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 Stuart Turton will be released in the UK on 1st October, 2020.Reviewed by Amanda Kennedy on 4th September, 2020. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.