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Shadow Creek
Val finds herself in the unlikely position of camping with her daughter and her soon-to-be ex-husband's new fiancee. But no one is aware of the brutal murders that have taken place only a few miles away. Eventually campers and killers collide, secrets are revealed, and lives are changed forever."
367 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2012
160 people are currently reading
1154 people want to read
About the author
Joy Fielding
119 books2,158 followersJoy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews
May 8, 2022
Seldom a dull moment in this thriller around some wayward murderous souls. 7 of 10 stars
January 6, 2013
I had never read anything by Joy Fielding before, and I assumed, given her immense popularity, that I had been missing something. Now that I have read her, I can tell you without hesitation that I was wrong.
I got through this book in a very short period of time, but not because I couldn't put the book down; it was because the writing was so basic, and essentially, followed a well-established formula. The dialogue was not believable, and I was uncomfortable reading it, inwardly cringing at how mediocre it was, knowing that people simply don't speak this way. And, let's not gloss over how ludicrous it would be for a woman to spend an entire weekend with her husband's lover/new fiancée? The entire thing came off as sophomore, at best, and as one friend said to me recently when I complained about the book: "I used to read Joy Fielding books in high school, but I don't anymore."
There's a reason for that.
As I read, I became increasingly more and more frustrated with myself because I couldn't believe I was actually continuing to the end. The problem is, I don't like to start a book and then not finish, so I did it, and closed the book at the end with a sigh. I felt like the author pumped this book out like she was making dinner while doing something else, only slightly invested in it, knowing she had other stuff to do. I was mad at myself for sitting down to eat it, this chain-restaurant fare.
Still, the woman has a following, so clearly, I am in the minority.
I got through this book in a very short period of time, but not because I couldn't put the book down; it was because the writing was so basic, and essentially, followed a well-established formula. The dialogue was not believable, and I was uncomfortable reading it, inwardly cringing at how mediocre it was, knowing that people simply don't speak this way. And, let's not gloss over how ludicrous it would be for a woman to spend an entire weekend with her husband's lover/new fiancée? The entire thing came off as sophomore, at best, and as one friend said to me recently when I complained about the book: "I used to read Joy Fielding books in high school, but I don't anymore."
There's a reason for that.
As I read, I became increasingly more and more frustrated with myself because I couldn't believe I was actually continuing to the end. The problem is, I don't like to start a book and then not finish, so I did it, and closed the book at the end with a sigh. I felt like the author pumped this book out like she was making dinner while doing something else, only slightly invested in it, knowing she had other stuff to do. I was mad at myself for sitting down to eat it, this chain-restaurant fare.
Still, the woman has a following, so clearly, I am in the minority.
December 22, 2012
Definitely not her best! The characters were unlikably and extremely whiney & annoying throughout the entire novel. How many times do we have to hear about "Jennifer's long legs" and the position of them with Val's husband. Once was enough...we got the image the first time. Brianna was such an annoying teen that I would have just left her in the woods. This seemed to be amateur writing with the violence and gore images. Not suspenseful...just disgusting and twisted. Sometimes less is more or at least be a bit more creative instead of making your murderers act like rabid animals with knives!
June 10, 2013
This book kept getting more unbelievable as each page turns. It was the equivalent of the horror film where you know what is coming and find yourself irritated with the brainless twit going into the woods in high heels and a halter top in the dead of night. Add in character relationships that never really hit their mark, a radical warming of affections between the two protagonist women, and a mother-daughter relationship that goes from stale cliche to unbelievable resolution and you have this book.
June 6, 2021
Źle napisani bohaterowie totalnie papierowi, irytujący na tyle, że kibicowałam mordercy (zresztą zabójcy tez byli słabo wykreowani). Liczyłam na uciekanie przed zabójcą w klimatycznych, mroźnych Górach, a dostałam kłótnie nastolatki z każdym dookoła, problemy wychowawcze i podejmowanie idiotycznych decyzji. Ale abstrahując od oceny, nawet nieźle się bawiłam, czytało się szybko i przynajmniej było śmiesznie (i trochę żenująco)
July 12, 2016
I’ve enjoyed Joy Fielding in the past, but this book didn’t do anything for me. The situation that sends this unconventional group into the woods is extremely contrived, and once I couldn’t buy into that, I had a hard time buying into anything else. I also got confused about which teens were actually the killers, and once I finished I wasn’t entirely sure if the confusion was intentional. There are a lot of spoiled brats in this book, which kept me from connecting with any of the characters, even Valerie. There are much better Joy Fielding books out there, such as Charley’s Web.
December 25, 2017
2.5 ⭐️=> Ein Psychopaar, dass ohne gross zu denken einfach gerne Menschen tötet und das auf eine bestialische Art und Weise. Für mich hatte die ganze Geschichte keine oder nur eine sehr einfach Handlung,kurz einfach nur ein Gemetzel. Vielleicht werde ich zu alt für so was :) aber ein bisschen Handlung sollte doch auch dabei sein .... enttäuschend
July 3, 2020
3,5 ⭐
Dit was een leuke thriller om te lezen. Het concept was dan ook zeer interessant en origineel. Het verhaal leest lekker vlot weg en is gemakkelijk te volgen waardoor het boek leest als een sneltrein. Het enige wat ik spijtig vond, was dat de spanning pas begon na de helft van het boek. De eerste helft werd vooral opgevuld met familiedrama, wat soms een beetje vervelend werd. Maar ondanks dat heb ik er toch van genoten!
Dit was een leuke thriller om te lezen. Het concept was dan ook zeer interessant en origineel. Het verhaal leest lekker vlot weg en is gemakkelijk te volgen waardoor het boek leest als een sneltrein. Het enige wat ik spijtig vond, was dat de spanning pas begon na de helft van het boek. De eerste helft werd vooral opgevuld met familiedrama, wat soms een beetje vervelend werd. Maar ondanks dat heb ik er toch van genoten!
September 16, 2019
Wow I really liked this! I had to stop myself from reading last night, because otherwise I would have been up until I finished it, but I had to work today haha! Definitely going to try more books by this author!
July 27, 2016
By the time I got to page 300, I wanted to beat the book against every wall in my bedroom. The story is terrible and many chapters are disgusting and vicious. Ellen, Stuart, and James and Melissa were the only tolerable characters. Everyone else was either stupid, vile, or worthless. Some characters were all three.
I was insulted by Shadow Creek on so many levels, as a female, as a former cutter, and as a human being. Cutting is a serious issue, and while Joy Fielding didn't present the issue as thought it weren't serious, she turned it into something depraved and tried to give it an erotic edge through the killers.
Valerie was probably the most pathetic of the females. Her husband Evan Rowe, was planning to marry a woman she had caught him cheating on her with in HER bed. Evan had cheated on her dozens and dozens of times, but she still wouldn't leave him. She still wanted him. It didn't matter how much he disrespected her, she still refused to leave him, and when he would leave her, she sat around praying he would come back when he was tired of the other woman.
Valerie's reasoning for staying was that she loved him, and had loved him for twenty years. It was obvious that she certainly loved him more than she loved herself.
Valerie didn't seem to have any type of life outside of obsessing over Evan and the other woman, Jennifer. On occasion she might visit with Melissa and James, her two friends, but otherwise she usually sat around thinking about Jennifer's long legs, Jennifer having sex with Evan, or Jennifer's long sheet of blond hair.
Anyone who reads this book will never forget that Jennifer has long legs, a full bust, and long blond hair. The amount of times Valerie mentioned those things was stunning, and I have read some repetitive books in my day.
I get that a wife might compare herself to the other woman, but I was stupefied by Valerie. She made herself out to be some old hag when she was only 39. I realize 39 is not exactly a newborn babe, but it's not ancient either. Jennifer was 29 or 30, but Valerie constantly referred to her as though she were a teenager. There was only a 10 year age difference.
I don't expect that female authors should write any special sort of way, but I am so tired of them continuing to push the same sad ideologies that exist in this world about women. It never ends. The 55-year-old is jealous of the 40-year-old, who is jealous of the 30-year-old, who is jealous of the 22-year-old.
Valerie was even jealous of her own teenage daughter's backside, which was described as a perfect circle dissected into two halves by the thong she pranced around in. Who has a butt shaped like a perfect circle? Butts aren't quite shaped like circles because they have some length to them.
Anyhoo...
Jennifer was almost as bad as Valerie. She's the kind that tries to come off like she's upstanding, but in reality she's simply out for herself. She tried to act like she felt bad about cheating with Valerie's husband in Valerie's bed, but it was clear that she didn't. She went around checking into hotels as Mrs. Rowe, even though she hadn't married Evan yet. Why???
I kept my fingers crossed that the killers would chop Brianne to bits. She was spoiled, disrespectful, and profane. I hated her. Valerie was a sickening loser, but she was still Brianne's mother, and she treated her like she was little more than a pesky bug.
It is unlikely I will ever pick up another Joy Fielding offering, though I may give her one last chance. I have come to the conclusion that she likes talking about cancer. In her books it is not unusual for various characters to have died from it or be on their way.
It isn't enough to just mention it, she has to go into monologues about how the disease destroys you and leaves you a lifeless shell lying in a bed with no hair and very few breaths left, until you're actually dead.
That is so unnecessary, and if it happens again, no more Joy Fielding books!!!
I was insulted by Shadow Creek on so many levels, as a female, as a former cutter, and as a human being. Cutting is a serious issue, and while Joy Fielding didn't present the issue as thought it weren't serious, she turned it into something depraved and tried to give it an erotic edge through the killers.
Valerie was probably the most pathetic of the females. Her husband Evan Rowe, was planning to marry a woman she had caught him cheating on her with in HER bed. Evan had cheated on her dozens and dozens of times, but she still wouldn't leave him. She still wanted him. It didn't matter how much he disrespected her, she still refused to leave him, and when he would leave her, she sat around praying he would come back when he was tired of the other woman.
Valerie's reasoning for staying was that she loved him, and had loved him for twenty years. It was obvious that she certainly loved him more than she loved herself.
Valerie didn't seem to have any type of life outside of obsessing over Evan and the other woman, Jennifer. On occasion she might visit with Melissa and James, her two friends, but otherwise she usually sat around thinking about Jennifer's long legs, Jennifer having sex with Evan, or Jennifer's long sheet of blond hair.
Anyone who reads this book will never forget that Jennifer has long legs, a full bust, and long blond hair. The amount of times Valerie mentioned those things was stunning, and I have read some repetitive books in my day.
I get that a wife might compare herself to the other woman, but I was stupefied by Valerie. She made herself out to be some old hag when she was only 39. I realize 39 is not exactly a newborn babe, but it's not ancient either. Jennifer was 29 or 30, but Valerie constantly referred to her as though she were a teenager. There was only a 10 year age difference.
