Story cover for The Third Shadow by bigimp
The Third Shadow
  • WpView
    Reads 16,364
  • WpVote
    Votes 2,666
  • WpPart
    Parts 47
  • WpHistory
    Time 6h 39m
  • WpView
    Reads 16,364
  • WpVote
    Votes 2,666
  • WpPart
    Parts 47
  • WpHistory
    Time 6h 39m
Complete, First published Nov 03, 2019
Sometimes the truth is just too terrible to ever be guessed...

Readers' comments: 'Excellent story', 'gripping page-turner', 'marvellous read',  'great writing', 'simply remarkable', 'a fabulously emotional ride', 'wow', 'what a great book!', 'had me engaged right to the  end'

Wattys award-winning author (The Painted Altar, literary fiction 2020)

When two British brothers are reported missing whilst on holiday in southern Italy, the local carabinieri turn to retired detective Jim Jacks for help. Still pained by a recent divorce, he has started a new life for himself as a small-scale wine producer. Along with commander Nuzzo, he will slowly unravel a mystery which is even darker than it had first seemed...

Genre: murder mystery
Length: 75,000 words (300 novel pages)
Target audience: adult, fans of crime fiction, anyone who likes mysteries full of twists and which are populated by three-dimensional characters


Extract:

I stayed there at the holiday bungalow with Sarah and Olivia for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Would return again the following morning.

An analyst would no doubt conclude that my actions weren't entirely selfless; that as a lonely old divorcee I found a nostalgic comfort in female company. And yes, this might have been part of it. But there was a very practical reason too for my more or less continued presence in the house. I just didn't want to leave them to themselves I suppose, was afraid of what might happen. 

Yes, the thing I remember most about that forty-eight hour period is the silence. There was something brooding to it. Something ominous, almost delicate, like if it cracked you feared it would explode. An edgy, precarious silence stretching on and on, minute after minute, hour after hour...


About the author: I'm a 47-year-old English teacher who has lived in Italy for the last 15 years. I have two other novels on the site, The Painted Altar and Kill Who You Want
All Rights Reserved
Sign up to add The Third Shadow to your library and receive updates
or
#37missing
Content Guidelines
You may also like
Sweet molly Dearest holly (WILL UNDERGO REVISION) by ESJ1004
31 parts Complete
***NOW FEATURED*** *Now featured in Wattpad's @fright profile for "Chills & Thrills" Stories /HIGHEST RANK: #25 IN HORROR/ _________________________________________ This story is purely fictional. Names, places and events from this story is all the author's idea and part of imagination. Characters/names/places/events/other stories or works/tv shows/movies/ that have similarity to this story is PURE COINCIDENCE. Images seen in this story are either from the author himself or was taken from google. Any part of this story is part of the author's imagination. Any form of plagiarizing shall not be tolerated and will be reported immediately. PLAGIARISM is a CRIME ^_^ © all rights reserved _________________________________________ "Innocence is only a mask. The inner you is the real you." Two years had passed since Sylvia Savana had escaped from that ordeal. Filled with grief, guilt, and fear; she tries hard to forget about it; but her worst nightmare keeps coming back from the grave. Lost in a pandemonium-like maze, discover Sylvia's terrible experience that had driven her into trauma. Discover how she has to face something beyond terrifying. Learn how she slowly unravels the mystery behind the grisly murders around her. See how she tries to escape from someone as pernicious as her twin siblings; Holly and Molly Savana. Two similar complexion filled with impeccability, but one is only a mask that tries to hide wickedness. Who did the murder? Evil may have two faces, but only one has pure terror living inside of it; shrouded in pure innocent disguise. ********** © to vibrantlysassy for making such an awesome cover! _________________________________________
𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞𝐬 by rosecinc
40 parts Complete Mature
"𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈'𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭." ~ Marriage was never for love-it was for legacy. A strategy. A performance. And for the Lombardis and the Morettis, it was the most calculated, showstopping alliance of the century. Roman Moretti, Don of the La Cosa Nostra, and Angeline Lombardi, only daughter of the French-Italian Mafia Capo, had been betrothed since her birth --matched to unite two empires under one crown. Hidden from the world, Angeline was raised to be the perfect wife. Groomed. Silenced. Controlled. She learned early that one misstep would strip her of everything-including her name. Everyone's first mistake? They underestimated her. Though no one had ever seen her, the world assumed the Lombardi Princess was a polished doll. Quiet. Disposable. Roman saw the marriage as a formality-another calculated step toward total dominance. He had no plans to love her. No plans to live with her. Just a wife on paper, tucked away from him elsewhere, summoned when needed for appearances. But everything changed the moment he saw her walking down the aisle. She was perfection. Untouchable. She would be his ruin, his weakness, his obsession, his motivation. His everything. But what if that had been her plan all along? Not everything buried stays dead. Not every identity is what it seems. In a world where saints become monsters and monsters are worshipped like gods, Angeline must decide what's worth saving: her bloodline, her love, or herself. ~ -HEA -18+ -Romance/mystery/thriller -No Cheating/OWD -DARK ROMANCE "OMYGOSH. This book was immaculate. I could NOT put it down at all. Every chapter was AMAZING, the writing is shakespears work and each chapter made me laugh, smile, cry so much and this whole thing was a rollercoaster of emotions." -@Sunfloweraate8
G&T Based by SmarticleParticle
123 parts Complete
Meet Kyle and Kate, two 15 year old students who have a gift for thinking fast, quick, and smart. Oh, and meet the other 18 kids in their class. Some call them genius, some call them annoying. PART 1 The year starts off bad enough, that is, with earthquakes and snowstorms. And finally, when things starts to clear up, the first murder occurs. Right in front of their eyes. It seemed obvious who did it, but as the murderer wrote her confession, a completely different murder occurs across town. Shocked, the police rush over to gather the evidence and clues, but before they even assemble their evidence, the police are led to another death. One by one, deaths occur around town, faster than the police can count. There's not much in common with all of the murders, only the fact that all of the victims come from one class. In the course on one year, the class of 18 shrinks drastically. PART 2 As summer vacation begins, the remains of the class split. Five students tell their stories of meeting new people, near death experiences, and funny incidences. PART 3 More than what meets the eye happened in the course of the summer. The class comes back to a new year, utterly shocked to find that 4 new students have joined their class. Everything starts out alright, but people are getting frantic. The government sent in spies to watch the class for suspicious behavior, two of them students themselves. Two other students are hired to try to figure things out on their own. What nobody realizes however, is what's important. As the year goes on, some of the students realize: -A secret passageway may not be limited to only the house. -The school has a basement -Falling down a flight of stairs can save lives A supposedly dead student wakes up from a coma, people start realizing things, all leading to the final, seemingly unimportant clue, that closed the gap from arresting the wrong person, to finding the real murderer.
Here's a Bottle of Whine by Phantom-Cafe
2 parts Ongoing Mature
🎭☕️ On the streets of New York City, an urban legend is hidden in the dark alleys of "Toppille Hill Town". Haunted after being left and abandoned by residents who could afford to leave. The discovery of bodies mutilated, maimed and decorated on and under streets of anybody who broke the rules of a little known place called "Drupp'O Wine". Over a century, this legend was covered up by landlords, two priests, and the owner of the wine shop. The customers are in love with the decor of mosaic style glass pieces hanging from the ceiling. A metal orb in the middle of the broken bottles horror began when a man was found dead in an abandoned wine cellar. Soon after, hauntings occurred late nights with rippling sounds of moaning. Anguish. Vengeance. through the air. "The Whining Clown" became popularized that less and less people cared to know his name, even during his musical performance. His lively dropped like an anchor. Rules known among regulars. People with their heart set on this shop for clarity. A group of people who get lost in the wine shop get lost. reluctantly come to meet again at a Wine Bar called "Crystal Drop" by an invite from (Kay-Lee) Kaelina B. Lopez. Everyone else keeps in contact with her with no animosity. Derrich C. Fischer, Raquel M. Bathorme, (Uriel) Ureildo C. Douglass & Nicoli M. De Angelo sit at a reserved table. However, there discussion came to a close by an anonymous gift. A wine bottle served to them with a note. There seems to be tension in the air after seeing a name on this bone-white handkerchief with blue wavey-lines. Who is the name being summoned among this crew? An Uninvited guest seems popular over here, at "Topille Hill Town". "Come on in. Eat and drink your fill. After you pay the bill, leave a glass cup filled with wine with a piece of grapefruit not to sin. No, nope. Nope. You must wine. You'll only have 39. Eyes Blank after Nine.
Killing Is Thrilling  by duncanchurch97
47 parts Complete Mature
'The night was alive with silence. I moved through it like a shadow, black leather gloves tight on my hands, boots soft against the grass. My gas mask hid my face, leaving only darkness where my eyes should be. The world narrowed to a single point: the house ahead. Tonight, it would belong to me. The farmhouse rose stark and white beneath the moonlight, silent except for the occasional grunt of a pig or the low hum of a cow. They were unaware. They were insignificant. I crouched behind the hedge, eyes scanning, senses alert. Every detail mattered: the flicker of light across the curtains, the faint rustle of movement inside, the way a shadow shifted across the floor. She was there. Oblivious. Popcorn in hand, murmuring to herself as the television flickered. Every motion was a note in tonight's symphony, and I was the conductor. I studied her, cataloging. Timing. Patterns. Fear. She didn't notice me yet, and that was perfect. Patience was everything. One sound, one misstep, and it could all unravel. I rang the doorbell once. Silence. Again. Still nothing. She flinched slightly, just enough to make my pulse quicken. Her small reaction was delicious. A sudden movement in the yard caught my eye-a neighbor's dog barking at some unseen intruder. Its voice was loud, startling, but contained. I froze. My breath slowed. Patience. Observation. The dog's curiosity would pass. I remained still, hidden in shadow, letting the moment stretch. The animal lost interest and padded away. Perfect. I moved to the back of the house, hammer in hand.' ...
You may also like
Slide 1 of 10
that august night - c.l. cover
Sweet molly Dearest holly (WILL UNDERGO REVISION) cover
The Little Matchstick Girl cover
𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞𝐬 cover
Prudence cover
G&T Based cover
𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖊𝖈𝖐 (𝖂𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖞𝖘 2025)   cover
During The Vacation | ✔ cover
Here's a Bottle of Whine cover
Killing Is Thrilling  cover

that august night - c.l.

55 parts Complete Mature

Trusting in something new is always going to be a hard expirience. No matter how scary or beautiful it would be, we have to let go and trust in ourselves that we'll enjoy in it if its good or get ourselves out of misery if it turns out to be bad. -- Elena Neville, becomes what she always wanted to be. Detective for murders/homocides. Although the job isn't flowers and rainbows, she never had troubles getting over murder scenes . But other people think otherwise and it represents a problem. One of those people is Charles Leclerc, who drunkly stumbles upon her and falls in love almost on first sight. Love is scary and so they thought. It becomes a problem once their jobs step in, and she drowns herself in a murder that takes place through book, and he focuses on his career. -- Wow, this is some big description, but I hope you have fun through book as there is a murder case to solve. I want you to enjoy in the romance between two main characters and murder case on the side. And plus english isn't my first language, so sorry for any mistakes. Please watch out for: mature content, alcohol, violence, murder, disturbing moments, trauma expiriences and etc.