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Craig Burch #2
Shadows
"The wide front door hung open, a seductive invitation to a dark interior veiled by dust motes that glittered in the spectral greenish glow..." The Shadows is a historic 1920s house that inspires preservationists' dreams -- and developers' schemes. Built during Prohibition by a notorious rumrummer who vanished at sea, it was inherited by his son, a local athlete and war hero who lived down his father's wild reputation. He served a successful term as Miami mayor and raised his four young children at the Shadows -- until a shotgun ambush on a hot summer night forty-four years ago. His murder was never solved. Since then, only secrets and whispers have inhabited the Shadows.
Now, a resourceful young preservationist approaches the Miami Police Department's Cold Case Squad to help block a developer's plan to bulldoze the Shadows and build high-rise towers. The detectives visit the long-abandoned pioneer house, now surrounded by a wild and overgrown subtropical forest. They discover the rumrunner's secret limestone cellar, a tunnel to Biscayne Bay, and seven small, heartbreaking new mysteries -- a lost generation.
Cold Case Squad Lt. K. C. Riley and her detectives seek out the murdered man's widow and children for answers. All are evasive and paranoid, haunted by lies, guilt, and tangled pasts that each recalls differently. Ultimately the squad finds that the killer is still out there, and the old, cold case is hotter than ever.
In another dazzling example of Edna Buchanan's masterful weaving of stories and histories, Cold Case Squad Detective Sam Stone uncovers a still violent and long-hidden connection between his parents' murders when he was a child and their summer as civil rights workers in Mississippi more than thirty years ago.
"Life would be simple," Buchanan writes, "if people told the truth." But for those who live among the shadows, the truth is never simple. Shadows is Edna Buchanan's most suspenseful novel.
Now, a resourceful young preservationist approaches the Miami Police Department's Cold Case Squad to help block a developer's plan to bulldoze the Shadows and build high-rise towers. The detectives visit the long-abandoned pioneer house, now surrounded by a wild and overgrown subtropical forest. They discover the rumrunner's secret limestone cellar, a tunnel to Biscayne Bay, and seven small, heartbreaking new mysteries -- a lost generation.
Cold Case Squad Lt. K. C. Riley and her detectives seek out the murdered man's widow and children for answers. All are evasive and paranoid, haunted by lies, guilt, and tangled pasts that each recalls differently. Ultimately the squad finds that the killer is still out there, and the old, cold case is hotter than ever.
In another dazzling example of Edna Buchanan's masterful weaving of stories and histories, Cold Case Squad Detective Sam Stone uncovers a still violent and long-hidden connection between his parents' murders when he was a child and their summer as civil rights workers in Mississippi more than thirty years ago.
"Life would be simple," Buchanan writes, "if people told the truth." But for those who live among the shadows, the truth is never simple. Shadows is Edna Buchanan's most suspenseful novel.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 21, 2005
13 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Edna Buchanan
55 books160 followersEdna Buchanan knew she wanted to be a writer since she was 4 years old. She moved to Florida where she got a job at a small newspaper. Ms. Buchanan became a reporter for the Miami Beach Daily Sun in the late 1960s.
In 1970, she was hired as a general assignment and police-beat reporter at the Miami Herald. In 1973, Ms. Buchanan became a police beat reporter, which coincided with the rise of Miami as a center of the international drug trade.
Winning a Pulitzer Prize, Ms. Buchanan became one of the best-known crime reporters in the U.S. She discussed some of her assignments in the books, The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1991) and Never Let Them See You Cry (1993). She has retired from journalism and writes mystery novels. The main character in her crime mystery series is Britt Montero.
In 1970, she was hired as a general assignment and police-beat reporter at the Miami Herald. In 1973, Ms. Buchanan became a police beat reporter, which coincided with the rise of Miami as a center of the international drug trade.
Winning a Pulitzer Prize, Ms. Buchanan became one of the best-known crime reporters in the U.S. She discussed some of her assignments in the books, The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1991) and Never Let Them See You Cry (1993). She has retired from journalism and writes mystery novels. The main character in her crime mystery series is Britt Montero.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 1, 2013
RATING: 4.0
PROTAGONIST: Cold Case Squad
SETTING: Miami, Florida
SERIES: #2 of 2
How much urgency can there be to solving a murder that is more than 40 years old? In the case of Pierce Nolan, who was murdered at his home in Miami in 1961, quite a lot. That home, "Shadows" is in a prime development area and is about to be bulldozed to make way for condominiums and homes for the la-di-dah crowd. And Kiki Courtelis, local preservationist, is convinced that there is evidence in that home that will solve the Nolan murder, evidence that will be destroyed if the demolition is allowed to take place.
Nolan was a man who on the surface was loved by everyone. He had a promising political future and a storybook family. After his death, his wife and children scattered and became estranged as a result of disagreements over the estate. Not expecting to find anything of relevance, the Cold Case Squad is stunned to find a box in the cellar containing seven heavily wrapped dead babies. Obviously, the destruction of the Shadows is put on hold; and the squad follows the clues to reveal the story of the babies and what happened to Nolan all those years ago.
At the same time, one of the squad members, Detective Sam Stone, has a personal case that he has asked the squad to assist with. In 1987, his parents were murdered at their barbecue restaurant. The grandmother who raised him is oddly reluctant to speak of what she knows.A at first what seems to have been a robbery is shown to be something else altogether.
Each of the members of the cold case squad is a main character in the book; there's not one that stands out as the protagonist or lead, which makes the book feel very realistic. The lieutenant, K. C. Riley, has more authority within the group, but each of the members contributes their share in all of the investigations. Many are developed in secondary stories in the book, which adds to their appeal. I also liked the fact that the two cases covered in the book were completely separate from one another and did not end up interconnecting, something that happens all too often in many of the procedurals that I read.
At one time, Buchanan was a favorite author of mine based on her Britt Montero series which was written in the 90s. That series began a downhill decline for me after a while, and I stopped reading Buchanan. However, with the Cold Case Squad series, Buchanan has gotten her groove back. SHADOWS is the second in the series, and a very competent police procedural. The cold case element makes the investigations even more challenging than usual. And there's nobody who writes Miami better than Buchanan.
PROTAGONIST: Cold Case Squad
SETTING: Miami, Florida
SERIES: #2 of 2
How much urgency can there be to solving a murder that is more than 40 years old? In the case of Pierce Nolan, who was murdered at his home in Miami in 1961, quite a lot. That home, "Shadows" is in a prime development area and is about to be bulldozed to make way for condominiums and homes for the la-di-dah crowd. And Kiki Courtelis, local preservationist, is convinced that there is evidence in that home that will solve the Nolan murder, evidence that will be destroyed if the demolition is allowed to take place.
Nolan was a man who on the surface was loved by everyone. He had a promising political future and a storybook family. After his death, his wife and children scattered and became estranged as a result of disagreements over the estate. Not expecting to find anything of relevance, the Cold Case Squad is stunned to find a box in the cellar containing seven heavily wrapped dead babies. Obviously, the destruction of the Shadows is put on hold; and the squad follows the clues to reveal the story of the babies and what happened to Nolan all those years ago.
At the same time, one of the squad members, Detective Sam Stone, has a personal case that he has asked the squad to assist with. In 1987, his parents were murdered at their barbecue restaurant. The grandmother who raised him is oddly reluctant to speak of what she knows.A at first what seems to have been a robbery is shown to be something else altogether.
Each of the members of the cold case squad is a main character in the book; there's not one that stands out as the protagonist or lead, which makes the book feel very realistic. The lieutenant, K. C. Riley, has more authority within the group, but each of the members contributes their share in all of the investigations. Many are developed in secondary stories in the book, which adds to their appeal. I also liked the fact that the two cases covered in the book were completely separate from one another and did not end up interconnecting, something that happens all too often in many of the procedurals that I read.
At one time, Buchanan was a favorite author of mine based on her Britt Montero series which was written in the 90s. That series began a downhill decline for me after a while, and I stopped reading Buchanan. However, with the Cold Case Squad series, Buchanan has gotten her groove back. SHADOWS is the second in the series, and a very competent police procedural. The cold case element makes the investigations even more challenging than usual. And there's nobody who writes Miami better than Buchanan.
September 20, 2013
Audio book narrated by Robertson Dean
4****
The Shadows is an historic 1920s house originally owned by a notorious rum runner. It’s been empty since the last owner, a successful man with an excellent reputation, was killed there. His murder has never been solved and is all but forgotten. Now the family has sold the property to a developer, but an enterprising young preservationist pleads with the Cold Case Squad to try to stop the demolition because it would be destroying evidence. They agree to take one last look around though they doubt they’ll find anything. When they stumble upon the rum runner’s secret cellar, however, they find an old trunk and some skeletal remains. Newspapers in the trunk date the objects to the early 1960s – about the time the last owner was murdered. The cold case is suddenly very hot, indeed.
The novel includes more than just the main story line. Detective Sam Stone has a personal project – to solve the murder of his parents. The policeman who originally responded to the apparent robbery made a big impact on the then 6-year-old, and his attentions were a major factor in Stone’s decision to join the force. Detective Pete Nazario’s side-line job has him providing security for a multi-millionaire’s stately mansion in exchange for free-lodging in the apartment over the garage. Imagine his surprise when he comes home to find a young woman on the premises without having tripped the alarm.
Buchanan started her writing career as a journalist working the police beat in Miami. She’s a great storyteller, making the city, itself, a character in her novels by including elements of Miami culture and history. Her characters are colorful, human, intelligent, flawed, and strong. The pace is unrelenting, though she does take some time for a few moments of humor or tenderness to relieve the tension. I hadn’t figured out the complicated connections before they were revealed, although I did think it was a little too convoluted. Still, I was engaged and entertained from beginning to end.
Robertson Dean does a good job voicing the audiobook. He has enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters, although his female voices are pretty laughable.
4****
The Shadows is an historic 1920s house originally owned by a notorious rum runner. It’s been empty since the last owner, a successful man with an excellent reputation, was killed there. His murder has never been solved and is all but forgotten. Now the family has sold the property to a developer, but an enterprising young preservationist pleads with the Cold Case Squad to try to stop the demolition because it would be destroying evidence. They agree to take one last look around though they doubt they’ll find anything. When they stumble upon the rum runner’s secret cellar, however, they find an old trunk and some skeletal remains. Newspapers in the trunk date the objects to the early 1960s – about the time the last owner was murdered. The cold case is suddenly very hot, indeed.
The novel includes more than just the main story line. Detective Sam Stone has a personal project – to solve the murder of his parents. The policeman who originally responded to the apparent robbery made a big impact on the then 6-year-old, and his attentions were a major factor in Stone’s decision to join the force. Detective Pete Nazario’s side-line job has him providing security for a multi-millionaire’s stately mansion in exchange for free-lodging in the apartment over the garage. Imagine his surprise when he comes home to find a young woman on the premises without having tripped the alarm.
Buchanan started her writing career as a journalist working the police beat in Miami. She’s a great storyteller, making the city, itself, a character in her novels by including elements of Miami culture and history. Her characters are colorful, human, intelligent, flawed, and strong. The pace is unrelenting, though she does take some time for a few moments of humor or tenderness to relieve the tension. I hadn’t figured out the complicated connections before they were revealed, although I did think it was a little too convoluted. Still, I was engaged and entertained from beginning to end.
Robertson Dean does a good job voicing the audiobook. He has enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters, although his female voices are pretty laughable.
June 27, 2012
This series moves along quick - I really like the characters and while Buchanan ran two completely separate cases side by side they were both resolved. The story of Sam's parents' murder could've actually been a whole book in itself and I would have loved to read the story from the civil rights period through to today when the case is solved. That was the only bit that was short changed. Buchanan also has a great way of writing up a character in a few short sentences and you quickly get a feel for that character - for nearly all of them, I immediately either liked them or despised them. On to the third in the series.
December 10, 2013
This was another riveting mystery that compels you to read from cover to cover. It included a 40 year old cold case murder and an investigation to a 12 year old murder of Stone's parents. I really enjoy the development of the characters. I wish there were more in this series!
January 30, 2014
I usually can't stand to read series books out of sequence, but I broke my rule and read this one. It was a quick read and kept my interest through out. It stood alone very well.
Now I'll be looking for other "Cold Case" books. I enjoyed this one! :)
Now I'll be looking for other "Cold Case" books. I enjoyed this one! :)
June 18, 2021
I could not get into this much. It's too bad because I love cold case mysteries. I think I was disappointed because there were many unnecessary sections.
It dealt with an unsolved murder in Miami from 1961. But there was a second unsolved mystery regarding the murder of Detective Stone's parents when he was a child.
I was distracted because I just never get why some people, in this case the author, are obsessed with the 1960's. I was living then and most of my memories are bad. But it also allows for political posturing through the book's characters.
