A Kiss of Shadows
core novel 2000 Merry Gentry
Record
| First published | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.02 (61,812 ratings, collected 2026-08-31) |
| Page count | 480 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780345423405 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
A Kiss of Shadows (2000) by Laurell K. Hamilton is the first novel in the Merry Gentry series, set in a modern world where faerie creatures are publicly known. Meredith "Merry" NicEssus is a faerie princess who has spent three years in hiding as Merry Gentry, a private investigator for the Grey Detective Agency in Los Angeles specializing in supernatural crime. While working a case involving an illegal fey-enhancing substance, Merry's true identity is exposed, drawing the attention of her aunt, the ruthless Queen of Air and Darkness. The Queen offers Merry a path back into the Unseelie Court: whichever of Merry or her cousin Cel, the sole heir, can first produce an heir of their own will inherit the throne. Returning home means navigating dangerous court politics, an array of powerful potential partners among the Queen's elite guard, and threats from her own vengeful cousin.
Where it sits
- Universe: Merry Gentry
- Series: Merry Gentry core; position 1 of 9 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Notes
- From the series record (Merry Gentry): Nine published novels; a tenth was announced as delivered to the author's editor but not yet published, so Core Canon here covers only the nine already in print.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Merry Gentry: position 1 of 9: next A Caress of Twilight (2002)
Sources
← Merry Gentry dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.