chicletta's review against another edition
2.0
The story was really gripping to begin with but the ending was lacklustre. After all that build up, it was as if the author didn’t want to write anymore and just gave up.
This is just my own personal preference but authors who don’t use “ “ to announce when their characters are speaking irks me.
I had a hard time separating speech from narration.
This is just my own personal preference but authors who don’t use “ “ to announce when their characters are speaking irks me.
I had a hard time separating speech from narration.
alexblackreads's review against another edition
2.0
I was just bored throughout this whole book. It felt very disconnected to me, like none of the events made sense and there was no linear story. I was consistently having to remind myself what was happening and why, and even then I struggled to follow it or care in the slightest. I finished it just for the sake of finishing the book, but I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone. There wasn't so much that I actively disliked as there was so little that I liked. It felt very lacking and almost soulless.
lynnedf's review
3.0
Elizabeth de Mariaffi knew exactly what she was doing when she was writing this novel. She was able to create tension, fear, anxiousness ... all in a way that any female walking down the street at night can perfectly imagine. It felt so real. I could imagine myself in the descriptions.
[b:The Devil You Know|22812829|The Devil You Know|Elisabeth de Mariaffi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416587921s/22812829.jpg|40713164] is being compared to [b:Gone Girl|21480930|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406511734s/21480930.jpg|13306276]. I would actually say it reminds me more of [b:Before I Go To Sleep|9736930|Before I Go To Sleep|S.J. Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512s/9736930.jpg|14625976] and [b:Into the Darkest Corner|15818362|Into the Darkest Corner|Elizabeth Haynes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355923186s/15818362.jpg|14106097] with a little bit of[b:The Lovely Bones|12232938|The Lovely Bones|Alice Sebold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312524577s/12232938.jpg|1145090]thrown into the mix.
The year is 1993 and Paul Bernardo has just been arrested for a series of murders and rapes. Anyone who is old enough to remember the news, remembers how scary it was. Interwoven into that story (which really is meant to be more of a backgrounder, it isn't the focus)is the story of a kidnapped and murdered little girl from 1983 and how her friend is still trying to find the answers 10 years later. And so we follow Evie as she investigates what happened to her best friend and tries to figure out who that man is standing outside her window. It's pretty creepy.
That said - I found that the dialogue sometimes felt disjointed and because de Mariaffi didn't indicate who was speaking; at times it felt a little confused. And the ending was a bit of a let-down.
Good debut novel? For sure. Would I recommend it? Yes.
[b:The Devil You Know|22812829|The Devil You Know|Elisabeth de Mariaffi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416587921s/22812829.jpg|40713164] is being compared to [b:Gone Girl|21480930|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406511734s/21480930.jpg|13306276]. I would actually say it reminds me more of [b:Before I Go To Sleep|9736930|Before I Go To Sleep|S.J. Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512s/9736930.jpg|14625976] and [b:Into the Darkest Corner|15818362|Into the Darkest Corner|Elizabeth Haynes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355923186s/15818362.jpg|14106097] with a little bit of[b:The Lovely Bones|12232938|The Lovely Bones|Alice Sebold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312524577s/12232938.jpg|1145090]thrown into the mix.
The year is 1993 and Paul Bernardo has just been arrested for a series of murders and rapes. Anyone who is old enough to remember the news, remembers how scary it was. Interwoven into that story (which really is meant to be more of a backgrounder, it isn't the focus)is the story of a kidnapped and murdered little girl from 1983 and how her friend is still trying to find the answers 10 years later. And so we follow Evie as she investigates what happened to her best friend and tries to figure out who that man is standing outside her window. It's pretty creepy.
That said - I found that the dialogue sometimes felt disjointed and because de Mariaffi didn't indicate who was speaking; at times it felt a little confused. And the ending was a bit of a let-down.
Good debut novel? For sure. Would I recommend it? Yes.
granolagina's review against another edition
1.0
I expected a lot since this has been compared to Gone Girl. This was no thriller. Dreadfully boring. I would love to give zero stars merely for the fact there were NO quotation marks in the whole book. Seriously? Very lazy writing indeed.
jaclynday's review against another edition
3.0
The biggest problem with this book is the pacing. It’s hair-pullingly slow–the type of slow that made me constantly wonder whether I should give up and move on to another book in my pile. Surprise! It was mostly worth it by the end. So often suspense thrillers lose steam toward the finish (see: The Girl on the Train), but here we have the rare exception. The book improved tremendously as I read, with the suspense and plot building with purpose and intention. The main plot payoff was really satisfying. If it had been given a razor-sharp edit (with the pointless plot lines discarded and others very condensed), The Devil You Know could have been a really memorable read.
mackenzierm's review against another edition
3.0
I have to say that this is not the best book I’ve ever read.
It sounded riveting from the synopsis, but left lots to be desired.
It took me a long time to get into it. In fact, I started it at the beginning of October, but so disliked it that I just didn’t read it at all...until last week, where I pushed myself to get into it and get it over with.
