Shadowed: A thriller

By Karen E. Olson

Computer hacker ‘Nicole Jones’ finds herself on the run from an unknown enemy in this tense and twisting novel of identity and suspense

The computer hacker formerly known as Nicole Jones is now living as Susan McQueen on a remote island in Quebec, Canada. She is living a quiet life, working as an artist – but she has not given up her computer. While in an online chatroom, she sees a shadow – someone is inside her laptop, watching her every move, and somehow knows exactly who she is.

Afraid that he will track her down, Susan is on the run again – but from whom? Is it the FBI or someone associated with her past crime sixteen years before? Making her way across the border and back to the USA, some unsettling discoveries make Susan realize that she won’t be able to escape her past a second time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers
• Release date: Jun 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781780107622

Karen E. Olson

Karen E. Olson is the award-winning author of the Annie Seymour and Tattoo Shop cozy mystery series. She has won the Sara Anne Freed Memorial Award, was a finalist for the Gumshoe Award, and nominated for a Shamus Award. She lives in Connecticut.

Reviews for Shadowed

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shadowed by Karen E. Olson is A Nicole Jones Mystery (I did not know it was part of a series when I requested the novel). Susan McQueen is not her real name, but it is the name she is using now. Susan lives on Ile-aux-Coudres (middle of St. Lawrence River) near Quebec, Canada. She is earning a living as an artist/painter. Susan is hiding because of her hacking (she committed a crime). She became a hacker (at the age of fourteen). Susan knows she should stay away from computers, but she cannot help herself. She goes online occasionally to check on her friends (she misses them). One night she notices that there is a “shadow” in the chat room watching her. Susan knows that her time in the idyllic cabin is over and she has to take off. Susan cannot risk getting caught. Susan is not quite sure who is after her. Is it the FBI or someone more sinister? Join Susan (who becomes Tina Adler who is really Nicole Jones) on her journey to safety in Shadowed.Shadowed has some good parts and some bad parts. I have to admit that I do not understand all the hacking terminology, how they do it (why they do it), and the bitcoins. I liked the action and trying to figure out who is after Nicole (and who can she trust). The problem is we get every little detail on her life on the run (every excruciating detail). Susan’s paranoia began to drive me nuts after a while (it was over-the-top). I started speed reading through the sections I did not like to get to the adventure (at the end). I give Shadowed 3 out of 5 stars because I liked some parts of it and disliked others (like Susan/Nicole’s thinking, wondering, worrying that goes on for pages). The author needed to cut down some of the details (and paranoia sections) to make it a more entertaining and enjoyable to read novel. The beginning of the novel (the first 1/3) is fast paced, but then it slows down considerably. I do like the reveal at the end. There was one thing I found odd. Susan/Nicole is on the run and knows she cannot stay anywhere for long, so why did she unpack her suitcase at the hotel? Does that make sense to anyone? I would have packed light and kept everything with me (or rented a locker at a bus station). I will not be reading further novels in this series. It is just not my type of series.I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own. I will always provide a forthright and unbiased evaluation.