A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton, Merry Gentry book 1

Denver Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club

A KISS OF SHADOWS
by
LAURELL K. HAMILTON

A Kiss of Shadows (2000)
Meredith Gentry book 1
erotic dark fantasy mystery

Ballantine Books USA hardback
jacket design by David Stevenson
cover photograph by Barnaby Hall
435 pages (left)

Bantam UK paperback
520 pages (right)

From the inside cover of the US hardback:
       My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it's not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of the Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don't even know why.
       I fled the high court of Faerie three years ago, and have been hiding ever since. I ran as far as the land would take me, stopped only by the shore of the Pacific Ocean and the fact that if I'd used my passport the Bureau of Human and Fey Affairs would have been notified, and they would have told my relatives. And my relatives would have killed me. As Merry Gentry, I am a private investigator for the Grey Detective Agency: Supernatural Problems, Magical Solutions. My magical skills, which are scorned at the courts of Faerie, are valued in the human world. Even by human standards, my magic isn't flashy. Fine by me: Flashy attracts too much attention, and I can't afford that. Sightings of the Princess Meredith are now more popular than Elvis sightings.
       Rumor has it that I'm dead. Not quite. I am Princess Meredith NicEssus, and if you read that name after dark, you will call down a knock upon your door from a hand that can kill you with a touch. I have been so careful, but not careful enough. The shadows have found me, and they are going to take me back home, one way or another.
       The running is over. The fighting has just begun...

Read for group discussion on March 12, 2003

RATINGS:
How we each rated this book

Dan	6	Amy	5	10 Wow! Don't miss it 8-9 Highly recommended 7 Recommended 5-6 Mild recommendation 3-4 Take your chances 1-2 Below average; skip it 0 Get out the flamethrower! U Unfinishable or unreadable - Skipped or no rating given
Cheri	3	Barb	-
Aaron	3	Cynthia	2
Jackie	3	Ron	3
Christine	2	Mitch	3

Aaron's Commentary Laurell K. Hamilton - A Kiss of Shadows

Aaron had quite a bit to say about this book. His critical (unfavorable) review of A Kiss of Shadows is out on our book review site, Fantastic Reviews. Aaron explains in depth why he didn't give this book a high rating. Yowsa!

Fantastic Reviews - Aaron's book review of A Kiss of Shadows

Check out the links at the bottom of this page for more reviews and differing opinions on A Kiss of Shadows and the Merry Gentry fey series books. (We, as a group, didn't rate this book highly, but perhaps it just wasn't our cup of tea. Heaven knows, you might enjoy this book, many people apparently have.)

Bibliography:
Laurell K. Hamilton (1963- ) is a US writer of dark fantasy (horror) detective books. Before her first novel was published, she also wrote some short fiction.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series novels:
-- Guilty Pleasures (1993)
-- The Laughing Corpse (1994)
-- Circus of the Damned (1995)
-- The Lunatic Cafe (1996)
-- Bloody Bones (1996)
-- The Killing Dance (1997)
-- Burnt Offerings (1998)
-- Blue Moon (1998)
-- Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
-- Narcissus in Chains (2001)
-- Cerulean Sins (2003)
-- Incubus Dreams (2004)
-- Micah (2006)
-- Danse Macabre (2006)
-- The Harlequin (2007)
-- Blood Noir (2008)

Anita Blake omnibus editions:
-- Club Vampyre (1998) contains books 1 through 3
-- Midnight Cafe (1998) contains books 4 through 6
-- Black Moon Inn (1999) contains books 7 and 8
-- Nightshade Tavern (2005) contains books 9 and 10

Meredith (Merry) Gentry fey series novels:
-- A Kiss of Shadows (2000)
-- A Caress of Twilight (2002)
-- Seduced by Moonlight (2004)
-- A Stroke of Midnight (2005)
-- Mistral's Kiss (2006)
-- A Lick of Frost (2007)
-- Swallowing Darkness (2008)

Other books:
-- Nightseer (1992), her first novel, a more traditional fantasy
-- Star Trek, the Next Generation #24: Nightshade (1992)
-- Ravenloft: Death of a Darklord (1995), TSR book based on role-playing game

Story collections:
-- Strange Candy (2006)

Links:
Aaron's book review of A Kiss of Shadows on Fantastic Reviews
Laurell K. Hamilton Random House publisher website
Official Laurell K. Hamilton website
Laurell K. Hamilton - Wikipedia
In Other Worlds: Hamilton, Laurell K. - book reviews
Locus Online: Laurell K. Hamilton interview (excerpts)
Rambles book review: Laurell K. Hamilton, A Kiss of Shadows
The 11th Hour Web Magazine - Book Reviews - A Kiss Of Shadows
Merry Gentry Investigations - a Laurell K. Hamilton fan site

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