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Max Freeman #2
A Visible Darkness
Haunted by memories of his career as a police officer, Max Freeman isolates himself in the Everglades before learning about a series of murders involving low-income elderly women with sizable insurance policies, a case other officers are reluctant to investigate. Reprint.
271 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Jonathon King
14 books151 followersEdgar-award winning author Jonathon King is the creator of the Max Freeman crime series set in the Everglades and on the hard streets of urban South Florida. In his previous career as a journalist, he was a police and court reporter for 24 years with the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale and the Philadelphia Daily News.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 3, 2023
A Visible Darkness is the second book in the Max Freeman thriller series after the Edgar Award winning The Blue Edge of Midnight. Once again we’re thrust into the dark realm of murder for profit and become reacquainted with the lone wolf PI who’d prefer to remain hidden away on his stilt house in the Everglades.
Freeman is winkled out of his hidey-hole by friend and attorney Billy Manchester who needs someone to investigate a series of deaths. They’re all old women who have died from what appears to be natural causes. But they also carry sizable life insurance policies that had been resold.
The thing is, we know who the killer is and we know there are a number of aspects about him that will make him very difficult to detect and bring to heel. This is a case that immediately poses problems, feels particularly dangerous and is going to require some fancy footwork on the part of the investigator. Some don’t like knowing who the antagonist is but, being more of a thriller than a mystery, I thought it added to the suspense of the story.
This is everything I like about private investigator stories. A PI who prefers to work alone, but is also accomplished at enlisting support from local police when necessary, a plot that moves forward steadily with just enough blind alleys to keep you guessing and an underlying criminal who’s not immediately obvious.
Max Freeman has a past, but it’s not something that completely suffocates you in the present. You get a sense that he’s faced some bad situations, but rather than cripple him with indecision, it’s helped him to be assured and confident. Just what you want in a decent protagonist.
The book was a finalist for the 2004 Shamus Award for Best PI Novel and provided a well structured narrative combined with well-defined primary characters that are gradually becoming more fully fleshed out. It has definitely invited me to continue on with the later books of the series (the series is 7 books strong at the time of writing).
Freeman is winkled out of his hidey-hole by friend and attorney Billy Manchester who needs someone to investigate a series of deaths. They’re all old women who have died from what appears to be natural causes. But they also carry sizable life insurance policies that had been resold.
The thing is, we know who the killer is and we know there are a number of aspects about him that will make him very difficult to detect and bring to heel. This is a case that immediately poses problems, feels particularly dangerous and is going to require some fancy footwork on the part of the investigator. Some don’t like knowing who the antagonist is but, being more of a thriller than a mystery, I thought it added to the suspense of the story.
This is everything I like about private investigator stories. A PI who prefers to work alone, but is also accomplished at enlisting support from local police when necessary, a plot that moves forward steadily with just enough blind alleys to keep you guessing and an underlying criminal who’s not immediately obvious.
Max Freeman has a past, but it’s not something that completely suffocates you in the present. You get a sense that he’s faced some bad situations, but rather than cripple him with indecision, it’s helped him to be assured and confident. Just what you want in a decent protagonist.
The book was a finalist for the 2004 Shamus Award for Best PI Novel and provided a well structured narrative combined with well-defined primary characters that are gradually becoming more fully fleshed out. It has definitely invited me to continue on with the later books of the series (the series is 7 books strong at the time of writing).
November 16, 2020
Max Freeman is an ex-cop who has secluded himself in an isolated shack deep in the Florida Everglades. When his best friend, attorney Billy Manchester, calls to ask for his assistance, he returns to civilization. Billy has uncovered a scheme where elderly women who have sold their life insurance policies to investors and are now being systematically murdered so they can collect the premiums. We know the murderer early on. How he gets tied to the victims is the big puzzle. The plot moves along. The best element of the book is the unveiling of the relationships between the characters---how Billy, who is black, and Max, who is white, became friends due to the close ties between their mothers; a love interest in the form of Detective Sherry Richards that is realistically laid out. I enjoy King's writing style, first seen in The Blue Edge of Midnight.
April 2, 2022
Rating of 2.5 rounded up to a 3.
