Book: The Shadow Girls
Author: Dawn Merriman
Pub Day: Sept 6th 2023
Book Description
I open my eyes. The room is dark and I can see no windows, only stairs leading up to a metal trapdoor. From the shadows, a figure emerges. A little girl with long, pale hair. She smiles at me. “Are you my new mommy?” she says.
A young woman is missing. And Rylan Flynn was the last person to see her alive.
Nobody has heard from Bess Freeman since Rylan saw her leaving a bar and walking into the night with a stranger. Normally quiet and shy, Bess would never skip out on her family and friends like this. The small town of Ashby is in shock.
While the police struggle to find leads, it’s immediately clear to Rylan that this is no ordinary abduction. Her ability to see ghosts reveals sinister clues on all sides.
In the basement of an abandoned church, Rylan finds the spirit of another young woman who may be a victim. And when the police uncover human remains beneath a barn, a male figure watches them closely, then disappears.
Ashby’s handsome head detective, Ford Pierce, is as reluctant as ever to involve Rylan in the case.
But when another woman’s body is discovered hidden in a derelict family home, it’s clear that Bess is in mortal danger. And her time is running out.
For years, a killer has been lurking in Ashby, driven by a darkness that is more than human.
Desperate to find Bess before another innocent life is lost, Rylan must work with Ford to unravel a dangerous web of lies. But is she drawing closer to the truth or walking into the killer’s trap?
A gripping paranormal thriller packed with dark secrets, danger and slow-burning romance that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Fans of Wendy Wang, Heather Graham and Dean Koontz will love The Shadow Girls.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Shadow Girls' by Dawn Merriman.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Dawn Merriman, Second Sky Publishing, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 6th September 2023.
This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in the 'Rylan Flynn Mystery' series. It can be read as a standalone but to get the most of the character development I would recommend you read the books in order. I have previously read the first book in this epic series 'The Spirit Girls' and would highly recommend it!!!
This novel consists of 38 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
OMG!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT ADDITION AND CONTINUATION IN ONE OF THE BEST BOOK SERIES I HAVE EVER READ!!! MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS DAWN ON ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE PAGE TURNER!!!!!
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline, feeling the hair on your arms raise and putting you on the edge of your seat!!!
I would like to start by saying this book is more paranormal, thriller, ghost and horror than SciFi so if you are a paranormal, ghost story or love a spooky book that will raise the hair on your arms and not a SciFi or fantasy fan please give this book a read. Trust me, you really won't regret it!! In fact, it doesn't matter what genre you like to read give it a read!!!. Filled with suspense, murder, witchcraft, ghosts, murder, friendship, family, mystery and a sprinkle of romance in the air this book is an absolutely explosive and epic start to what promises to be an addictive must read series!! I absolutely love ,love, LOVED the unique storyline!! I have read so many books that it is getting harder and harder for me to find a truly unique plot but Dawn absolutely smashes it out of the park with this one!! I picked it up and even though I kept telling myself just one more chapter I just could not put it down as every time I went to something happened which meant I had to read just one more again until I ended up reading it in one sitting having been glued to my kindle for a few hours!! Dawn's evocative writing skills and descriptions really brought the storyline to life and I just cannot wait to get hooked into the next book in this fantastic new series!!! I absolutely loved the first book but Dawn absolutely blew it out of the water with this one!! Having gotten to know the characters in 'The Spirit Girls' this book is even more ram packed with action than 'The Spirit Girls'. I loved the twists and turns and the unexpected mind blowing bombshells that Dawn created with this absolutely epic read. This has got to be one of the best series I have read this year and I really hope Dawn is busy writing the third book in this one as I just cannot wait to see what is coming next for Riley, Mickey and Ford especially after the phone call Rylan receives at the end of this book!!! The mystery of what is in Keaton's room and why is continued in this book and Dawn has kept me on the edge of my seat trying to work it out!!! This book truly is an absolutely addictive page turner and if you are after a creepy book to keep you hooked then grab your copy now!!!!
Clear your schedules before turning a single page as this book is truly unputdownable!!!
Although this is the second book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the other book. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
The characters are all strong, well rounded and realistic. I really enjoyed getting to meet Rylan Flynn again and discover even more about her past, her unique abilities and discovering how she feels about Ford. I love how she refuses to back down even when she has been threatened to stay away from crime scenes!! She has a great likeable personality and my heart goes out to her when her gift turns into a curse, especially in regards to her Mum. I also liked her friend and camerawoman Mickey and they have a great friendship even though there was some tension between them in this book. I also really like Ford and I cannot wait to see if it goes anywhere between him and Rylan, I've got my fingers and toes crossed that it does!! I was completely invested in all these characters as well as Rylan's Dad and Aunt Val who I am also looking forward to meeting again in the next book in this absolutely fantastic series. I'm just hoping it doesn't take that long too come out!! Hint, Hint Dawn 😉. Dawn's evocative writing skills really brought each of the characters to life and I am already missing them!! I am not a fan of Kaitlyn at all and think she can definitely be a bit of a brat at times. I did feel sorry for her for what she was going through but she is just so selfish, childish and demanding!!! I am still mega intrigued to what is going on in Keaton's room and am hoping Dawn goes into that more in the next book. I am also mega looking forward to meeting Declan in the next book and seeing how the dynamics will survive with the history between him and Riley!! I won't say anything about a certain character in particular who played a large part apart from psycho much!!!! And as for puppets don't even get me started!!! An absolutely fantastic group of characters that all work perfectly together to create this absolutely amazing and addictive series and I cannot wait to meet the majority of them again!!
I absolutely LOVED how this book ended and cannot wait to get stuck in to the third book in this absolutely amazing series.
This book is the BEST ghost thriller I have ever read!! The second best being the first book in this series 'The Spirit Girls '! This book really is a truly unique page turner that I picked up this morning and could not put it down until I finished!!!
Well done Dawn on yet another absolutely fantastic success and here is to what is guaranteed to be many more 🥂
Overall an absolutely addictive, action packed paranormal suspense packed thriller that will keep you turning the pages until you've devoured the book in hours!!
229 pages.
This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Dawn Merriman writes creepy small town murder mysteries from her small farm in northeast Indiana where she lives with her husband and teenage children. You can often find her with muck boots on her feet and a story in her head. She enjoys animals, auctions, snorkeling and archaeology.
Dawn Merriman grew up a small town farm girl, on a small time pig farm in Indiana. She spent her young adulthood sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling stories in notebooks. She won the "Northeast Indiana Young Writers" award as a sophomore in high school.
After battling severe depression, she wrote her debut novel "How Murder Saved My Life" as therapy, mixing her love of murder mysteries and farming with climbing out of the darkness of illness.
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMerrimanBooks
Website: https://www.dawnmerriman.com/
Bookouture email signup: https://secondskybooks.com/subscribe/dawn-merriman/
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