Rating: 
Summary: Excellent writer, busy plot
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I read lots of murder mysteries, especially serial killer ones. My only complaint (if you can call it that) is that there was so much going on that it was hard to keep up with all the plot lines. I will be reading more of her work.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious
Review: I thought A Place of Execution was outstanding and expected similar quality from Killing the Shadows. Unfortunately this book was awful. The characters lacked development and the plot was contrived. The author barely hides her leftist tendencies and makes historical mistakes like attributing the damage to the Alcazar in Toledo to bombardment by Franco's forces rather than to the Loyalists who invested the fortress for months. Instead of the gripping read I had expected, this book made you anticipate the next item on your reading list.
Rating: 
Summary: Characters are intriguing but plot falls short
Review: I very much enjoyed the two main characters of the novel, Fiona Campbell, an academic psychologist, who consults as a psychological/geographical profiler with police, and Kit Martin, a popular crime novelist. Most interesting to me was the premise that a psychologist could develop a program, which, when loaded with relevant information from a grouping of like crimes, can point out clues to the identity of a serial killer, or rapist. This is still a futuristic concept but is intriguing when it becomes doable. Martin and Cameron are an appealing couple and the secondary plots of a serial murderer in Spain and a bicylist/murderer in England are very intresting. What doesn't work well at all is the main plot which involves a grudge and a "hit list" of best selling crime novelists who are systemically killed according to the plots in their best selling books. The concept has been overdone in many novels. There is a red herring thrown in that is not believable and the serial killer is unmasked in a way that is also not believable and very unsatisfying.While I still enjoyed aspects of this book, it does not approach her fantastic "Place of Execution" which I read before this novel. I was disappointed here but plan to try more of Ms. McDermid's works.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books this year!
Review: Killing the Shadows by Val McDermid is one of my three favorite books out this year, so far. Staying up late to read this book made me run late for work the next day. My boss agreed, after reading the book, it was worth losing sleep over!
Rating:
Summary: Catchy but contrived
Review: Killing the Shadows has an catchy outline: somebody is systematically murdering the top-selling psych-crime authors, each murder copying the method used in that author's best known book. Crime psychologist Fiona Cameron has more than a professional concern in the case - her true love, Kit Martin, is a best-selling crime writer himself. Irresistable idea, but there's a risk that following a plot like this can end up a bit contrived, and unfortunately, that's what happens with this book. Much of what happens you can guess well in advance, with the exception of the killer's eventual motive, which turns out to be so disconnected you'd never guess it. The main characters and relationships are all too pat and flawless - the edginess of some of Val McDermid's previous characters is absent. Fiona has emotional scars from a personal tragedy that segues neatly into her chosen career, and that tidily resolve themselves at the end. She has perfect romantic bliss with Kit, and a perfect platonic friendship with a cop who is, of course, Kit's best male bonding buddy. Kit is tough enough to write blood-curdling prose, sweet enough to leave her home-made risotto in the fridge for dinner, and irritatingly dumb, in the tradition of people in scary films who always walk alone down dark alleys. Am I being tough on this book? Probably - there will be readers who really like it. It's still well-written, despite the often predictable plot, and some of the minor characters are the most interesting. It's far from a bad book, though I think after this, psychological profiling's been done to death. But Val McDermid at her best - try 'The Mermaid Singing' - is so very good, and this book doesn't quite reach that standard.
Rating:
Summary: A little long in the tooth, but worth it.
Review: Killing The Shadows would have made a terrific serial killer thriller if only McDermid's editor had been a little more thorough. There was a lot of extraneous material that really wasn't needed, giving the book a length of some 500 pages. For example, the chapters set in Spain, while providing insight into the main character's skills, ultimately never led anywhere.
The other major gripe I had was the fact that the main characters spend an endless amount of time ruminating over whether or not a serial killer is offing thriller writers. We the reader already know this for a fact, so waiting for the characters to catch up doesn't exactly make for compelling reading.
Nevertheless, McDermid is a talented writer and the pace really begins to pick up in the last 150 pages or so. As silly as the killer's motive was, the climax was tense and exciting. All in all, the good points much outweight the bad, and Killing The Shadows has more than enough thrills to keep most crime fans happy.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, not Great
Review: McDermid is without a doubt among the finest of Britain's mystery writers, even when she isn't at the top of her game. Compared to the vast majority of thrillers available, _Killing the Shadows_ is great. Compared to some of McDermid's earlier works, it's not up to par. Nonetheless, it provides likeable, complex characters, more than adequate suspense, generally consistent psychological portraits (even the ones that aren't 100% believeable), and an interesting, if superficial, introduction to the idea of geographical profiling (even more intriguing after the D.C. sniper shootings). While I would recommend _Wire in the Blood_ or _The Mermaids Singing_ over this novel if you haven't read them, this one will do fine if you've read everything else she's written and are waiting for her next, sure to be fantastic, thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute brilliant storytelling
Review: Psychologist Fiona Cameron uses state of the art computer programming to develop a serial profiling system, but not the typical sexual based type that dominates the field. The professor believes that other factors can also pinpoint a personality besides the sexual approach. She has helped the police solve several homicides though she is not always believed.
Her lover, best selling author Kit Martin, informs Fiona that someone murdered a peer, using a modus operandi found in the deceased's novel. Other killings of authors using a page or two out of their books soon follow. Fiona working with the Toledo, Spain police struggles to put together a clear profile of the killer, but refuses to quit because she thinks Kit is on the murderer's short list.
KILLING THE SHADOWS is an engaging serial killer investigative tale starring a wonderful lead character with a location that embellishes the plot. The enjoyable story line widens the common belief in profiling with a believable technique that is also quite frightening with what Fiona can do with it. Though the reluctance by the police to accept a serial killer on the loose seems ridiculous with the body count, the who-done-it is fun and the heroine is as good a character as Kate Brannigan is. Val McDermid shows why she is an award-winning author with this strong story.
Rating:
Summary: Great but there's a major flaw
Review: The book was terrific. But the motive of the killer is somewhat stretched. I actually groaned when it was finally explained late in the novel. That was a major letdown to me.
Rating:
Summary: Really baaad book
Review: The characters in the book act and talk so stupidly, while supposing to be brilliant. The plot is convoluted. The motives are unbelievable. It's repetitious. It's a waste of time. After enjoying the first quarter of the book, I plowed through the second quarter, before giving up in disgust.It's not logical. For example, after two writers have been murdered, the good guys figure out a connection to a third having gone missing. They illogically conclude because of the connection, that #3 has been abducted. Where did abduction come from? The others were K I L L E D.
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