And speaking of characters, there were just too many distractions under the guise of character development such as family conversations, personal conversation, and inane chit-chat that just did not move the plot along.
And the mysteries were solved thanks to a lot of convenient encounters.
I'm not sure if I will read anything else by this author.
It dealt with an unsolved murder in Miami from 1961. But there was a second unsolved mystery regarding the murder of Detective Stone's parents when he was a child.
I was distracted because I just never get why some people, in this case the author, are obsessed with the 1960's. I was living then and most of my memories are bad. But it also allows for political posturing through the book's characters.
And speaking of characters, there were just too many distractions under the guise of character development such as family conversations, personal conversation, and inane chit-chat that just did not move the plot along.
And the mysteries were solved thanks to a lot of convenient encounters.
I'm not sure if I will read anything else by this author.
January 19, 2023
I liked this one better than the first in the series. It may be that with the characters already established, I was able to enjoy watching them deepen. For certain, the cold cases they had to solve seemed important to me, and the resolutions--one grim, one mainly sad--were cathartic, in the old Aristotelian sense of purging the emotions of the characters and the reader.
I thought the instant romance between Ash and Sam and the effortless way she won his grandmother's trust were not believable. Usually it's a male writer who pens this kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy for a male character. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy, however.
I thought the instant romance between Ash and Sam and the effortless way she won his grandmother's trust were not believable. Usually it's a male writer who pens this kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy for a male character. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy, however.
January 24, 2018
I love Edna Buchanan and she didn’t disappoint me with this mystery. I always end up wondering what elements of her fiction books are based on stories encountered when she was the crime reporter at the Miami Herald. The plot was intriguing as were the characters. I like how she presents law enforcement officers as the imperfect humans we all are. I like the two unrelated mysteries that were in this book. Both were brought to a conclusion. If you need a good beach read or just love a good mystery, I highly recommend.
February 21, 2018
Enjoyable read, and very familiar as set in almost reality! Easy to go along with the characters and story. The secondary character story could have been developed more, but that would have made it a bigger book. Perhaps they needed to be separate books instead of one losing space to the other which I don't think could have been condensed more.
September 6, 2023
This was an excellent read! I loved the cold case aspect, and the characters were likable, although it was tough to differentiate each one since there were so many in the squad. But I loved the South Florida references throughout and the plot was solid. No holes, and you felt justice at the end. There's some humor throughout and suspense. I would say definitely give it a read!
December 15, 2025
Normally I'm a fan of Edna Buchanan's writing, particularly her Britt Montero series, but this book didn't do it for me. It nominally focuses on Craig Burch, of the Miami PD Cold Case Unit, but there's a lot of rambling and a lot of focus on other members of the squad. A third of the way in and I'm still not sure where they're going so I gave up.
August 18, 2019
Satisfying
It was fun to read a Buchanan mystery again after a long spell when she dropped off my radar. I love novels set in Miami or anywhere in Florida. This now has a taste of retro but it holds up very well. I plan to catch-up with her work.
It was fun to read a Buchanan mystery again after a long spell when she dropped off my radar. I love novels set in Miami or anywhere in Florida. This now has a taste of retro but it holds up very well. I plan to catch-up with her work.
March 22, 2022
This was the first book by Edna Buchanan that I’ve read and I loved it!! Two mysteries in one and it wrapped up nicely by the end. A bit noir-ish. Overall a good read and I definitely want to read more by Buchanan. This series looks very promising!
March 5, 2018
A decent mystery, but clumsily written. The dialogue and transitions were very awkward.
September 21, 2020
Not a very good read or story
April 17, 2022
Always a good read as Edna never disappoints.
October 3, 2023
Too many sideline stories that don't intertwine in the end. Good writing but not super suspenseful.
February 11, 2024
A library find. February 2024.
Interesting characters.
Action packed.
Deadly.
Edgy plot.
Entertaining.
Don't miss.
Interesting characters.
Action packed.
Deadly.
Edgy plot.
Entertaining.
Don't miss.
May 29, 2017
This is Craig Burch, #2. Very enjoyable.
August 27, 2007
SHADOWS (Police Procedural-Miami-Cont) – VG
Buchanan, Edna – 2nd of series
Simon & Schuster, 2005-Hardcover
A Miami historian and preservationist demands the Cold Case Squad stop a developer from tearing down Shadows, an old mansion where a murder occurred in the 1950's. When they go out to take pictures and walk the estate, the last thing they thought they'd find were bodies. In the meantime, Detective Sam Stone parents were murdered when he was three, and never solved.
*** Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, has woven the past and the present into multi-layered story with interesting characters, excellent dialogue and very good suspense. I was involved from the first sentence and didn't put it down until I'd read the last. Buchanan is an author who deserves much more attention than she receives. Her books aren't bloody, brutal or depressing; they are human, captivating and always worth reading.
Buchanan, Edna – 2nd of series
Simon & Schuster, 2005-Hardcover
A Miami historian and preservationist demands the Cold Case Squad stop a developer from tearing down Shadows, an old mansion where a murder occurred in the 1950's. When they go out to take pictures and walk the estate, the last thing they thought they'd find were bodies. In the meantime, Detective Sam Stone parents were murdered when he was three, and never solved.
*** Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, has woven the past and the present into multi-layered story with interesting characters, excellent dialogue and very good suspense. I was involved from the first sentence and didn't put it down until I'd read the last. Buchanan is an author who deserves much more attention than she receives. Her books aren't bloody, brutal or depressing; they are human, captivating and always worth reading.
April 19, 2016
I liked the characters from the Cold Case Squad when they were first introduced in the Britt Montero series. Now that I'm two books into the Cold Case series, I just love these guys - even Lt. Riley has grown on me even though she has never been a favorite from Britt's series. The descriptions of the Shadows made me wish I was there and could see it - it was easy to imagine what it must have looked like in its heyday. Stone's relationship with his grandmother made me smile so much and his reaction to her relationship with Ashton just cracked me up. Burch's realization that his kids are growing up made me laugh so much and I almost felt sorry for him. Can't wait to go to the library to get the next one!
July 31, 2010
I listened to this on cd. I loved her Britt Montero (the most soap opera name ev-ah) series. The cold case squad books are pretty good too. They have a larger cast of characters so it is good to start from the beginning. One of the more hard boiled detective's wife starts a bit of an interest in Fengshui very funny stuff. The main story is of a murder that occured in 1961 being re-opened and the bodies of seven newborn babies that are discovered in the course of the investigation. Not her bestbut I do recommend this read!!
February 20, 2012
I couldn't wait to continue the next installment of Buchanan's cold-case squad series. It did not disappoint, and I was fascinated by the history lessons incorporating the civil rights movement, including race discrimination and the abortion divide, which are unfortunately, still matters of extreme conflict today. Buchanan's characters are well-fleshed out, with credible background histories, and tantalizing future stories that make me want to absorb myself more in this particular series!
July 21, 2015
#2 of the Cold Case Squad novels. These novels are an offshoot of author Buchanan's Britt Montero series about a Miami crime reporter.
The Cold Case Squad is prevailed upon to search The Shadows, an historic mansion facing demolition, for clues to the 45 year old murder of an ex-mayor. The underlying agenda is to halt the demolition, but that becomes a moot point when the squad finds a trunk of mummified infants in the basement.
The Cold Case Squad is prevailed upon to search The Shadows, an historic mansion facing demolition, for clues to the 45 year old murder of an ex-mayor. The underlying agenda is to halt the demolition, but that becomes a moot point when the squad finds a trunk of mummified infants in the basement.
August 11, 2008
This is one of the authors that is an exception to my avoidance of female authors. Great story. The cold case squad is called in to investigate a 40 year old murder. While going throught the house the discover a trunk full of bones. Couple that with another detective who is looking for the murderers of his parents makes for an exciting book.
September 12, 2009
Fast paced and direct, always keeps you guessing. I guess it wasn't as intense as the the first Edna Buchanan book I read. I found the story interesting and intriguing, and the way it was written got me hooked. There are all sorts of law enforcers out there and this is one of those true-to-life stories of good and bad cops. A definite page-turner.
October 6, 2009
Good story about a cold-case murder that occurred in a historic house in Miami. A developer is planning to demolish the house to build million-dollar homes and a preservationist who knows the social history of the house brings the police in as a last resort to help save the house. When the detectives visit the long-abandoned house, they discover a heartbreaking new mystery.
December 24, 2009
Another book I randomly picked off the mystery shelf at the local library. Overall a good mystery with a few twists and turns. This book is one in a series of books on cold cases that take place in Florida. I haven't read any others in the series, but would be willing to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews