Dark Visions Paperback – May 10, 2018

I liked the relationship with the raven and the help he gave in investigating the crime. Great suspense!

First off, I need to say that James Byron Huggins is one of my favorite authors. He’s one of the few that I actually keep track of, hoping for a new release. That being said, Dark Visions wasn’t one of my favorites. The story is good and I did enjoy it, but it lacked the magic I found in Rora, Hunter, Cain and Leviathan.Joe Mac is a retired homicide detective, having lost his sight in the line of duty. Basically living as a recluse, his only real friend is a huge raven named Poe. Though he is blind, when his young grandson is brutally killed, Joe uses his skills as a detective to help try to find the killer.I enjoyed getting to know the blind detective Joe Mac and also Jodi Strong, the woman he is partnered with while trying to find this killer, and there is a mystical quality I’ve come to expect from Huggins’ work where the raven is concerned. Though the raven definitely plays a part, I felt there could have been more. In Hunter, I cared as much for the wolf as I did the main character and I didn’t gain this with the raven.I think what I also missed in this story, what I craved, was a closer look inside the mind of the killer. I wanted more insight into the Druids involved, their motives. I missed being right inside the antagonist’s head, as crazy as some of them could be. Joe Mac, Jodi, and some of the other characters could only guess and it left me wanting more.Every reader looks for a little something different in a story. I think readers who enjoy detective murder mysteries will like this. There are no real dull areas, giving us plenty of action along with twists and turns to keep one guessing to the end. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

It can't be said that James Byron Huggins likes to keep his writing safe and easy. As a well-known writer of thrillers, this author of 10 novels has stretched himself by having his protagonist saddled with a handicap. Joe Mac, a former homicide detective for the NYPD has been blind since saving a child from a burning building. However, his blindness doesn't stop him when his four-year-old grandson is kidnapped and found gruesomely murdered.Partnered with rookie detective Jodi Strong and a raven named Poe, Mac descends into a mad world of serial killers, ancient cults, and learns very quickly that nobody can be trusted,The result is a nonstop roller coaster ride from one scene to another as Mac and Strong try to stay ahead of their pursuers and bring a millennia-old conspiracy to an end before any more children die and they end up as corpses themselves.Word of warning: I did not read this book as much as consumed it as fast as I could. Once you read the first page, you will be hard-pressed to put it down.

I am a James Byron Huggins devotee, so I can say with some surety this was one of his earlier works. The characters are fine but not finished, the plot develops in spurts and stops and the "Evil" the protagonists seek to destroy seems cobbled together. You will love Poe, a wonderful animal character!

About a third of the way through. His book Leviathan was one of my all time favorites…this one will be right up there.

James Byron Huggins has a track record of writing thrillers with conspiracy or historical mysteries embedded in pulse-pounding action. He did the Dan Brown thing before Dan Brown, except he did it with more muscular impact. In this much-anticipated return, Huggins delivers.Huggins mixes the clever clockwork suspense of Brown with the harder hitting action of a Jason Bourne movie. Those aspects alone would make this book a fun read, but what makes it rise above many others is its cast of characters, particularly its short-on-words ex-detective who is drawn back to action by the murder of his grandson. On his shoulder rides Poe, a raven with preternatural abilities, and this unlikely duo is joined by a rookie female detective who is no pushover herself. It leads from a murder mystery to a full-on suspense thriller, and no one is safe.You have been warned!

I'm a longtime fan of Huggins. Once again, he doesn't disappoint. Others have mentioned some key aspects of the story, so I'll confine my remarks to overall impressions. Strong characters, fast-paced action, and some interesting twists and turns along the way make this a fun read. Greatly appreciate the depth of his research into arcane subjects and the way he masterfully weaves historical information into a modern-day detective thriller with supernatural overtones. Huggins has been absent from the writing scene for way too long, and I'm hoping this novel is a sign that he's back in a major way. Very pleased that his excellent storytelling skills, fascinating characters, and snappy dialogue come alive in a new, captivating thriller. Be sure you set aside some quality time to read Dark Visions, because once you start reading it you won't be able to stop turning the pages!

As always, JBH never disappoints. I've read every one of his books and each one is better than the last. In a word a definite "must read" as the details and story line are superb.However...why 4 stars? The editing...syntax, punctuation, mis-spelled words and the use of a lower case "g" when referring to Jehovah God was just abysmal. Whoever did this editing should go back to grad school and brush up on the aforementioned items. I just don't know how this got through the final "cut".But, with that said, get the book. You won't be disappointed (unless you're an absolute stickler for the above!).

Disappointing. Very urealistic and not in touch with real police work in any way. The author ran out of story about a third of the way in and just replayed the same stuff for the rest of the story.