Moon Shadow is a debut novel by Suzie Clarke. It is a pretty good beginning for Ms. Clarke with some room to improve as an author.
The story begins in Cleveland, Ohio, but ends up being mostly in the wilderness of Alaska. Rachael has created a computer program for her company that is worth millions on the black market, and her co-worker Justin has decided to steal it. He has to get rid of Rachel first though and contracts to have her killed in Alaska on her vacation with her friends, including Claire, the woman she secretly loves. The plan almost works when the plane they are flying in crashes in the wilderness hundreds of miles off course. The four friends survive the crash with injuries, but now must figure a way out to safety.
The premise of the story is excellent. I really like adventure stories, and this part of the novel is my favorite. The story is easy to follow and flows well in this part of the tale. I connected with Rachel and liked her as a character. I had a bit of a problem connecting with Claire. Both of them had a tendency to cry way too easily and often. I understand the situation they were in, but still…
The romance part of this book is where I have the biggest problem. To put it bluntly, Rachel and Claire talk too much about how much they love each other. I wanted less flowery talk and more action.
If you like mystery and intrigue novels with a lot of action in a wilderness setting, then you might enjoy this book. I believe Ms. Clarke shows promise in her writing, and I hope she continues to improve her craft. I will be looking for future books from her.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 