I don't expect that female authors should write any special sort of way, but I am so tired of them continuing to push the same sad ideologies that exist in this world about women. It never ends. The 55-year-old is jealous of the 40-year-old, who is jealous of the 30-year-old, who is jealous of the 22-year-old.
Valerie was even jealous of her own teenage daughter's backside, which was described as a perfect circle dissected into two halves by the thong she pranced around in. Who has a butt shaped like a perfect circle? Butts aren't quite shaped like circles because they have some length to them.
Anyhoo...
Jennifer was almost as bad as Valerie. She's the kind that tries to come off like she's upstanding, but in reality she's simply out for herself. She tried to act like she felt bad about cheating with Valerie's husband in Valerie's bed, but it was clear that she didn't. She went around checking into hotels as Mrs. Rowe, even though she hadn't married Evan yet. Why???
I kept my fingers crossed that the killers would chop Brianne to bits. She was spoiled, disrespectful, and profane. I hated her. Valerie was a sickening loser, but she was still Brianne's mother, and she treated her like she was little more than a pesky bug.
It is unlikely I will ever pick up another Joy Fielding offering, though I may give her one last chance. I have come to the conclusion that she likes talking about cancer. In her books it is not unusual for various characters to have died from it or be on their way.
It isn't enough to just mention it, she has to go into monologues about how the disease destroys you and leaves you a lifeless shell lying in a bed with no hair and very few breaths left, until you're actually dead.
That is so unnecessary, and if it happens again, no more Joy Fielding books!!!
February 22, 2014
Is there anything worse than being forced to spend your weekend with your ex-husband’s fiancé? Yeah, as it turns out, there is, and the news that there is a serial killer on the loose in the area isn’t making things feel any better. In fact, they could be paying you a call next...
I’ll never be intelligent enough to write a mystery. Kudos to those who can pull it off, and so while I have my definite opinions on how the book should have been written, take my opinions for the amateur nonsense they probably are.
Without giving away the plot, Fielding tries, unsuccessfully in my opinion, to fool the reader into pinning the blame for the murders on red herrings, but the misdirection feels awkward. You know enough to understand something’s amiss. No, you can’t immediately put the pieces together, but you know enough to have the answer on the tip of your tongue. You just have to wonder if the answer could be so simple.
It felt like Fielding’s purpose in writing this book was to reflect on the feelings of a betrayed spouse more than a true murder mystery. It felt preachy, and this in of itself would have been okay, except the overarching scenarios are unrealistic. Really? You’d allow yourself to be stuck in a car for five hours with your soon-to-be ex-husband’s fiancé in a car and then share a room and then go camping? Believe it or not, that’s not a spoiler, not if you have half a brain.
The repetitive nature was also frustrating. If you give this book a try, you’ll see the duplicative nature of character descriptions, and again this too would be okay, except the description is mirrored by multiple characters in the cast. How is it possible for two people to see the same person in exactly the same way?
Okay, I’d give it a 3.5 if I could because the plot idea is so bizarre as to be interesting. The writing is generally good. I would have liked to have seen a little more complication, but I can accept that perhaps this was written with an established target audience in mind. Maybe I just didn’t fit into it.
I’ll never be intelligent enough to write a mystery. Kudos to those who can pull it off, and so while I have my definite opinions on how the book should have been written, take my opinions for the amateur nonsense they probably are.
Without giving away the plot, Fielding tries, unsuccessfully in my opinion, to fool the reader into pinning the blame for the murders on red herrings, but the misdirection feels awkward. You know enough to understand something’s amiss. No, you can’t immediately put the pieces together, but you know enough to have the answer on the tip of your tongue. You just have to wonder if the answer could be so simple.
It felt like Fielding’s purpose in writing this book was to reflect on the feelings of a betrayed spouse more than a true murder mystery. It felt preachy, and this in of itself would have been okay, except the overarching scenarios are unrealistic. Really? You’d allow yourself to be stuck in a car for five hours with your soon-to-be ex-husband’s fiancé in a car and then share a room and then go camping? Believe it or not, that’s not a spoiler, not if you have half a brain.
The repetitive nature was also frustrating. If you give this book a try, you’ll see the duplicative nature of character descriptions, and again this too would be okay, except the description is mirrored by multiple characters in the cast. How is it possible for two people to see the same person in exactly the same way?
Okay, I’d give it a 3.5 if I could because the plot idea is so bizarre as to be interesting. The writing is generally good. I would have liked to have seen a little more complication, but I can accept that perhaps this was written with an established target audience in mind. Maybe I just didn’t fit into it.
August 29, 2015
I've read several Joy Fielding books over the years, and this is one of the ones I like best. Through a series of steps Fielding makes believeable, main character Valerie abandons her birthday weekend plans to drive with her moody daughter, her soon-to-be ex-husband's fiancee (Jennifer), and two of Valerie's friends to the mountains where a team of two serial killers has begun a rampage. The book explores the relationships among the women, their views of themselves, and each of their relationships with Evan, the husband/fiance/father who has disappointed all of them. It also explores generally male-female dynamics, all while moving quickly and building suspense as to who the killers are and whether the ill-suited travelers will survive. I love the way Fielding gets into each character's mind. Valerie, her daughter, and Jennifer at times all behave badly, and all are flawed, and yet I feel sympathy for each of them, even when their views and positions are opposite one another. These characters field like real people, and when the book ended I missed them. Fielding also does a great job of showing the reader just enough about the killers to make us wonder who they are and whether one or more of them could among Valerie's companions. This is the kind of book I love most. Fast-paced yet with good characterization, a lot of suspense, and something to say about the world.
