Newspaper Article

Life's but a walking shadow

Reviewed by Neil Khor Jin Keong Note: TITLE: THE SHADOW MAN. AUTHOR: John Katzenbach. PUBLISHER: (Warner Books, 529 pages).

1996

Overview

THE Shadow Man is riveting, simply because it is easy to identify with. The urban reality that dominates our existence is John Katzenbach's most powerful weapon. The terror of vandalism, intrusion, and the inescapable fact that we are all prisoners in our own homes are effectively exploited. No one in the novel realizes this more than Simon Winter. Retired from the police force, Winter, like his surname suggests, exists in a cold, isolated world. He attempts suicide but a knock on the door by another terrified senior citizen diverts his attention. He decides to die another day. With The Shadow Man, Katzenbach gives death a name, a personality and a face. Der Schattenmann, as he is known in German, is a Jewish \"catcher\" during the Second World War. According to Frieda Kroner, a survivor, \"... if he saw you, then you died. If you heard his voice, then you died. If he touched you, then you died ...\"

• Publisher: The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad