Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Darkness
AUTHOR: Eden Winters
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 13 hrs and 26 mins
RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2026
BLURB:
Darkness follows Lieutenant Morrisey James.
As an Atlanta PD detective, Morrisey understands the worst atrocities the city has to offer—or believes he does. His recent cases present something new: a killer who unleashes unbridled terror in victims before moving in for the kill. Morrisey has an edge, though, the terrifying ability to gain flashes of insight from each victim.
Most people assume Farren Austin is a shallow, pretty boy, but he’s so much more. Agent Austin keeps secrets as part of the FBI’s Alternate Entities Task Force, a unit created to monitor travelers from another realm. Although they might look human, they’re anything but.
And they’ve taken a special interest in Morrisey.
Partnered with Farren, Morrisey finds himself in the middle of demons trying to possess his body, a succubus sidekick who wants to cook him breakfast, accusations of being a powerful destructive force, and a growing number of people calling him “Darkness.” Not to mention a sudden overwhelming attraction to his new partner.
It’s going to take the mysterious Farren’s help to keep the latest case from being Morrisey’s last.
Trigger warnings: mention of depression, suicide, alcoholism, and murder.
REVIEW:
Well yet another example of how this author can write something effecting in any genre. This urban fantasy novel is just as compelling as her contemporary or historical or historical fantasy or shifters, it doesn’t matter. She can give her readers characters to care about and want the best for. Here it’s no different.
Morrisey mJames is a homicide detective in Atlanta and a pretty broken guy. He doesn’t necessarily try to deny it even. He knows he drinks too much. Smokes too much. Doesn’t take care of himself, but what does it matter? He sees the absolute worst of humanity and still comes back for more. But when he loses his partner after a particularly gruesome crime scene visit, he’s not sure he can go on.
Then he’s injured while out buying more booze and the person who saves him doesn’t seem to be human? Exactly? And the guy who tried to kill him? Also not necessarily human? Morrisey sees other visages over the “faces” of these men. And they aren’t the only ones. Hmmm.
Farren Austin works with the FBI – well a secret branch of the FBI – that deals with non-human entities. He’s worked for a years trying to keep the humans and the “travelers” co-existing with some sort of peace. Farren is a traveler though and he discovers that Morrisey has no idea who or what they are and and what s happening. As they realize that only if they work together can they hope to stop the coming carnage, they also realize that it’s not just a professional partnership. There is far more between them than trying to save both humanity and the travelers who have come just trying to survive.
There are a lot of bad guys that want to get in their way. And with the travelers being able to take over human bodies, it’s not so easy to determine who is an ally and who is a traitor. Determining who to trust and how to fight are going to make all the difference in the world.
Whew! Farren and Morrisey sure had a tough job here! I appreciated the world building here. Morrisey is such a world-weary character and understandably so. The twist and turns and reveals of who and what the main players in this book are were very well done. I love a good surprise! I also love when bad guys get what’s coming to them 😉 Ms. Winters never disappoints. I was invested in Morrisey from the opening lines! Farren and his friend and fellow travelers were so interesting and I loved how they fought for each other and had each other’s backs. I really wanted Morrisey to want more for himself and it was his bond with Farren that sealed that deal. These two literally are fighting for their lives and their love. I loved it!
Greg Boudreaux did a fantastic job of narrating this story. It’s a long book and well worth the hours spent. There is a ton of suspense and a lot of players who all have different agendas. Lots of characters and voices and they were all distinct. I found myself wanting to rush ahead to see what would happen next. The performance definitely had me on the edge of my seat! So good! Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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