Reviews with content warning for Murder - Devil House: A Novel

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Devil House: A Novel by John Darnielle

69 reviews

whofilets's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Read by the author, in a slow and detached voice. Jumps around with narrators and situations. I was invested though, and wanted to find out the mystery of the killer... In the end it was a total letdown. I would have been happier if it ended a couple chapters early

and the main writer-character just had to wrestle with his actions after being called out by the victims family member, and never knowing who the 'real killer' was.

Content Warnings

swivelhead's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No

5.0

I LOVE this book! Most of the negative reviews for this seem to be from folks who were expecting a straight true crime story, which this book is not. This is more a meta-commentary about storytelling using the fictional investigation of a true crime author as the conceit to drive things forward.

Content Warnings

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The idea is there, but the execution was lacking. I had really high hopes for this book, having loved the cover and enjoying a good mystery. That isn’t what this book is, though, and I would emphasize to anyone who wants to read it that I would hardly categorize it as crime either.

The book takes a long time to say what it wants to say. It takes WAY too long, like 350 pages too long. So much of the story is spent building up flat characters from an author whose characterization is also nonexistent. When it finally came to the plot twist, it just didn’t have much of an effect on me because there was nothing from the rest of the novel that I was truly holding on to.

I would like to think that maybe I am just so smart I saw Darnielle’s intention from the get go and that this was not a book directed toward me but I don’t think either of us should get too much credit. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.

Content Warnings

directorpurry's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

samuelachillese's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This is an interesting meta narrative about true crime, truth, and media spectacle. Interesting commentary about whose lives are grievable societally and what makes a compelling true crime story, and how "true" that compelling story has to be. John Darnielle is a deeply talented writer which is clear in both his songwriting and novel writing, and that shines through in the rich description, as well as the heartbreaking letter in the latter half of the book.

One critique of Devil House I have is that it's a very male-centric book that's very concerned with male friendship and the many forms it takes. Not bad necessarily, but outside of a few key moments, the book does seem to take place in a world largely without women. The women who appear aren't poorly written or written in a misogynistic way, but I wish there was more of them.

I didn't find the twist at the end fully satisfying for a variety of reasons, but I'm still going to be chewing on this for a while and it's a worthwhile read.

Content Warnings

ymer's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

i really enjoyed this book. i also really enjoyed house of leaves, which is kind of the only thing i can compare it to. this is not a linear story that feeds itself to you, it requires a little effort to engage with (a bit like complex jazz music that doesn't immediately make you want to dance but is fascinating enough to keep listening.) it rewards you.

Content Warnings