Maria’s Shadow
By D.L. Cary (indie author, April 2025)
Genre: Fiction/Thriller
Pages (print): 244
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Can a faded Polaroid and an inconspicuous thumb drive untangle a sophisticated web of deceit and corruption that spans centuries, continents, and the highest corridors of political power? And what about the shadowy organized crime ring known as the Saffron Veil, where “entrap, entangle, and extract” is the name of the game?
And the Veil is good at it.
So good, in fact, that when nineteen-year-old Maria Hernandez leaves El Salvador to pursue her dreams of Hollywood stardom, she falls prey to cut-throat coyotes – owned and operated by the Veil – who smuggle her across the border. But Maria never makes it to Tinseltown. She winds up in a California mansion, a victim of human trafficking. Pregnant, Maria escapes with a dangerous secret. She’s pursued by the powerful Senator Edward Grayson. (Kimber: This guy makes pond scum look good.)
On the run, Maria makes her way east, staying one step ahead of the ruthless Los Lobos. After giving birth to a baby boy, Mateo, Maria winds up in a diner in Matthews, North Carolina. Here she crosses paths with Detective John Jefferson. Turns out Jefferson is fighting a few demons of his own, mostly from his service in Kandahar.
When the Really Bade Dudes of Los Lobos catch up with Maria in NC, they kill her. But Mateo is saved by Jefferson. Unknown to the Bad Guys, Jefferson fakes Mateo’s death for the baby’s own safety. Jefferson brings Mateo home to his wife, Sarah. She’s recovering from her third miscarriage and gingerly agrees to care for the orphaned baby temporarily.
Uh-Oh
Meanwhile, wheels are turning in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. The Veil pulls out all the stops to retrieve the purloined thumb drive and keep its strangle hold on pretty much everyone with any kind of clout, including a SCOTUS nominee. As Detective Jefferson uncovers a web of corruption in North Carolina, his path collides with the shadowy cabal in a high-stakes battle of good vs. evil. And some Really Bad Dudes!
Cast of Characters
Besides Maria and Detective John Jefferson, the rich, robust cast of characters includes Maria’s twin, Rosa. Marcus Carver, FBI. The afore-mentioned U.S. Senator Edward Grayson, scum bug extraordinaire. And Greg Milton, “the Veil’s tech virtuoso, a “ghost-weaver” and “world-class hacker turned billionaire.” (Kimber: Not a nice guy! Mom says I can bite Milton. In fact, she said, “Please do!” Mom never says that. Just so you know what putzes this guy and his slimy senator bud are.) There’s also Yuri, a Russian navy vet who captains Milton’s sailing yacht. (One of us kept seeing Omar Shariff as Doctor Zhivago every time “Yuri” put in an appearance. Oh, wait. Different story. Sorry.)
Bring a Lunch
Speaking of stories – sort of – this one takes you from San Miguel, El Salvador to Matthews, NC to Washington D.C., the Dominican Coast, and Half Moon Bay, California. Also the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. Brownsville, Texas. From Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill, Wall Street, and beyond. So, you may want to pack a lunch.
Now. This is a good solid story in many respects. It’s relevant. It features an intricate plot and relatable characters, with a lot going on. In fact, there’s almost too much going on in this book. Echoes of Kandahar. Corruption in D.C. Super-duper tech hacking stuff. A yacht in the Caribbean captained by a Russian dude. Human trafficking. An innocent baby. The FBI. The U.S. Civil War and the Klan. “No Mine on Sacred Land.” Monsters. “Chapel Hill.” A Chinese spy.
Ouchie!
The author also has an annoying habit of saying something and beating you over the head with it. Like the reader couldn’t connect the dots of a conversation or setting for themselves? Examples include a lot of unnecessary and overly verbose similes and metaphors attached to the end of sentences. Like:
- “The migrant’s fates were a currency traded in the night; their hopes swapped for a darker yield.” (Duh. This sentence and others like it are totally unnecessary. Los Lobos are Really Bad Dudes. We get it, okay? No need to beat us over the head with it.)
- “He caught Carter up: a message from Munez with an enhanced Polaroid, followed by Munez’s death and his office and computer being swept clean, the tails keen and pressing like shards of ice.”
- “…, its shadows a shield against prying eyes.”
- “…, their act shed like a skin.”
- “His chair creaked as he leaned back, its groan a quiet defiance.” (How can a creak and a groan be “quiet”? Kimber: Askin’ for a friend.)
- And on and on and on. Awkward phrasing pops up now and then: “Now Maria’s killers stirred the same itch.” (Oh. Really? You mean like, with a spoon?)
Also, readers are rarely allowed to respond to the plot with their own emotions. The author fills everything in for you. (Kimber: You know the phrase, ‘Show, don’t tell”? Well. There’s a lot of telling in this book.) It’s also over-written in places. Like:
- Sheriff Jefferson bears “his steaming mug to a table at the reader, the weathered wooden chair groaning audibly beneath his sturdy, wide-shouldered build, its finish flaking in think, curling ribbons under his mass.” (Why not something short and sweet and to the point? Like, “The big detective sat in the back”? See how this works?)
- “The shop’s breached door yawning like a raw wound against the fog-draped front, a dire omen of the chaos within.” (You could just say, “The door was kicked in.” Hello?)
Mixed Bag
So, we found Maria’s Shadow a mixed bag. It touches on some timely topics such as human exploitation and human trafficking, handling both with great sensitivity. And No Profanity. Glory, hallelujah! And while the story takes some time to get rolling, we’re pretty invested with the main characters by chapter six or seven. We care about them. Want to know what happens to them. Most of all, we’re rooting for them.
It’d make a pretty good movie. The door is left open for a sequel. But as a book, we had mixed reactions, as noted above. We found the pacing somewhat ponderous (it picks up toward the end). The plot circuitous at times. And the story so overwritten in places, we wanted to buy stock in No Doze.
We struggled to finish this book. Never a good sign.
Pages & Paws 