The Shadow of the Soul

June 24, 2013
Following on the heels of A Matter of Blood, this familiar mix of shadowy cabals and brutal violence sees London struck by a series of terrorist attacks. Authorities are perplexed when the perpetrator appears to be a single individual not bound by the usual limits of space and time. At the same time, DI Cass Jones struggles to deal with a plague of suicides, all of whom died uttering the same cryptic phrase: “Chaos in the darkness.” Cass knows what few others do: the world is run by a vast occult conspiracy and the current events are only the latest moves in a long game. Abigail Porter’s sister is one of the suicides; Abigail is a government functionary near the center of the efforts to manage the aftermath of the attacks, and she personifies the intersection of national security interests with the personal tragedies of young lives cut short. Pinborough’s prose and characters are engaging and the novel is interesting despite its occasional predictability.

August 1, 2013

As a series of terrorist attacks leaves London crippled and dazed, DI Cass Jones answers the call from the city's Special Branch to help them find a perpetrator who seems able to be in several places at once. Already investigating a series of student suicides that are linked by the cryptic message they leave behind--"Chaos in the darkness"--Jones reluctantly accepts the extra assignment. He finds that the two cases are not only connected but also bear a link to a third mystery--one surrounding his own life. Pinborough's sequel to A Matter of Blood builds on Jones's relationship with a powerful secret cabal while expanding its horizons to an even larger development to come. VERDICT This modern-day fantasy, set in a near future, contains many cinematic elements that would recommend it for treatment as a movie. Fast-paced action, strong characters, and a plot filled with twists and turns should please fans of fantasy adventure as well as modern adventure/suspense.

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