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Dark Jenny
361 pages
A hardboiled fantasy mystery where a cynical swordsman must untangle a deadly web of royal intrigue before a kingdom burns.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a classic noir detective story that has been seamlessly transplanted into a swords-and-sorcery realm. The mood is distinctly shadowy and tense, colored by the bitter nostalgia of a shattered dream and the biting cold of a winter mystery. The narrative moves at a brisk, urgent pace as the protagonist is forced into a high-stakes race against time, dodging political machinations and buried secrets at every turn. The prose carries the wry, pragmatic edge of a hardboiled investigator, grounding the high-fantasy setting of kings and queens in gritty reality. It is a perfect fit for readers who delight in cynical heroes, palace intrigue, and the thrilling collision of fantasy and murder mystery.
- Mood
- shadowy
- tense
- nostalgic
- wintery
- Tone
- wry
- cynical
- suspenseful
- pragmatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- buried secrets · palace intrigue · shattered idealism · race against time
- The writing
- Hardboiled and sharp, blending the pragmatic voice of a noir detective with the atmospheric details of high fantasy.
- The arc
- Moves from cynical detachment to a desperate, high-stakes scramble for the truth amidst crumbling ideals.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love the gritty edge of noir mysteries dropped into a classic swords-and-sorcery setting.
Content notes
- murder
- adultery
- violence
About the book
"For twenty-five gold pieces a day, plus expenses, Eddie LaCrosse will take on most any case. But the unexpected delivery of a coffin in the dead of winter forces LaCrosse to look back at a bygone chapter in his past{u2014}and the premeditated murder of a dream. Ruled by the noble King Marcus Drake, the island kingdom of Grand Braun is an oasis of peace and justice in an imperfect world. At least until the beautiful Queen Jennifer is accused of adultery and murder. In the wrong castle at the wrong time, Eddie finds himself drafted at sword's point to solve the mystery. With time running out, and powerful nobles all too eager to pin the murder on Eddie himself, he must untangle a tangled web of palace intrigues, buried secrets, and bewitching women{u2014}before the entire kingdom erupts into civil war"--Publisher description.
Description from Open Library.
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