The Darkwood Mask, by Jeff LaSala is the fourth and final novel in the Inquisitives series set in the world of Eberron. The other three books are; Bound by Iron by Ed Bolme, Night of Long Shadows by Paul Crilley and Legacy of Wolves by Marsheila Rockwell. The Inquisitives series even though it is technically considered a series and all are set in Eberron are actually a series of stand-alone novels that the reader can read in any order or even skip one if they so desire. However, the four authors who worked on this series obviously spent some time together as there are a couple small scenes that directly tie-in to the other books. Perceptive readers find this hidden gem very interesting.

The plot of this novel is rather linear, on the surface anyway. It comes across as a very typical murder/mystery with a couple predictable elements, such as a young up and coming Inquisitor , a murder of a prominent dignitary with political ramifications, we also have a rogue who is a thorn in the local city guard’s side who is promptly framed for the murder. As a fan of the fantasy genre, I have read this basic plot numerous times – some better than others. However, what Mr. LaSala does with the bones of this plot really makes it come to life. The added sub plots are near perfect. The political tensions throughout the novel were well done, without being overbearing. There is also a subtle sub plot of the Inquisitor being completely out of her element in another city and country, forcing her to rely on others when she would much rather work alone. Mr. LaSala also does a very good job at teasing the reader with pieces of the plot, such as who really are the villains. All considered it was a solid, well planned plot that Mr. LaSala obviously put a great deal of effort into.

The characters in this novel are all solid. It seems to be a growing trend in the fantasy genre, but this novel is yet another with a female lead character. What seemed rare a couple of years ago, has become anything but. The two main characters, Soneste and Tallis, are well written and interesting. I really appreciated Mr. LaSala’s effort to give the characters a back story without it taking precedence over the actual novel. These glimpses of the characters pasts made them much more real, and allows the reader to understand their actions and motivations. The secondary characters such as Verdax, Aegis, Jotrem, and Charoth are all well done. Each is able to add an element to the story without stealing scenes away from the main characters – or the story itself. The character development in this novel is also very well done. Especially for Soneste and Tallis, along with one other character I will not mention because it would be a spoiler. This is one of the few books where I enjoyed every character and was curious about each of their situations.

I do have a couple minor criticisms with this novel.

First, and this has little to do with Mr. LaSala. This book suffers, at times, for poor editing. There are places where words are misspelled, missing, or repeated. While in the grand scheme of things this does not affect the overall story, it was enough to jar me out of the experience a couple times and that was disappointing. A major publisher like WotC should not have this many errors in a novel, especially for a first time author.

Secondly, there are times when (and this could be another editing issue) some scenes seemed to jump around, or the transition from scene to scene was jumpy. Again, little effect on the overall story, but when these issue take a reader out of the reading experience, it is something that needs to be noted.

Lastly, and this is a more personal bias with me than anything. In regards to the character Tallis, everything he goes though in this novel, I would have liked him to be a little more vulnerable and near helpless at times. I am not saying throughout the entire novel, but there are a couple key points where making him vulnerable would have really made his character memorable.

A few things that I really enjoyed with this novel.

First, that Mr. LaSala was able to take a traditional murder/mystery plot and mix it up, add some spices to it, and make it his own. At no time while reading this did I get the feeling he was following a paint-by-numbers outline and just inserting names and places. It felt fresh, new, but most importantly it held my interest throughout.

Second, I enjoyed the balance between character and plot. Instead of the feeling of the plot dragging the characters along, or the characters forging the plot as they moved. There was a nice gently balance of the plot/characters feeding off of one another. It created a harmony between the two that allows the reader to flow with it instead of plodding through the text.

Lastly, Mr. LaSala’s prose. He gives readers just enough descriptions to get their imaginations moving, but stops at the point of not allowing any imagination. He lets the reader see the outline of his vision, but the reader is then left to fill in the specific details. That, to me, is a mark of a good writer. I always enjoy the luxury of filling in those little holes with my imagination.

Overall, like with the other Inquisitives novels, this is a truly solid book and one every Eberron fan should read. In fact, I would go insofar as to say the Inquisitives series may very well bring a number of new fans to Eberron. Is it a perfect novel, no. However, for a first time author, such as Mr. LaSala, he has set the bar high for his future work. Work, I am eagerly looking forward to reading. If you are a fantasy fan looking for a different sandbox to play in, consider Eberron and this series. This is yet another wonderful Eberron book I will be recommending to many people.