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Ian Bristow
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Hunting Darkness Kindle Edition

by Ian C. Bristow (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

Driven by the death of his sergeant, DI Hunter Davis is desperate to investigate a case the two of them had been unable to solve the previous year. But the loss of his partner has left Davis devastated. Placed on a compassionate leave of absence, he must prove he is fit for work.

Having jumped through the hoops set out by his superiors, Davis is partnered with a new sergeant, DS Cortney Maddix. He tries to put his life back on track, but a strange young woman knocks on his door and digs up his past in ways he couldn't have imagined.

The young woman, Gael, was raised in the Druidic Order. When a dark and ancient magic uprooted her life, she was left with nowhere to turn for justice but the one detective who she remembered visiting her village earlier that year.

Soon Davis will discover that not all realities are explained in his terms, and the path he is desperate to travel leads to realms beyond his comprehension. Full of secrets from an ancient past, mystery and magic collide in this captivating Urban Fantasy.

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  1. Print length
    382 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    October 15, 2017
  5. File size
    2.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian C. Bristow is the award-winning author of the Conner's Odyssey trilogy. He is currently preparing to release his first standalone novel, Hunting Darkness, and has started working on another title. When he isn't writing, he enjoys creating works of art and playing music (good food and a few beers with friends doesn't hurt his feelings either). You can visit him on Facebook https: //www.facebook.com/connersodyssey or on Twitter https: //twitter.com/Ian_Brist

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07683K1HY
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 15, 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

About the author

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Ian Bristow

Ian Bristow

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Ian C. Bristow is the award-winning author of the Conner’s Odyssey trilogy. He is currently preparing to release his first standalone novel, Hunting Darkness, and has started working on another title. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys creating works of art and playing music (good food and a few beers with friends doesn’t hurt his feelings either).

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
31 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline engaging, with one review noting how fantasy elements blend effectively with reality. They appreciate the character development, particularly the interesting female characters, and consider it an enjoyable read.

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StorylineCharacter developmentReadability
8 customers mention "Storyline"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, with one customer noting how effectively fantasy combines with reality, while another mentions its unusual twists.

"...It’s mostly fast, with a few unexpected plot twists." Read more

"...However, “Hunting Darkness” is a story where fantasy combines with reality very effectively, and despite some technical questions, the book presents..." Read more

"...one the fifth star (which is rare for me), but while it has an interesting premise, reasonably decent plot, and individual characters, it impresses..." Read more

"...Bristow has created the makings of an interesting series. I hope to meet Hunter, Gael, and Maddox again in the future!" Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the interesting female characters.

"...What I enjoyed the most was the female characters. There’s no princess in distress waiting for Prince Charming to save her...." Read more

"...it has an interesting premise, reasonably decent plot, and individual characters, it impresses me more as a good rather than great story...." Read more

"Great book, good characters. I will be looking forward to more of Ian's books" Read more

"...Dialogue was believable, and I liked the interactions between all the characters." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one mentioning it's a pleasure to read by a male author.

"...It's always a pleasure to read a male author who can write female characters without falling into boring cliches. What I didn’t like:..." Read more

"...It kept me reading, but not for very long at a stretch and it wasn't hard to put down. I do recommend the story - I give it four stars...." Read more

"Great book, good characters. I will be looking forward to more of Ian's books" Read more

"...But never the less, an interesting read." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Keyla D.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good story telling and interesting female characters
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Detective Inspector Hunter Davis’s colleague was murdered as the reader finds out in the opening scene of this story. At the end of the funeral, he promises his late colleague and friend’s wife to find the murderer. From here the hunting begins. Or begins anew, as the reader soon finds out the murder seems to be the same as an unsolved old case. Hunter, saddled with a new sergeant—Maddox, a kickass, clever female character—finds himself thrown in a world where magic and reality are entwined.
    I read Hunting Darkness by Ian Bristow in two days in what I would define as a page-turner. What I enjoyed the most was the female characters. There’s no princess in distress waiting for Prince Charming to save her. Gael and Maddox know what they want and know how to get it. Even Angie, a secondary character handles herself very well despite her circumstances. It's always a pleasure to read a male author who can write female characters without falling into boring cliches.

    What I didn’t like:
    Hunter, the main character, reminds me of an old maid fearing he won’t find the right one. It sounds out of place. I honestly can’t see a man with that kind of fear because ... nature.
    Another thing that drove me crazy was the several references to the traffic around London and the detailed descriptions of the roads travelled by the MC. There were moments when I thought I was reading the transcription of Google maps directions.
    And these are the reasons for not giving 5 stars, but I hardly do that unless I'm reading a masterpiece.
    All in all, I read this paranormal thriller quickly enough to guarantee you it’s not a boring reading. It’s mostly fast, with a few unexpected plot twists.
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  • Ellis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    About a Sergeant who died trying to find out about a friends death and his Inspector mate helps find his killer.
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  • Judith Rook
    4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense and a Fast Pace
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The storyline of “Hunting Darkness” by Ian C. Bristow draws the reader in from the beginning. It is a complex and clever interweaving of contemporary police versus a drug baron on the one hand, and the operations of a Druidic order against the blackest of ancient magic on the other.
    There is blood, violence and horror, and the casting of magic spells, but interesting human relationships are also there and characters who, on the whole, are firmly developed.
    The main character, the police detective inspector, is particularly strong, and his personal life is the thread which holds the often very quickly-moving action in place.
    There are one or two problems, particularly the frequent changes in point of view which, together with flashbacks, tend to disturb the even flow of the narrative, especially when the reader is taken briefly into the mind of the antagonist.
    Another difficulty appears in the handling of the English idiom, which tends to be clumsy and not authentic in many instances. It would have been better if the rural accents particularly had been left to the imagination.
    However, “Hunting Darkness” is a story where fantasy combines with reality very effectively, and despite some technical questions, the book presents a strong and attractive storyline with plenty of suspense and a fast pace.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dan Melson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy Story
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Druid magic and artifacts in modern England. Sort of a whodunnit, but it kind of loses the thread.

