Largo Winch Book 8: Shadow

Largo Winch Book 8: Shadow, by Jean Van Hamme & Phillipe Francq, Cinebook

STUCK IN gaol on trumped charges following events in Book 7: Golden Gate, Largo has to show who’s boss by getting rough with fellow inmates and making sure that when he pays protection money to secure Dwight Cochhrane will be okay and won't get roughed up that the crooked cop receiving the pay-off knows that our hero will want payback if something happens.

This is very much dear old Miss Pennywinkle’s book. The aged personal secretary helps secure Largo’s release and is pivotal in ensuring matter continue to run to plan throughout. She’s a woman of sterling character, her appearances kept minimal with enough pithy remarks for the reader to enjoy her presence, but her coming more to the forefront on occasion gives the series another dynamic.

But it’s still the same old, same old in terms of twists and turns and some quite literally exciting adventure scenes drawn by Francq. In partnership, Van Hamme’s story takes us in a linear direction whereby we presume the freed Largo and his team of close friends are going to use his money and all their previous old skills to seek their revenge on those who set him up and were able to legally outmanoeuvre him other investments in the W9 TV network. Only that’s not to be, the bad guys are one step ahead and it looks like it’s all going to end badly. But there’s a further twist, and the day is saved – You seriously didn’t expect it not to be did you?

Shadow and Golden Gate are best read one after the other, but the results are the same: a hi-octane high-power action thriller that’s a near-perfect modern escapist read.

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