May 28, 2014
Either my taste in books has become more discriminating or Fielding has become a sloppier writer, because I did not like this book at all, even though I have enjoyed Joy Fielding books in the past.
Everything in this book was unrealistic from the main premise to the contrived ending. The only thing that kept me reading was that the main characters rang somewhat true. Val's and Jennifer's back stories were interesting and Val and her teen-aged daughter Brianne had a fairly typical relationship. I also liked Val's "side-kicks," the friends James and Melanie who basically served as comic relief.
The murderers were completely over the top. I'm kind of done with psychopathic serial killers. I like a little more nuance in the killer's motivations. These two were just out-and-out psychopaths, although there did seem to be some attempt to psychoanalyze the girl.
I honestly don't know if I will ever read another Joy Fielding book after this when there are so many other books in the world--and so little time to read them.
Everything in this book was unrealistic from the main premise to the contrived ending. The only thing that kept me reading was that the main characters rang somewhat true. Val's and Jennifer's back stories were interesting and Val and her teen-aged daughter Brianne had a fairly typical relationship. I also liked Val's "side-kicks," the friends James and Melanie who basically served as comic relief.
The murderers were completely over the top. I'm kind of done with psychopathic serial killers. I like a little more nuance in the killer's motivations. These two were just out-and-out psychopaths, although there did seem to be some attempt to psychoanalyze the girl.
I honestly don't know if I will ever read another Joy Fielding book after this when there are so many other books in the world--and so little time to read them.
January 24, 2015
Torture. I found myself finding anything else to do other than finish this book.
January 4, 2013
Story Description:
Doubleday Canada|December 4, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN:978-0-385-67736-3
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 find 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 fiancee, 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 would become an all-out struggle for survival.
My Review:
Shadow Creek is a gripping, sit at the edge of your seat read. I found myself holding the book tighter and tighter in my hands with each passing page.
Val’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Brianne ,is an overly typical rebellious teenager who is caught up in a web of secrets and lies. She was supposed to be spending the weekend in the Adirondacks with her Dad, Evan and his new girlfriend, Jennifer. Val and Evan were only days away from completing their divorce. Jennifer pulled up in front of Val’s house expecting Evan to already be there picking up his daughter, Brianne but he was nowhere to be seen. He phoned and said he was held up at the office. After waiting around for hours, Val decided she would drive her daughter, Jennifer, and Val’s friends up to the Adirondacks herself. Val and her friends were supposed to be spending a nice weekend away themselves in Manhattan but thought they could just drop off the other two and then return to enjoy their own weekend.
After the long drive to their destination everyone was tired and irritable. Val decided they’d eat dinner, stay overnight and return to Manhattan in the morning. Then Evan called again and said he wouldn’t be able to make it at all that day and would be there the following day for sure. Val didn’t want to leave Brianne alone with Evan’s girlfriend, Jennifer so it looked like she and her friends would be staying too. After Brianne disappeared and was dragged back with a 21-year-old man to the lodge by two park rangers who found them naked and having sex in a public area, Val completely freaked out. First of all, she didn’t know Brianne had a boyfriend, yet alone that he was 5 years her senior. Then Val discovers that Jennifer knew about the boyfriend and had neglected to tell her sending Val into an angry deluge of words against the woman. SHE was Brianne’s mother and should have been made aware of the situation and was completely put off by Jennifer’s lack of concern that Brianne had “snuck away” AND had this boyfriend. The lodge manager was not happy with the behaviour of the whole group and told them they’d have to leave the lodge and stay outside in the campground instead. Great, this day was turning out to be a disaster but little did they know that this was only the beginning.
Once in the campground and tents set up, they needed to work out the sleeping arrangements. Since Val’s friend, James was gay, it was decided that Brianne would bunk in his tent so he could keep an eye on Brianne so she didn’t sneak away again to meet her older boyfriend and to fend off any wild animals should she need to use the porta-potties in the middle of the night.
Val ended up running into a man she went to high school with who also camping with his teenaged son, Hayden. Brianne immediately struck up a conversation with him hoping to befriend him so he’d let her use his cell phone to contact her boyfriend since her mother had confiscated her phone so she couldn’t. Sure enough, Hayden did have a cell phone. She made arrangements to meet-up with him at midnight at the park’s gate to be together for a few hours while her mother and the others slept. Hayden, overhearing the conversation was worried about Brianne wandering off through the thick bush at night alone when there were known bears and other wild animals around so he followed her that night. Once meeting up with her boyfriend she discovered Hayden had followed her and he and the boyfriend got into a fight. The boyfriend beat Hayden up and they left him unconscious lying in a ditch.
Later that night the man Val met from high school discovered his son was gone and alerted the others. Val checked James’s tent and discovered Brianne was also gone leaving her sleeping bag stuffed with clothing to make it look as though she was safely tucked inside. Shortly thereafter, Hayden came stumbling back into camp with cuts and bruises on his face and told his Dad and the others what had happened. Of course the man was furious with Val’s daughter and Val was barely able to contain herself from the anger she felt at Brianne over all this trouble she was causing. Hadn’t she already created enough trouble for one weekend?
