cover image Shadow Dragon

Shadow Dragon

Lance Horton. iUniverse, $23.95 paper (424p) ISBN 978-1-4620-0765-3

Horton easily conjures up creeps in this modern-day horror novel that will be of particular interest to fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child%E2%80%99s popular Pendergast series. Kyle Andrews works as a victim specialist for the FBI in Seattle, serving as a liaison to bereaved families and providing grief counseling. Andrews gets a chance to prove himself worthy of becoming an actual special agent when he%E2%80%99s dispatched to Montana to assist with the investigation of multiple murders. Before long, evidence emerges that the killer is a what%E2%80%94rather than a who. Despite some clich%C3%A9d elements, Horton maintains suspense, even as he cuts from the mayhem in the mountains to the mysterious activity of a government-sanctioned assassin. The novel%E2%80%99s ending may disappoint some readers, but the author%E2%80%99s imagination and effective prose serve him well throughout.