Watch the Shadows

Publisher: White Whisker Books (April 20, 2015) ISBN: 978-0-9863265-0-9 Category: Suspense/Thriller Tour Date: March 16-April 30, 2015Available in: Print & ebook, 176 Pages In the college town of Isla Vista, California, small, odd things start happening. Science-geek Nicole notes the crows are leaving.  Meg Burdigal can’t find her tabby cat, Schrand. Brian the postman feels uneasy at the rustlings, the shadows he’s seen at the edge of his vision on his delivery route in town. Now Nicole sees fewer and fewer homeless in the park. Using her knowledge of biology and forensics, Nicole searches for answers—but will anyone take the horror she finds seriously? In this unusual thriller, 'Watch the Shadows', author Robin Winter explores where the ordinary slams against the extraordinary.

Praise for 'Night Must Wait':

“'Night Must Wait' is a knockout. Robin Winter really delivers the goods with her twisting tale.”-Norb Vonnegut, author of The Trust “The world Robin Winter takes us to in 'Night Must Wait' is not the fantasy of Dorothy and Toto, no longer in Kansas; it is the scary, all too-real Africa.”-Shelly Lowenkopf, author of The Fiction Writers’ Handbook "Readers never know when they pick up a novel if the story will become so compelling that they are taken away to that magical place where one finds oneself inside the world of the book's characters, conscious of little else. 'Night Must Wait' did this for me. I read, forgot that I existed."- Gina Rose St John, Amazon Reviewer "Robin's way around a sentence is nothing short of gorgeous. The beauty of her prose only highlights the tragedies of war and betrayal. In an era when women were still relegated to wife or teacher, Robin's characters want, and get, more in ways both shocking and violent. I might not want to go to war torn Africa, but I do want to go on more adventures with Robin."- Kathleen O'Donnell, Amazon Reviewer

Praise for 'Future Past':

"Robin Winter's 'Future Past' is an original, meticulously crafted science fiction tale that blends the fantasy of Pinocchio and the hero's journey with elements of time travel, redemption, and a post apocalyptic world that brings readers to a satisfying, yet unexpected conclusion."- Matthew J. Pallamary "Truly imaginative, unique, and gripping -- I really really liked it! Robin Winter has a gift for inventing a world we'd be interested in saving, characters we'd be enriched to meet, and ideas about the human condition we'd be wise to ponder."- John Foran "Winter shows the strength and versatility of her writer's voice in 'Future Past'. Published shortly after her debut novel Night Must Wait, in which the setting offers a strong sense of place as a separate character, the science fiction themes of 'Future Past' haunts the reader long after the book is finished. Her first person approach with Ash gives chilling insight into a man-made world with apocalyptic consequences. Winter's prose is crisp and her pacing sharp, giving fans a science fiction a thrill that is worth the spooky ride."- Gretel Russell

About Robin Winter:

Robin Winter first wrote and illustrated a manuscript on “Chickens and their Diseases” in second grade, continuing to both write and draw, ever since. Born in Nebraska, she's lived in a variety of places: Nigeria, New Hampshire, upper New York state and now, California. She pursues a career in oil painting under the name of Robin Gowen, specializing in landscape. Her work can be viewed at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara or on-line at www.sullivangoss.com/Exhibits/RobinGowen2012.asp Robin is married to a paleobotanist, who corrects the science in both her paintings and her stories. She's published science fiction short stories, a dystopian science fiction novel, Future Past, and Night Must Wait, a historical novel about the Nigerian Civil War. You may contact Robin or read her blog at: http://robinwinter.wordpress.com, or on her website: www.robinwinter.net Twitter: https://twitter.com/winterobin13 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.winter.144734?ref=ts&fref=ts

Review: 
Something strange is happening in the suburban town of Isla Vista.  No one can quite figure out what is happening though.  Nicole, a high school student who loves science, observes the meteor shower and then notices less small animals in the neighborhood.  Brian, the postman, feels like he is being watched and senses shadows along his mail route.  Meg, who works with the homeless through her church, finds her tabby cat after its tail has gone missing, and is getting many reports of homeless people who have disappeared.  Nicole wants to find out what is going on for her science fair project, but will anyone believe the high school student?

Different and very interesting, Watch the Shadows took me down an unusual path for a thriller.  With many changing points of view from Nicole, Meg, Brian and some of the homeless, there is a slow buildup of suspense as to what is happening and how it is affecting people.   An ominous tone is created when I didn’t know if the small things happening could be the result of natural events or supernatural.  I didn’t really connect to any of the characters personally, but they did all feel like they could be neighbors of mine.  I did really like the inventive solution at the end, it was realistic but a little funny.  Overall, a slow-building and creepy, thriller for someone who is looking for something different. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

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