4.5 stars.

When Shadows Fall is another riveting novel in J.T. Ellison's spectacular series starring forensic pathologist Dr. Samantha Owens. Unable to resist a dead man's request to investigate his murder, Sam uncovers perplexing information that leads back to a long closed kidnapping case. The subsequent investigation takes many startling twists and turns and exposes a shocking secret that someone will go to any lengths to keep hidden.

When Shadows Fall opens with Sam happily settled into her new life with ex-Army Ranger Zander Whitfield and her new career as head of the Forensic Pathology department at Georgetown University. With her classes due to begin in a few days, Sam is beginning to have a few reservations about giving up law enforcement and a surprising offer to become an FBI consultant is weighing heavily on her mind. The arrival of the letter from Timothy Savage is an unwelcome reminder of what Sam has left behind and at first she refuses to become involved with his case. But the murder of Savage's attorney piques her curiosity, and with the help of Xander and DC Detective (and close friend) Darren "Fletch" Fletcher, Sam delves a little deeper into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The trio have barely begun looking into Savage's death when a young girl is kidnapped and Fletch is a paired up with FBI agent Jordan Blake to find the missing girl. Evidence from the Savage death leads back to a similar kidnapping years earlier and it soon becomes clear that present day events are somehow linked to this previously solved kidnapping. The trail takes them back to this long ago investigation and with a young girl's life hanging in the balance, Sam, Xander and Fletch are frantically trying to fit the puzzling clues together.


When Shadows Fall is a fascinating and action filled thriller that is quite compelling. Intriguing chapters from an unknown person's point of view add a sense of urgency to an already suspense laden storyline. Flashbacks offer chilling insight into a seemingly unrelated series of murders and the divergent story arcs begin to converge into a plausible scenario that is quite chilling.

Once again, J.T. Ellison provides readers a fresh and unique mystery that is infinitely fascinating but impossible to solve. Although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend all of the novels in this incredible series.
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Semi believable but fast paced enough not to matter. ( )

Samantha Owens was one of my favorite characters when she was the coroner in Nashville, Tennessee in the Taylor Jackson series and I always thought she should have a series of her own. Even though she deals with the forensic side of the murder she doesn't seem to have the same role as she did in the Jackson series. Too much romance takes it away from the "thriller" category and puts her series more in the "romance" department. Still a well done, intriguing read. ( )

From Amazon's Book Description:
Dear Dr. Owens,
If you are reading this letter, I am dead and I would be most grateful if you could solve my murder… Forensic pathologist Dr. Samantha Owens thought life was finally returning to normal after she suffered a terrible personal loss. Settling into her new job at Georgetown University, the illusion is shattered when she receives a disturbing letter from a dead man imploring her to solve his murder. There's only one catch. Timothy Savage's death was so obviously the suicide of a demented individual that the case has been closed.

When Sam learns Savage left a will requesting she autopsy his body, she feels compelled to look into the case. Sam's own postmortem discovers clear signs that Savage was indeed murdered. And she finds DNA from a kidnapped child whose remains were recovered years earlier. The investigation takes Sam into the shadows of a twenty-year-old mystery that must be solved to determine what really happened to Timothy Savage. Nothing about the case makes sense but it is clear someone is unwilling to let anyone, especially Samantha Owens, discover the truth.

My Thoughts:
I had read J.T. Ellison's Taylor Jackson series for years and loved them. When Taylor's friend and Nashville Medical Examiner, Samantha Owens, moves on and begins her own series, I thought "No way will these be as good". Was I ever wrong. This is the third book in the Samantha Owens series and each book has seen Samantha grow and develop. She has a new position at Georgetown medical School, she is seriously thinking about what she wants from her relationship with Xander Whitfield, her friend John Baldwin is settling in as her friend...it seems all is better in Samantha's world. Best of all, Sam's future may well include her going back to working the homicide cases that she was so good at. I believe this series will only get better and better with each new book. 5 solid stars for an excellent read. ( )

Received this book as a Historical Fiction contest through Bookreporter.com. Not sure how it ended up in Historical Fiction it is most definitely a mystery thriller.


Great edge of your seat thriller that is perfectly paced with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The mystery opens with a letter from a dead man to Samantha Owens asking her to solve his murder that has been ruled a suicide by the locals. If that is not enough lets stir in a kidnapped child an old cold cased of a kidnapped child found dead that may actually not be dead and for good measure a creepy religious cult and serial killer.

Now I need to go back and read Ellison's other books in the series.
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