Shadow Detective is a 3-book set starring Mike Raven, an occult expert who fights supernatural monsters. This has become a popular sub genre in the last few years with books ranging from highly successful Dresden series to an assortment of schlock. I’d put Shadow Detective slightly above the middle.
I read these books on vacation about a month ago and had to re-open to recall what they were about, not the mark of a compelling series. The novels are reasonably well-written, with decent dialogue that advances the characters and the action, and the plots move fast.
Unfortunately the plot of the first novel in the set, Cursed City, is weak and ridiculous. Celeste claims to be the victim of her father’s lust for power, that he bargained her soul to the devil when she was a baby. In reality she is working with her father. I have never understood how anyone, once they know beyond a shadow of doubt that hell exists, could possibly want anything to do with demons.
The second and third books are better, where Mike Raven fights a vampire who has gained demonic powers.
Author Massa does some modest character development on the three main heroes, Mike, his mentor Skulick and Jane Archer whom Mike loves.
Overall this is a readable series if you enjoy this type of monster/demon/vampire/magic conflict. Personally I find the novels where the conflict is between us humans and supernatural monsters are less enjoyable and have weaker characters than those where the primary conflict is between people, with a few supernaturals thrown in. It’s just harder to make the villains anything but blackest evil when they are demons and the most believable stories allow villains to have some redeeming qualities.
3 Stars
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