Divine Misdemeanors

Divine Misdemeanors

Author	Laurell K. Hamilton
Language	English
Series	Merry Gentry
Genre	Horror, Erotica, Fantasy novel
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Publication date	December 2009
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Preceded by	Swallowing Darkness

Divine Misdemeanors (December 8, 2009) is the eighth novel in the Merry Gentry series written by Laurell K. Hamilton.

Plot Introduction

A faerie princess turned private investigator in a world where faeries are not only known to the general public, but are also fashionable, the title heroine is Princess Meredith NicEssus, also known as Merry Gentry. As niece to Andais, The Queen of Air and Darkness, she is a royal of the Unseelie Court. While her aunt tried to kill her as a child, she has since offered her the title as crown princess as the Court needs more heirs.

Plot summary

You may know me best as Meredith NicEssus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. In the fey and mortal realms alike, my life is the stuff of royal intrigue and celebrity drama. Among my own, I have confronted horrendous enemies, endured my noble kin's treachery and malevolence, and honored my duty to conceive a royal heir—all for the right to claim the throne. But I turned my back on court and crown, choosing exile in the human world—and in the arms of my beloved Frost and Darkness.

While I may have rejected the monarchy, I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. My kind are not easily captured or killed. At least not by mortals. I must get to the bottom of these horrendous murders, even if that means going up against Gilda, the Fairy Godmother of LA, my rival for fey loyalties in Los Angeles.

But even stranger things are happening.

Characters

Major Characters

Divine Misdemeanors features the following major characters:

Gilda - Fairy Godmother of LA, she is Meredith's major competition for controlling the Fey in the town.

Andais (Pronounced "On-dee-ay-us") - The Queen of Air & Darkness, she is also Merry's aunt, the sister of Essus, and mother of Cel. Andais is a war goddess, and the sadistic Queen of the Unseelie Court. Her personal guard, called the "Queen's Ravens" is composed exclusively of men. Although she is a sadist and is widely believed to be insane, Andais appears to have the best interests of the Court & her people at heart and has sworn to abdicate her throne in favor of a member of her own blood line, either her only child (her son Cel), or her niece Merry. However, to claim the crown they must demonstrate themselves capable of producing new sidhe children, and whoever is with child first will become monarch. Her consort is Eamon.

Taranis (Pronounced "TAR-a-nis") - Absolute ruler and King of the Seelie Court, King of the Light and Illusion. He is Merry's uncle, the brother of her Grandfather. The king is a powerful worker of illusion, and can use his mastery of light as an offensive to burn his enemies.

Cel (Pronounced "KEL") - Prince of Old Blood and son of Andais. His guard (the "Prince's Cranes", exclusively made up of women) primarily consists of guards from the Queen's brother (and Merry's father) Prince Essus - until Merry discovered that Cel lied in saying the Queen gave the guards to him after Prince Essus's death. As they never gave oath to serve Cel, many left his service in favor of Merry, or simply not serving at all. The Cranes is not the name Cel gave the guards, but was the name that Prince Essus gave them, which Cel retained.

Doyle (Pronounced "DOLE") - Captain of the Queen's Ravens. Often referred to as the Queen's Darkness (or simply as my Darkness by the Queen.) He was the Queens 'right hand' for nearly 1050 years; during much of that time he was deeply in love with the Queen and served her out of loyalty and love, but she refused to ever bed him under the belief that if she ever bore him child, he would be a true king, and she refused to share power with any. When Merry was named heir apparent, he became Merry's Darkness, as well as her lover and future King to her Queen. He is as black as the night and can transform into a black mastiff, a massive eagle, and a black stallion.

Frost - Doyle's second-in-command. Often referred to as Killing Frost. He was not borne Sidhe, as he was not truly born. He was breathed to life by the thought of a god, and he eventually came to be full sidhe. His magics control snow and frost. He is one of Merry's lovers, and she truly loves him. Similarly, he shows jealousy with some of the men when it comes to Merry, and showing such jealousy is said to be a very un-sidhe thing to do. He is always very very heavily armed, carrying more weapons then any other guard, and will only go somewhere unarmed if ordered to do so directly by Merry or the Queen. When he is nervous he rubs his swords and weapons as a habit. When he is moody, his eyes sometimes look as if they have a snow covered hill within them.