Val and her friends immediately launch a search for Brianne but due to the heavy brush and the darkness couldn’t make much headway. At first light they made their way to the Ranger’s station to report Brianne missing. They already knew that one man, a newlywed was missing after a fight with his new bride whom the Rangers had been unable to find, and little did they know that two crazed killers were loose killing people in the very park they were in. Val just couldn’t sit still at the campsite and wait for the Rangers to do their work so she and her friends set out to conduct a search of their own. When they stumble upon a man’s severed arm, covered in blood lying on the ground they realize the situation is much, much worse than they had first thought.
Where is Brianne? Did a bear get her? Did the crazed killers get her? Will Val ever see her only child again?
Shadow Creek is a definite page-turner that will keep you up late into the night as you won’t be able to put it down. Joy Fielding has really outdone herself this time and having read all of Joy’s previous novels, I’d have to say this is by far my favourite.
Doubleday Canada|December 4, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN:978-0-385-67736-3
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 find 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 fiancee, 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 would become an all-out struggle for survival.
My Review:
Shadow Creek is a gripping, sit at the edge of your seat read. I found myself holding the book tighter and tighter in my hands with each passing page.
Val’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Brianne ,is an overly typical rebellious teenager who is caught up in a web of secrets and lies. She was supposed to be spending the weekend in the Adirondacks with her Dad, Evan and his new girlfriend, Jennifer. Val and Evan were only days away from completing their divorce. Jennifer pulled up in front of Val’s house expecting Evan to already be there picking up his daughter, Brianne but he was nowhere to be seen. He phoned and said he was held up at the office. After waiting around for hours, Val decided she would drive her daughter, Jennifer, and Val’s friends up to the Adirondacks herself. Val and her friends were supposed to be spending a nice weekend away themselves in Manhattan but thought they could just drop off the other two and then return to enjoy their own weekend.
After the long drive to their destination everyone was tired and irritable. Val decided they’d eat dinner, stay overnight and return to Manhattan in the morning. Then Evan called again and said he wouldn’t be able to make it at all that day and would be there the following day for sure. Val didn’t want to leave Brianne alone with Evan’s girlfriend, Jennifer so it looked like she and her friends would be staying too. After Brianne disappeared and was dragged back with a 21-year-old man to the lodge by two park rangers who found them naked and having sex in a public area, Val completely freaked out. First of all, she didn’t know Brianne had a boyfriend, yet alone that he was 5 years her senior. Then Val discovers that Jennifer knew about the boyfriend and had neglected to tell her sending Val into an angry deluge of words against the woman. SHE was Brianne’s mother and should have been made aware of the situation and was completely put off by Jennifer’s lack of concern that Brianne had “snuck away” AND had this boyfriend. The lodge manager was not happy with the behaviour of the whole group and told them they’d have to leave the lodge and stay outside in the campground instead. Great, this day was turning out to be a disaster but little did they know that this was only the beginning.
Once in the campground and tents set up, they needed to work out the sleeping arrangements. Since Val’s friend, James was gay, it was decided that Brianne would bunk in his tent so he could keep an eye on Brianne so she didn’t sneak away again to meet her older boyfriend and to fend off any wild animals should she need to use the porta-potties in the middle of the night.
Val ended up running into a man she went to high school with who also camping with his teenaged son, Hayden. Brianne immediately struck up a conversation with him hoping to befriend him so he’d let her use his cell phone to contact her boyfriend since her mother had confiscated her phone so she couldn’t. Sure enough, Hayden did have a cell phone. She made arrangements to meet-up with him at midnight at the park’s gate to be together for a few hours while her mother and the others slept. Hayden, overhearing the conversation was worried about Brianne wandering off through the thick bush at night alone when there were known bears and other wild animals around so he followed her that night. Once meeting up with her boyfriend she discovered Hayden had followed her and he and the boyfriend got into a fight. The boyfriend beat Hayden up and they left him unconscious lying in a ditch.
Later that night the man Val met from high school discovered his son was gone and alerted the others. Val checked James’s tent and discovered Brianne was also gone leaving her sleeping bag stuffed with clothing to make it look as though she was safely tucked inside. Shortly thereafter, Hayden came stumbling back into camp with cuts and bruises on his face and told his Dad and the others what had happened. Of course the man was furious with Val’s daughter and Val was barely able to contain herself from the anger she felt at Brianne over all this trouble she was causing. Hadn’t she already created enough trouble for one weekend?
Val and her friends immediately launch a search for Brianne but due to the heavy brush and the darkness couldn’t make much headway. At first light they made their way to the Ranger’s station to report Brianne missing. They already knew that one man, a newlywed was missing after a fight with his new bride whom the Rangers had been unable to find, and little did they know that two crazed killers were loose killing people in the very park they were in. Val just couldn’t sit still at the campsite and wait for the Rangers to do their work so she and her friends set out to conduct a search of their own. When they stumble upon a man’s severed arm, covered in blood lying on the ground they realize the situation is much, much worse than they had first thought.
Where is Brianne? Did a bear get her? Did the crazed killers get her? Will Val ever see her only child again?
Shadow Creek is a definite page-turner that will keep you up late into the night as you won’t be able to put it down. Joy Fielding has really outdone herself this time and having read all of Joy’s previous novels, I’d have to say this is by far my favourite.
April 11, 2022
War ganz okay, aber mehr leider auch nicht.
March 12, 2014
Kurzbeschreibung:
Ein einsames Hotel in den Bergen, eine teuflische Serie von Morden und eine Frau, die mit ihrem Leben spielt ...
