“Killing the Shadows” is the psychological thriller by the renowned Scottish writer Val McDermid which first came out in the year 2000. The story of Patricia Highsmith is mostly concerned with the complex personality of a serial killer hunting down crime novels’ authors, and deals with themes of obsession, vengeance, and lies living on the border of imagination and real life.
Summary
The events take place in the life of Professor Fiona Cameron, who is an academic psychologist applying computer technologies for analysing serial offenders. Due to her rather upsetting interactions with Metropolitan Police, Fiona has sworn to not work with them anymore. But when Kit Martin, her partner, a writer of thrillers, tells her about a fellow author of crime novels who was killed, she finds herself involved in the case. As the literary murderer goes on killing in a similar fashion to the methods his victims wrote about in their books, Fiona is under pressure as time is ticking and more people are about to die if she does not come to terms with her past.
Critical Reception
Critics have also received the novel positively, it has a rating of 3.97 out of 5 on Goodreads over more than six thousand ratings. Readers Jennifer W. and Micah D. admire McDermid for his complex plot lines and great psychological profiling. In the words of The Observer, McDermid “is still head and shoulders above pretty much all of the competition”, which is true due to her proficiency in the sub-genre of crime fictions.
Availability
Since November 2024 the book “Killing the Shadows” has been in print: paperback, eBook, and audiobook. Delhi readers can order the novel from web shops like Amazon India or Flipkart. Perhaps some general books shops might have sold these books too along with others, and electronic media would have them on Kindle and Audible.
About the Author
Val McDermid is a well-known Scottish writer who specializes in crime literature and is often called the “Queen of Crime.” She has produced a large number of literary works over the years, including popular series such as the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, Lindsay Gordon and Kate Brannigan. McDermith’s books are famous also due to their plot twists , psychological touch and unforgettable characters. McDermid has won multiple awards one of which was the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for the best novel of the year in the Crime genre.