Shadow Girl - Blog Tour Mystery Review + Giveaway

SHADOW GIRL by Gerry Schmitt

Shadow Girl (An Afton Tangler Thriller)
Suspense/Thriller 2nd in Series Release Date - August 1, 2017
Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0425281789 Kindle ASIN: B01MXHV6CL

The brutal murder of a business tycoon leaves Afton Tangler and the Twin Cities reeling, but that’s just the beginning of a gruesome crime spree...

Leland Odin made his fortune launching a home shopping network, but his millions can’t save his life. On the list for a transplant, the ailing businessman sees all hope lost when the helicopter carrying his donor heart is shot out of the sky.

Now with two pilots dead and dozens injured, Afton Tangler, family liaison officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, is drawn into the case. As she and her partner investigate family members and business associates, whoever wants Leland dead strikes again—and succeeds—in a brazen hospital room attack.

The supposedly squeaky clean millionaire has crossed the wrong person—and she’s not finished exacting her revenge. The case explodes into an international conspiracy of unbridled greed and violence. And as Afton gets closer to unearthing the mastermind behind it, she gets closer to becoming collateral damage...

My Thoughts:

I've been a longtime fan of Laura Childs' cozy mysteries so when I heard she wrote thrillers under another name how could I resist?   To be honest I was expecting a thriller with some pretty cozy undertones but wow was I ever wrong!  This is a serious thriller with a lot going on.  There's surface to air missiles, conspiracies to kill no matter who gets hurt and what has to be done, and characters with some seriously shady backstories.  

This book flies with super fast pacing between the intense investigation and just the short chapter structure of the book.  While espionage wasn't really involved it had a very spy thriller feel to me with some pretty lethal bad guys.  This is more of a why than a who kind of mystery.  The names of the bad guys (and I mean that in a general sense versus just males) are revealed in the first paragraph but their reasoning takes some time to uncover.  I enjoyed watching the investigation unfurl as the police start with just the bits they know and slowly build a scenario and then a case.

I enjoyed the partner dynamic between Afton and her partner Max.  While Afton's role is a family liaison officer and not an investigator I didn't feel that Max didn't value her contributions to the investigation.  They really worked as a partnership which was nice.  As well the glimpses of Afton's home life added a lot of depth to her character and I felt like I knew her a bit better.  

This was a fast and enjoyable read.  I really enjoyed the Minneapolis setting and Afton's character. It isn't the most intense thriller I've read but it was thoroughly enjoyable and quite the fun puzzle-y read!  Rating: Good

About The Author

Gerry Schmitt is the author of the Afton Tangler Thrillers, and, writing under the pseudonym Laura Childs, the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels, the Tea Shop, Scrapbooking, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. She is the former CEO of her own marketing firm, has won TV and radio awards, and produced two reality TV shows. She and her professor husband enjoy collecting art, travel, and their two Shar-Pei dogs. Author Links - Webpage – Facebook Purchase Links Amazon B&N BAM

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