What do readers think of Beneath the Shadows by Sara Foster? Write your own review.

Beneath the Shadows grabbed my interest from the start. It is easy to sympathize with the main character, Grace. The mystery and intrigue develops in a small community on the North Yorkshire moors. The plot is not predictable, and it is an enjoyable read. I only wish that some of the supporting characters had been fleshed out in more depth. We get to know the heroine, Grace, quite well, but the others barely make it to the surface.

I've struggled with writing this review because I liked the story, I really did. I didn't figure out the ending which is always a good thing when it comes to mysteries. The setting proved to be a character in itself; that's a plus in my book. But the narrative lacked a sophistication I've come to expect in a British mystery. I'm sure experience is the key to improving this. Conversation seemed a little simplified and didn't flow in a way that felt normal or expected. The plot headed in the right direction but sometimes seemed filled with gaps--a little more exploration into personalities and details would have enhanced the read. Still, the basic premise was intriguing and I wanted to finish the book, so I lean on the positive side of a 3 for this debut novel.

I was excited about getting to review this book - it sounded very interesting. The book grabbed me from the beginning, making me want to continue reading to find out hat happened. The author was great at bringing the characters to life. I just thought that it started to drag a little bit toward the end, and then all of a sudden, the twist was there and then the book ended.
Overall, it was a decent book and I'd be interested to read another book by this author.

The setting is the moors, a village hamlet and a young widow who has mysteriously lost her husband and found their baby abandoned on the doorstep of their home. The elements are there for a good mystery with the typical quirky neighbors one might find in a small English town. The story builds to a climax just pages before the book ends and we learn the truth of the husband's disappearance.
For me mysteries or mysteries/thrillers fall into two categories. One type has so many twists and turns that you are not sure that the writer will ever get to the truth; the second slowly unwinds and the pieces of the puzzle start to fit. I think that "Beneath the Shadows" falls into the later. I felt the book grabbed my attention in the last 50 pages or so.
There may be the inevitable comparison to Wuthering Heights or Rebecca and there are certainly elements of the story which remind me of both of those books. I don't feel the story captivated me like either of those books do.
For me it falls into the category of a quick easy read that perhaps needed more depth to the characters?

I read this book to the end but I had several interruptions in my personal life so it was hard to get back into it.. It didn't completely hold my interest and I got confused with the many characters involved.

This books was described as a gothic thriller. I didn't find it thrilling and the only thing gothic about it was that it takes place in a remote village. The author was obviously trying to make the story suspenseful, but for me it was flat. Only the very end had any excitement to it at all.