Valerie Rowe ist in keiner beneidenswerten Lage. Sie muss nicht nur der Tatsache ins Auge blicken, dass ihr Mann Evan sie wegen einer jüngeren Frau verlassen will. Eine Verkettung von Umständen führt auch noch dazu, dass sich Valerie plötzlich mit ihrer pubertierenden Tochter und ihrer verhassten Rivalin gemeinsam in einem entlegenen Luxushotel in den Bergen wiederfindet. Doch die Schönheit der Natur ist trügerisch, denn in der Weite der Wälder hat sich kurz vorher eine grausame Mordserie ereignet – und Valerie ahnt nicht, dass sie sich geradewegs auf einen mörderischen Abgrund zu bewegt ...
Meine Meinung:
Die früheren Werke von Joy Fielding habe ich mit voller Begeisterung nacheinander weg gelesen und konnte sie stets kaum aus der Hand legen, bis das Buch beendet war. Doch die Thriller der letzten Jahre, haben mich nicht mehr ganz so überzeugt, eher gelangweilt, denn vieles ähnelte sich und so war ich auch nicht mehr so erpicht darauf, einen weiteren Fielding zu lesen.
Doch aufgrund von Empfehlungen und guten Bewertungen, wurde ich auf "Das Herz des Bösen" neugierig. Es soll locker an die früheren Werke anknüpfen können. Also wagte ich einen Versuch...
Ob er sich gelohnt hat?
Ja, auf jeden Fall. Mir gefiel die Geschichte um Valerie, die eigentlich ihren baldigen 40. Geburtstag , voller Luxus, Wellness und Shoppingtouren mit ihren Freunden Melissa und James in New York feiern wollte. Doch wie so oft, kommt es anders wie gedacht und so befindet sich Valerie samt ihren Freunden UND Jennifer, der Verlobten ihres zukünftigen Ex-Mannes Evan und ihrer eigenen aufmüpfigen Teenie-Tochter Brianne in einem Luxushotel in den Bergen. Alle schieben mehr oder weniger Frust, weil alle Pläne irgendwie aus dem Ruder laufen. Evan verspätet sich immer mehr, Brianne trifft sich heimlich mit ihrem Freund und schließlich werden allesamt aus dem Hotel geworfen. Was bleibt, ist ein einsam gelegener Campingplatz in der Wildnis und was alle nicht wissen, nicht die Tiere sind die größte Gefahr, sondern ein mörderisches Liebespaar, das ganz in der Nähe sein Unwesen treibt....
Die Story und die Figuren fand ich sehr gut ausgearbeitet und fast jeder brachte irgendwie seine eigene Geschichte und Schicksal mit. Gefiel mir sehr gut, denn jeder hat sein Päckchen zu tragen, auch wenn es von "außen" nicht so scheint. Das war sehr interessant und auch spannend zu lesen und entschädigte auch, das der "Thriller" nicht durchgängig hochspannend war. Die Geschehnisse waren interessant, manchmal auch pikant ( Fast-Ex-Frau trifft auf Verlobte und muss sich mit deren Anwesenheit arrangieren!) und man wollte einfach wissen, was als nächstes passieren mag.
Das soziopathische Pärchen gefiel mir auch sehr gut und besonders die Einblicke in deren Gedanken und vorheriges Leben, war sehr spannend.
Davon, von diesem "Bösen" hätte ich gerne noch mehr gelesen.
Das Ende war mir etwas zu abrupt. An mancher Stelle hätte ich mir noch mehr Aufklärung der Dinge gewünscht und es fehlte irgendwie etwas.
Von daher, ziehe ich einen Stern ab.
Fazit:
Ein wirklich gelungener Thriller, dem es zwar ab und an etwas an absoluter Spannung und Action fehlt, dies jedoch mit einer gut durchdachten und interessanten Geschichte wieder wett macht.
Ich war jedenfalls begeistert, endlich mal wieder so einen gelungenen Fielding zu lesen.
Sehr empfehlenswert!
Ein einsames Hotel in den Bergen, eine teuflische Serie von Morden und eine Frau, die mit ihrem Leben spielt ...
Valerie Rowe ist in keiner beneidenswerten Lage. Sie muss nicht nur der Tatsache ins Auge blicken, dass ihr Mann Evan sie wegen einer jüngeren Frau verlassen will. Eine Verkettung von Umständen führt auch noch dazu, dass sich Valerie plötzlich mit ihrer pubertierenden Tochter und ihrer verhassten Rivalin gemeinsam in einem entlegenen Luxushotel in den Bergen wiederfindet. Doch die Schönheit der Natur ist trügerisch, denn in der Weite der Wälder hat sich kurz vorher eine grausame Mordserie ereignet – und Valerie ahnt nicht, dass sie sich geradewegs auf einen mörderischen Abgrund zu bewegt ...
Meine Meinung:
Die früheren Werke von Joy Fielding habe ich mit voller Begeisterung nacheinander weg gelesen und konnte sie stets kaum aus der Hand legen, bis das Buch beendet war. Doch die Thriller der letzten Jahre, haben mich nicht mehr ganz so überzeugt, eher gelangweilt, denn vieles ähnelte sich und so war ich auch nicht mehr so erpicht darauf, einen weiteren Fielding zu lesen.
Doch aufgrund von Empfehlungen und guten Bewertungen, wurde ich auf "Das Herz des Bösen" neugierig. Es soll locker an die früheren Werke anknüpfen können. Also wagte ich einen Versuch...
Ob er sich gelohnt hat?
