Book Review: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Hi Cara,

 

I loved Stuart Turton debut novel The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this is why I was excited to read his next book, The Devil and The Dark Water.

 

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

(Synopsis from Goodreads.com)

The Devi and the Dark Water brings mystery to the open sea.

 

Stuart Turton has brought together so many different elements from murder, supernatural in a historical world. I loved the mixture of characters from different background. Some of the characters gave me a Sherlockian vibe.

One of the leading characters in The Devil and The Dark Water is Arent. He is a giant of a man who is known for his fighting ability and his size than his brain. As the story progress, it was to read as he starts trusting his own intelligence. Arent was a character I liked from the beginning as he seems like a man of honour.

Another leading character is Sara, a noble lady in a loveless marriage. Stuart did a great job of creating a smart, brave, complex woman. Like Arent Sara finally comes into her own throughout the story.

I loved the plot of The Devil and The Dark Water as I never knew what was going to happen. When everything was wrapped up I was taken aback by have clever everything was. Also how everything happens on the ship but how space was used cleverly to create so many different places with different feels to them.

Overall Stuart Turton has created another amazing story that will keep you gripped from beginning to end.

 

My Rating for The Devil and The Dark Waters is 4.8 out of 5.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for gifting me an EARC for review.

 

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Thanks for reading,