Jack “Grim Reaper” Chambers lost his platoon in the Hurtgen Forest during WW II. What really happened there is a mystery that has haunted Jack for over sixty years, and as he comes to the end of his life, he wants the truth to be known.

Incapacitated by bad health, Jack entrusts his grandson, Sean, with the task of letting the few people Jack trusts with discovering the facts, and Sean must contend with a small number who want the truth to stay buried. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but I will say this is like a cross between Call of Duty and Resident Evil; a full throttle good time helluva read. My favorite book I’ve read in ’08. Of course this isn’t Jane Austen-Oprah’s Choice-high literature. There’s nothing wrong with literary fiction, or high-brow, high-art fare–I like those too. I like anything that entertains me. Shadows In the Mist more than delivers. 

The majority of the story is set in the fighting of World War II, and the bookend story of Sean could be jettisoned, leaving the prime rib meat and potatoes of the rest of the tale, but there is something touching and poignant in the scenes between Sean and his Grandpa Jack, and the aftermath of the truth finding light (a little corny at times, but not much). Brian Moreland has an excellent sense of pacing, setting, and action and suspense; this being his debut, I only pray he doesn’t hit a sophomore slump. If you are looking for a real page-turner, don’t miss it. By all means, read it.

My score: 5 out of 5
the_novacula