Ja, auf jeden Fall. Mir gefiel die Geschichte um Valerie, die eigentlich ihren baldigen 40. Geburtstag , voller Luxus, Wellness und Shoppingtouren mit ihren Freunden Melissa und James in New York feiern wollte. Doch wie so oft, kommt es anders wie gedacht und so befindet sich Valerie samt ihren Freunden UND Jennifer, der Verlobten ihres zukünftigen Ex-Mannes Evan und ihrer eigenen aufmüpfigen Teenie-Tochter Brianne in einem Luxushotel in den Bergen. Alle schieben mehr oder weniger Frust, weil alle Pläne irgendwie aus dem Ruder laufen. Evan verspätet sich immer mehr, Brianne trifft sich heimlich mit ihrem Freund und schließlich werden allesamt aus dem Hotel geworfen. Was bleibt, ist ein einsam gelegener Campingplatz in der Wildnis und was alle nicht wissen, nicht die Tiere sind die größte Gefahr, sondern ein mörderisches Liebespaar, das ganz in der Nähe sein Unwesen treibt....
Die Story und die Figuren fand ich sehr gut ausgearbeitet und fast jeder brachte irgendwie seine eigene Geschichte und Schicksal mit. Gefiel mir sehr gut, denn jeder hat sein Päckchen zu tragen, auch wenn es von "außen" nicht so scheint. Das war sehr interessant und auch spannend zu lesen und entschädigte auch, das der "Thriller" nicht durchgängig hochspannend war. Die Geschehnisse waren interessant, manchmal auch pikant ( Fast-Ex-Frau trifft auf Verlobte und muss sich mit deren Anwesenheit arrangieren!) und man wollte einfach wissen, was als nächstes passieren mag.
Das soziopathische Pärchen gefiel mir auch sehr gut und besonders die Einblicke in deren Gedanken und vorheriges Leben, war sehr spannend.
Davon, von diesem "Bösen" hätte ich gerne noch mehr gelesen.
Das Ende war mir etwas zu abrupt. An mancher Stelle hätte ich mir noch mehr Aufklärung der Dinge gewünscht und es fehlte irgendwie etwas.
Von daher, ziehe ich einen Stern ab.
Fazit:
Ein wirklich gelungener Thriller, dem es zwar ab und an etwas an absoluter Spannung und Action fehlt, dies jedoch mit einer gut durchdachten und interessanten Geschichte wieder wett macht.
Ich war jedenfalls begeistert, endlich mal wieder so einen gelungenen Fielding zu lesen.
Sehr empfehlenswert!
August 13, 2013
For some reason I was under the impression that this was a debut author, so I cut her a lot of slack. Turns out this is her...7th book or so? So yeah, the cliches and the weak descriptions and the awkward dialogues were all her. She starts the book with "It was a dark and stormy night" for crying out loud!
If I were judging this on plot alone I'd give it five stars. Valerie, the recently jilted ex-wife is sending her teenager on vacation with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. When her ex flakes out, Valerie decides to cancel her own vacation plans and drive the group to the wilderness lodge they were planning on staying at. Fortunately, the friends she was going on vacation with are fun and they decide to pile in for the ride. Conflict between the teenager, the ex, and the new girlfriend gets them all kicked out of the lodge, so long story short they're stuck, hours from home, camping. What they didn't know is that a serial killer is nearby.
The relationship between Valerie and the ex (Jennifer) made me cringe, but it was so over the top I enjoyed it in a bitchy, passive-aggressive way. And certain teenagers who needed to get slapped, get slapped, which is excellent. But for the most part the character development was heavy-handed. Rather than showing us the actions she kept explaining what the characters were feeling. It seemed like she felt she had to speak slowly and use very small words to explain what was happening. On the other hand, this is a great book to read on the bus or somewhere you are easily distracted, because the constant explanations certainly made it an easy read. I usually have a hard time remembering names, but for this one I could give you an entire cast list from memory.
In short, if you need an easy thriller, this is a great choice. If you're looking for something to fill the void in your life after Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, look elsewhere.
If I were judging this on plot alone I'd give it five stars. Valerie, the recently jilted ex-wife is sending her teenager on vacation with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. When her ex flakes out, Valerie decides to cancel her own vacation plans and drive the group to the wilderness lodge they were planning on staying at. Fortunately, the friends she was going on vacation with are fun and they decide to pile in for the ride. Conflict between the teenager, the ex, and the new girlfriend gets them all kicked out of the lodge, so long story short they're stuck, hours from home, camping. What they didn't know is that a serial killer is nearby.
The relationship between Valerie and the ex (Jennifer) made me cringe, but it was so over the top I enjoyed it in a bitchy, passive-aggressive way. And certain teenagers who needed to get slapped, get slapped, which is excellent. But for the most part the character development was heavy-handed. Rather than showing us the actions she kept explaining what the characters were feeling. It seemed like she felt she had to speak slowly and use very small words to explain what was happening. On the other hand, this is a great book to read on the bus or somewhere you are easily distracted, because the constant explanations certainly made it an easy read. I usually have a hard time remembering names, but for this one I could give you an entire cast list from memory.
In short, if you need an easy thriller, this is a great choice. If you're looking for something to fill the void in your life after Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, look elsewhere.
