Book Review: “In Their Shadows” by Briana Cole

“In Their Shadows” by Briana Cole (2023)

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Page Length: 320 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Raised to be the ultimate scam artist, April has been many women to many people. She seduces, extracts fortunes, then vanishes without a trace. And now she’s finally living her dream of having two perfect—separate—lives. That means two mad-successful identities, and two unsuspecting husbands. But a mysterious package has just arrived—and its contents threaten to expose April’s every scandalous
secret . . .

Up against a merciless, unknown adversary, April must maintain her flawless images—while revisiting her past exploits. She’ll need to step-up her tricks and utilize every conniving play she’s ever learned to save her freedom, and her life. But amid all those she’s wronged, even April’s insight and savvy can’t predict who she can trust—or who wants to end her. And the ultimate price she’ll have to pay promises anything but survival . . .

Review:

After loving Cole’s previous novel Behind Her Lives, I was eager to delve into In Their Shadows as it tells the story of April whose multiple lives start to catch up with her. When all of the secrets she has so carefully kept hidden start to be revealed she is put at a crossroads to either keep up the lies or cleanse herself by running away from it all. But doing so is easier said than done and readers watch April race against the clock as she tries to use all her tricks as a scam artist before her true self is finally exposed.

What a thrilling read from beginning to end! Reading this novel made me think of watching the mystery Lifetime movies that I know and love. I had trouble putting the novel down as I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. Cole is great at keeping the reader entertained and easily immersed in the story. She gives just enough detail to help readers start to put some of the pieces of the mystery together without spoiling too much of the plot. Just when I thought I knew what had happened, another twist would throw me off the trail of solving what happened. The heavy atmosphere of the suspense kept me intrigued and I enjoyed that the cast of characters is easily suspicious as the main character, April. You aren’t sure who to trust and April’s position as the unreliable narrator gives this thriller that extra dramatic flair.

On top of the domestic thriller setting, I love how the dual timelines are interwoven into the story as it progresses. It added to the plot and overall character development, especially for April as readers see how quick-thinking and clever she has become over the years of being a scam artist. Readers will become conflicted with her character during the story as her background is revealed and if she will choose to walk down the path of the woman who taught her everything she knows, her mother.

Cole does a great job of building up the suspense in her novels which is why I’ll continue to keep reading her stories. Highly recommend In Their Shadows for any readers looking for a gripping novel to add to their TBR list!

Final Verdict: