The Devil and the Dark Water - Book Review

Having read and loved Stuart Turton's debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was very excited to be able to read and review The Devil and the Dark Water.I knew from the start that this would be a very different story. Set in the 1600's, the plot follows "Problematory" Samuel Pipps, who has been imprisoned for a crime he may or may not have committed, aboard a ship setting sail from Batavia to Europe. He is accompanied by his bodyguard, Arent; there are similarities between these two and Holmes/Watson, though there are MANY more differences, which makes these characters uniquely compelling. As they board the ship, the crew and passengers behold a demonic premonition of the problems which will besiege the ship in the coming weeks, and the promise of a terror which may (or may not) be supernatural. The duo are assisted in their investigations by a feisty female heroine and her teenage daughter, while blighted by other passengers and select persons from the crew. The plot is a highly complex mystery, with many twists and unexpected revelations set against a historical backdrop which left me breathless at times. I was right to anticipate this novel highly! Though there is a section in the middle which slows ever so slightly, the overall novel is fascinating, intelligent and at times, rather frightening. The brilliantly constructed ending provided a strong sense of satisfaction which tied up the intricacies of the mystery and made me long for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Devil and the Dark Water by will be released in the UK on .Reviewed byon . Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

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