Shifting Shadows

An Adam Alba Mystery

When Adam Alba leaves the small Oklahoma town of Ur for Broken Arrow, he’s determined to start over—a quieter life, free from chaos and regret. His new bartending job at the Creekstone Hotel promises stability and peace. But during his second week, that fragile calm shatters when he discovers the body of a regular customer behind the dumpsters.
Candy wasn’t just another lounge patron. She was a fellow traveler on the difficult road to sobriety—careful, kind, and fighting her own demons. Her murder forces Adam to confront his past, and the darkness that’s haunted him since the accident that destroyed his wrestling career, and the shadow feeling that tells him he’s never truly alone.
As police investigate, Adam becomes entangled in a gripping web of secrets and small-town deceit. His unlikely allies include Stevie Tramonto, a sharp-witted, intuitive woman with a fierce sense of justice; Elvin Flemming, an ex-con turned Bible student trying to rebuild his life; and Detective Harjo, a tenacious investigator who suspects Adam knows more than he’s saying. Together, they expose a hidden network of addiction, exploitation, and quiet desperation that links Broken Arrow’s living to its dead.
When the trail of clues begins to circle back toward Adam’s own past, he must face his deepest fears—and the possibility that the shadow following him isn’t just in his mind.
Taut, atmospheric, and steeped in psychological suspense, Shifting Shadows continues Joseph Onesta’s acclaimed Adam Alba Mystery Series (Following Long Shadows). Blending the emotion of a redemption thriller with the intrigue of a gritty detective mystery, Onesta delivers a moving and unforgettable story about recovery, connection, and the haunting power of secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, Tana French, and Dennis Lehane, Shifting Shadows is a small-town mystery rich with heart, tension, and humanity—a story that lingers long after the final page.