The Man Trapped by Shadows

Rooker Lindström Thriller, Book 2

By: Pete Zacharias

Narrated by: A. T. Chandler

A journalist. A serial killer. An invitation to the dark side. The risks are beyond imagining in the heart-racing sequel to The Man Burned by Winter.

Rooker Lindström is a reluctant consultant for the Minnesota PD. He can provide a window into evil. His horrifying past gives him the edge. When the body of a woman—missing for eight years—is pulled from the lake, evil comes knocking again. This time with a note meant just for Rooker: Won’t you come out and play?

A request from the police. A dare from a killer. And now a plea from a distraught mother whose daughter has suddenly vanished too. If only Rooker could say no. Instead, partnered with Millie Langston, his friend turned private investigator, he’s compelled to find a connection between the missing and the dead. It’s drawing them into the dark web, conspiracy theories, and an unsolved mystery reaching back thirty years.

The deeper into the investigation Rooker and Millie go, the more exposed they are to a dormant serial killer whose motives—and next moves—are unlike anything Rooker has ever encountered.

©2023 Pete Zacharias (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“What might feel strained in lesser hands is given plausible life by Zacharias’s well-developed characters and tense atmospherics. Readers will be glued to the edges of their seats.”—Publishers Weekly

“Grisly, overheated, and sensational...”—Kirkus Reviews

The narrator was perfect for this excellent book. You really need to read these books (this series), in order.

This author has a refreshingly different style than the popular books I've been reading. I really enjoyed it.

Pretty Gritty and Gory

The story flowed well but the ending was confusing to me, and an obvious lead-in for the next book. Narration was excellent.

Well woven plot threads, but gratuitous torture

Lindstrom is the perfect tortured anti hero. I find myself rooting for him, even when he's doing stupid stuff. I look forward to the next installment.

Two aspects I do, however, find tiresome. One is the overused "you shoulda called for backup!" trope. The author does it a lot. Too much in fact. I'm rolling my eyes when it happens yet again. And again.

The other issue is more problematic. There's a wallowing in gratuitous explicit torture scenes. I mean, it's one thing to get that thrill of having the villain being soooo depraved and terrifying, but can't you be more creative about it than being so overly descriptive about the torture? I see other authors doing that (looking at you, Koontz!), and I don't like it. It feels like incel fantasies, and adds to the society's treating women like things.

So get back to great story telling and dial down the sick stuff!

Next one please

Loved it and I’m ready for the next one. Going back to find the previous books that led to this story.

Victory…and loss…

Rooker Lindstrom just wants to be left alone…but a sadistic killer is kidnapping and murdering young women. Rooker and his friend-former cop-Millie, well at Millie’s urging, have opened a PI business. Their first client is the mother of a missing woman. As Rooker and Millie investigate, they uncover a killer who has been at it for decades. A clever killer who will stop only if Rooker can find him. The ending was sad…and also a teaser. Looking forward to the next book.