Shadows Still Remain
by Peter De Jonge
On Thanksgiving eve, beautiful
nineteen year old Francesca Pena, a NYU student on a track
scholarship, runs through the streets to her destination, a
restaurant bar Freeman's. Detective Darlene O'Hara of the Seventh
Precinct investigates a missing persons report. When Francesca Pena's
mutilated corpse is found, the case turns high profile. Detective
O'Hara, a woman with a drinking problem and the chip-on-the-shoulder
attitude, isn't exactly the kind of woman one would want heading up the
investigation of a case likely to be so closely watched by the
public. The case is turned over to Detective Cooney, a respected
homicide NYPD detective but O'Hara can't let it go,
especially when she has a feeling their chief suspect is not
guilty. Detective Darlene O'Hara has an inside track on some of
the clues from the earlier missing persons case. She cannot let
the case go. As each new clue emerges, the web unravels bit by
bit, unmasking a darker and darker side, but nothing can prepare one
for the shocking revelation behind Francesca's murder and the person
responsible.
In SHADOWS STILL REMAIN, Peter De Jonge, a once James Patterson
co-author, steps out on his own with a gripping thriller. From
the first pages, Peter De Jonge creates a keen sense of place with his
vivid and sometimes humorous descriptions of the gritty 7th Precinct
and the Lower East Side. Even readers unfamiliar with New York
will be able to easily visualize the sites and the unique flavor of the
area. Detective O'Hara's makes for a most refreshing lead-in to
the locale and the investigation. Impertinent and sometimes
brash, Detective O'Hara's flaws enable her to see connections others
would not. Her persistence and refusal to stick with the proper
protocol adds a sense of empathy and emotion that builds as each clue
unravels a new dimension to the web of events behind the murder.
In SHADOWS STILL REMAIN, nothing is what it seems. No one is
perfect --- not the detective, not the victim, not the perpetrator and
not those who admired the pretty painted picture for reasons of their
own.
On the surface, Francesca Pena and Detective Darlene O'Hara's have
somewhat parallel lives. Each was a kid saved from the streets,
but surfaces can deceive. As Darlene investigates, she
unmasks one pretty surface after another, unraveling each intricate
connection. Actually, Darlene could not be more different than
Francesca Pena, and yet, Darlene more than anyone is in the perfect
position to understand the true impact of the crime. The
similarities between Darlene and Francesca increase the emotional
connection while the divergence in their lives increases the utter
nefariousness and sadness of the crime. SHADOWS STILL
REMAIN is full of twists and turns, each darker than the previous, each
one more clever until the final startling revelation. The
ending of SHADOWS STILL REMAIN leaves a reader stunned. Powerful
suspense!
Publisher:
Harper; Reprint edition (April 27, 2010)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
