REVIEW: The Damned

The Damned
Author: Tarn Richardson

This story is suspenseful, dark, and bloody. World War I is raging in France....trench warfare, dying soldiers, brutality. ravaged bodies. It's a time of violence and fear. But something else is lurking....something much more dangerous. A creature that kills brutally and without remorse. When a priest is murdered, the Vatican sends an Inquisitor to investigate. He discovers a conspiracy....a secret so dark that it might just threaten humanity itself.

This story is well-written and amazingly suspenseful. But, it is not for the faint of heart. It's bloody and has moments of extreme violence. A mix of alternate history, monster tale, and a War story, this book pulls no punches. War is hell. Battling a creature with no fear or remorse is violent. And the Catholic church hides secrets of all sorts. If any of those things bother you.....best to pass this one by.

I don't normally review a book more than a year ahead of publication date, but my review copy of this book was set to archive so fast, that I was forced to get it read and reviewed way ahead of schedule. Because this book was published previously, I went ahead and reviewed it now, despite the fact this new edition (Red Door Publishing) doesn't come out until December 2020.

The Damned is the first book in the Darkest Hand Trilogy. I'm very interested where this story is going to go next. This first installation in the trilogy was quite good! I will definitely read the other books in this series.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from RedDoor Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**