The Shock of Night ~ Review

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga #1
By Patrick W. Carr

Darkness lurks within the Darkwater Forest.  No one who has ever entered the forest has survived it. At least that is what everyone has believed.  But Lord Willet Dura once entered the forest.  Since then he has night-walked, but only on the nights when someone has been murdered.

Having become the least noble within the court of King Lairdir after protecting the crown from treason, Willet has made an enemy of most of the court while befriending the king.

Following the brutal murder of an elderly priest and his guard Dura begins experiencing something unusual.  He begins to see the memories of those he touches.  Has he become cursed or has he been gifted with an unknown gift?

Suddenly Willet Dura is of importance to not only the king but all four orders of the church.  Could the murder of a priest and his guard be so important to warrant such notice and added danger?

Lord Willet Dura has a darkness locked up within him.  A darkness that hides the memories of his time within Darkwater.  But these memories may hold an important key - one that may save the kingdom from an encroaching evil.  For centuries this evil has been waiting - hiding in the darkness - but it is about to strike.  Can it be stopped?

The Shock of Night is the first full length book in the Darkwater Saga series.  Not unlike his previous series (The Staff and The Sword) Patrick Carr has brought to life a damaged hero - Willet Dura.  He isn't prone to baser evils but he does have issues with anger.  He doesn't easily trust anyone.  He has few true friends.  The life he wanted was lost to him because of his service during the war. And then there is his mind.

Overall I think this is excellent book.  Though the murder is solved, in no way is the mystery resolved.  I think that Willet Dura maybe in for some interesting conclusions before he or his new "friends" truly understand what is happening within the Darkwater Forest.  The loses that Willet has endured and even now faces make him a character one can empathize with.  How one faces such difficulties speak to one's inner character and strengths.  I, for one, am looking forward to book 2.

I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

Read an Excerpt click here

About the Book:
When a brutal attack leaves one man dead and a priest mortally wounded, Willet Dura, reeve to the king of Bunard, is called to investigate. As he begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close, screams in a foreign tongue—then dies.

After this strange encounter, Willet finds the clues to this crime only lead to more questions, and his senses are oddly skewed. It’s as though he can see their very thoughts. In a world divided between gifted and common, Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose even as he’s pulled into an epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world.