This book is dominated by a complex plot, pivoting around the independent but interlocking actions of three men, each of whom uses violence, mostly against women, to defend things that they see as central to their sense of self.

It also pushes the relationship between the Priest and the Sherrif beyond any pretence of being platonic.

If this hadn't been the fourth book in the series, I might have set it aside after the first chapter.

It opens with a woman awakening alone and finding herself bound and with no knowledge of where she is or how she got there. It was scenes like that that led to me abandoning "Criminal Minds". It's too close to turning horror into either banality or voyeurism.

The book righted itself quickly, coming back to characters and a writing style that I recognised but it left me wondering if this was going to be another book looking at the bad things that men do to women in a way that revels a little too much in the power the violence gives to the men.

I should have had more faith in Julia Spencer-Fleming. She delivered a book which is about men who commit acts of violence against women and sometimes men, but the focus isn't on the violence but on the process by which these men convince themselves that what they are doing is, if not right, then necessary, especially if they can get away with it. I found myself being impressed by the way each of the men, with different perceived threats, different hopes and different social situations trod, independently, the same path to violence, or, as the title has it, to darkness and to death.

The plot that interlocks the stories of these three men is intricate. The linkages are complex and clever, The reveals kept me guessing and cranked up the tension with the actions of each man amplifying the damage done by the others.

In the midst of all of this, we have Claire and Russ, the Priest and the Sheriff, bringing humanity to the story and preventing it from degrading into a clever but mechanical thriller. Seeing people through Claire's eyes or Russ' eyes makes them more real. It allows us to see them as more than plot devices.

The book also moves forward the story arc of the unlooked-for but inescapable attraction between Claire and the very married Russ. I thought this part of the story was very well done. Clichés and moral judgements were both avoided. Instead, we were shown too fundamentally good people who want something that they can't have without becoming different people than the ones they want to be. It seems clear that Claire and Russ have reached a point where they will have to make a decision. I think it shows how well this was written that I found myself unable to say what should happen next and was only certain that they can't stay as they are.

I'll be back for book five and hoping that Claire and Russ find a path and that the next plot is a little less violent.

I’m making slow progress with this. It seems like a clever plot but two things keep getting in my way: the whole women as targets for abduction or violent attack, while authentic enough, leaves me disappointed; the relationship between the priest and the sherif has reached a point where any path chosen is pain filled.

Maybe it’s not a good fit for a Christmas read?

Door 13 Advent

Book: Read... the 4th book in a series

If this wasn't the fourth book in the series, I might have set it aside after the first chapter.

It opens with a woman awakening alone and finding herself bound and with no knowledge of where she is or how she got there. It was scenes like that that led to me abandoning "Criminal Minds". It's too close to turning horror into either banality or voyeurism.

The book righted itself quickly, coming back to characters and a writing style that I recognise. I hoping this one won't become yet another look at the bad things men do to women books that has a subtext of wrong but compelling tha t find repulsive.

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

The Immortal Guardians have been fighting for the safety of humanity for thousands of years. Seth is their leader, the stern disciplinarian, the mother hen, the worrier – he is the heart and soul of the Immortal Guardians. But he’s not like the other Immortal Guardians. He’s one of the Others and one of his former brethren is targeting him through his beloved Guardians. Gershom has lost his damn mind if he thinks Seth is just going to stand by and let him hurt and kill humans, gifted ones, and Immortal Guardians. Oh, hell no!

When Leah Somerson walks into his life, for the first time in several millennia Seth is torn in his duty. He must protect everyone, but he’s so lonely. Dare he allow himself to explore a relationship when Armageddon is about to break loose? As the other Guardians cotton onto Seth’s attraction to Leah, he may not have a choice. For the first time ever, they are plotting against him. But don’t worry, it’s really for him. Hell, if it were a Facebook relationship status it would say “It’s complicated.”

This series continues to sit in my Top Ten Favorite Series List. I sound like a broken record when I write my review for each story that comes out. I love it. I love them all. But Seth’s story…man, oh, man. Dianne Duvall outdid herself with this one. First of all, it’s massive. And Seth deserves every single page. Besides, there is a lot going on! Then there’s the characters. They step off the page. Almost literally. Strong women, strong men, a wonderful mix of paranormal elements, action, hot yummy steaminess, tension, laughter, and a whole gamut of emotions. I care for each and every character. Except the villains, of course. I started plowing through this book the day I received it, staying up way, way, way past my bedtime. I didn’t have a chance to finish it in one sitting, but I finished the next day. I even went back a few chapters to reread since I was so tired the night before I was afraid I may have missed something. I was so embedded and invested in the story it took me a few days to recover from my book hangover. I love and hate when that happens because I mourn the book world when I have to return to the real world. It doesn’t help that these stories are set in my home state of North Carolina, only about an hour from my location. It makes the setting even more real for me.

I don’t know what else to tell you. If the thought of starting yet another series is too daunting (trust me, I know that feeling) then have no fear. You can definitely read this book as a standalone. However, if you haven’t started with book 1, do so. Right now! *cough* I mean, please do so. Honestly, this book will have so much more depth and delicious richness if you do.

That was a book. Written by Julia Spencer-Fleming. About Clare Fergusson and Russ van Alstyne. In a series of mystery books.

And that explains why I read it. Why I stuck with it until the end. Because the format of minute-to-minute or hour-to-hour detailed storytelling might have been an interesting craft choice, it made for a pointless novel. A futile episode in the middle of a series.

So I'm done and that's that.

*picks up the next book*