Galen (Pronounced "GAY-len") - The youngest member of the Queen's Ravens, he is only around 100 years old, and also Merry's best friend. His lineage is half-pixie and half-Unseelie sidhe. His powers include the subtle ability to have everyone like him. Extremely unpolitical, naive and idealistic, he is the voice of childhood reasoning for Merry. Unfortunately, letting go of those ideals is allowing Merry to survive. Though she loves him, she knows that to place him on the throne would be the death of them all.

Meredith NicEssus/Merry Gentry - Title heroine, Princess, Daughter of Essus and niece of Queen Andais. She is the vessel of the Goddess, current custodian of the chalice, wielder of the enchanted sword Aben-dul, wielder of the Hand of Flesh, wielder of the Hand of Blood.

Rhys (Pronounced "REESE") - Raven, former God of Death. He is known as Cromm Cruach as well as many other names, his true age is unknown but is mentioned (he says he has not carried the fish tattos on his arms in over 4,000 years). He can kill with a touch, as well as have blood suck into his body and disappear into him as if it were never there. He is one of Merry's guard, as well as one of her lovers. He has only one eye, as he was given to a half snake-goblin/half sidhe for a night as punishment, and did not know it was possible to bargain with goblins during torture & sex (i.e. cause them no permanent damage, etc). Consequently, during his torture the goblin ripped one of his eyes and placed it in a jar, as a permanent reminder of him for her. He swore a blood oath on her, and with Kitto's help later killed her.

Sholto (Pronounced "SHOLE-toe") - King Sholto of the Slu­agh (Dark Host), Lord of That Which Pass­es Be­tween, Lord of Shad­ows, he is a guard in the Queens Ravens, though the Queen calls him her "Perverse Creature". He is half-nightflyer & half-sidhe, he has a nest of tentacles on his stomach, just under the breast going all the way to just above the crotch. Shadowspawn is a nickname some times whispered by those who fear him or those who do not like him and wish to insult him. He is the Huntsman for the last Wild Hunt of Faerie. He is a friend of Merry's and they have made love, they also have a child together, as he is one of the many fathers to Merry's children, also he is King to Merry's Queen, as he makes Merry Queen of the Slaugh.

Mistral (Pronounced "MISS-tre-al") - The Lord of Storms. He and Merry have sex twice with the Goddess riding them. The first time is in the hall of the sithen, and during this he gets his "godhead" back - after which the sithen nearby starts changing the walls from dark grey to white marble with gold lines. The second time when they have sex they bring life back to the gardens in the sithen as well as causing rain to fall inside for the first time in nearly 500 years.

Minor characters

Ash - A goblin, half Seelie and half Red Cap, twin brother to Holly, possessing the Hand of Flesh. He and his brother Holly have sex with Merry, in an attempt to come into the Sidhe powers. For this Merry gets an extra month of alliance with the Goblins, for each one of them she brings into Sidhe power.

Holly - A goblin, half Seelie and half Red Cap, twin brother to Ash, possessing the Hand of Blood. He and his brother Holly have sex with Merry, in an attempt to come into the Sidhe powers. For this Merry gets an extra month of alliance with the Goblins, for each one of them she brings into Sidhe power.

Abeloec (Pronounced "ab-LOCK") - Also known as "Abe", a guard in The Ravens, and one of Merry's lovers who has been accused of rape.

Mistral (Pronounced "MISS-tre-al") - Newly appointed Captain of The Ravens, former Storm God, and major character in Mistral's Kiss. Merry had sex with Mistral in Mistral's Kiss, however he is not one of her regular lovers and is still attached exclusively to Queen Andais.

Major Themes

• Dealing with Gilda, the Fairy Godmother whom is the other major Fey power in Los Angeles, causing Meredith and her people problems.

• Trying to help the LAPD find who is capturing, & killing the Fey in LA, and as Meredith sees it, "not abandoning her people"

External links

• Book page on Official Laurell K. Hamilton website
• Publisher website