Rating: 
Summary: Brilliance sustained and enhanced
Review: Val McD has surpassed the excellent Place of Execution with this superbly written work.Psychologist Dr Fiona Cameron goes to investigate a serial killer in Toledo, Spain and feels she has left behind the bitter taste from her last case for London`s Metropolitan Police in which they went against her advice and the murder of a young London woman remains unsolved.On return to England ,another serial killer starts his rampage of gruesome murder,targeting crime novelists and re-enacting their deaths in the same way of a victim from each of their books .
Dr Cameron has more than a vested interest as her lover ,Kit Martin is a crime writer and may be on the hitman`s list.With the case in London still open,the Toledo case unsolved and a serial killer targeting mystery writers ,on the rampage,Dr Cameron has a personal and professional crisis which could crossroads at any time.
Intricate,fast paced,intelligent and with more twists than a mountain stream,this is a great bet for another Edgar nomination and a must read for all true fans of modern crime thrillers.
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid McDermid Read
Review: Val McDermid is my favorite author, and I have read everything by her. Obviously, I like some things more than others. Killing the Shadows is one of her better novels, but is not an all time favorite of mine. I did not guess "whodunit", but the killer did seem rather farfetched. Still, the novel is very well constructed...the characters are excellent...and I really liked Kit and Fiona's relationship. I do feel Ms. McDermid is trying to construct a romance between them that isn't as strong as the romance between say, Carol and Tony in her other books...at least not until towards the end, when I got that little tugging in my chest that I get whenever I read scenes where two people truly care about each other...
Killing The Shadows contains characteristic McDermid humor and character development. It's just entertaining, but well written. You'd be well advised to check it out.
Rating:
Summary: Val McDermid is fantastic
Review: Val McDermid is one of Britain's most popular crime writers. I loved the premise of this book - famous novelists are being murdered in the manner of their books. Very cool idea. Fiona is an interesting character in that she is not a cop, she is a scientist. By the end of the novel, she is such a fully fleshed person that you are excited and scared for her in a way, for example, that you can no longer be for characters like Kay Scarpetta or Tempe Brennan who have escaped death's clutches one too many times to make any future novels suspenseful. The fact that the ending is formulaic - what else could it be? - does not detract from the genuine enjoyment of the story. If you are getting bored of Minette Walters and Ruth Rendell, try Val McDermid.
Rating:
Summary: A psychological thriller that explores fantasy vs. reality.
Review: Val McDermid, in her new novel, "Killing the Shadows," uses some well-worn plot devices. A stalker targets writers of murder mysteries, killing them off using the same methodology as the writers use to "bump off" their own fictional victims. In a parallel story, a suspect is apprehended for raping and killing a young mother of twins. Politics and public opinion taint both investigations and greatly hamper the ability of the detectives to find the perpetrators.If "Killing the Shadows" is so derivative, then why does it work so well? The answer is that McDermid uses these formulas to their best possible advantage, creating memorable characters and putting them in intriguing situations. She also makes the most of the settings, from the historic streets of Toledo, Spain, to the Scottish Highlands. The main character is the fascinating Fiona Cameron, professor and academic psychologist. Fiona is an expert at using advanced computer methods to help identify and track serial offenders and she has enjoyed a good measure of success in the past. Fiona lives with Kit Martin, a writer of thrillers who may be on a killer's "hit list". Fiona's expertise is called upon in a series of cases, including one in Spain, but no case is more important to her than the one that involves the safety of her partner, Kit. McDermid explores the theme of murder as fiction vs. murder as reality. The public loves grisly murder mysteries and the authors of these books often make a great deal of money. Has our fascination with murder and mayhem hardened us to the horrible reality of violent death? This is a thought-provoking theme. Fiona's sister had been killed violently years before, and Fiona has been trying for a long time to "kill the shadows" that haunt her. She understands from personal experience how the murder of a loved one shatters those who are left behind. Unfortunately, "Killing the Shadows" falters at the end. McDermid reaches quite a bit to come up with a surprise ending and it just doesn't wash. The motivation and the behavior of the killer make no sense and the cat and mouse ending is more formulaic than fascinating. However, "Killing the Shadows" is just fine until the end and I recommend it overall for its rich atmosphere and engaging characters.
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