The Shadows

3.5 stars. Last year, The Whisper Man was everywhere. Everywhere! I went into it with sky high expectations and well, it fell kind of flat to be honest. So, my relationship with Alex North was over... until I read the synopsis of The Shadows and decided we could try again.

The Shadows pays homage to IT era Stephen King (well that was the vibe I got anyway). It tells the dark tale of four friends and the events that lead up to the brutal murder of one of their classmates. At the same time there is this sinister supernatural character, Red Hands, hovering around the periphery. There are two time lines - and mysteries that extend through both.

It's a spooky, dark, mind bending novel and while it doesn't quite match the coming-of-age feeling of IT, it gives it a red hands go.