Shadows in the Mind's Eye - by Janyre Tromp (Paperback)

About the Book

"Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on-responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who's come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam's experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand-but that everyone is learning to fear. Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn't the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts? Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she's terrified he's going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam's mental wounds-or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?"--

Book Synopsis

"Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing--all the elements that keep the pages turning."
--Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials
"A riveting read and . . . a first class suspense thriller."
--The Midwest Book Review

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on--responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who's come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam's experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand--but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn't the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she's terrified he's going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam's mental wounds--or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

"With twists and turns as unexpected as an Arkansas thunderstorm, Tromp brilliantly explores the things war can change and the important things it can't." --LYNNE GENTRY, USA Today best-selling author of Lethal Outbreak

Review Quotes

"A riveting read [that] will have a special appeal to readers with an interest in PTSD--the invisible wounds that the horrors of war inflict. A first class suspense thriller."-- "The Midwest Book Review" (8/20/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"Shadows in the Mind's Eye is an intense, beautifully written novel about secrets and sacrifice. A story about poignant trauma and truth potent enough to heal a broken family. A fabulous debut!"--Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of The Winter Rose and Catching the Wind (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"A hair-raising, mind-bending psychological thriller, Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp deftly explores a marriage torn asunder by war. Is a marriage worth fighting for when you cannot see the people your husband is fighting, or when you even become the one he is fighting? Tromp's nuanced empathy elevates this story to another level and blurs the line between villain and hero, causing readers to ponder the lengths they would go to protect themselves, even against the ones they love."--Jolina Petersheim, bestselling author of How the Light Gets In (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"An achingly poignant tale of rediscovering love and trust between wounded hearts. Love, forgiveness, and danger weave together in Tromp's emotional tale where the greatest of battles are fought in the mind. Beautiful in description with complex characters, readers will not forget this emotional journey."--J'nell Ciesielski, best-selling author of The Socialite (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Oh my! What a story! Shadows in the Mind's Eye is a stunner of a debut novel. Sam and Annie's love is beautifully rendered, Sam's combat fatigue (what we now call PTSD) is compassionately portrayed, and Janyre Tromp's writing effortlessly captures the Southern voice. And the last half of the book is one dangerous, breathtaking twist after another, as Sam's worst nightmares come to pass. A compelling look at a town struggling to find its soul and a wounded couple struggling to reclaim their love. Not to be missed."--Sarah Sundin, ECPA best-selling and award-winning author of Until Leaves Fall in Paris (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Readers will enjoy this emotional exploration of a soldier's journey as he returns home to his family's farm after fighting a war in the Pacific. This story examines not only the traumatic impact on his own psyche but on the lives of all who love him most. With alternating points of view, Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing--all the elements that keep the pages turning."--Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Perennials (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Stunning and compelling, Janyre Tromp's Shadows in the Mind's Eye kept me turning pages. With a cast of true-to-life characters, pitch-perfect narrative, and a plot that will keep the reader wondering what is true (and what is imagined), this novel is not to be missed. Intense and full of heart, Tromp delivers a fresh voice in the world of fiction."--Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and the Pearl Spence Series (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Tromp's debut novel is the perfect blend of historical fiction and psychological thriller. Shadows in the Mind's Eye hooked me early on and kept me enthralled until the very end. A story of war, of heartache, of love and healing, this novel will appeal to a broad swath of readers. Tromp is a new author to watch!"--Kelli Stuart, award-winning author of The Fabulous Freaks of Monsieur Beaumont (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"With pitch-perfect dialect, lyrical prose, and homespun wisdom, Tromp delivers a slow boiling mystery that dares to ask the deepest questions about faith, love, suffering, evil, and hope."--Elizabeth Musser, award-winning author of The Promised Land (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"With twists and turns as unexpected as an Arkansas thunderstorm, Tromp brilliantly explores the things war can change and the important things it can't."--Lynne Gentry, USA Today best-selling author of Lethal Outbreak (11/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)