June 21, 2011
Following his Edgar winning debut novel, The Blue Edge of Midnight: A Max Freeman Mystery, Johnathon King delivers a deliciously intense and engrossing story in A Visible Darkness . However this intensity differs because the reader knows who the killer is from page 1, but why is Eddie killing the elderly matriarchs of African American families? The second mystery of Manchester and Freeman matriarchs is slowly revealed showing the same symmetry and dichotomy of the main question, why. Marrying his reporter’s skills of observation and knowledge of people, King shows the reader how a visible darkness shadows a neighborhood like that Manchester is from but can never go back to, it is his buddy ex-cop, Max Freeman, he enlists to help unravel the murders of old widows who should be safe in their homes.
Back in his shack that he leases from the State of Florida, Max Freeman is still recovering from the notoriety and unintended consequences from his last outing into civilization months before when he hunted and became the prey of a child serial killer. Freeman acknowledges the subtle changes: he now carries a cell phone and checks his dock stairs for footprints and accepts the new park ranger’s passive-aggression. So when, Billy Manchester said “his voice straight and efficient. “Max, I need your help.” Freeman leaves his beloved river for the city streets without hesitation.
Max is a little dubious at first to believe that little old ladies are being murdered after they sold their life insurance policies to an investment group, especially after talking to Detective. Richards. The Broward County ME office and law enforcement believe the women died of natural causes. Soon after one of the life insurance company sends down a bigoted investigator that he is forced to work with, Freeman agrees with his friend that something is not right. And without a beat or a badge Freeman falls into his cop-beat rhythm forming unlikely alliances in the black neighborhood’s drug zone to catch a killer in an investigation that has its own twists and turns.
Back in his shack that he leases from the State of Florida, Max Freeman is still recovering from the notoriety and unintended consequences from his last outing into civilization months before when he hunted and became the prey of a child serial killer. Freeman acknowledges the subtle changes: he now carries a cell phone and checks his dock stairs for footprints and accepts the new park ranger’s passive-aggression. So when, Billy Manchester said “his voice straight and efficient. “Max, I need your help.” Freeman leaves his beloved river for the city streets without hesitation.
Max is a little dubious at first to believe that little old ladies are being murdered after they sold their life insurance policies to an investment group, especially after talking to Detective. Richards. The Broward County ME office and law enforcement believe the women died of natural causes. Soon after one of the life insurance company sends down a bigoted investigator that he is forced to work with, Freeman agrees with his friend that something is not right. And without a beat or a badge Freeman falls into his cop-beat rhythm forming unlikely alliances in the black neighborhood’s drug zone to catch a killer in an investigation that has its own twists and turns.
August 24, 2007
A VISIBLE DARKNESS (Unlicensed Investigator/Ex-Cop-Florida-Cont) – VG
King, Jonathon – 2nd in series
Dutton, 2003- Hardcover
Max Freeman is an ex-Philadelphia cop now living in an Everglade swamp shack. He occasionally does investigation for his best friend, attorney Billy Manchester. In this case, Billy suspects someone is killing elderly black women who sold their life insurance policies to investors. Although the police have declared the deaths to be natural causes, Max soon agrees that things are not as they seem.
*** There are a couple small weaknesses in this book: you know the killer, which does lessen the suspense, and the protagonist is physically described by seeing himself in a mirror. But I forgive those flaws as King has created a story which builds layer upon layer, showing the motive for the killings and who is behind them. The book is full of interesting characters, including Max and Billy, about whom we learn more in this second book, Det. Sherry Richards, drug dealers and gang members. The story of Max’s father’s death and the friendship between his and Billy’s mother is almost a mystery within the mystery. King’s description of Florida, particularly the contrast between being in the city or on the water, is particularly effective. This is starting off as a very good series and I’m pleased to see there are more books waiting for me.
King, Jonathon – 2nd in series
Dutton, 2003- Hardcover
Max Freeman is an ex-Philadelphia cop now living in an Everglade swamp shack. He occasionally does investigation for his best friend, attorney Billy Manchester. In this case, Billy suspects someone is killing elderly black women who sold their life insurance policies to investors. Although the police have declared the deaths to be natural causes, Max soon agrees that things are not as they seem.
