The Shadow is an enticing detective fiction with a plot full of twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge and asking for more. The book is well organised and has a good control on the direction and manner in which the plot flows. The plot revolves around a character named Sheldon Marlow who is a detective. He has an assistant named Sam who are visiting a particular destination to spend some time during their holidays. Marlow is given the title of Hardcore Detective. He encounters the case in which two people try to murder a girl which makes Marlow discover something that is out of the ordinary and something that he least expected. This forms the turning point and the major climax of the plot. It makes the detective Marlow to reopen the case that had been closed by the police long back in the past due to the lack of sufficient clues. This is the gist of the plot of the book. It is about the way in which detective Marlow unravels the mystery by digging deep into a series of mind -boggling events. Another climax of the plot remains the case when the person who wants to kill the girl gets killed by the same murderer who wants to kill the girl. This takes Marlow into the past that is almost 15 years left behind as he begins to see patterns in a maze of mysterious incidents and events. The thrill of the plot lies in the suspense as to whether the detective will be able to completely solve this mystery or not. The ending remains equally engrossing and eye popping as most of the plot.
As previously mentioned, the book is well organised and has a list of characters mentioned in the very beginning of the book. It comprises of 8 chapters and a prologue. The contents page provides the estimate about the number of chapters and at a length of over 230 pages, the book is a lengthy read though clearly very captivating. The chapters are on the lengthier side and each chapter has a well- structured beginning, middle and end. The writing style is one that adds to the energy of the plot. It is easy to understand and has an apt use of vocabulary. It is lucid, simple and non-flowery language that makes the plot easy to understand for the reader despite its several ups and downs. However, the book is full of information and has a lot of input that requires the reader to be attentive throughout the course of the reading process. Yet, it is also this aspect that makes the book very interesting. It makes the reader get involved in the plot of the text that requires the reader to make notes, jot down points and create lists to try to solve the issues of the plot along with detective Marlow if not before him. It makes the book almost like a work book or activity book that can be worked out and this is an aspect of detective novels that has been kept alive by Joseph. Despite all this, the book is full of characters and has an ample number of characters strewn across the plot of the text that makes increases the difficulty level of the reader and makes it hard for him to follow through if he is not attentive though that should not be the case with active readers who are not passively following through but actively engaged in the course of events that pans out. It is the character of Marlow that is of prime importance and he has been given centre stage though that does not mean that the foil character of Sam is not of importance. Sam serves as a foil character who helps Marlow and provides his intelligent and quirky input and adds dimension to both the plot and the character of Marlow. Similarly, the other minor characters also increase the importance of Marlow and his role as the chief detective. They showcase aspects of the plots and different aspects that make the readers see the depth of knowledge and confidence that Marlow has in playing out this crucial role. The title of the book remains the most significant aspect of the book as it provides a multi dimensional view to Marlow who is the shadow and epitome of unveiling mysteries while his shadow remains his assistant Sam who is indispensable to solving the mysteries of the plot. Similarly, the double murder mystery in the plot is indicated by the title that suggests that the main murderer is hiding in the shadow of the second murderer who may also be the same person. So, in daylight he is a person whose shadow commits heinous crimes at night. Overall, the book is an entertaining read and one that needs to be devoured and clearly painstakingly deciphered.
Name of book: The Shadow
Author: Jitin Joseph
Number of pages:
Publishers: Evincepub
Year of Publication: 2022
Reviewed by: Tasnima Yasmin