A review by nmcannon
Why the Devil Stalks Death by L.J. Hayward

emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As I explained in my Where Death Meets the Devil review, my experience with LJ Hayward’s government agent/assassin romance is out of the ordinary. Instead of reading each individual novella and novel, I played the two visual novel adaptations from Maybe: Interactive Stories. Why the Devil Stalks Death’s adaptation included all the novellas between books 1 and 2, in addition to the book proper. Quite the treat!

 Meta-State agent Jack Reardon and assassin Ethan Blade love each other very much. When they’re together, sparks fly. The problem is: when and how can they be together? Their jobs are diametrically opposed. Jack must stay in town, while Ethan globe-trots and feels unsafe staying in one place for twenty-four hours. The love is there, sure, but how will our two leads sort out of the logistics? Also: there’s a serial killer on the loose.

Though welding a novel and novellas together made a mess of the pacing, I adored this sequel. While I enjoy witnessing people fall in love, what really gets me is seeing two people navigate being utterly besotted with each other. Hayward manages to mix a startling amount of character development into a thriller premise, and the story became my catnip. Under Hayward’s pen, Jack and Ethan are OTP material. Though sometimes the narrative awkwardly set it aside, the serial killer mystery kept me on my toes. Hayward balances transparency and obscurity with clues, so the reader can follow the logic and stands a chance at figuring out the culprit. Why the Devil Stalks Death tackles and complicates the notion of the Meta-State as well, which made me breathe easier. Privacy is a human right. Any organization who routinely violates that right is going to be trouble.

Why the Devil Stalks Death is a solid sequel that I recommend to anyone who enjoyed its predecessors. Here’s hoping When Death Frees the Devil receives a visual novel adaptation too!

My review of Book 1: Where Death Meets the Devil: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2cd63ec2-e801-4ff6-be0c-fa8ca9e7f325
Expand filter menu Content Warnings