The Assassin Chronicles TV series is in development with Council Tree Productions.Two recent murders. Two serial killers. A conspiracy that reaches beyond the physical world.Consumed with grief over the tragic death of her husband, FBI agent Victory McClane is obsessed with finding Ohio’s serial killer, “The Wrapper”.When another young woman turns up dead and the victim is linked to Derrick Lynn, … turns up dead and the victim is linked to Derrick Lynn, son of the Secretary of Defense, Victory finds Derrick has all the right answers and is a little too helpful.
Derrick has a secret: He’s a government assassin who uses his unusual paranormal skills to eliminate targets. Determined to keep his own secrets buried, he offers to help find The Wrapper.
But can Victory trust him?
As the body count rises, Victory must cross a dangerous line—into a world of government cover-ups, murder, and betrayal—a decision that will test her limits. And everything she believes in.
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*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This was a really great paranormal suspense novel. I got a Criminal Minds vibe from Victory and the two crimes she tries to solve through the novel. Added on top of that were some pretty awesome paranormal abilities.
Victory is a great lead character. She is smart, confident and compassionate. She leads a very difficult life, dealing with loss and grief, on top of two separate and seemingly unsolvable serial killer cases. She is able to compartmentalize all of the stress so that her appearance to the outside world is confident, but she really does take her work home at night.
I liked Derrick enough, but I didn’t get a ton of information on his personality. More of his character traits are revealed toward the end of the book, but I guess he was a little difficult to like in the beginning.
The two separate cases, The Shadow and The Wrapper were seamlessly woven together. Given the extreme differences between the two, I enjoyed the fact that I was never confused, and many of the questions I had were answered without any plot holes. There is still enough mystery to make me really excited to read the next book in the series.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I enjoyed the main character, the suspense, and the satisfying ending that wasn’t left on an infuriating cliff hanger but still was open enough for a ton of material for the next book!
This book has just a hint of paranormal in it comparing Ed to others I have read but I can definitely see it going farther in the future. I really liked it and the thrill of a serial killer chase was great. There are sad parts but I’m hoping we will see a future a little brighter for our lead detective.
This story takes off from the very first page and doesn’t slow down. Victory McClane is on the hunt for a serial killer when she stumbles upon another. One with a twisted agenda she can’t make sense of. The Wrapper kidnaps and tortures women in the most shocking way. An entertaining thriller that will keep you turning the page!
Mystery and suspense are always fun when you aren’t the one who finds themselves in the middle of it. When you are looking over someone who is responsible for catching the bad guy or reading a mystery and trying to find out who the bad guy is…those are fun! For Victory, this mystery just keeps getting harder and harder to solve. There are victims with two different styles of killing and they have both seemed to fall in her lap. Cresswell has a compelling mystery and first installment with Deadly Shadow that will draw readers in.
Victory McClane is on the case and this time, the MO is different. The perpetrator wraps his female victims up in bubble wrap and burns them alive. Such a sick and twisted way to kill someone, but Victory has a hunch that the way he kills has something to do with catching him. All of the other victims that were found have been credited to a killer known as the Shadow where he comes in and kills the victim without the police being able to find an entry point into their lives or homes. It is as if they committed suicide, but the suicides are virtually impossible with the way that they were found. Victory is asked out on a date by a suspect who she feels some kind of connection to and on top of that, her daughter comes into town and then goes missing from a club. She may find herself enlisting help from an unlikely ally in order to save the only family she has left from the Rapper.
Cresswell has an incredible story with superb character development, an entertaining mystery, and is chalked full of originality. Since this review is complimenting the audiobook, it appears that the story is well-written from the voice relay. Siegerman’s narration is impeccable and enjoyable. The character vocalizations are all different and her relay is easy to follow. If you are a reader of paranormal suspense, you may want to pick up this book. Since this is the first installment in the Assassin Chronicles, you are able to dive right in.
An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to Deadly Shadow by Kim Cresswell.
