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A review by a_mae13
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
3.0
“Lies only come two ways. Too sharp or too soft.”
This book was THICC and perhaps a bit could have been pruned to still get the story across. I'm indifferent on the story as a whole because I did get lost here and there with some of the excessive prose. But, it was still a great story and a really innovative blend of genres. The Devil and the Dark Water featured mystery, loose historical nods, and paranormal activity. The passengers of the Saardam ship may be doomed due to a lurking demonic presence named Old Tom. And when a leper climbs a stack of crates to announce this fate, only to be set on fire, everyone believes that something evil is afoot. Especially since the leper had a bum foot and no tongue, making this proclamation of damnation impossible. But, that is a mystery for Sammy Pipps and his sidekick Arent!
There were A LOT of characters so summarizing is going to be a bit difficult; aside from our detective duo, we have the wealthy leader and reason we're all aboard the ship, Jan Haan, his wife Sara, and their daughter Lia. We also have Cressjie and her children, Predikant Sander Kers, Isabel, Captain Crauwels, Chamberlain Vos, Larme, Dorothea, the Viscountess, others in name only, and the entire crew. While a thriller does need some red herrings to keep the plot alive, I think that this book maybe had a few too many, because it was hard to keep up with everyone.
Anyway, general-governer Jan Haan is an abusive, power-hungry, old man who frequently beats his wife and blames his antics on her not bearing him a son. His mistress, Cressjie, is close friends with Sara and they both have been trying to figure out how to get out of the relationship. Cressjie has been married twice, and her second late husband was a witch hunter. Arent is allegedly marked by the devil, after watching his father get murdered as a child. As a predikant, Kers is very familiar with demons and witchcraft, and Pipps is a well known detective, aboard the ship as a prisoner. So, everyone has some connection to this Old Tom spirit demon.
Strange things keep happening on the ship. The leper that burst into flames is visiting people's portholes, offering them their deepest desires in return for faith in the devil. He visits Sara's room, leaving ashen foot holes in the side of the ship, coming from her husband's cabin. All of the livestock aboard is suddenly and quietly (?) slaughtered. Sander Kers goes missing and his body is discovered, stuffed in a secret compartment on the ship. Everything that could go wrong, does go wrong.
Throughout the chaos, we get some back stories on the passengers. Arent is the faux nephew of Jan Haan; his grandfather was friends with Haan and Arent was adopted into his circle of wealth. Sammy is on board as a prisoner charged with treason. Cressjie's late husband was friends with Kers, both were witch hunters. Haan orchestrated the death of Arent's father to "protect him from abuse", and so on. Sara and Arent are the ones doing all of the investigative work since Sammy is locked up for most of the day. The two have a romance subplot and take on a very Scooby-Doo role in the mystery. They go through all of the dead ends that are set up by this demonic Old Tom, even finding a demonologica book with the passenger Isabel.
Then, Haan is murdered. He's found with a dagger through his heart. The creepy book that Isabel had was swapped with another creepy book, this one detailing everything that has happened on the ship and more events that presumably will happen. The crew faces mutiny and begins to fight, killing Crauwels in the process, and wrecking the ship. Many people are killed but they make it to an island that is allegedly shaped like the symbol of Old Tom. And this is where everything takes a turn.
It's revealed that Cressjie created the story of Old Tom, and that none of it was real. Sammy Pipps is her brother, and they're out to seek revenge on the wealthy that have ruined their lives. Sara and Arent (somehow) figure all of this out prior to the reveal and set up Cressjie to come forward with the truth. Literally almost burning Lia to death in the process. BUT instead of painting them as villains, Sara and Arent decide to help them use Old Tom as a narrative against the wealthy. Many of the wealthy avoid consequences for their wrongdoings because of their wealth, so using a demon in the 1600s as a way to eat the rich, is a win win.
This book was THICC and perhaps a bit could have been pruned to still get the story across. I'm indifferent on the story as a whole because I did get lost here and there with some of the excessive prose. But, it was still a great story and a really innovative blend of genres. The Devil and the Dark Water featured mystery, loose historical nods, and paranormal activity. The passengers of the Saardam ship may be doomed due to a lurking demonic presence named Old Tom. And when a leper climbs a stack of crates to announce this fate, only to be set on fire, everyone believes that something evil is afoot. Especially since the leper had a bum foot and no tongue, making this proclamation of damnation impossible. But, that is a mystery for Sammy Pipps and his sidekick Arent!
There were A LOT of characters so summarizing is going to be a bit difficult; aside from our detective duo, we have the wealthy leader and reason we're all aboard the ship, Jan Haan, his wife Sara, and their daughter Lia. We also have Cressjie and her children, Predikant Sander Kers, Isabel, Captain Crauwels, Chamberlain Vos, Larme, Dorothea, the Viscountess, others in name only, and the entire crew. While a thriller does need some red herrings to keep the plot alive, I think that this book maybe had a few too many, because it was hard to keep up with everyone.
Anyway, general-governer Jan Haan is an abusive, power-hungry, old man who frequently beats his wife and blames his antics on her not bearing him a son. His mistress, Cressjie, is close friends with Sara and they both have been trying to figure out how to get out of the relationship. Cressjie has been married twice, and her second late husband was a witch hunter. Arent is allegedly marked by the devil, after watching his father get murdered as a child. As a predikant, Kers is very familiar with demons and witchcraft, and Pipps is a well known detective, aboard the ship as a prisoner. So, everyone has some connection to this Old Tom spirit demon.
Strange things keep happening on the ship. The leper that burst into flames is visiting people's portholes, offering them their deepest desires in return for faith in the devil. He visits Sara's room, leaving ashen foot holes in the side of the ship, coming from her husband's cabin. All of the livestock aboard is suddenly and quietly (?) slaughtered. Sander Kers goes missing and his body is discovered, stuffed in a secret compartment on the ship. Everything that could go wrong, does go wrong.
Throughout the chaos, we get some back stories on the passengers. Arent is the faux nephew of Jan Haan; his grandfather was friends with Haan and Arent was adopted into his circle of wealth. Sammy is on board as a prisoner charged with treason. Cressjie's late husband was friends with Kers, both were witch hunters. Haan orchestrated the death of Arent's father to "protect him from abuse", and so on. Sara and Arent are the ones doing all of the investigative work since Sammy is locked up for most of the day. The two have a romance subplot and take on a very Scooby-Doo role in the mystery. They go through all of the dead ends that are set up by this demonic Old Tom, even finding a demonologica book with the passenger Isabel.