Shadows of Doubt by Mell Corcoran

Shadows of Doubt by Mell Corcoran
Humans sit comfortably at the summit of the food chain; rarely does any other animal get the advantage. But other people? Now there’s something to fear. In Mell Corcoran’s thrilling crime novel debut, Shadows of Doubt, women are being hunted, tortured, killed and their assailant leaves the same clue on each of them but it has no scientific explanation. Detective Lou Donovan must figure out this killer’s signature because he’s escalating and no one knows where he will strike next.
When the first victim appears in Shadows of Doubt, neither Lou nor her partner wants the case but it’s dropped in their laps. As soon as they make some progress, however, the case is taken from them and the explanation is weak at best. Lou won’t let go and tries to work below the radar but she’s foiled at every turn. It’s as if someone is watching her and knows her every move.
Shadows of Doubt is an exciting ride. It has everything a good crime book needs: a fiery detective with a blood hound’s sense, dark figures with dark pasts, twists, turns, and action. And then there’s the tall, gorgeous man. Lou and this mysterious stranger keep crossing paths and his presence disarms her. What she doesn’t know is that her effect on him is the same and therein lies the rub. If he can’t think straight, Lou will die.

 

Born Tallulah Louella Donovan, the petite homicide detective went strictly by “Lou” to anyone other than her mother or uncle. Those others who preferred keeping all their teeth securely in their mouths called her “Lou”. Though Lou would never be mistaken for a fashion model, she was a far cry from plain. Rich auburn hair,

It was an older section of town that the city had tried to revitalize by emulating the Melrose Avenue boutique feel. Unfortunately, the city kept the rehab to face value and the backsides of the shops were in worse than sad shape. Jury-rigged power lines buzzed audibly as they twisted from one main pole that

Detective Vincenzo DeLuca was a formidable looking man. His thick, shoe-black hair was mercilessly slicked back as usual, but the silver at his temples seemed more prominent today. His aquiline features screamed of his Roman heritage. In fact, Lou had once asked her step-father why he had a marble bust of Vinny in his study

They came upon the throng of officials and observed that the crime scene tape had been anchored to folding plastic barricades that blocked off both road and tracks to the hillside then down to the tunnel itself. There were at least fifty people there, but only coroner jackets were behind the tape. Lou caught raised

Hailing from Savannah, Georgia, and looking every bit the part of the Southern belle, Deputy Coroner Caroline Devereaux had been born and bred from the elite of blue-blood stock and very very old money. Much to her parent’s chagrin, the fivefoot, ten-inch, platinum blond, violet eyed beauty seriously upset family tradition by becoming a doctor

He moved toward her slowly, taking delight in the desperate flare of her nostrils as she struggled for air. Smiling softly, he stood over her and continued to observe the panic washing over his little fly caught in his web.

My Review:
This was an extremely good mystery. I was unable to put it down. I also really enjoyed the caracters. Lou was great as the main character. She definitely knows how to solve crimes, and is not a timid detective. The story line was also very easy to follow, and there were a couple times I was surprised. The Paranormal twist to this book was just one of the ways that I was surprised. I have read horror stories for years, and none of them made me flinch like this murderer did. There was also so much to this book that it is hard to review without giving something away. As the bodies pile up the book definitely gets more intense and I definitely felt like I was on a roller coaster ride of thrills.
This book had a fantastic mystery, a great romance (that proves true love is meant to be, no matter how long it takes you), and a scary killer. When one of their own is abducted, all bets are off and secrets will come out. Friendships will be broken.  What if big brother is watching, however big brother is made up of paranormal beings that can control the channels of law enforcement, rather than big brother being the authorities?
I am giving this book a 5/5 because I loved it. There is nothing bad I can say, except that I did not want it to end. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own. This author is definitely one to keep an eye on.