When I was done, I looked at the coffin beside me, remembering all the photographs I’d seen. The ones where she was young, unguarded, and laughing with joy, the life ahead of her full of possibility. And even though I wasn’t a religious man, I found myself wondering if she might be dreaming anything now.
“Sleep well,” I said.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with the writing of any novel, I owe a large debt of gratitude to a vast number of people—in this case, especially, my editors, Joel Richardson and Ryan Doherty, without whom this would be a very different book. Their expertise and patience are second to none and massively appreciated. Thanks are also due to Cecily van Buren-Freedman, Emma Henderson, Grace Long, Ellie Hughes, the rights team at Michael Joseph, and literally everybody else in publishing I’ve had the good fortune to meet and work with on this book and the last. Some writers get lucky on that level; I feel utterly blessed.
A huge thank-you to my awesome agent, Sandra Sawicka, and to Leah Middleton, Guy Herbert, and everybody else at Marjacq.
Thank you also to the reviewers, bloggers, and readers who have picked up my work and taken the time to say kind things about it—you’re all hugely appreciated. To the wonderful staff at The Packhorse, Briggate, and the Bower’s Tap in Leeds for putting up with me typing away in the corners. To my friends and family. And to the crime-fiction community as a whole, especially Colin Scott for keeping me sane and being ridiculously ace.
Last of all, thank you so much to Lynn and Zack. I couldn’t do any of it without you, and so this book is dedicated to you once more, with so much love.
Founded in 2017, Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers, publishes a highly curated list of twenty to twenty-five new titles a year. The list of both fiction and nonfiction is eclectic and focuses on publishing commercial and literary books and discovering and nurturing talent.
ALSO BY ALEX NORTH
The Whisper Man
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALEX NORTH is the internationally bestselling author of The Whisper Man. He lives in Leeds, England, with his wife and son, and is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. You can sign up for ebook updates here.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Part One
One
Two
Three
Four
Six
Part Two
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Part Three
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Acknowledgments
Also by Alex North
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE SHADOWS. Copyright © 2020 by Alex North. All rights reserved. For information, address Celadon Books, a Division of Macmillan Publishers, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.celadonbooks.com
Cover design by Will Staehle
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: North, Alex, 1976– author.
Title: The shadows / Alex North.
Description: First edition. | New York: Celadon Books, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020002697 | ISBN 9781250318039 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250771902 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability) | ISBN 9781250318022 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PR6113.O85 S53 2020 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020002697
eISBN 9781250318022
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First U.S. Edition: 2020
First International Edition: 2020