The Man Trapped by Shadows (Rooker Lindström Thriller) Paperback – July 11, 2023

I read the first one in this series a year ago with a friend for our book club, so we were both excited to embark on this second one a year later!!! The second book did not disappoint at all. I actually felt that this book took off quicker then the first one, since the characters were already established. I loved the focus on a new character that we didn’t get to explore in the first one, she ended up being my favorite!!! Rooker is such a great character and someone that you always want to root for!!! He has been through more then anyone should ever have to go through, but at the end of the day is always there to help others. I loved that the killer was revealed halfway through the book this time, because it made it that more intriguing. The way that the author is able to get into the mind of the serial killer is haunting and fascinating. The ending definitely left me with questions and eager to pick up book 3 next summer!!!!Highly recommend!!!!

It took a bit for this to hit the sweet spot. Somewhere in the middle it got really interesting and I couldn’t put it down. All in all it was a great sequel and I’m looking forward to the series finale in August.

Rooker almost seems to have been born dark and disturbed. His father Gunner, was a serial killer, who enjoyed cutting the heads off his female victims. Gunner was also a brutal father, so Rooker grew up with a terrible legacy. He is not a serial killer, but seems to have developed or inherited a somewhat unique gift, which enables him to understand the minds of killers like his father. The police enlist him to find people who detectives are unable to track down. In the course of investigations, there is always a point where law enforcement suspects that Rooker himself is really the one behind the crimes. So he has a double task - finding fiends and making sure he himself does not take the blame for what they have done. There are two of these books so far. They are somewhat dark and disturbing, but intriguing. Very interesting reads.Fred Dimond

While perseverance through Sisyphean labors makes a hero, this protagonist’s slog is quite painful to witness, with emotional blow after emotional blow pummeling heart and soul.Not sure what the author’s point might be, but willing to try one more book in this series.

In the last 48 hours I've read both of the Roller Lindstrom books. The Man Trapped by Shadows is just as good as its predeccessor. The body count is high, the action unrelentingand the plot interesting as hell. The murders cover a 30+ year period. Could they all.be by the same perpetrator? Seems unlikely. But the same Grand Rapids, Minnesota police force and the extra contributer Rooker Lindstrom are involved. There are no wasted scenes. Everything moves the plot along at breakneck speed. A great villain who is truly creepy. All in all a great fast read.

Wow. This is how you write a 5-star mystery thriller you can’t put down. Strong, slightly broken but likable characters you can get emotionally invested in. Fast moving multi-layered plot with surprising twists and turns. Nonstop action.The author has a way of subtly adding a scene that not only helps put the pieces together, but exposes the empathy and humanity of the protagonists. He is also willing to take a risk in actions that could be unpopular, but will hopefully change the dynamics of the series going forward in a new and exciting way.This was my first read in the Rooker Lindström series. I really enjoyed this complicated character with so many facets to his personality.I look forward to the next novel in the series, and in the mean time will skip back to Book 1. I highly recommend.

The excitement does not let up. Rooker Lindstrom is a great character with a sad upbringing making you feel for him then root for him. He is not your typical protagonist that has no flaws and can do no wrong; Rooker has many flaws that makes him all the more believable. The author's descriptive sentences are well written and kept me wanting more. Two I absolutely loved: 1- "He plucked one of the hushed conversations like a feather from the air." 2- "Judgment is made only by the living. The dead no longer care what we do." Well done!

Rooker had so much death in his life, but he helped the police find a serial killer … well he killed him. Now another has invited him to come out and play. Can he do this, will more die, can he handle the flashbacks and headaches to help?

I'm really enjoying this series and hope there will be more. Vanessa Roberts

I never reviewed the first book, in spite of how well it was written.. Was it a one off? Not. At. All. The story, which threads through both books, is intriguing and beguiling. Not only is this book absurdly well written but the thread of the story itself is incredibly well worked through with characters that embed themselves into your being. I am still stunned by the ending of this latest offering. I am always way more impressed by the way the literary offering is conveyed by the reader - to me this book is brilliant - but the story itself is fast paced and exciting.. The characters are so raw and insightful, so identifiable almost.. Wow.. Cannot wait for the next one to surface..

"The Man Trapped by Shadows" is the second in what might well become a series of Rooker Lindström thrillers by relatively new author, Pete Zacharias. In fact, the first in the series, The Man Burned By Winter was his debut novel. Lindström is a reluctant consultant to the Minnesota Police Department but since the end of the story in the first of the series, he has joined forces with an ex-cop and IT whiz, Millie Langston to form a private detective agency. In this story, the body of a woman missing for eight years is pulled from a lake and with it a note that reads: “Won’t you come out and play?” The taunting note is clearly meant for Lindström. Soon another woman goes missing, her distraught mother pleading for help. Lindström sets out to find a link between the missing women and the dead, and at the same time, he needs to watch his own back or he too, will become a victim.Pete Zacharias continues the theme of the first novel in the series – dark, Kafkaesque scenes, graphic detail, blood and gore. As with his debut work, "The Man Trapped By Shadows" is not for the faint hearted. His characters are well developed and there are familiar faces from the first novel. Lindström himself is a complex character some will warm to, some won’t but whatever the reader makes of him, he is painted by the author in technicolour, with no sign of monochrome. Millie doesn’t have her partner’s complexity but she provides a balance to the dynamic sleuthing duo. As for the villain, be prepared for a dark, menacing, deranged creature who’d probably not be out of place in an asylum for the criminally insane. The story twists and turns its way to the surprising dénouement with some frantic page-turning along the way.

This is the second instalment in the Rooker Lindström series. A continuing tale that runs smoothly on from the previous book.Thoroughly enjoyable book which is fast paced and easy to read. No major changes in the serial killer world but due to its pace, makes the reader fully aware of the storyline without hidden surprises.

The second of Zacharias’s books and it was as good a read as the first one. Well developed characters and a back story built in. One of the main characters was killed off and I am disappointed about the death of her. Be interesting to see where the next novel goes.