March 27, 2013
I was thrilled to run into a new Joy Fielding at my Library and could hardly wait to get home and start devouring it. I was pulled into the story right away, perhaps because I could relate somewhat. The story was a quick, easy read and mostly enjoyable,however, I found it just a little too implausible at times.I won't go into detail because I do not wish to reveal any spoilers, but you avid readers out there will recognize what I am talking about when you reach each and every not so realistic scene. Some things were even a tad over the top. I also felt she left us dangling a little on the character development, only offering partial information on what made these characters behave they way they did. I did still enjoy the book though, but I do so miss the early Joy Fielding.
January 4, 2013
I have been a fan of Ms. Fielding's since I first discovered her about 20 years ago. Of all her books, I believe this may be her best yet, it was a "sit on the edge of your seat ride" book, one I thoroughly enjoyed, from the first to the very last sentence. Well done Joy!!
August 3, 2019
Vel.. Det er tid jeg aldri kommer til å få tilbake. Aldri mer kioskkrim.
May 23, 2017
This was really pacey....and I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but I did, although I've preferred others by her. She seems to have altered her style a bit with this one and taken the more humorous route with the story. There were some very funny remarks in it (especially the Sir Galahad mention) BUT I prefer her writing being a bit darker as it was back in the day of See Jane Run which is probably still my favourite of her stories. However, this one did begin pretty darkly, I must say !! The killings aren't pretty....and they reminded me of a couple of true-life cases but I can't mention which ones as it would be a spoiler.
I greatly despised young Brianne in this one. What an ungrateful, rude, little brat. I'd have happily left her in the Adirondacks !! She was a horror. Must've inherited her father's genes...I enjoyed the relationship between Val and Jennifer. It had an interesting evolution.
I didn't spot any spelling/grammatical mistakes although there was a howler where one person was murdered one way but further in we learn he died another way, so I'm not sure if the author forgot she'd already seen that character off !!
I greatly despised young Brianne in this one. What an ungrateful, rude, little brat. I'd have happily left her in the Adirondacks !! She was a horror. Must've inherited her father's genes...I enjoyed the relationship between Val and Jennifer. It had an interesting evolution.
I didn't spot any spelling/grammatical mistakes although there was a howler where one person was murdered one way but further in we learn he died another way, so I'm not sure if the author forgot she'd already seen that character off !!
September 10, 2024
I have read the majority of books written by Joy Fielding, and have enjoyed many of them. Often page-turning quick reads, they make a great "go to" genre. This one- not at all. A seemingly interesting plot, but with twists and side stories that just get more ludicrous as the book goes on. So often saying to myself " as if that would happen"! Anyways, hopefully the next one is a whole lot better!
April 13, 2024
Ich fand es sehr spannend zu lesen. Auch die Charaktere sind sehr detailliert beschrieben. Wenn die Ex-Frau und die neue Verlobte gezwungen sind, ein Wochenende miteinander zu verbringen: auch zwischenmenschlich sehr mitfühlend erzählt. Beziehungen, Freundschaften und Eigen- und Fremdwahrnehmung... Mein 2. Buch von Joy Fielding und es wird nicht das letzte gewesen sein.
April 16, 2019
Oh my word....they just keeping better. Don't want to spoil it. Must read.
June 21, 2023
Spannend.
June 11, 2022
...and another book by Joy Fielding with 5 stars from me!
I just love her characters, her writing style, her kind of suspense - everything!
- popsugar reading challenge: a different book by an author you read in 2021 -
I just love her characters, her writing style, her kind of suspense - everything!
- popsugar reading challenge: a different book by an author you read in 2021 -
March 18, 2018
Not great. I was ill and it was available to read. Grizzly murders are an amazing lead in but after that it goes down hill. The reader needs to keep in mind that Val loves Evan even though he is a terrible human being and lousy husband. That loves clouds her judgement and makes her do a lot of stupid things to fix his life. If you have never known this kind of love then her behaviour is hard to understand. I had to keep reminding myself that she loved Evan and keeps right on forgiving him. The plot of the story is just weak and the reader can see where it is going. The normal person, one not so in love that they can’t think straight, would not have done many of the just down right stupid things that Val does. Brianna, the daughter, is a real chip off the mother block. The entire running around in the woods sections are ridiculous. After say a a dozen trips to a very large state park and there are comments such as, “knowing the place like the back of your hand,” it just seems unbelievable. The author goes to great lengths at the beginning to let the reader know just what a massive area this is, larger than some states. Not one of her best that’s for sure.
January 19, 2013
Joy Fielding books are my guilty pleasure. They're not great, but they're brainless chick lit, easy reads, usually absorbing enough that a trip on transit goes by faster.
This is not one of her better offerings. The storyline is about as unbelievable and contrived as could be, reads more like a "wacky sitcom" than a thriller, despite the serial killer storyline. Not that I'm expecting great literature here, but I'm usually pretty good at ignoring dumber plot points... not so much in this one.
This is not one of her better offerings. The storyline is about as unbelievable and contrived as could be, reads more like a "wacky sitcom" than a thriller, despite the serial killer storyline. Not that I'm expecting great literature here, but I'm usually pretty good at ignoring dumber plot points... not so much in this one.
August 19, 2016
This was just okay for me. It was a thriller (and I use this term loosely) that was set in the woods with the strangest collaboration of people. The teenage daughter was one of the most annoying characters I've ever encountered. If I was her mother, you never would have had to wonder if the serial killers were going to get her. I'd have kicked her ass all the way home and she'd no longer be in the woods. I didn't like anyone in the story. I didn't care what happened to them. This is definitely my least favorite Fielding book. 5 stars for the narration by Hillary Huber.
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