tyranalaurus's review against another edition
3.0
i frequently had no idea what i was reading and couldn’t orient myself in the story. but i still kind of liked it. the ending was a little wack-o and excessive i think. i don’t know if i would recommend it over other novels, i guess i don’t know how i really feel about it
mrcreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
aejackson's review against another edition
4.0
Stuart Turton delivers a high seas high crime novel that feels like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Tim Burton. Samuel Pipps is like Sherlock in so many ways, you’d think they were cousins. Arent Hayes, the Watkins sidekick, moves to center stage in this story with the help of Sara Wessel, a noblewoman with a secret.
The first few chapters construct character personalities, their backgrounds, and detailed appearance through an abundance of exposition from the omniscient narrator. The early book also raises questions in readers mind about threats and motives, as well as other unanswered questions.
By the climactic conclusion, readers will want to read a complete series of Sammy Pipps and Arent Hayes mystery adventures which are hinted at throughout the story. The two have a long history of exploits and solved riddles, giving each character a depth and vitality few introductory novels can match.
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton features a murder on the high seas, a remarkable detective duo, and a demon who may or may not exist.
The year is 1634, and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime. By his side, the loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove Sammy is innocent. Sara Wessel, a noblewoman with a secret, rounds out the trio along with an entire ship’s manifest of guests and crew.
No sooner has their ship set sail than devilry begins to threaten the voyage. A strange symbol appears on the sail, and a dead leper stalks the decks, as livestock dies in the night. And then passengers begin hearing a terrible voice, whispering in the darkness, promising three unholy miracles, followed by a slaughter. Could a real demon be responsible for these tragedies?
Pipps is imprisoned, so only Arent and Sara can solve the mystery which stretches far back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.
The entire novel is a page-turner. Each chapter ends with a new question raised, or a suspenseful cliffhanger introduced. Readers will want to read on to find answers or resolve dilemmas. Do not start reading this one before bed unless you have a very open schedule the next day.
Turton plays with history and boating facts fast and loose, which keeps the reading effortless and entertaining. There is a good cadence and pacing to the story. Exposition is blended with point-of-view character descriptions. A character’s own judgment or thoughts about revealed discoveries, come sprinkled in between the blips of high-stakes action that keep the scenes moving ahead.
By a quarter of the way through the book, readers will begin to draw their own suspicions about who Old Tom has possessed. Will they figure out who is the foul culprit loose on the ship? Turton ensures they will not!
It was easy to visualize the characters Samuel Pipps (Sparrow) and Arent Hayes (Bear). A clear image of Sara Wessel and Predikant Sander Kers was harder to obtain. Other characters aboard the vessel were very difficult to visualize, if not completely blank slates, the reader may be unable to picture at all.
The story's mystery is so twisted and convoluted that readers won’t see the end coming even as it bears down on them. Stuart Turton constructed a good puzzle with a very complex solution, and a surprise ending unexpectedly tucked in the final pages.
Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, won the Costa First Novel Award and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Novel, and was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards and the British Book Awards Debut of the Year. A Sunday Times bestseller for three weeks, it has been translated into over thirty languages and has also been a bestseller in Italy, Russia, and Poland. Stuart lives near London with his wife and daughter.
Discover more about Stuart Turton on social media at Instagram(@stuturton), and Twitter(@stu_turton).
The first few chapters construct character personalities, their backgrounds, and detailed appearance through an abundance of exposition from the omniscient narrator. The early book also raises questions in readers mind about threats and motives, as well as other unanswered questions.
By the climactic conclusion, readers will want to read a complete series of Sammy Pipps and Arent Hayes mystery adventures which are hinted at throughout the story. The two have a long history of exploits and solved riddles, giving each character a depth and vitality few introductory novels can match.
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton features a murder on the high seas, a remarkable detective duo, and a demon who may or may not exist.
The year is 1634, and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime. By his side, the loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove Sammy is innocent. Sara Wessel, a noblewoman with a secret, rounds out the trio along with an entire ship’s manifest of guests and crew.
No sooner has their ship set sail than devilry begins to threaten the voyage. A strange symbol appears on the sail, and a dead leper stalks the decks, as livestock dies in the night. And then passengers begin hearing a terrible voice, whispering in the darkness, promising three unholy miracles, followed by a slaughter. Could a real demon be responsible for these tragedies?
Pipps is imprisoned, so only Arent and Sara can solve the mystery which stretches far back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.
The entire novel is a page-turner. Each chapter ends with a new question raised, or a suspenseful cliffhanger introduced. Readers will want to read on to find answers or resolve dilemmas. Do not start reading this one before bed unless you have a very open schedule the next day.
Turton plays with history and boating facts fast and loose, which keeps the reading effortless and entertaining. There is a good cadence and pacing to the story. Exposition is blended with point-of-view character descriptions. A character’s own judgment or thoughts about revealed discoveries, come sprinkled in between the blips of high-stakes action that keep the scenes moving ahead.
By a quarter of the way through the book, readers will begin to draw their own suspicions about who Old Tom has possessed. Will they figure out who is the foul culprit loose on the ship? Turton ensures they will not!
It was easy to visualize the characters Samuel Pipps (Sparrow) and Arent Hayes (Bear). A clear image of Sara Wessel and Predikant Sander Kers was harder to obtain. Other characters aboard the vessel were very difficult to visualize, if not completely blank slates, the reader may be unable to picture at all.
The story's mystery is so twisted and convoluted that readers won’t see the end coming even as it bears down on them. Stuart Turton constructed a good puzzle with a very complex solution, and a surprise ending unexpectedly tucked in the final pages.
Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, won the Costa First Novel Award and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Novel, and was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards and the British Book Awards Debut of the Year. A Sunday Times bestseller for three weeks, it has been translated into over thirty languages and has also been a bestseller in Italy, Russia, and Poland. Stuart lives near London with his wife and daughter.
Discover more about Stuart Turton on social media at Instagram(@stuturton), and Twitter(@stu_turton).
mckenna_elese's review against another edition
3.0
It was fun! But dragged… and wasn’t the type of mystery thriller you could solve on your own with the information provided. I enjoyed “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” and enjoyed this book as well, but neither of them are on the top of my list.
unphilosophize's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A dark spooky read
Good ending
Good ending
brekekeks_'s review against another edition
4.0
" Najlepszym lekarstwem na wstrząs jest wino z korzeniami" - także ja lecę pić winko... bez korzeni
codiewood's review against another edition
Writing style not for me, too many characters introduced at once and not hooked me
roe_bookworm's review
2.0
Trigger warning for basically everything you can think of.
Too much violence, too little mistery.
Too much violence, too little mistery.
allison_on_a_book_break's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
taraprince's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0