Valley of Shadows
-Paul Buchanan
Last week I reviewed Paul Buchanan’s City of Fallen Angels. For this week’s post, I’m reviewing his sequel, Valley of Shadows, the second novel in the PI Jim Keegan series.
Published in 2021, it’s an intriguing tale about truth and deception surrounding a mur–
Hang on a second, wasn’t that what the first book was about? Well yes, but although to my mind the theme might be the same, the story is very different. Buchanan picks up a year after City of Fallen Angels ends with Jimmy and the same, familiar supporting cast inhabiting the book, but with a strange new case for his PI.
The plot is a little more complex perhaps, again intriguing, at times baffling but in a good way, and as with the first, thoroughly absorbing. I really wanted to know what was going on, untangle the twisting fibres which make up this elegant yarn. Danny Church, the character under Jimmy’s suspicion is well drawn and with just the right amount of humour added to suitably season the personality of this outlandish young fop. Danny isn’t too far off from Bertie Wooster and yet it seems there is a darkness too behind this young man’s foolish facade. In Danny, intrigue is present in spades.
The scene setting is again, extremely well-realised and I noted with pleasure a rather neat reference through the inclusion in the novel of a particular real life film actress of the period. The plot and the location of the book echo the very real tragedy of this young Hollywood celebrity through her cameo role in the story. I do love it when authors choose to include these little extra nuggets for the keen-eyed or Easter Eggs as they get called.
I noted that the partially unresolved ending to the first book wasn’t picked up and concluded in this one. City of Fallen Angels is referred back to though, in Jimmys memory of Eve. There’s a supernatural thread woven into the plot and this is extended to include Jimmy’s recurring thoughts about her.
In Valley of Shadows the story is wrapped up more fully than it was in the first book though not quite everything is conclusive (we await book three) but when the end came, at least I knew it was coming, no surprises this time. Again, the book felt short to me although it isn’t particularly. And perhaps it seemed that way for same reason as before – because it was just too damn enjoyable for me to want it to end. If the first book sparkled, then this one shone. I think Strike’s going to have to open the door now or he’ll go deaf with all Jimmy’s knocking.
About the author
Author, Paul Buchanan. Photo credit: Biola University, CA
Paul Buchanan earned a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and an MFA in fiction writing from Chapman University. He teaches and writes in the Los Angeles area.