    I actually debated giving this one the fifth star (which is rare for me), but while it has an interesting premise, reasonably decent plot, and individual characters, it impresses me more as a good rather than great story. There are a couple of plot holes, and a couple more things that are just too pat. The characters are decent, but they don't reach out and grab me, nor are any of them especially memorable. It kept me reading, but not for very long at a stretch and it wasn't hard to put down.

    I do recommend the story - I give it four stars. The above is why it doesn't get five.

    It's family friendly enough. I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12, but there's no sex and the small amount of on camera violence is mild.
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  • Caitlin M.
    3.0 out of 5 stars A slightly spooky read for October
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017
    I went into this book essentially blind, knowing nothing about it beyond the cover and the book trailer, both of which promised a mystery, possibly of the supernatural variety, and the aforementioned spooky atmosphere.

    The story begins with Hunter Davis, a police inspector for New Scotland Yard, trying to solve the murder of his sergeant, who was killed in the same manner as the victim in a cold case he was working--apparently slashed by the claws of a big cat. Hunter’s search for the killer takes him into the world of Druidic religion, ancient relics, and archaeological ruins (think Stonehenge), as it becomes clear his enemy is not only ruthless, but may be more than human.

    This was a fun book, a Tim Powers-esque dark urban fantasy with magic and mystery spilling around the edges of the everyday. The quest for an ancient Druidic relic that develops in the second half had a cool, almost Indiana Jones flavor; plus it’s nice to see relic hunting take place in a Western setting rather than an exoticized version of Egypt or wherever. I found the central mystery compelling, and the twists that developed along the way kept me guessing up until the end. Even though I suspected the twist with the big cat, when the killer’s identity was revealed it still came as a pleasant shock.

    However, I found the writing uneven, notably the dialogue: there are a few places where Bristow shoehorns exposition into the dialogue--mostly in the first quarter or so of the book--and the result almost always felt stiff and unnatural, especially in comparison to the more fluid, natural banter in the second half. Likewise, there were some instances of interior monologue that felt a bit too much like the author psychoanalyzing the characters.

    Overall this was a solid, engaging supernatural mystery, dragged down a bit by uneven execution in places.
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  • Sue T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great book, good characters. I will be looking forward to more of Ian's books
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Nils Ödlund
    4.0 out of 5 stars A solid mix of murder mystery and urban fantasy.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This book starts out as a detective story, but it soon becomes obvious that not all is what it seems, and there's more at play than just police work.
    The main character, Hunter Davis, at first comes across as a bit of a grouchy ol' git, but we soon learn that his heart is in the right place, somewhere under the surface – a surface he's not quite able to crack even himself.

    What I liked.
    This is a solid story, which moves along at a good pace, and which shows up bringing a lot more than it first seems. What stands out is that throughout the second half of the book I kept expecting things to go wrong at any moment. The author managed to add in a few unexpected events early on that had me constantly anticipating additional complications.

    What could have been done better.
    There were a few things in the story that were never really resolved. A lot of these weren't relevant to the main plot, but still left me wondering. An epilogue would have been cool.
    It took some time for me to get into the story at the beginning. I'm glad I stuck with it though.
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  • Layla Pinkett
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Urban Fantasy, you should read this!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Having read Ian Bristow's work before, I was interested in reading something different from him. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this book up to read. Usually, the author writes fantasy stories set in make believe worlds, but then I saw that this new story was set in England, which I loved.

    Hunter Davis is a detective in the Metropolitan Police, based at Scotland Yard. He has just lost his partner to an attack by an unknown assailant. The beginning of the book finds him saying his final goodbyes to his friend and partner, Evan Williams. Davis makes a promise to Williams wife that he will find out who killed her husband...and that's where the story really starts.

    Davis is given a new partner, Sergeant Maddox, who is always on his case about something, and the banter between them is comical at times. Then there's Gael, a young untested druid, who has lost everyone she loved in a fight against evil. She is recruited to help with Davis' investigation, which gets very twisted, very quickly. There are deaths aplenty, and false accusations being made as Davis, his new partner and Gael try and stop the forces that have caused the mayhem.

    The narrative is well written, and the characters are easy to relate to, even through the struggles that they face. I highly recommend this wonderful read to anyone who likes a good Urban Fantasy...and you can't get any better than this.
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  • JMJ Roberts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves success
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I liked ‘Hunting Darkness’ very much. The tale is a blend of detective thriller and magical fantasy, and it works. Hunter Davis is reeling from the loss of his police partner, Evan Williams, who has been killed by what is assumed to be a large wild animal of cat-like origins. He soon becomes embroiled in a mystery that shakes his core beliefs and puts him in imminent danger. Ably assisted by his new female partner, Maddix, and a strange young woman named Gael who possesses some unnatural powers, Davis goes in search of the killer.

    The story is written well and there is a good balance between action, tension, reflection and planning. Twists along the way hold the reader’s attention and dialogue is good. One thing I noticed is how the story flows as if the author wrote it straight out in a short time. It takes a gifted writer to make his work appear to be effortless and easy, yet I’m sure that many hours and a great deal of thought went into the creation of this book. Nothing is forced and the only unnatural element is the inventive magic that is woven into the tale.

    This deserves to be successful and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
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