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Sally Spencer
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DEATH’S DARK SHADOW an absolutely gripping crime mystery full of twists (Detective Monika Paniatowski Mysteries Book 7) Kindle Edition

by SALLY SPENCER (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 833 ratings
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A final bombshell will leave readers shocked . . . Spencer at her very best!” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Ends with twists and turns no one will see coming.” Kirkus

A victim without a name. A killer without a motive. A detective facing her darkest hour.

When divers pull a body from the waters of a murky canal, everyone looks to Detective Monika for answers.

Who is the dead woman?

Her head’s been caved in. Her pockets emptied. Her limbs weighted down with bricks.

She’s not just been dumped. She’s been sunk.

But no one in town even knows the victim’s name. Who would go to the trouble?

Monika is determined to find out. But when she uncovers a link between the dead woman and her own daughter, there’s a disturbing new twist in the trail.

With her family in danger, can Monika stop the ruthless killer before they strike again?

Discover a brilliantly twisty mystery series set in the 1970s — when it was tough to be a woman in a man’s world.

Fans of Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, Jodie Lawrance, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay will devour this thrilling crime series.

WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT THE MONIKA PANIAKOWSKI MYSTERIES:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A tour de force readers won’t quickly forget.” Kirkus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Compelling, entertaining and cleverly plotted . . . a must-read.” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A terrific mystery — tense and with all the clues there once you figure out how to assemble them.” Lynn, Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Spencer delivers another first-rate whodunnit.” Kirkus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Hugely entertaining!” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A witty protagonist and a likeable supporting cast” Publisher’s Weekly

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The plot twisted and turned, and kept me wanting more!” Margaret B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of the best police procedurals around. Spencer proves again that she is in league with Peter Turnbull and Lynda La Plante.” Library Journal

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Monika carries the torch nobly as Spencer’s franchise keeps its edge.” Kirkus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Belongs in the same league with Rebus, Resnick, Harpur and Iles, Morse et al.” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Heartbreaking and heart-wrenching, this is Spencer at her best.” Library Journal

THE DETECTIVE
DCI Monika Paniatowski is smart, ambitious and damaged. Her sergeant started a rumour she landed her post by sleeping her way to the top. But the truth is Monika — a Polish immigrant with a long and traumatic backstory — has had to work twice as hard as any of the resentful male colleagues currently betting against her. Will her flawless instincts be enough to win them round?

THE SETTING
Whitebridge was once a thriving Northern mill town — with canals crisscrossing through it — where everyone looked to the mills for employment and business opportunities. In the 1970s, it is a place in decline, where the social fabric is ripping apart.

DCI MONIKA PANIATOWSKI MYSTERIES
Book 1: THE DEAD HAND OF HISTORY
Book 2: THE RING OF DEATH
Book 3: ECHOES OF THE DEAD
Book 4: BACKLASH
Book 5: LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
Book 6: A WALK WITH THE DEAD
Book 7: DEATH’S DARK SHADOW
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  1. Print length
    292 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    February 28, 2022
  4. File size
    1.1 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

Meet Monika Paniatowski, an ambitious new DCI with everything to prove — and everything to lose

Fans of Ashes to Ashes, Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, Jodie Lawrance, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay will devour this thrilling retro crime series.

THE DEAD HAND OF HISTORY
THE RING OF DEATH
ECHOES OF THE DEAD
BACKLASH
LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
A WALK WITH THE DEAD
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Customer Reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,501
4.4 out of 5 stars 932
4.4 out of 5 stars 931
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,001
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,463
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,316
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Despite DCI Monika Paniatowski being a more than worthy successor to DCI “Cloggin’ It” Charlie Woodend when he retires, fans of the likable curmudgeon will be delighted that Charlie makes an encore appearance in Spencer’s latest. When two Spanish nationals are murdered in Whitebridge, Monika and her team are faced with an investigation that is as challenging as it is frustrating. All leads seem to point to a motive buried in the turmoil of Spain just after Generalissimo Franco’s death. And so who better to help than Charlie Woodend, who has retired to the Spanish Costa Blanca and set up his own detective agency. The plot shows just how ruthless Franco was and what horrors his regime perpetrated—horrors that have echoed down through the years and resulted in the Whitebridge murder case Monika is trying to solve. With Charlie’s help and the support of her talented team, Monika cracks the case and even has a chance to see Charlie once more when he visits Whitebridge post-case. A final bombshell will leave readers shocked in this brutal, dark, gripping, and sometimes touching tale that is Spencer at her very best. A must-read. --Emily Melton

