Review: Amid the Shadows by Michael C. Grumley
A "cold" read that immediately drew me in!!
What I liked: Perhaps you're wondering what I mean by a "cold" read. I took a page from a few of my blogger friends in trying to clear out my TBR pile. I randomly chose one of my many e-books stored on my iPad and just picked one. No reading the synopsis, no looking at the genre, no looking at the author. I chose Amid the Shadows.
There is a short prologue that had me scratching my head but I kept going and boy, I was hooked! Believe me, the prologue is important but you won't know why until you get to the end of the book. Amid the Shadows is definitely different and to me is very plot driven. Mr. Grumley's characters are okay but not as fully developed as I'm used to. That's not the point to me though. The idea behind this book took me completely by surprise and under other circumstances is not a book I would normally read. Why, you ask? Well, I can't and won't tell you because it's the whole premise that makes the book what it is. Read the synopsis if you must but you'll still be surprised. When you think you have a handle on the idea for the story, don't stop!! It's well worth the read just for the value of the story.
The first half of the book just flew by as I "flipped" the pages to discover what was going to happen next. I hit the unveiling of the idea behind the story and paused, should I continue? I did and immensely enjoyed the rest of the story. It made me think. No, reading it wasn't work and I kept turning the pages to see what was Mr. Grumley had planned for the characters.
What I didn't like: There were a few instances where the wording and POV didn't match and it stopped my progress a couple of times while I re-read what the author was saying and how he was saying it. I have no idea about his research so did no fact checking as it really didn't impact my reading of the story.
Overall, a pleasant surprise and I will check out Mr. Grumley's other books. This was a free Kindle book and I have no idea why I chose to order it but I'm glad I did!!
Recommended for thriller/suspense readers!!!
