THE SHADOWKILLER

Matthew Scott Hansen
Simon & Schuster
Thriller
ISBN-10: 0743294734
ISBN-13: 9780743294737


You probably are familiar with Matthew Scott Hansen in at least some capacity. He is a former screenwriter, among other occupations, and has co-written three topical nonfiction works in the current events/popular culture field. THE SHADOWKILLER is his first of what hopefully will be a long list of fictional titles. Hansen, to put it succinctly, has the right stuff.

At its heart, THE SHADOWKILLER is the story of a Bigfoot creature running dangerously but cleverly amok in upstate Washington. The creature has a reason --- Hansen keeps it deliberately but wonderfully vague --- and is out for revenge. The author could have just told a horrific story about this angry, terrifying, incredibly strong and quick legendary beast who is prowling around kicking butt (and eating it. Yes, eating. Did I forget to mention that?), taking names (well, not exactly, but it has rudimentary psychic powers, too) and just generally scaring the heck out of readers. And Hansen does that, make no mistake about it. He wisely lets his audience know, almost from the beginning, what is causing the mysterious disappearances of a logger, some hikers, a champion biker, and just plain folks from the environs of rural Snohomish County.

Hansen does not scrimp on the descriptions either, and as a result THE SHADOWKILLER is not the type of novel you'll want to read over a 12-inch meatball sub. He also has brought a number of great, memorable characters along for the ride --- some you will recognize, others you won't. One is Ty Greenwood, a former software king who earned the "former" in that title when he encountered a Bigfoot creature and became obsessed with it, even while no one believed him. Another is Ben Campbell, a venerable character actor whose heritage and early encounter with a Bigfoot creature provides him with an important and fateful link with what is about to occur.

There is Mac Schneider, a county sheriff who realizes and accepts the truth about the dangerous creature, a mindset at odds with his superiors, who prefer that a more conventional explanation of the series of sudden and mysterious disappearances of the citizenry be found. And there is Kris Walker, a television news reporter who provides Schneider --- and a number of others --- with a lust interest, proving that, should Hansen tire of writing thrillers, he easily could make a living penning erotica.

Surprises abound as THE SHADOWKILLER thunders to an explosive ending. It is great, gory and erotic fun, with a tinge of irony and a subtle hint of morality thrown in for good measure. I loved every page of it!

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub