This book is stuffed full of classic horror themes and this is why it appealed to me. The first half of the book deserved 4 stars: it was full of intrigue, suspense and grim tidings.

The book is written very well: I really like Hussey's style of writing. It did have a few issues for me though.

As I said, I thought the first half of the book was much better than the last: the way the story and characters were built up was great. However, the narrative in the last half got swallowed up in backstory. I know this was all relevent to the plot, but it came in chapter upon chapter and took over the book, and made the story unbalanced. And the ending was really disappointing (I read it twice and I was still confused) and there were a good number of loose ends that weren't tied up.

Another distraction I found throughout the book was that almost every name bagan with a J - Jack, Jamie, James, Jonathan James, Jarski - I don't think this was in any way significant but it was very noticeable.

Overall I thought this book was good but my interest waned towards the end.



( )

This is a seriously good read. I agree with other reviewers about the development of the characters - the reader really cares about what happens to them. As hard as it is to see them suffer when you care about characters, sometimes that is the way things have to run and the book doesn't disapoint as there are plenty of unhappy endings. Sometimes, as much as we wish happiness for characters, there is a sense of being cheated when horror novels suddenly come good at the end and everyone lives to fight another day, but this tale is very true to itself sometimes following lines that the reader may not like. I certainly won't spoil anyone's reading pleasure by discussing any characters in particular, but there are few happy endings here for some of the characters that make up this riveting read.

I especially liked the rural English setting of the novel. For me there's a hint of the sort of closed community seen in The Wicker Man and this allows us to suspend belief about the behaviour of some of the characters. There is a real mixed bag of good vs evil here from various members of the police force to a genuine battle of Christian faith against the deepest evil. Terrible corruption abounds and the villagers of Crow Haven can only sit and wait as the storm gathers around them. A horror fan's delight! I'm definitely going to look out for more by Hussey. ( )

On the surface, there is a detective story. Jack is an Inspector, investigating a disappearance of a young man. Layered underneath this, however, there is so much more to discover.

Jack himself is plagued by demons which have taken up residence inside him. He has managed some control, but they still have their effects over him, making him into a rather complex and intriguing character. This idea of having demons able to live inside was a fascinating idea, something I hadn’t really come across before, and the author tells it in a way that makes it believeable.
The tale of evil in the book is an epic one, going back over many years. The various strands of the tale allow us to explore this evil in it’s various guises, from folklore to modern time. It’s an evil which can be gruesome and gory, but also subtle and convincing.

The setting for the book is a all well described, and it all creeps into your imagination. There are classic scenes such as moving scarecrows, disgusting bug scenes, and also new ideas, such as The Library, where old stories can be told..
Quite simply, this book has managed to restore my faith in the horror genre.. although it provides it’s share of gruesome scary scenes, there is also a lot of depth to explore. The characters are complex and well written, instead of being there simply to prop up the general story, and I found myself invested in them.

For those not used to horror, this isn’t the place to start, as it does include some gruesome scenes. For those who do, however, it’s an absolute must read!

Nearly halfway (so my star rating may change one way or the other), and so far so very good. My first horror (not counting Red Dragon by Thomas Harris and one or two of Clive Barker's, but they were long ago) and i'm surprised to find this is literature too. I care about the characters, and my primary emotion is sadness that horrible things are going to happen to them. Wondering why i've always said i don't 'do' horror; i shock far less easily than anyone i know and am not squeamish. Bill Hussey, i may in future thank you for changing my readerly life... ( )

http://monsterlibrarian.com/ghosts.htm#Through_A_Glass,_Darkly_by_Bill_Hussey

Detective Jack Trent avoids human contact. His mind is tightly bound by logic, but this case tests his limits. Children are being brutally murdered and possibly cannibalized, and Trent discovers that his ex-lover’s son is the killer’s next target. The plot thickens as mysticism, ghosts, a strange cursed community and Jack’s own past draw the threads of the story together, leading to an exciting head. Through A Glass, Darkly has a flavor of evil for every reader. Bill Hussey does an excellent job of making a fantastic story believable. He pulls the reader into accepting that possession is possible, and brings elderly spirits to life. Initially, Hussey presents Jack as an oddity, but a sympathetic character. As the story progresses Hussey reveals Jack’s sinister aspect, keeping the reader in suspense as to whether the evil within the detective will help the villain succeed. I would certainly recommend Through A Glass, Darkly to anyone who loves a good horror novel. ( )