"A truly wonderful blast of witty and gritty crime fiction from one of the very best, investigate when murder is not a murder alongside the ridiculously talented and original DS Miller. "
I will admit to clapping my hands with glee when the third in the Detective Miller series landed in my lap. If you are a regular then know you are in for a treat as this receives a huge thumbs up from me, if it’s your first time then start at the beginning with The Last Dance so you can fully appreciate each in order (all three are LoveReading Star Books).
In The Shadow Step, an innocent man confesses to murder and sets into motion a series of unfortunate events. Award-winning and bestselling author Mark Billingham is a master of his craft, not only does he write the most fascinating of tales with incredibly well put together plots, his characters crackle with energy, he wields humour and wit with precision, and while the crimes are dark and gritty he also carries compassion.
DS Declan Miller has already waltzed in to become one of my favourite characters of all time, other characters will find him exceedingly brilliant or equally irritating, and he is more than capable of being both at the same time. His wife was murdered but still pays him a visit, he’s back at work, has carried on dancing, adores his pet rats, and looks out for his streetwise step-daughter.
The other characters aren’t in danger of fading into the background, each carries weight and join this dance of words with conviction. The setting of Blackpool stands its ground against the wonder of DS Miller, and the gangland criminals, even those with questionable interior design tastes, are just fabulous.
So, if you want crime with a difference but love a police procedural, think characters are everything but still want the twisty turns of a cracking plot, and feel a need to touch the edge of darkness but adore a demon wit, then two step this way. A Liz Pick of the Month, The Shadow Step is a blast of wonderfully original crime fiction from one of the very best.
The new Detective Miller thriller from bestselling author Mark Billingham, full of tension, wit and incredible twists.The Shadow Step: One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow')Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronized elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with one another. It does not normally end with someone stone-dead in a lake.DS Declan Miller is a magnet for strange cases, but how can he catch a killer when the man confessing to the crime is clearly innocent? Things rapidly escalate when the murder that isn't really a murder at all attracts the unwanted attention of a drugs Queenpin, a deranged ex-squaddie and a lovesick gangland enforcer. Then a student is kidnapped...Throw in a wobbly dog, a pair of ceramic leopards and the distracting smell from a local biscuit factory, and - if he wants to save a young man's life - Miller has little choice but to waltz all the way into the shadows.
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win a Pair of Tickets to Agatha Christie’s The Hollow at a Venue of Your Choice.
Closing date: 15/10/2026
The new Detective Miller thriller from bestselling author Mark Billingham, full of tension, wit and incredible twists.The Shadow Step: One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow')Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronized elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with one another.
The Shadow Step features in the following genres: Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Crime and Mystery, Thriller and Suspense, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Crime and Mystery, Thriller and Suspense, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Sense of place
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
The Shadow Step was written by Mark Billingham and published by Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown
The Shadow Step has 400 pages
Yes it is part of Detective Miller series
