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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Oct 2020, 480 pages
Paperback:
Jul 2021, 448 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Rachel Hullett
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A murder on the high seas. A remarkable detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.
The extraordinary new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the bestselling The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.
It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.
But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.
And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.
Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?
With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.
MANIFEST OF NOTABLE PASSENGERS AND CREW SAILING ABOARD THE SAARDAM BOUND FOR AMSTERDAM, AS COMPILED BY CHAMBERLAIN CORNELIUS VOS
Dignitaries
Governor General Jan Haan, wife Sara Wessel, and daughter Lia Jan
Chamberlain Cornelius Vos
Guard Captain Jacobi Drecht
Creesjie Jens and sons Marcus and Osbert Pieter
Viscountess Dalvhain
Lieutenant Arent Hayes
Notable Passengers
Predikant Sander Kers and ward Isabel
Saardam's Senior Officers
Reynier van Schooten, chief merchant
Adrian Crauwels, captain
Isaack Larme, first mate
Notable Crew
Johannes Wyck, boatswain
Frederick van de Heuval, constable
The Prisoner
Samuel Pipps
1
Arent Hayes howled in pain as a rock slammed into his massive back.
Another whistled by his ear, a third striking his knee, causing him to stumble, bringing jeers from the pitiless mob, who were already searching the ground for more missiles to throw. Hundreds of them were being held back by the city watch, their spittle-flecked lips shouting insults, their eyes black with malice.
"Take ...
It isn't apparent just how much of an accomplishment The Devil and the Dark Water is until you reach its brilliant conclusion. There are elements that may give the reader pause throughout — notably the slow pace and a number of coincidences that starts to border on the absurd — but this is a book that rewards both patience and attention to detail. Trust that Turton knows what he's doing, that he is leading you somewhere both shocking and rewarding. In the meantime, there's plenty to enjoy — lively prose, intriguing characters, a compelling mystery and a beautifully rendered setting on the high seas...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Rachel Hullett).
Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me
The Devil and the Dark Water is mind-bending, genre-bending, intricate, vivid, intelligent, and with one of the most gloriously grizzly cast of characters ever. An absolute razztwizzler of a novel. Ragnar Jónasson, international bestselling author of Snowblind and The Island
An absolute treat from the most original voice in crime fiction. Simon Lelic, author of The Search Party
Stunningly good. A page-turning mystery on an epic scale, intricately plotted and expertly landed.
In the prologue of The Devil and the Dark Water, Stuart Turton writes:
In 1634, the United East India Company was the wealthiest trading company in existence, with outposts spread across Asia and the Cape. The most profitable of these was Batavia, which shipped mace, pepper, spices, and silks back to Amsterdam aboard its fleet of Indiaman galleons. The journey took eight months and was fraught with danger.
This richly detailed historical novel may center around a fictional detective, but the context of a fleet traveling from Batavia to Amsterdam is largely based in fact.
The United East India Company, or the Dutch East India Trading Company (known as "Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie" or VOC in Dutch), was founded in the ...
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