Friday Fiction Fix: "The Shock of Night"

The Short:

The Shock of Night

The Darkwater Saga, Book 1

By: Patrick W. Carr

5/5 Stars

What: A medieval murder investigator is granted the supernatural gift to see what’s inside people—but it comes at a price.

Recommended to those who like: Fantasy, Christian, darker stories, suspense.

The Long:

Mr. Carr has not disappointed me with a book yet! This one didn’t resonate with me in quite the same way as The Staff and the Sword series, but I would still highly recommend it to fantasy fans looking for something fresh.

Willet Dura was recently elevated to the nobility, but it’s only served to make him more enemies. Although ungifted, he has a knack for getting to the bottom of murders.

That all changes with the scream of a dying man. Now, he lives with the memories of everyone he touches. On top of it, an arcane group seeks his allegiance, various nobles are breathing out death threats, and the evil influence of the Darkwater Forest seems to be growing.

The resulting tale weaves together suspense and fantasy for an intense read.  I would recommend the book for teens and up due to violence and mention of women of ill repute.

The Christian message is loose, but well-executed in the book. It gives some interesting food for thought without being preachy.

The novel also has a prequel novella, By Divine Right, which is free in many ebook formats. Reading the novella does give you some more information on Willet and makes it easier to understand the “gifts” that are so central to the story. It might be worth the read if you're unsure of the series; however, you could easily jump into The Shock of Night first.

The Bottom Line: The Shock of Night is a suitable read for fantasy fans (teen and up) who enjoy a more suspenseful read.

Looking for more books by Patrick W. Carr? I'd highly recommend The Staff and the Sword series. The first book is A Cast of Stones. 

Which author have you most recently added to your “favorites” list?