| Title | : | Shadows in the Water (Shadows in the Water #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 370 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2017 |
When DEA agent Jack Thorne's house is stormed by vengeful drug lords, both he and his wife are shot dead. Only his daughter Louie survives — by using a terrifying power that defies reason.
Piecing together a life in his absence, Louie embraces her gift and her rage under the force of a single need: revenge.
She will destroy the men that took her family. No matter the cost, no matter how many bullets, she won't stop until justice has been well and truly served.
Shadows in the Water (Shadows in the Water #1) Reviews
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I don't rate the books I write, but I do give myself goodreads *credit* for them so I can succeed in my yearly reading challenge!
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Shadows in the Water
(Shadows in the Water #1)
by Kory M. Shrum
A gal named Lou, as a young girl, has a fear of water. One day her mom leaves her in the bathtub to check the food bubbling on the stove. The girl disappears! She is found months later when someone is mowing their grass near their pool. She is sliced up, standing by the pool, and has deep gouge marks in her flesh.
Her father realizes that his sister was like this but he thought she was attention seeking and never believed her. Now he does. He plans to send the now 12 year old Lou to her aunt for the summer to learn to control it. But drug cartel members raid the place and kill her mom and dad. Her dad saved her by throwing her into the pool.
She is grown now and has learned all kinds of things, like multiple martial arts, shooting, and using this gift. She can use even darkness to disappear/travel. She knows where the creature that attacked her lives and she takes it drug dealers!
This is so good! Lots of great revenge, fantastic fantasy, creatures, characters, suspense and I enjoyed cheering for this serial killer! -
This book is so much fun! It's dark and gritty, but I think how the past is revealed helps soften the hard edges of the heroine, Louie Thorne, so readers will understand her better and root for her to succeed even though her mission is a vengeful one. I also really enjoy the secondary perspective from the retired agent Robert King. He gives a different dynamic to the story that rounds it out nicely and compliments Louie. They work well together, despite their many differences. The lighter, more colorful characters add some much needed humor in the darkness, and the mafia crime deals working in the shadows injects the story with a shot of adrenaline. This was a fantastic, fast-paced read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
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I received this book free from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. First of all, let me please say that after reading all of Shrum's other work, this one took me by surprise. It wasn't what I expected at all. Having said that, it is my favorite piece of her work so far.
This book begins the tale of a young woman, Lou (mid 20's) who has the power to travel from place to place I think that as the series progresses we will learn more even more about that.
Lou is hard-core. I absolutely LOVE that. There is none of that wishy washy stuff that happens with a lot of female characters now. She doesn't kick butt in one scene and then curl up with a bucket of ice cream sniveling at a romantic comedy in the next. She's tough, she's a bit mean and she's quite possibly a bit psychotic and I really REALLY hope she stays that way. Oh course she'll have to open up a wee bit if we are ever going to get to know her but I hope she never loses her dark edge.
As for all the side characters, I really liked them all. Yah, they could have been a bit better developed but again, this is a series and that will all come with time. I enjoyed them all and look forward to learning more about each of them as the series unfolds.
My only hesitation with this book is the possible love interest(s) that is/are developing. Hopefully Shrum will surprise me and avoid these potential disasters.
Overall, the book was amazing. My gauge of how good a book is is by how much I want to read more. This book, these characters, this whole unique premise.....I DESPERATELY want more. So yeah, I can NOT wait for the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of paranormal mixed in with their mystery. Enjoy! -
When I found out that
Kory M. Shrum was working on a new crime thriller book, I was super excited! Then when I was able to get an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of the book to proofread, I freaked out even more!
Shadows in the Water is about a woman named Louie Thorne who is seeking revenge for the death of her parents. But this is not your typical revenge story, as Louie has a special gift. A gift that allows her to dish out punishment to members of a Mafia family involved in her parent's deaths. As she uses this gift to exact her revenge, she learns that this gift does not come without costs and dangers.
