instead, he admires his grandfather's restless spirit and rebellious imagination. Nevertheless, Grandfather Ben makes his work at the bank bearable. His father, however, longs to bring both Grandfather Ben and Maxwell to heel. Then Maxwell is framed for murder, and Grandfather Ben uses his resourcefulness to get Maxwell on an outbound ship before he can be arrested and tried for murder.

Grandfather Ben puts Ben aboard a ship he mistaken believes bound for Charleston, planning to use the three months absence to prove his grandson's innocence. Instead, they have fallen into a trap set by a devious man from Grandfather Ben's past. Maxwell is bound for San Francisco and will be absent at least a year. Worse, he has become a pawn in a deadly game and can trust no one.

In a fascinating mix of genres, including intrigue, suspense, mystery, and sea faring drama, Edward Mann creates a novel that will suit fans of any ilk. Indeed, SHADOW WIND presents a rising voice in fiction with fluid dialogue, rich characterizations, and a strong premise that not only provides a strong foundation for SHADOW WIND but also the two planned sequels. Further, Maxwell's maturation at sea and his devotion to his grandfather create strong sympathy in the reader. In addition, the fast paced plot will keep readers hooked to the last page and clamoring for the sequels. Very highly recommended.