*** There are a couple small weaknesses in this book: you know the killer, which does lessen the suspense, and the protagonist is physically described by seeing himself in a mirror. But I forgive those flaws as King has created a story which builds layer upon layer, showing the motive for the killings and who is behind them. The book is full of interesting characters, including Max and Billy, about whom we learn more in this second book, Det. Sherry Richards, drug dealers and gang members. The story of Max’s father’s death and the friendship between his and Billy’s mother is almost a mystery within the mystery. King’s description of Florida, particularly the contrast between being in the city or on the water, is particularly effective. This is starting off as a very good series and I’m pleased to see there are more books waiting for me.
February 26, 2010
I'm always a big fan for a P.I. tale. In this one, I like the Max Freeman protagonist as a transplant from Piladeliphia to the Florida Everglades that sets up an intriguing contrast between his former profession as a gritty cop and his current status as an edgy private detective. The prose stays sharp and clean. For some reason, AVD reminds me of Stephen Greenleaf's private detective. Good stuff.
March 27, 2013
nicely done. really liking this author.
October 2, 2021
Max is called upon by his friend Max to look into the death of several elderly women. The common link between these women if they all cashed out a long term life insurance policy before they were killed. The search for the killer leads them to a very sad situation that involves drugs, dealers and the poor people driven by the drugs. To what length will people go to get the high they need to survive. This was a powerful story rolled up in a mystery. I enjoyed the book very much and it gave me pause for thought.
April 20, 2019
Quite good and very capably written. I would have rated it higher but for the overuse of boilerplate. I guess all writers update readers over and over on the backstory of their characters as they add books to a series. However, I found myself constantly encountering lines repeated from the first book in this series. Quite a distraction and, although I have constantly encountered this feature in the mystery series I have followed, it is often less intrusively employed.
October 16, 2010
The books in this series reminds of some really good chicken wings. Very tasty just not much meat on the bone. Kings writing style very closely matches that of Michael Connelly and that is a good thing. The story lines in this series of books has been very solid so far. I would really like to see King attempt to write a novel of perhaps another 100 pages in length. I feel this would add that much more to an already very Goodread. I did skip this book and read the third in the series before reading this, the second in the series. I found that the author does follow the story line through each book and that it is a good idea to read them in the correct order or some details may be missed. I also found as in many series that some will have a better story line than others. A Visible Darkness will be a good fit for anyone interested in a quick read.
November 20, 2010
Max Freeman is seeking refuge from the familiar demons of his former life as a Philadelpha police officer. But his self imposed isolation is interrupted when his best friend attorney Billy Manchester calls him. There has been some suspicious deaths- all elderly women from a poor neighborhood, and all had sizeable and recently sold off insurance policies. Which the police have been unwilling, or unable to investigate. Billy suspects something sinister maybe at work, so to help his friend, Max must reluctantly pry where he,s not wanted and act like the cop he,s trying to forget he was. This story is filled with twists, turns, and a breathtaking evocation of a rarely glimpsed underside of modern america
July 4, 2013
Loved the book....the main character is pained from his past and tries to live a secluded life in his very sparse cabin in the Florida Everglades. He reluctantly agrees to help a friend solve a local mystery. I enjoyed the storyline and the whole atmospheric setting of the book.
December 24, 2010
I really like this mystery series. The first one is entitled The Blue Edge of Midnight. Always happy when I find a new series that I enjoy!
December 26, 2011
This is the second in the series of a new found character that is growing on me. Will definitely continue with this author and character---Max Freeman.
May 4, 2012
This one ended too quickly for the second novel in the series. I'm anxious to hear what others think about it?
January 18, 2019
Nice development of the main characters. Another entertaining storyline. I think I'm going to enjoy this series. If you like Michael Connelly give these a go.
March 22, 2018
De aanbeveling van Michael Connelly op de voorkant van het omslag is lichtelijk overdreven. Maar goed, daar zijn die aanbevelingen voor: een fan van Michael Connelly zal dit boek allicht eerder oppakken dan iemand anders. De stijl van King vertoont wel wat overeenkomsten met die van Connelly: eigenlijk is het allemaal middelmaat, maar toch kan je het niet neerleggen. Heel knap dus!
