Thanks, NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy of A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber! As the newest book in the Verity Kent series, I was ready to get my hands on it. I’ve been more or less on the fence about Verity but, after this book, have decided that I want to keep reading. I really liked this novel and think you will, too – although, Verity is following an ongoing case from the first novel amidst this present one so, you might want to start with the first book and work your way up to save yourself some confusion. I comfortably give this novel four out of five stars.
Verity and Sidney are summoned to France to hear evidence that could unlock their ongoing case from one of Sidney’s contacts during the war. However, not long after they speak to her, she’s murdered, and the only clues they have to where her evidence is located are the ones she dropped during their short and veiled conversation. Sidney and Verity must follow tenuous clues to find their evidence while being tracked by new and old acquaintances, enemies, and bosses. All in all, another typical Kent case.
You may know Anna Lee Huber from the Lady Darby mystery series, and her writing style carries over to Verity Kent, although that’s where the similarities end. You wouldn’t know they were related otherwise. I think sometimes Verity is a little gushy, and her understanding and sympathy towards Sidney and Max Ryde don’t always need to be explicitly stated. A little more inferencing could be good for us readers.
The other slight flaw I have with this series is that WWI is central to the series, but Verity’s and Sidney’s flashbacks and descriptions aren’t… heart-wrenching enough? They’re thorough and I’m sure they’re accurate, but when I read them my heart doesn’t lurch like it does when I read about DI Ian Rutledge (author Charles Todd). I don’t know if it’s because it’s dulled with Verity’s sensitive receptiveness or if words are just too little to describe the horrors of the war. I want to feel what Sidney and Verity feeling – I don’t want to forget how atrocious war was and still is.
The above things are minor; I just don’t connect emotionally with Verity as much as I did with Lady Darby. I’m still trying to work out why that is and can’t put my finger on it quite yet. All that aside, however; A Certain Darkness was an excellent installment in this series. I have a little bit of an issue following such a long-running plot with Lord Ardmore, which is due to all of the traveling the Kents do, not to mention the year between books that we have to wait! Of course, it’s always worth the wait for a novel by Huber, but it’s just enough time to forget what the Kents did last.
There is a lot of traveling in this novel as well, and I found that complex due to not knowing a lot of European geography – but if you’re more familiar, you’ll probably be fine. I think I could have used a map at the beginning of the book! The plot was complex and the scavenger hunt-like nature of Verity and Sidney’s mission was really entertaining to read. I’d started to guess who the culprit was, but wasn’t sure until the end of the novel. Verity and Sidney work well together to solve their case and try and collect more information against Ardmore.
The complexities of the Kent’s high-stakes game against Lord Ardmore are many, and make for a tense series. With each book, I feel as though we’re getting close to a resolution, but then find the Kents taking one step forward and two steps back in their quest. Ardmore is wily, so I’m not surprised, but I’m still hopeful that the Kents will prevail in the end. I would like the series to continue if they do, though! With that being said, there were some promising revelations in this novel that might bring us closer to a resolution – but if Huber has Ardmore and the Kents playing the long game, then I can wait it out right along with them. I look forward to meeting Verity and Sidney in their next adventure.