A Shadow From The Past felt to me like a romantic fantasy novel for guys. What guy hasn't been in love with a girl who just wanted to be friends? What teenage nerd didn't fantasize about learning Karate and becoming a secret agent and then turning the tables on the old schoolyard bullies? What guy hasn't wished he was a crime-fighting superhero who gets the girl in the end? I know I have.

All of these scenarios sound like wild fantasy at first glance. Somehow Rook has managed to take all of these wild boyhood fantasies and blend them into a compelling, and amazingly believable, Story.

The hero of the story is Randy Curtis. As a boy his self confidence was so bad that it prevented him from having any kind of a normal social life. He has a crush on Jamie, but his poor self confidence keeps him from telling her. It even keeps him from serving a mission. When he is 18, he leaves his hometown myseriously.

Ten years later, Randy's mother is murdered and he comes back to town for the funeral. But Randy has been very busy while he was away. Now he has some new skills that make for some fun reading. When Randy starts trying to get to the bottom of his mother's death, he inadvertantly becomes a vigilante who stalks the streets at night.

Smelling a good story, Jamie, who is now a newswoman, builds the vigilante into a superhero and calls him The Shadowman in the newspaper. Now Randy has a hard time keeping his night life a secret as he tries to start a romantic relationship with the girl he has always wanted, and who has no idea that he is the Shadowman. Add to this the drama of his childhood bully being a deputy now.

There is nothing fully original in this story, but it is increadibly fun to read. It was all very visual and exciting. Rook's attention to detail and realism is what makes the fantastic story so utterly believable. Reading it almost felt like watching a movie. I've read it twice.

Rich Racer