Shadow Woman

A Novel

By: Linda Howard

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

From Linda Howard comes a thrilling and sensual new novel of romance, suspense, intrigue...and memories that can kill.

Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and makes a terrifying discovery: She doesn't recognize the face she sees in the mirror. She remembers what she looks like, but her reflection is someone else's. To add to the shock, two years seem to have disappeared from her life. Someone has gone to great and inexplicable lengths to keep those missing years hidden forever. But the past always finds a way to return.

Strange memories soon begin to surface, and, along with them, some unusual skills and talents that Lizette hasn't a clue about acquiring. Sensing that she's being monitored, Lizette suddenly knows how to search for bugs in her house and tracking devices in her car. What's more, she can elude surveillance - like a trained agent.

Enter a mysterious and seductive stranger named Xavier, who claims he wants to help - but who triggers disturbing images of an unspeakable crime of which Lizette may or may not be the perpetrator. With memories returning, she suddenly becomes a target of anonymous assassins. On the run with nowhere to hide, Lizette has no choice but to rely on Xavier, a strong and magnetic man she doesn't trust, with a powerful attraction she cannot resist. As murky waters become clear, Lizette confronts a conspiracy that is treacherous and far-reaching and a truth that, once revealed, may silence her and Xavier once and for all.

©2012 Linda Howard (P)2012 Random House Audio

Had potential, but lost steam.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I wish I hadn't wasted a credit on it. It started out fairly well, but ended up being totally unbelievable. And really did there have to be so much dreaming about sex and having sex with detail that seemed unnecessary? These people are running for there lives for goodness sake! Kind of silly, like it was thrown in to add something... it didn't work.

Has Shadow Woman turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I like a good mystery thriller.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was as well as could be expected given the content.

Was Shadow Woman worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

I found this story to be silly, and a bit immature. it rally could have been a great story.

Shadow Woman has interesting premise

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. I believe there other thrillers I would recommend above this one. The premise of erasing the protagonists identity to hide a secret is excellent and the idea that the first lady would kill the president is an interesting idea. The story fails to deliver at the end.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have shortened the sex scenes considerably and probably eliminated at least two of them. They slowed down an otherwise good story flow. I would have thought more about how the story ends.

What about Carrington MacDuffie’s performance did you like?

Carrington MacDuffie's performance was excellent.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes. It would actually make a better movie than a novel. The premise and the event stream is simple and easy to follow. It would work well to replace the difficult descriptive passages with visualization.

Slow to build story

The story was built too slowly, so I was finding myself bored. Finally about 3/4 of the way through it got good and I couldn't wait to find out how everything worked out.

"just a bad MEMORY"~ 5 STAR Linda Howard Thriller

Lizette suddenly is remembering her secret past~

Lizette is very ill and takes a day off work. What she cannot explain is why she does not know her own face. She is awere of having some very interesting hidden "talents" and is aware she is being "monitored" finding some bugs in her home and GPS in her car. She just is not sure WHY. As the cloud of her memory "clears" she is suddenly in danger. Using her HIDDEN TALENTS she flees for her life. Hot on her trail is Black Ops Xavier who has also been monitoring Lizzie and is now her protector. ** SPOILER** DO not read this unless you want to learn the plot*** Lizzie was part of an ultra secret detail of the President and first lady. When a murder happens Lizzie has her memory "erased /wiped" and is given a new life. but the MEMORY WIPE is not perminent as they planned. now someone is out to kill Lizzie to make sure all her memories "die with her". On the run and Xavier hot on her trail has Lizzie eluding both a KILLER and Xavier. This is a first rate plot right down to the killing and cover up. As well as the "memory" erase. Lizzie is one of Howards BEST heroines and Xavier is her match in every way. This one is excellent and one of the better Howard books. I give this one 5 STARS for PLOT, 5 STARS for READER ~ Carrington McDuffie is first rate and holds us following the facinating look the world of Black Ops. EXCELLENT.

Engaging Read!

Where does Shadow Woman rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is among the top of my list.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow Woman?

When the main character found out what had really happened (her memory had been erased)

Which character – as performed by Carrington MacDuffie – was your favorite?

Probably the main character: Lizzie

As good as it gets

Imaginative. Often funny. As good as the best other Linda Howard novels . Lizette has creative adventures. You will want to read this. Worth the credit.

I loved this book!!

What did you love best about Shadow Woman?

This book kept me guessing for the first half. And not being able to figure things out right away was very nice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow Woman?

The moment the romance truely started.

Any additional comments?

I will lesson to this book again it was that good, the romance is later in this book so in that way it is not a traditional romance. Very fun book.

Sick of good writers hiding behind soft porn!

What did you like best about Shadow Woman? What did you like least?

The story was ok but I couldn't finish the book because for some reason Linda Howard has been writing now for quite sometime a book on sex! I used to read her books because the story was very interesting now it seems she just throws in some kind of a story to write about sex scenes. I won't be buying anymore of her books, if I wanted to read soft porn I'd still be reading Laurell K Hamiliton!

Would you ever listen to anything by Linda Howard again?

no

Was Shadow Woman worth the listening time?

no

More than I expected!

First, the publisher's summary gives more information than I would... Be sure to read it before purchase-or not if you like to be surprised.

I always hesitate to purchase a book from an author that writes romance too. This book held my attention throughout. Once the conflicts are introduced it is easy to figure out possible resolutions, but instead of turning into a ho-hum or boring listen, it kept me entertained to the very end. There are some covert ops, some coverup, some mystery, and some romance. There is a good balance between the adrenaline fueled scenes and the recovery between.

Carrington MacDuffie's narration is appropriate for the material: tense where necessary, softer at other times.

I would purchase another Linda Howard mystery/thriller in the future.

She's back!

What made the experience of listening to Shadow Woman the most enjoyable?

This book reminds me of the Linda Howard I've loved for many years. I have to say that her last couple of books haven't been that great and I've actually hesitated to buy more. This one reaffirms my faith in Linda.

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's difficult to say. I liked the main characters.

Have you listened to any of Carrington MacDuffie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I can recall. I enjoyed this performance though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did!