De tekst op de achterkant van het omslag doet het ergste vermoeden: niet wéér iemand die zielig is en dan toch nog een zaak gaat uitzoeken, maar gelukkig valt het allemaal mee. Hoofdpersoon Max Feedman zit niet zo lekker in z'n vel maar gaandeweg het verhaal gaat het al wat beter. De sfeerbeschrijvingen in het boek zijn dik in orde. Sommige karakters hadden wat beter uitgediept kunnen worden.
Geen enge dingen gevonden in de vertaling. Een lekker boek voor op het strand of een terrasje!
De tekst op de achterkant van het omslag doet het ergste vermoeden: niet wéér iemand die zielig is en dan toch nog een zaak gaat uitzoeken, maar gelukkig valt het allemaal mee. Hoofdpersoon Max Feedman zit niet zo lekker in z'n vel maar gaandeweg het verhaal gaat het al wat beter. De sfeerbeschrijvingen in het boek zijn dik in orde. Sommige karakters hadden wat beter uitgediept kunnen worden.
Geen enge dingen gevonden in de vertaling. Een lekker boek voor op het strand of een terrasje!
August 28, 2017
This was a proforma mystery, read many versions before. Big city cop get shot, goes on disability and moved to small town where he gets drawn into a murder investigation. The only saving factor was this book didn't take long to read and I would not have finished it had it not been the choice of my bookclub.
December 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, though it didn't have the complexity or the twists of the first book in the series, "The Blue Edge of Midnight". It was a quick read with plenty of action and an adequate amount of wit. Frank McCane was an excellent villain and I would have liked there to have been more of him in this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
April 24, 2022
The same outstanding review as book 1
I continue to enjoy the outstanding riding and story construction and the second book as I did in the first. I have bought the whole series now and I’m going to continue to read the third book as wholeheartedly recommend this series 2 readers to appreciate good writing and good stories
I continue to enjoy the outstanding riding and story construction and the second book as I did in the first. I have bought the whole series now and I’m going to continue to read the third book as wholeheartedly recommend this series 2 readers to appreciate good writing and good stories
July 23, 2024
Elderly women seemingly dying of natural causes. But there are suspicious circumstances related to old life insurance policies. Other women, prostitutes and drug addicts, raped and murdered. All killed by the same invisible hand? That's the situation Max Freeman's lawyer brings him into. Recommended.
July 20, 2025
This 2003 novel was author Jonathon King’s second mystery featuring former Philadelphia cop Max Freeman, who this time is investigating a series of deaths of elderly women who each had sold their insurance policy for cash at a discount to an investment company. Taut plotting, an effective build-up of suspense, and a very interesting lead character distinguish this series so far.
September 25, 2025
First-person narrative is not my thing. I always struggle with it, and it turns out I still do. However, Max is a good guy and easy to like, as his guys are good as well, it is of course a plus, and with a pretty good plot it's a win. Oh, and that's despite the first-person narrative, yaay!
(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish).
(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish).
May 31, 2017
A pretty good mystery novel about black older women who have cashed in their life insurance policies and then suddenly die of "natural causes." The writing was plodding and the action slow, with short bursts. I liked the characters but didn't feel invested in them.
February 4, 2018
The Max Freeman story continues in book two. Someone is murdering elderly African American women for their insurance, but making it look like they died of natural causes. Along comes Max and his southern Florida friends to investigate. Another very well-written book in this series.
March 14, 2018
Second book in series about a Philly cop turned PI in Florida. Decent books so far, so I'll probably continue to read them.
January 28, 2019
Another good Max Freeeman book by Jonathon King. I'm looking forward to the next one already!
November 27, 2019
This was a good read but not as good as the first one
This author knows how to keep you interested. He writes well and has the perfect amount of humor to break up the dark subject.
This author knows how to keep you interested. He writes well and has the perfect amount of humor to break up the dark subject.
June 15, 2020
Powerful storytelling!!!! Bravo!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews