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Shadow Games
An unfortunate incident with a teenage girl lands celebrity Cobey Daniels in a mental facility, and now released, he is determined to start his life over, but someone will not let him forget the past and is waiting in the shadows to introduce Cobey to a place even more terrifying than hell. Original.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
468 books122 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 8, 2019
Hard hitting, no holds barred. Mr Gorman writes like an avenging angel. No fillers, direct and to the point. Sparing no feelings, his prose flows with power.
August 25, 2021
Engaging novel about an aging child actor and the psychotic women in his life. I highly recommend this page turner.
December 12, 2024
Cobey Daniels is a young star that seemingly has an incredible future. However, he has a deep and deadly dark side and when he is caught with a 14-year-old girl in what appears to have been a prelude to a murder, his career vaporizes. Daniels is also a person that will drink to the point of blacking out and while under the influence, he exhibits a tendency to homicidal violence. When he awakens, he has no memory of recent events.
Daniels appears to be clean and is in the process of regaining his star stature when he awakens from a blackout and finds a decapitated corpse where the head is in the refrigerator. With no memory of the incident, Daniels tries to manage the situation. Over the years since the incident with the 14-year-old, he has had the help of a male private problem solver and a female manager, the combination of which helps Daniels retain some form of control over his life.
Other people get murdered in very brutal ways and it seems very unlikely that Daniels is responsible, although in most cases there is some doubt. There are hints of other potential homicidal characters in the first part of the book, all of which are effectively resolved at the end.
Gorman is at the top of his game with this book. He occasionally pops into italicized asides that are the machinations of a criminal mind. The reader is left trying to discern the culprits based on the clues dropped on a regular basis. It turns out that there are several homicidal maniacs in the story, some of which are obvious, but others are not revealed until the end of the book. It is a whodunit with plural whos.
Daniels appears to be clean and is in the process of regaining his star stature when he awakens from a blackout and finds a decapitated corpse where the head is in the refrigerator. With no memory of the incident, Daniels tries to manage the situation. Over the years since the incident with the 14-year-old, he has had the help of a male private problem solver and a female manager, the combination of which helps Daniels retain some form of control over his life.
Other people get murdered in very brutal ways and it seems very unlikely that Daniels is responsible, although in most cases there is some doubt. There are hints of other potential homicidal characters in the first part of the book, all of which are effectively resolved at the end.
Gorman is at the top of his game with this book. He occasionally pops into italicized asides that are the machinations of a criminal mind. The reader is left trying to discern the culprits based on the clues dropped on a regular basis. It turns out that there are several homicidal maniacs in the story, some of which are obvious, but others are not revealed until the end of the book. It is a whodunit with plural whos.
May 4, 2017
Slow,but kept me reading.
A story about who did what to who in a very not nice way . such as it is with a mystery/ thriller. There was no great need to get back to this book in breaks. No way did I wish I could read it in one sitting. Those days are becoming less and less frequent. So many authors pound out book after book due to pressure from "Everybody has a boss" ,or fear of losing fame. I wish the Author spent more time on the reasons the" boy star" was as he was. The "who done it" was pretty obvious to me. This could have been so much more if there was "less meat on the bone". Oh well,on to my next present under the tree.
A story about who did what to who in a very not nice way . such as it is with a mystery/ thriller. There was no great need to get back to this book in breaks. No way did I wish I could read it in one sitting. Those days are becoming less and less frequent. So many authors pound out book after book due to pressure from "Everybody has a boss" ,or fear of losing fame. I wish the Author spent more time on the reasons the" boy star" was as he was. The "who done it" was pretty obvious to me. This could have been so much more if there was "less meat on the bone". Oh well,on to my next present under the tree.
November 15, 2023
This is a gritty, raw expose of Hollywood child actors. Definitely not a clean read. It's a modern tragedy. Well written as all of his books are. Ed Gorman had Hollywood experience and he pulled no punches. Be sure to read his introduction.
August 25, 2015
As Dean R. Koontz rightly said.."Gorman's writing is strong, fast, and sleek as bullet."
This was my first book of Gorman and I am looking forward for his other books. This was refreshing change from all typical soft emotional stories....
I was instantly addicted to it. I never wanted to put it down. I was on edge all the time while I read. As Koontz said... it is strong fast and sleek....
There was no part where I felt the book lost its pace. Suspense opens at climax and your mind is constantly working like those detectives and you and making your conclusions.
This was my change of scene and fast murder mystery book which kept me hooked till the end.
Cobey is not your favorite or likable character. You tend to hate him most of the time.
This was my first book of Gorman and I am looking forward for his other books. This was refreshing change from all typical soft emotional stories....
I was instantly addicted to it. I never wanted to put it down. I was on edge all the time while I read. As Koontz said... it is strong fast and sleek....
There was no part where I felt the book lost its pace. Suspense opens at climax and your mind is constantly working like those detectives and you and making your conclusions.
This was my change of scene and fast murder mystery book which kept me hooked till the end.
Cobey is not your favorite or likable character. You tend to hate him most of the time.
January 28, 2016
Yet another good read from Ed Gorman. I didn't like this one quite as much as other novels that I've read by him, but his writing is always so great that the sheer quality of the prose makes up for the so so plot. Always a good time with Gorman.
Want to read
February 26, 2019Synopsis: a former celebrity tries to overcome his past mistakes and stage a comeback, but he faces a terrifying hell.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews