Serial killer novel Killing the Shadows being adapted by Phil Hawkins

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

London-based producer/director Phil Hawkins (THE BUTTERFLY TATTOO) is lining up an adaptation of KILLING THE SHADOWS, an intriguing twist on the serial killer genre that sees a ruthless murderer targeting crime novelists.

Here’s the book’s full synopsis:

A killer is on the loose, blurring the line between fact and fiction. His prey – the writers of crime novels who have turned psychological profilers into the heroes of the nineties. But this killer is like no other. His bloodlust shatters all the conventional wisdom surrounding the motives and mechanics of how serial killers operate. And for one woman, the desperate hunt to uncover his identity becomes a matter of life and death.

Professor Fiona Cameron is an academic psychologist who uses computer technology to help police forces track serial offenders. She used to help the Met, but vowed never to work for them again after they went against her advice and badly screwed up an investigation as a consequence. Still smarting from the experience, she’s working a case in Toledo when her lover, thriller writer Kit Martin, tells her a fellow crime novelist has been murdered. It’s not her case, but Fiona can’t help taking an interest. Which is just as well, because before too long the killer strikes again. And again. And Fiona is caught up in a race against time, not only to save a life, but to bring herself redemption, both personal and professional.

The book is being adapted by Aiden Magrath; the goal is to turn KILLING THE SHADOWS into either a television drama or a feature film – remains to be seen which. Once casting starts to come together on this one, we’ll give you the scoop!