I found the story a bit confusing to begin with, which didn’t really change throughout. The lead character was investigating as a reporter too many things at once and I had trouble following.
I finally got into it and understood a bit more clearly what was going on, but one of my biggest disappointments is that there’s not really an ending. We spent all this time and effort investigating this cold case, just to conclude that we still don’t know. Ok, cool. Thanks for building the suspense, just for it to bottom out with no resolution, no answers.
On to the next!
It sounded riveting from the synopsis, but left lots to be desired.
It took me a long time to get into it. In fact, I started it at the beginning of October, but so disliked it that I just didn’t read it at all...until last week, where I pushed myself to get into it and get it over with.
I found the story a bit confusing to begin with, which didn’t really change throughout. The lead character was investigating as a reporter too many things at once and I had trouble following.
I finally got into it and understood a bit more clearly what was going on, but one of my biggest disappointments is that there’s not really an ending. We spent all this time and effort investigating this cold case, just to conclude that we still don’t know. Ok, cool. Thanks for building the suspense, just for it to bottom out with no resolution, no answers.
On to the next!
xliterati's review against another edition
1.0
I hate when a book has so much potential and then the writing just completely shits all over it. The writing was so disjointed and choppy, and the lack of quotations for dialogues was very jarring. Not for me.
notaleaf's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book though I can understand and see why some rated it 1 or 2
Stars. But I loved it. Having a background in journalism, I love books that have you follow a case/story while also following the mysteries of the protagonist. The dialogue is like that in Labor Day by Joyce Maynard - no quote marks, just words. That sometimes got confusing because there is a lot of dialogue in the book, but I got over that quickly. If you liked Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn or similar thrillers, you'll like this! Don't let my bias be your deciding factor ;) pick this one up!
Stars. But I loved it. Having a background in journalism, I love books that have you follow a case/story while also following the mysteries of the protagonist. The dialogue is like that in Labor Day by Joyce Maynard - no quote marks, just words. That sometimes got confusing because there is a lot of dialogue in the book, but I got over that quickly. If you liked Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn or similar thrillers, you'll like this! Don't let my bias be your deciding factor ;) pick this one up!
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
Elisabeth de Mariaffi's debut The Devil You Know is the story of a young reporter who's assigned to cover the investigation into a suspected serial rapist and killer Paul Bernardo. Evie Jones' childhood best friend was one such victim, and it doesn't take long for her to start looking into that cold case while she does assigned research on past similar crimes.
What I really liked in The Devil You Know was the feel of the story. Elisabeth de Mariaffi has a deft hand in giving us the creepy-crawliness of a what it's like to constantly
look over your shoulder, wondering if the shadows are just that or something more menacing. I was on the fence as to whether Evie was totally paranoid or not paranoid enough throughout the book - at least until the end, when I was wondered if she was completely crazy to do what she did.
What I didn't care so much for was the tone of the story. There are no quotation marks used in the dialog, which sometimes made it hard to determine who was "talking". The voices also felt a bit flat and emotionless, as if Evie only let her real feelings out in her head. There was also a lot of backstory that I didn't feel contributed much to the story, and her relationship with David was awkward for two people who've been close friends for as long as they have.
The plot itself wound around a bit, tangling with Evie's mother's and David's father's pasts. I thought it got a bit too convoluted, honestly - the bleak history and current high anxiety alone would've made for good reading.
Overall I would recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Haynes for the sheer creepiness of the story.
drey’s rating: Pick it up!This review was originally posted on drey's library
What I really liked in The Devil You Know was the feel of the story. Elisabeth de Mariaffi has a deft hand in giving us the creepy-crawliness of a what it's like to constantly
look over your shoulder, wondering if the shadows are just that or something more menacing. I was on the fence as to whether Evie was totally paranoid or not paranoid enough throughout the book - at least until the end, when I was wondered if she was completely crazy to do what she did.
What I didn't care so much for was the tone of the story. There are no quotation marks used in the dialog, which sometimes made it hard to determine who was "talking". The voices also felt a bit flat and emotionless, as if Evie only let her real feelings out in her head. There was also a lot of backstory that I didn't feel contributed much to the story, and her relationship with David was awkward for two people who've been close friends for as long as they have.
The plot itself wound around a bit, tangling with Evie's mother's and David's father's pasts. I thought it got a bit too convoluted, honestly - the bleak history and current high anxiety alone would've made for good reading.
Overall I would recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Haynes for the sheer creepiness of the story.
drey’s rating: Pick it up!This review was originally posted on drey's library
jannie_mtl's review
5.0
Set mainly in Toronto, this novel evokes the fear and tension that so many women must feel living in urban isolation.
Evie is a junior reporter at a large daily during the Bernardo investigation. Her childhood experience of the murder of a friend seeps through her existence, affecting (and involving) her closest relationships.
This thriller is not for the faint of heart, but a damn good read.
Evie is a junior reporter at a large daily during the Bernardo investigation. Her childhood experience of the murder of a friend seeps through her existence, affecting (and involving) her closest relationships.
This thriller is not for the faint of heart, but a damn good read.