Book Review: Shadow Creek by Joy Fielding

There’s something deadly lurking in the shadows at Shadow Creek . . . Due to a last-minute change in plans, a group of unlikely traveling companions finds themselves on a camping trip in the Adirondacks. They include the soon-to-be-divorced Valerie; her oddball friends, Melissa and James; her moody teenage daughter, Brianne; and Val’s estranged husband’s fiancée, Jennifer. Val is dealing with unresolved feelings toward her ex and grappling with jealousy and resentment toward his younger, prettier new flame, a woman with some serious issues of her own. Brianne is sixteen and openly rebellious, caught up in a web of secrets and lies.

What Val and her companions don’t know is that a pair of crazed killers is wreaking havoc in the very same woods. When an elderly couple is found slaughtered and Brianne goes missing, Val finds herself in a nightmare much worse than anything she could have anticipated. She was half-expecting it to be the trip from hell, but what she never could have predicted was that this impromptu little excursion (Good Reads)

Yes, there is something deadly lurking in the shadows of Shadow Creek but really it's not that terrifying.  Joy Fielding is one of my favorite mystery thriller writers and I practically read every book she puts out. I am short a handful. She is not the best out there but I have a soft spot because of the impact one of her earlier novels had on me, See Jane Run. I LOVED that one. But after a lunch with my pal Cheryl, who also loves Joy's books, we have determined that her books are staying the same and we as readers are changing. Even though we still "enjoy" them, they are not as WOW as they once were. 

Mostly because that the underlying plot to them all is "helpless annoying woman becomes super kick ass hero and saves the day". Same idea, different plot, different location, different mystery.

She can still weave  tale and most of the time they are on the creepy side and you definitely hate the bad guys and root for the good guys. This one was no different. I hated the daughter, Brianne; was a bit annoyed at the mother, Val but rooted for her, nonetheless and I was charmed my the circle of friends that surrounded them. The bad guys were so easy to hate. I wanted to punch them in the face early on.

Overall, don't dismiss Joy. She's got her comfort book-a-year down. I will still read her. I just may not get AS excited as each year comes along. Though it would be cool if you could blow my mind, Joy, one of these years. Just sayin' (See Jane Run again perhaps?)

Author Website: Joy Fielding 
Purchase: Indie Bound
Challenge: 2013 A-Z Mystery Author Challenge

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child