The first chapter of this book was so intense and gripping, that to this day I get a little creeped out when I give my children baths! The characters are everything I look for in a good story: Complex, quirky, layered, and most of all... flawed. With the gift that Louie possesses it would be easy for her to become a complete "Mary Sue", but she is far from that. Not that she isn't a complete Bad-Ass, because she totally is!
With each new book that Shrum writes it just gets better and better, and it started off pretty darn great! This latest book was so good that I purchased it for my Kindle despite already having the ARC copy so that I could lend it out to my family and get them hooked as well.
I highly recommend reading this book - Just not in the bath! -
I received an ARC for this book but I loved it so much and wanted to support the author that I purchased the kindle edition. This book reminds me of some of the Dean Koontz books that I have read. It is a nicely paced crime story with a dash paranormal, but I felt the otherworldliness doesn't weigh down the story. The main character, Louie, does have an unusual ability but it is not what defines her, she is so much more. I believe that this is the first book to a series, but it could be read as a stand alone book. It does have an ending, but a few questions have been left unanswered. I have been reading a lot of sci-fi and fantasy lately, so this was a nice change of pace as I didn't have to remember any unusual names or places.
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Shadows in the Water review
4.5 stars for grammar/typo mistakes, but I'll be nice and round up for Goodreads.
Shadows in the Water is the second Kory M. Shrum book I've read after Dying for a Living, and despite the many similarities between the two books, I hope to keep my opinions of them as separate as I can when I review.
That said, there were a lot of similarities.
Not in a bad way, though! Both books had hardened, badass female protagonists with special gifts and dark pasts, which was awesome. Both had cool supporting characters and antagonists.
But while Dying for a Living had more of a lighthearted feel to the story and its situation, Shadows in the Water felt a lot more serious and dark, but was also still full of the humor found in Dying for a Living.
The best way to describe it is like comparing a main Marvel Cinematic Universe movie like Iron Man (witty characters, fun, creative, lighthearted) with an R-rated Marvel movie like Deadpool(still witty humor but a LOT more dead bodies and a darker undertone). Both are really good movies but with different themes.
I could compare Lou from Shadows in the Water to Deadpool pretty easily, actually. Both are severely messed-up antihero protagonists with strange abilities who are out for revenge and don't care about the body count they amass to get it.
Louis Thorne is one of many messed-up protagonists who feel they are too broken and warped to live a normal life. After the death of her parents she becomes bent on murdering the entire Martinelli family responsible for their deaths. To achieve this, she uses her practiced martial arts skills, but mostly her special ability to "slip" (basically teleport) from one place to another using shadows. Any closet or shadowy corner allows her to go anywhere in the world she wants to (or doesn't want to). Lou wants to believe she has complete control over her power, but in reality she still struggles with it.
Basically she had a really cool power that was a great twist on teleportation! It was much different from Jesse's world in Dying for a Living because instead of being in a world where people like necronites were commonly known about by the normal population, Lou's power is very rare (only two people in the book have it including her and the other is her aunt) and almost nobody knows about it.
I definitely liked how the author was able to utilize Lou's power in different ways instead of just as a trick to flash to places whenever she wanted. Maybe it was a bit of a stretch that she was able to go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted, and could even see people or go to a place based on their objects and her internal compass…but it's an urban fantasy story with a teleporting protagonist, so I can let it slide.
The one thing I HATED to let slide was the grammar/typos. Tenses were switched around all the time, whether by an author slip or just a typo. Many times there were sentence fragments that just didn't work at all. As it's an ebook it's normal to see things like that all the time, so I tried my best to brush it off. Would it have been different in print form? Maybe. Would I have taken off more than half a star for it either way? No.Would I have used a pencil to edit the print book because I'm weird like that? Probably.
All in all, Shadows in the Water was a great and interesting read about a young woman out for blood (and a good way to get rid of it too, even before it spills). The book works well as a standalone even as it teases the next books in the series; it had a definite ending but still left me wanting more. Most questions have been answered, but others have just arisen (for example, what happens to Lou and Konstantine now?) and I can't wait to read more of the Louis Thorne series!! I recommend this series for anyone who is interested in an urban (paranormal?) fantasy with a Deadpool-ish protagonist, or anybody who has read the Dying for a Living series and is willing to read something along similar lines but with a darker plot. Oh, and is okay with a lot of swearing including multiple f-bombs! It wasn't a problem for me but I'd just thought I'd mention it.
Kory M. Shrum, you did a great job with this book (thanks for the freebie by the way, totally worth it) and I hope to read more of both Jesse and Lou's stories soon :) -
Exciting and entertaining
An unlikely and unusual heroine, Lou, kept me on the edge of my seat. It took me a while to figure out her special “talent” or “trait”, but it certainly made for a nail-biting journey.
I saw that all bad guys were not all bad and that all good guys (or girls) were not all good. Several surprises and twists.
This is a creative tale with a cast of diverse characters, all with their own unique traits, backgrounds, and baggage.
The exhilarating climax provided for a mostly satisfying ending, although not how everyone might predict or prefer.
I had no expectations going into this book, so my expectations were definitely exceeded. -
St. Louis, MO. Courtney Thorne (wife/mother) was frantic.
Louie “Lou” Abigail Thorne Thorne (10, Courtney’s daughter) had disappeared from their home.
Courtney called Jack Thorne (husband/stepfather, DEA agent) to let him know.
The Perry County Sheriff’s Department interviewed both Jacob Foxton & Billie Hodges.
Jacob had found her by his pool naked, cut/scared up.
What news did Detective Chaz Brasso have for Lucy?
What did Konstantine Martinelli (Greek, Ravengers) have Julio Vasquez (Ravengers) do to Jimmy Castle?
What were Chaz & Robert “Robbie” King (59, Detective Agency) discussing?
What were Konstantine & meeting Senator Greg Ryanson about?
Chicory coffee (Black) & beignets only!
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Timberlane Press; Instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn) -
When Louie Thorn was just a child, her parents, DEA agent Jack Thorne and his wife, were killed by the Martinelli family, a gang of drug lords. Only Louie’s ability to ‘slip’ through the shadows saved her from sharing their fate. Now, an adult, she has only one purpose in life; to avenge the murder of her parents. Using her ability, she eliminates the Martinelli gang one-by-one, along with all those who worked for them. Her aunt, Lucy, who shares her special ability, turns to ex-DEA agent Robert King to help Louie learn to live a ‘normal’ life. King, though, is working on a case as a favor to his former DEA colleagues that, while it appears routine, is connected to Louie’s past in a way that threatens both of them, and everyone they care about. Added to this deadly mix, Louie learns that she hasn’t eliminated every Martinelli. One remains, Konstantina, the bastard of the head of the Martinelli clan, has inherited his father’s position. The two of them share a long relationship that began shortly after her parents were killed, when, while sleeping, Louie would sometimes ‘slip’ to his bedroom in Italy. He is obsessed with her, and conflicted over his inheritance. While he knows that if she learns his identity, she will likely kill him, he’s driven by this obsession, and the desire to put things right.
Shadows in the Water by Kory M. Shrum is a mind-boggling paranormal thriller that, with its many twists and turns, will grab your imagination and not let go until the startling conclusion. Warning: this is not a book you’ll want to read on the cliché ‘dark and stormy night.’ -
Lou/Louie Thorne: a young woman who discovers at an early age that she is capable of more....
Konstantine Martinelli: the bastard son of a Mafia boss, all powerful but lusting for more... the last of the Martinelli line, he covets Lou's powers....
At the age of 10, Lou first experiences her power to "slip"... glide from one location to another via water. Unlike her aunt Lucy, who also can "slip", Lou is able to do it in water or deep shadows... if Lou "slips" via water, it takes her to La Loo... an alternate dimension/world/planet where deadly predators abound....
Lou loses her father and mother in a "hit" ordered by Angelo Martinelli, and grows up under her aunt Lucy's care. Overcome by guilt and grief, her aunt Lucy does everything in her power to raise Lou, but something is broken in Lou....
Konstantine Martinelli is establishing himself as the heir to the Martinelli drug empire. One night, he is surprised by the appearance of Lou. After several, infrequent visits, Lou leaves him a souvenir, and from that point forward, Konstantine is utterly consumed with finding, and keeping Lou. "SHE IS MINE...."
Wow, what a ride! Amazing character development, action packed thriller with twists of the paranormal twining throughout. Excellent plot development that keeps you guessing what will happen next. -
This is a completely new series from Kory Shrum, and once again she creates a world we have never seen before. While it was difficult for me to find any trace of humanity in the grown up Louie at the start, those traces did begin to appear. Louie is guarded, and for good reason. And she is angry, also for good reason. Louie gets some serious (and well deserved) revenge in amazing ways! Sometimes I wish i could rid the world of some scum the way she has. By the end of the book you are seeing the warmth that louie hides so well. And it might just be me, but there is a certain mob Bad boy that i couldn't help really really liking. And my hope is that if Louie doesn't kill him, they can find common ground and maybe even some semblance of happiness in this often hostile world. Can't wait to see what comes next for our Louie!
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This story has so much going for it! Please read Angela and Neera-Sawhney's reviews if you are wondering whether to read it. (As of 8/18 they are the top reviews.) It is a good amount police procedural topped with fantasy/magic. For me, the way Kory Shrum combined the two genres make it entirely unique. So glad to see there is a follow-up and that she has many other books to enjoy.
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This book started off a bit confusing. Lots of different characters were introduced and I didn’t quite know what was going on. About 30% of the way in I got into it. The concept was good. Louie has lost her parents and has a special power which allows her to travel through time. She uses this power to avenge the people who killed her parents. It was ok.
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Fabulous story
I really liked the characters in this story. You gave the gritty former law enforcement, troubled young girl turned vigilante, and wacky vegan aunt. Throw in the supernatural and the mafia and you have a wild and crazy ride. -
33% DNF/Abandoned
I could not get into it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -
Great protagonist
Unique tale. A little revenge and satisfaction. Relatable characters with the element of something else. She travels through dark spots to get the bad guys. -
Hehe jabbers
Umm a little confusing at times. Plenty of details and a bit of a slow burn that's on different levels. Interesting take on some minor paranormal. somewhat interested in the second. A little pissed at the ending but discovered its not a Stand alone though it could be. -
I really enjoyed this book! Shrum is starting to become a favourite author of mine, she really knows how to write an interesting story!
And Hollie Jackson does a great job narrating the whole thing!
I really look forward to the second book in the series coming out, I will be checking it out for sure! :D -
🎁FREE on Amazon today (9/20/2020)! 🎁
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This was a dark and gritty book but I really liked the characters and how fast-paced the book was. I wish there was a sequel!
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A disturbing, brilliant, magnetic book! I had a very hard time putting this one down, and the only thing that made me put it down was the stupid clock. I don't normally read paranormals, let alone paranormal thrillers, but that blurb drew me in and wouldn't leave me alone. Magnetic, like I said. It disturbed me, the mental picture I got of Jabbers...I saw it behind my eyes when I closed them at 4 AM, I saw it when I blinked...I shivered, really truly shivered. I haven't done that in relation to a book since King's IT came out.
I cannot wait to get the second book in this series. This one was free, but I'll happily and excitedly cough up whatever the second one will cost in order to find out what happens now to Lucy, Lou and Konstantine.
Brilliant...just brilliant! -
This book had me hooked right from the first chapter. As always Kory M. Shrum introduces you to characters with a twist as well as an edge to them. The composition of characters was refreshing and some of the more humorous parts of the book are due to gender, age and belief differences between the characters.
I am a fan of the Jesse Sullivan series, but this could turn out even better!
It turned out to be a pageturner for me and I eagerly await the next book in the serie! Highly recommended. -
Phenomenal!
I rated this book five star because that's what it is. It's very fast paced and thrilling. Please, if you get a chance read this book Shadows in the Water by Kory M. Strum. You will not be disappointed. -
I found this book to be difficult to get into, the characters actions and motivations where too unrealistic, and I was unable to find an emotional connection to help draw me into this story. Aside from this, or perhaps, because of it, I found this book to be just plan boring. To each there own.
