Three explosions have left London in the grip of terror. Worse yet, the perpetrator behind all three appears to be supernatural in nature. Meanwhile, DI Cass Jones has been relegated to the role of pariah in the station after the events of A MATTER OF BLOOD but an apparent rash of suicides has captivated his attention. He's far more interested in the suicides than Special Branch's request for his assistance with the terrorism... that is, until the mysterious Mr. Bright makes him an offer he can't refuse.

THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL is the second book in a trilogy. I would highly suggest reading the first book, A MATTER OF BLOOD, prior to THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL in order to get a true feel for the world Sarah Pinborough has created. The complexity of the world would make it very tough to jump into the second book and truly understand the scope of The Bank's grasp as well as the diabolical machinations by characters such as Castor Bright.

THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL is not an easy read but it is a captivating one. The undertones of the futuristic version of London are very dark but it is the storyline behind Mr. Bright and his cohorts that is even darker in nature. Quite honestly, I'm still not sure I grasped everything in THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL but since there are threads left hanging for the third book in the trilogy, I'm optimistic that the pieces will all fit at that point.

THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL is a tale where there are no true good guys. The bleakness of the world is a bit overpowering at first but Sarah Pinborough does a great job at showing the reader that a certain kind of honor can still exist, even in the darkest of days. Cass is no hero; in fact, he's an anti-hero... and yet I couldn't help but cheer him on, even as I moaned over some of his decisions (snorting cocaine for one!). I'm looking forward to the third book as I definitely want to see how Sarah Pinborough ties all of these threads together!

Book Summary

The author of the “diabolically clever”* A Matter of Blood returns with another gritty supernatural thriller featuring hard-boiled homicide detective Cass Jones…

A devastating terrorist attack has crippled London. To find a perpetrator who is more than human, Special Branch turns to Detective Inspector Cass Jones.

Cass is already investigating a series of student suicides, but saying no to Special Branch isn’t an option—even when he’s hit with a much more personal and deeply disturbing mystery: a message left for him by his murdered brother revealing that Cass’s nephew was stolen at birth.