Review

"A quietly compelling story for those intrigued by war crimes and the resulting fallout. Spencer’s admirable Paniatowski character has spun off strongly from the popular DCI Woodend series." ― Library Journal

“Spencer’s well-executed seventh Monika Paniatowski mystery” ― Publishers Weekly

“What looks like an open-and-shut case ends with twists nobody will see coming in Spencer’s most in-your-face outing for Monika yet.” ― Kirkus Reviews

"Dark, gripping. . .Spencer at her very best. A must-read" ― Booklist Starred Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TPWFLNT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books crime thriller, mystery and suspense (February 28, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 28, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 833 ratings

About the author

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Sally Spencer

Sally Spencer

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Sally Spencer is a pen name, first adopted when the author (actually called Alan Rustage) was writing sagas and it was almost obligatory that a woman's name appeared on the cover (other authors like Emma Blair and Mary Jane Staples are also men). However, Alan uses James Garcia Woods as his pen name for the mysteries set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War.

Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. In 1978-79 he was working in Iran and witnessed the fall of the Shah. He got used to having rifles - and, one occasion, a rocket launcher - pointed at him by both soldiers and revolutionaries, but he was never entirely comfortable with it.

He lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and still considers it the most interesting and exciting city he has ever visited, but for the last few years he has opted for a quieter life in the seaside town of Calpe, on the Costa Blanca.

His first series of books were historical sagas set in Cheshire (where he grew up) and London. They were very popular with his English readers, but his American readers find the dialect something of a strain.

He has written twenty books featuring DCI Woodend (a character based partly on a furniture dealer he used to play dominoes with) and thirteen (so far!) about Woodend's protegé Monika Paniatowski. His DI Blackstone books are set in Victorian/Edwardian London, New York and Russia, and the DI Ruiz books have as their backdrop the Spanish Civil War.

Alan is a competitive games player who likes bridge and pub quizzes. It is only by enforcing iron discipline that he doesn't play video games all the time.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
833 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Monika Paniatowski takes vacation with her adopted daughter to Spain to visit friends and her daughter's family. Upon returning she gets involved in a murder case which leads back to Spain. I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀😡🏡
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spain
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This series takes place in the 1970s when Franco was alive and dictator. And the murders to be solved were a follow up to the Spanish Civil War. So interesting twists and turns.
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  • RJPetyo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Death's Dark Shadow
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2014
    The latest Monika Paniatowski mystery opens with Monika and her adopted daughter Louisa discussing a trip to Spain to look up some of Louisa’s relatives, who live near where Charlie Woodend, Monika’s former boss, has moved in his retirement. There he has hooked up with a former policeman and formed a two man detective agency. Ms. Spencer shows Charlie and Paco at work.

    When Monika returns from the trip she learns of a group of boys who were playing on a frozen lake. One of the boys fell through the ice, and when he was rescued, he reported that there was a body in the water. Monika and her team begin their investigation by first trying to determine the identity of the dead woman. The investigation twists and turns, eventually involving Charlie Woodend and events from Monika’s recent trip to Spain.

    Sally Spencer’s procedurals, set in England in the 70s, are superb. All her sharply drawn characters, Monika, Charlie, her investigating team of Colin Beresford, Kate Meadows, and detective Crane are there. These characters live and breathe and change, but the character development never interferes with the plot. Even the walk-ons who only appear for a scene— like the boys who discover the body— are sparkling. I also enjoyed the historical touches involving the death of Genral Franco in Spain.

    I have yet to be disappointed by one of Ms. Spencer’s novels. This one constantly kept me off balance as the investigation shifted directions, eventually leading to a surprising, but perfectly logical, inevitable conclusion. Another terrific mystery novel.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twists and Turns
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Having read the series 1 through 7, this one was a page turner after 1 chapter. I can't say why without possibly giving something away. So suffice to say, enjoy the ride
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  • Jennifer L. Packwood
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love DCI Paniatowski and her team
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Love DCI Paniatowski and her team. Wonderful British mystery that was tricky to solve....and a great visit from Charlie Woodend!
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  • javamonster
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I don’t know what was wrong with this book. It didn’t feel like a finished manuscript. The romance was juvenile and made no sense. There was a long, mostly unnecessary scene with a diplomat and a soldier. It’s the worst written of the entire series so far — including the Inspector Woodend series, which are overall, better than this second series.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Eager Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars REALLY ENJOYED SPENCER'S SPAIN SERIES; LOVED THIS BOOK!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2017
    I can hardly believe only a couple of readers have evaluated this intriguing little mystery novel, which takes place alternately in England and Spain. A true confession: I most often read fluff in the form of cozy mysteries. Spencer's books do not fall into that category. Yet as a Spanish teacher (now retired) and someone with a several-decade-long history of stays in Spain, I have developed a bizarre fascination for the Spanish Civil War. Sally Spencer, or whatever his or her name really is, writes well, creates an attention-holding plot, and gives an authentic sense of what it must have been like to live during the political turmoil at the end of the Republic, through that grim 1936-1939 war era, and beyond during the Franco years.

    Prior to reading "Death's Dark Shadow," I read 5 other books by this author. I must recommend that readers do the same. "A Murder of No Consequence," which I may yet review separately, provides a superb look at life under the crumbling Republic, introducing detective, Paco Ruiz, who is the central character in this and two other Civil War mysteries, "The General's Dog" and "The Fifth Column." I heartily recommend this trilogy! The author then uses Paco Ruiz as a smaller character in spinoff mystery series, using both Ruiz and Spain to varying degrees in "The Butcher Beyond," "Echoes of the Dead." and my clear favorite of these later three, "Death's Dark Shadow."

    My first trip to Spain was in fact during the dictatorship, summer of 1970. As a very young woman traveling alone, I had the best of fortune to form friendships in Spain then and thereafter that would last a lifetime, but I still find this author includes details that are entirely new to me, and which I verified on line to be sure they were not fictionalized elements. Particularly fascinating is Spencer's information about the changing role of women under the Republic and then during the Franco dictatorship. Supplemental knowledge was provided me at the same time when reading "The Poet's Wife," by a different author, another book I would also strongly recommend.

    I am really impressed with the author's style, story-telling, and profundity. His/her writing is substantial. It would be difficult not to care about the characters that come to life in these novels, including Paco Ruiz, Charlie Woodend, Monica Paniatowski, and others surrounding them. One caveat regarding "Death's Dark Shadow:" It's ending provides both sadness and uncertainty. If you're looking for happily-ever-after, this might not be the book for you, yet it is so worth reading.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars Get you you hooked them boom!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is not really a review of this book. More of this series. I enjoyed them until now. Then this was lackluster. Then I go to buy the next book....the next six books are not included in Kindle unlimited. They think now you have read half the books you will be willing to pay 6 plus dollars per book. Sorry, no
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • G.W.Moore.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant Sally Spencer book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As the headings says this is a brilliant book to read. It takes you takes you stage by stage through the story and you feel as you are there trying to work out you did what,but you only get to know at the end of the book. Brilliant .
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  • Kay Hutton
    5.0 out of 5 stars The 7 Detective Monika Paniatowski books by Sally Spencer
    Reviewed in Australia on May 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Very much enjoyed these books and getting to know the characters.
    Some I have enjoyed more than others but they have all kept me guessing.
    Feel like I have lost a good friend now with the end of the series.
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  • Ted from Oz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Go Sal
    Reviewed in Australia on May 12, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    It's not unusual to be very involved in reading Sal's books. As usual it was fast paced with many unexpected twists and turns. I got involved
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  • Audrey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Superb writing as ever. I just soak up Sally Spencer books!
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  • Peter W.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not my style of writing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    When you have read through volumes of Larsson, Horowitz and Mankell, even Christie, this read is comparatively simplistic in style. (S)he is a very popular author, so it is just a matter of taste. I didn't finish it.
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