The fourth instalment in James Swallow’s Marc Dane series of contemporary thrillers, Shadow offers up another powerfully topical slice of high-stakes drama packed full of action, excitement, great characters and credible threats. When a bio-scientist and her family are kidnapped in Singapore, Dane and partner Lucy Keyes are sent to investigate, and it quickly becomes clear that there’s more to her work – for the Rubicon Group, no less – than it first appears. Meanwhile the escape of a right-wing extremist from Belgian police custody, and growing unease within the power structure of Rubicon itself, means their mission becomes more dangerous by the minute.
Swallow has clearly hit on a satisfying, entertaining formula with this series, and as you’d imagine this book keeps reasonably close to what’s gone before in order to maintain consistency and tap into what’s made the series so much fun so far. It has all the hallmarks of a classic thriller, with a gripping sense of pace and globe-trotting excitement and an engaging writing style that keeps the pages turning, but it also has a plot that feels relatable and (sometimes worryingly) relevant to what’s going on in the world today. Questions of division versus inclusivity, and the ethics of how Rubicon and its people operate, mean that for all the breathless excitement on offer it also hits pretty close to home. As the question of public, corporate and international accountability is becoming increasingly important in everyday life, it’s interesting to see that explored in the context of a thriller.
There’s something satisfying about how the wider series is slowly developing as each book progresses, in terms of Dane’s (and to a slightly lesser extent Lucy’s) character, the dynamic within Rubicon, and the overarching plot involving the Combine – this isn’t just a series of loosely-connected standalone adventures, but rather a gradually-expanding metaplot. Where Ghost broadened things out a little to spend more time with the rest of the Rubicon gang, this time around things are focused mostly on Dane and Lucy and their partnership. After the traumatic betrayal in the previous book there’s a little extra tension between the two of them, and we’re starting to see a little more of the implications of the choices they make. For Dane in particular, as we see more of what’s really driving him it’s beginning to become clear where that might lead him if he’s not careful.
It’s entirely possible to read this and enjoy it on a purely surface level – the pace, excitement and danger, the technology and the exotic locations, they all add up to everything you want from a switch-your-brain-off adventure thriller. If you’ve followed the series so far, however, it’s nicely rewarding to see a modern action-hero character like Dane slowly developing and feeling increasingly human, instead of remaining fixed in place like so many others. You feel that Swallow knows what he’s doing with this series, ticking all the boxes you’d expect while simultaneously introducing themes that stretch the thriller mould just a little and maintain a unique approach that sets it apart a little from the baseline of the genre. After four hugely enjoyable instalments, it shows no signs of slowing down or losing its impact and Swallow continues to impress.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for the advance copy of Shadow, in exchange for this review.
Check out my reviews of the other books in the Marc Dane series.
