Julianna Saint, or the Devil's Shadow as she is known in law enforcement circles, has been eluding authorities around the world for years and Cole intends to be the one to catch her - until he finds he must catch himself before he is head-over-heels in love with her. Complicating matters, Saint's booking agent books her to do more jobs while in Chicago, one that involves the Vatican and one that may just be the catalyst to send Larry Cole's professional life and personal life out of control.

Written in the style of an old-fashioned private eye novel, The Devil's Shadow provides international intrigue and exotic characters, as well as more believable local characters. Larry Cole, while an old-fashioned policeman in a modern world, relies too much on conjecture and gut feelings rather than police work. Cole might work better as a private eye, which would leave him more room for unorthodox techniques.

The atmosphere is steely-gray and the setting in the future adds to this feeling, even though it is a short time in the future. The plot is very complex and for awhile, it looks as if it too will spin out of control, but is all tied up at the end, with a few clever twists thrown in. The Devil’s Shadow is a fast-paced read that will hold readers' interest especially those who favor a grittier mystery.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry