Review: Shadow of Death by Heather Graham

Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: MIRA
Publication Date: April 2023 

You can cut off the head of the snake, but another will emerge.

When two hikers go missing within a series of daunting caves outside of Denver, Colorado, FDLE special agent Amy Larson and her partner, FBI special agent Hunter Forrest, have good reason to suspect foul play. The pair of hikers are only the latest to vanish after a rash of disappearances that’s left local law enforcement stumped. But in searching the dank caverns near the Arkansas River, the agents aren’t prepared for the horror they uncover: a muddy pit littered with corpses. Covered in bite marks. Made by human teeth.

When a tiny toy horse is found on the scene, Amy and Hunter recognize the calling card. They’ll have to move quickly before the already sizable body count can grow. Their investigation soon draws them down the rabbit hole of a dangerous cult with a sinister mandate—one that involves human sacrifices. Anything to further their twisted cause. But when more people go missing, it becomes clear the cult’s reach extends beyond state lines, leading Amy and Hunter deep into the Florida Everglades to set a perilous trap, one that stands to risk everything they hold dear, including their lives.

Shadow of Death is the third book in the Amy Larson and Hunter Forrest FBI series.  This one picks up fairly soon after the second book.   When a pair of hikers go missing, the search is on.  One of them is found in a cave barely alive.  It also happens to be the scene of a mass body dumping site.  When another toy horse is found at the scene, Amy and Hunter know the killer they have been hunting is involved.

I'll be honest, I didn't really enjoy this one.  I found it unfocused with too many characters to keep straight.  I had a hard time keeping engaged with the audiobook and had to re-listen to parts a few times because I kept zoning out.  I found the story repetitive.  The romance boring.  The whole cult story line was weird and I'm still not sure how it fits into the serial killer arc.  The story also just kind of ended abruptly. The other thing that made this book really drag for me were the history lessons.  I know this author likes to add in history of the featured areas into her stories, but they just felt like info dumps here.  I didn't need to know any of the information for the story to really be enjoyable.  I would have preferred they not be included.  Despite this one being kind of "meh". I will finish out the quartet with the next book.