The first draft of this novel is complete.  I'm working on the next cut.

The Shadow of Darkness follows Lumière Bolang from the end of WWII in 1946 to the death of Stalin in 1953.  This is a fun spy and mystery novel that takes a little break from the adventure of the first three novels.  You still get some strong mystery and suspense, and the denouement is very exciting.

When you get a chance to read The Goddess of Darkness, you will agree that Lumière is too beautiful a character to leave without her own novel.  The Goddess of Darkness is only the beginning of Lumière's life.  In a twist, at the beginning of this novel, Lumière makes a choice that propels her into the arms of the Soviet state.  This is where she wanted to go, but she is horribly injured and does not remember anything of her life prior to the accident.  A Russian Jew and writer rescues her from certain death and takes her to Moscow.

Because the Russians can't say her name easily and because of potential difficulty with the Stalinist state, Lumière gets a new name, Sveta.  It also means "light" in Russian.

Just as The Goddess of Darkness delved into the evil behind the German state, this novel will delve into the evil behind the Soviet and Communist Chinese states.  

I didn't get Lumie're to China yet.  The novel is about 400 pages and ended at a very perfect point.  I decided to write another novel about Lumie're in China.  I have no idea what I will call this novel, but I'm thinking about it.  I am still not sure what I will call this novel.

I literally want you to live during this period of time.  The research for this novel was extensive.  It came out of a lot of primary source data and history.  The details in this novel are precise.  If you are a student of this time, you will like the subtleties.  If you are not, you can glory in the knowledge that the descriptions of people, places, and things are not just accurate, you will feel as though you are there.

The Question: 

The question for this novel is very similar to the previous.  Before, I looked at the evil of Hitler and the Nazis; in this novel, I look at the evil of Stalin and the Soviet Union.  The question is specifically to look at the spiritual evil and forces in that country and around those people.

The Characters: 

Lumière is a much different character than Leora and Aleksandr is much different than Paul.  The other many minor and major characters are drawn as strongly as those in the previous novels.  Many are drawn directly from history.  Lumière is a strongly conflicted character.  This is why I chose the specific style I did in writing the novel (see below).  Some will really like Lumière.  They will see themselves in her many dilemmas.   Some may not like her so well--she is not Leora.  Lumière believes her heart and soul are tainted.  She cannot reconcile her own happiness with her success.  Leora is a perfect romantic character with flaws.  Lumière is flawed and fighting to overcome those flaws, true and perceived.  Aleksandr likewise is not Paul.  Paul is a man of action.  Aleksandr is a man of thought and philosophy.  The fact that Aleksandr yokes himself to Lumière should not be surprising, but the results and ramifications should not be either.      

The Theme: 

The theme is both redemption and discovery.  Lumière is discovering who she is and who she was.  This is a fun theme in itself.  The kicker is that Lumière is in great need of redemption.  She is needy and yet not willing to bend.