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Shadowlands
In July of 1927, Prohibition is the law of the land, gangsters control the city of Chicago, and Cabel Evans wants to die.
- GenresCrimeHistorical Fiction
328 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published August 14, 2012
About the author
Erin Farwell
4 books16 followersI write, read and love many types of mysteries. My current project is an historical mystery series set in Chicago in the 1920s. I also teach art classes (metal clay) in Georgia where I live with my husband, daughter, 3 cats, 2 guinea pigs and two fish. Want to know more? Check out my Pinterest page at Erin's Boards .
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 14, 2019
I enjoyed this book. The characters are well thought out. Love the location, though I am biased as it based on an area in which I live. Flow is nice and love it took me a while to figure out who did it. Well done
April 22, 2013
The Shadowland Ballroom is located at the Silver Beach Amusement Park in St. Joseph, Michigan, just down the hill from Cabel Evans’ home. Shadowland is also the mental and emotional landscape Cabel inhabits. A WWI veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder before it was ever an official diagnosis, Cabel is weighed down by his nightmare memories of the war and its casualties, as well as his knowledge of how it has changed him. He is a young man old before his time. Erin Farwell has done a marvelous job with the characterization of Cabel. He is sympathetic, honorable, broken, and believable.
The quest Cabel undertakes to help a fellow veteran whose daughter has been murdered involves him in many adventures, including a couple of meetings with Al Capone. Those adventures are exciting and gripping, but what impresses me most about the novel, besides the characterization of Cabel himself—and that of his bossy and endearing housekeeper—is the narrative voice. The novel reads like a book written in an earlier time—and that seems to me to be no mean feat. The author has immersed herself in the time enough to write like she is of it.
Shadowlands is a mystery with a complex and believably imperfect protagonist and a healthy dose of Southwest Michigan and Chicago history. While the novel seems to be nostalgic for the days when the Silver Beach Amusement Park was still in operation, it doesn’t romanticize the world of Capone or the war. Against that backdrop, the story of Cabel and his inner journey unfolds. Cabel’s quest takes him on a search for answers, but, more importantly, it moves him from a desire for death to a renewed longing for life. I am grateful for the opportunity to accompany him on that journey.
The quest Cabel undertakes to help a fellow veteran whose daughter has been murdered involves him in many adventures, including a couple of meetings with Al Capone. Those adventures are exciting and gripping, but what impresses me most about the novel, besides the characterization of Cabel himself—and that of his bossy and endearing housekeeper—is the narrative voice. The novel reads like a book written in an earlier time—and that seems to me to be no mean feat. The author has immersed herself in the time enough to write like she is of it.
Shadowlands is a mystery with a complex and believably imperfect protagonist and a healthy dose of Southwest Michigan and Chicago history. While the novel seems to be nostalgic for the days when the Silver Beach Amusement Park was still in operation, it doesn’t romanticize the world of Capone or the war. Against that backdrop, the story of Cabel and his inner journey unfolds. Cabel’s quest takes him on a search for answers, but, more importantly, it moves him from a desire for death to a renewed longing for life. I am grateful for the opportunity to accompany him on that journey.
May 14, 2014
I really enjoyed this story. I was pulled in immediately and couldn't put it down. I grew up on Silver Beach even lived a few houses down from where one of the character families lived. The amusement park was a bit before my time but my family got one of the pool tables from there when they tore the place down. I learned how to beat my 4 brothers playing on that table and it still sits in my parents house today.
The author really knows how to weave many layers together that envelopes you completely with a smooth flow that keeps you guessing with this mystery all the way to the end.
From the war veterans struggle reentering society and overcoming his past with family demons to somehow becoming friends with a family in need of his help solving the mystery of their murdered daughter, this story tugs at your heartstrings for all the players while keeping you on the edge of your seat with the danger from Chicago gangsters in a time of prohibition and corrupt police from the small town of St. Joseph, MI.
The author really knows how to weave many layers together that envelopes you completely with a smooth flow that keeps you guessing with this mystery all the way to the end.
From the war veterans struggle reentering society and overcoming his past with family demons to somehow becoming friends with a family in need of his help solving the mystery of their murdered daughter, this story tugs at your heartstrings for all the players while keeping you on the edge of your seat with the danger from Chicago gangsters in a time of prohibition and corrupt police from the small town of St. Joseph, MI.
December 30, 2012
I loved this book. Erin does a great job creating a page turner with colorful characters that exist in 1920s Prohibition & gangster ruled Chicago. Her hero was excellent - a shell-shocked war veteran who struggles to overcome his anxieties to solve the murder of the daughter of his former soldier. Please read my favorite quotes here: http://www.generallyanxious.com/books...
May 19, 2013
Really enjoyed reading Shadowlands! A wonderful prohibition era historical murder mystery set in Silver Beach & Chicago. Shadowlands was a great sit on the porch enjoying a sunny spring day read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews