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The Shadow Side Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Shadow Side




Berkley, Jul 2003, 5.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0425191028

Due to a head injury on the job three years ago, Chicago police detective sergeant Adam Boedecker remains on the inactive list. Adam is in no rush to return to work where he knows he will sit at a desk rather than do field work. However, everything changes when his peers inform him that his brother Michael killed his wife and then himself. Adam refuses to believe non-violent Michael who loved his wife could commit such atrocities.
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Adam sneaks into his sibling's home, violating a crime scene, to find the only odd thing a prescription for Valazine. He learns that the drug is a miracle worker used to battle depression and its creator Dr. Elizabeth “Eli” Barnes just received a prestigious award for her efforts. He soon finds seven other violent deaths in the past year by users of the drug. Desperate to learn the truth, he travels to Roth Pharmaceuticals to talk with Eli. Skeptical, Eli soon becomes a believer that her magic elixir can trigger violent behavior in otherwise calm peaceful individuals. As the two some fall in love, someone kills her mentor and wants them dead too.

THE SHADOW SIDE is an exhilarating romantic suspense that focuses on the action for much of the plot. The story line is fast-paced and never slows down until the final moment of rescue is completed though a key deliberate act (left vague deliberately by this reviewer) by the villain seems too horrific and out of place. Still fans of romantic suspense starring a female scientist with no social life and a male cop with no life will want to read this thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner



Chapter Analysis of The Shadow Side

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 10%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 40%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 30%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 20% Tone of story    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain?    -   Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story:    -   2000+ (Present) Medical Thriller    -   Yes Medical Plotlets:    -   cure/disease What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   60% Kind of investigator    -   police procedural, American Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book The crook is....    -   stalking/killing innocents Any non-mystery subplot?    -   feelings towards lover Crime Thriller    -   Yes Crime plotlets:    -   vigilante getting revenge Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal?    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes General Crime (including known murderer)    -   Yes If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...    -   hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character

Gender    -   Male Profession/status:    -   police/lawman Age:    -   a teen Ethnicity/Race    -   Swiss

Setting

United States    -   Yes The US:    -   Midwest

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript

Books with storylines, themes & endings like The Shadow Side

Linda Castillo Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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