Audiobook review: Deadly Shadow is a murder mystery with a small side of paranormal suspense. The story has plenty of suspense to hold a wayward attention. This story will pull at your heart strings. The narrator did a good job with providing unique voices for each character and appropriate tone inflections for each scene. I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
This is such an amazing story! The author’s descriptions and the narrator’s emotional performance put me right there feeling the pain Victory felt as she desperately searches for the killer. I listened to the book while i worked around the house and kept having to stop and listen during the intense scenes. I’m sure I must have stood slack jawed. The concept is unique and such a great introduction to the series. The story flows from scene to scene flawlessly, and I can not recall a single boring moment. This is suspenseful mystery at its best, and you won’t regret purchasing it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Victory as the series continues. **Thank you, Kim Cresswell for offering me a free review copy.
Great thriller with a serious twist. If you like thrillers this book has an interesting bent to it.
Fantastic Paranormal Suspense Thriller
This book is one of the best paranormal suspense thrillers I have ever read. Derrick and his abilities… damn! Victory, her career as a FBI agent, and her family… wow! This is probably my shortest review ever, but the take away is… you need to read this book! I can’t say more without giving away some great parts that you will love to discover yourself as you read! I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. Thank you Kim!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to learn what happens next!
Deadly Shadow A Paranormal Suspense Thriller (The Assassin Chronicles, Book 1), my first oh-so-enjoyable read from author Kim Cresswell. Extremely well-written with intriguing characters. 6-hours 11-minute/297-pages. Sometimes a book is just so enjoyable, so spine-tingling, so page-turning, wait no spoilers here, buy the book, read & review the book. I was given an Audible copy of this book back in June of last year & am just getting around to listening to it. I’m voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Robin Siegerman’s narration adds to the book’s enjoyment. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, I’ll definitely be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Captivating paranormal suspense…
This story is the first in a new series that promises to be one Kim Cresswell’s best yet (and that is saying something). Ms. Cresswell is known for her unique and engaging characters and her amazing world-building, but it is the imaginative twists and turns of the storylines that truly mesmerize her audience and this story is no exception. This tantalizing tale incorporates many of my favorite elements into one well-crafted thrill-ride: a strong yet vulnerable hero/heroine (in this case it is a female FBI agent named Victory McClane with a heart-breaking backstory), a twisted villain (in this case there are actually two completely disturbing serial killers), and an intriguing touch of the paranormal (e.g. etheric travelling and psychokinesis), just to keep things really interesting. How could you not be thoroughly entertained?
The audiobook version is narrated by Robin Siegerman who does a good job of helping the listener keep the various characters straight with vocal distinctions and keeping the flow of the story moving along with cadence and intonations appropriate to the situation. Less experienced narrators often read unbearably slow and many put undue emphasis on too many words in each sentence but, thankfully, that is not the case in this performance. While I rarely agree with every inflection choice made by a narrator, I felt Ms. Siegerman did a commendable job and would not hesitate to listen to another of her performances.
The bottom line is that this story is absolutely absorbing from start to finish and sets the stage for what looks to be a most promising new series. Personally, I can’t wait for the next installment.
I received a free audiobook version of this story and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased and honest review.
If you find this review helpful, I thank you for so indicating.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.
This is the first book in The Assassin Chronicles. It is a paranormal suspense story where FBI Agent Victory McClane is investigating two serial killers. The first is kidnapping young women and burning them alive after wrapping them in bubble wrap. The second is killing his victims but it appears as though the killer was never actually in the room with the victim as there seems to be no evidence of the killer being there and the murders almost appear to be suicides. McClean has a tragic past – her husband was murdered during a bank robbery and she has trouble dealing with his death.
The story pulls you in from the very beginning. The characters, especially the MC, are well developed and this is a well-written suspense story. The paranormal aspects of the story were really intriguing and not overdone – it will be interesting to see how this aspect evolves over the series. The story is fast moving, and deftly weaves an interesting a plethora of events and connections. I liked how the characters realistically relied on each other – no superhero antics. I am looking forward to this series.
I listened to this book – I really liked this narrator and she used some interesting narrative devices like using effects to make it seem as if you are listening to someone on a phone call. You can literally feel the pain of the MC through her narration. The one negative – I was not enamored with her male voices – especially Derek, whose voice was very gravely [like a decades long smoker with a throat injury].