Play of Shadows

Dr. Evan Wilding, Book 3

By: Barbara Nickless

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

An ancient creature of Greek mythology drives a killer’s unspeakable motives in a pulse-pounding thriller by the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Dark of Night.

On a stormy Chicago night, renowned semiotician Dr. Evan Wilding and his brother, River, who’s back from an archaeological dig, reunite in a mystery. A package addressed to both of them contains a hand-drawn maze, an ancient Cretan coin, and a cryptic greeting: Let the game begin.

The opening move is murder.

In a downtown alley, a man has been found nearly cleaved in two, a symbol drawn on his forehead and a savage rip in his throat. Given the clues, Evan sees a parallel to a fearsome Greek myth. Which means his friend Detective Addie Bisset is on the trail of a legendary flesh-eating monster—one terrifyingly human and tumbling a panicked city toward chaos.

Evan, Addie, and River scramble to discover who’s behind the appalling crimes and decipher the baffling motives. The body count is rising. The endgame is nowhere in sight. And the stakes are nothing less than life and death.

©2023 Barbara Nickless (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A brisk and clever whodunit with chills and verve.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Barbara Nickless hits the ball out of the park on this one….This is the third in the series but can be easily read as a standalone.”—Midwest Book Review

“Play of Shadows is an artful mystery, heavily researched…and one that combines a contemporary serial killer with a complex of ancient myths and symbols.”—The Denver Post

Mythology and Family

This is book 3 in the Evan Wilding trilogy. Dr. Evan Wilding has a new case involving Greek mythology that is both fascinating and deadly with a clever and dangerous opponent. Fortunately, he has his archaeologist brother River, aide Diana and famed detective Addie Bissette to aid him. This book had a great psychological puzzler in the mythology. I love the focus on family in this book. Both the villain and our hero have complex family dynamics. Evan has learned to deal with his dwarfism and his normal size brother River is a great comfort. Their father is another matter and this is explored moreso than the other books. River finds a romance with Diana and Evan finally comes to terms with his love for detective Addie Bissett. This was my favorite part of the book, Addie and Evan finally talking about their relationship. The ending was different and wonderful. I hope their will be more in the series. Tim Campbell does a stellar job on narration as he did with the other books in the series. This would make a great Netflix series.

Not Again

Fantastic narration.
Pretty fair story.
And…yet again another author unable to resist having the woman peace officer lose control of her gun. Is there a club and that’s the password?

timeless reading

this is a history check in the mind of the subconscious world. Dr. Evans is my hero and I can relate to being the different guy in the room. the bonds he formed will last forever.

A Fitting End

This final installment in the series provides a fitting end for both our hero and our villain. The addition of Evan’s brother and father brings it all together.

Book 3, Best so far

So many good things to say about this story. The puzzle our heros were challeged with is truly entertaining. I am not big on romance if it is the main theme, but the subtle side story of romance with these characters is welcome. Finally, getting to know a little more of Evan's family background is enticing. Great series, wonderful cast of characters, and a good mystery!