The Devil and the Dark Water: from the bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Last Murder at the End of the World

I was a huge fan of Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, so I couldn’t wait to see what he would come up with next. As I was reading his latest book, The Devil and the Dark Water, it put me in my mind of both, Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles and Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s quite a long book, but don’t let that put you off, I thought the writing was highly addictive, and I flew through it. I finished it much quicker than I thought I would.A ship named the Saardam is about to set sail on an arduous seven-month voyage for Amsterdam from Batavia. For some of the passengers, they are put up in luxury cabins, but the majority are staying in cramped and horrific conditions. But even before the voyage begins, there are rumours of a demon, known as ‘Old Tom.’ It is believed that this demon is already on board the ship. There are some who are desperate to make sure that this ship doesn’t sail. Right from the beginning, Stuart Turton creates a real sense of mystery and atmosphere. Is there really such a thing as ‘Old Tom?’ Or is this just the minds of some of the passengers going into overdrive? But it is clear to some that this ship will never reach its destination and danger awaits everyone on board. Soon mysterious things begin to happen, strange symbols start to appear, animals are slaughtered, and then a body is found. That makes everyone on this ship a suspect, and it also means that everyone else is in danger until they are caught.Throughout the book, the pace never lets up. Stuart Turton has created a cast of characters who pull you into the story. They are all very different, and you get a real sense of palpable fear among them on board the ship. This is particularly when rumours about ‘Old Tom’ begin to swirl. It makes for some gripping reading. I began to wonder just how the passengers were going to react as the tension between them begins to grow. This is especially when they all begin to suspect each other of harbouring ‘Old Tom,’ and there are calls for executions. It appears to be the only way of making sure that ‘Old Tom,’ is vanquished once and for all.Also onboard the ship is the world’s most famous detective, Samuel Pipps. However, he is incarcerated in chains when he first boards the ship. So when the strange happenings begin to occur on the Saardam, it is his assistant, Arent Hayes who has to do the investigating. This is what reminded me of the friendship between Watson and Sherlock Holmes as I was reading.This book will definitely take you on a wild ride. I really enjoyed it. If you are looking for something original and totally unique, then this is the book for you. It is a read that you can purely escape in to. Stuart Turton is a master storyteller and plotter, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next.

Loved his time loop book and bought this hoping for some other interesting scenario and it seemed to provide it. The characters, world and story were set up nicely in the first half of the book.However the second half turned more into a murder mystery than any other worldly idea and I felt a bit let down at the end.Still a well written book, enjoyed how the characters developed and would recommend.

Well that was a bit of a surprise!I first became aware of this book whilst watching an episode of Sara Cox’s BBC Between The Covers. The wonderful Mr Turton gave a brief synopsis and I absentmindedly added Devil to my Goodreads list, in appreciation of an unabashed nerd.It would appear you didn’t need Big Phil to spread the word, let her be so that she may grow and nurture Little Phil... Devil is doing fine whilst she focuses on what’s important!So, Devil....I don’t do history books. I don’t do Hornblower wind powered epics. I don’t do sailing books.It’s really rather lucky, as setting aside Devil is NONE of these. It is a bloody good story, told very well.Could the same story have worked in any other era, or setting? Probably, but 1634 on an EIC Indiaman just works. It works because it’s different, because it immerses the story in the unfamiliar whilst bashing your senses wicked. I could actually taste my own bile whilst reading about the barley broth! (I hope I never require it’s sustenance to confirm my existence!)Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson? Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings? Jessica Fletcher and, well any number of Cabot Cove residents?This book is not purely about the mystery, about the whodunnit, although I was pleased with figuring out at least 75% before the final chapters. No, this book is all about the journey you take and the characters you meet as the thread of the story is woven into such a wonderful tale.So, get a copy. Read it. Enjoy it.Well done Mr Turton, a damn fine book worthy of a pint!

This book is very readable; it’s not written for historical accuracy but as a good story. It’s easy to read and the characters are fleshed out quite well and I was enjoying it until the last few chapters where there is a twist which tries to explain away too easily the things which happen in the book and then the book ends very abruptly. I felt like it ended mid-conversation and I was pressing on my Kindle hoping there would be more, not because I was enjoying it but because the ending is so so bad.

I loved his debut & this hard to stick in a box yarn is another excellent story. Weaving together superstition, mystery, some excellent characters & more. A real page turner with a brilliant plot.

Once again, if you're not enamored with the wonderful complexity of the story, the captivating prose will get you! Eager to start Book #3!

I saw the mixed reviews of this book but decided to give it a go anyway because I was intrigued by the premise. I'm so glad I read this book because I adored it! The author has created realistic and dynamic characters that arnt just explicitly 'good' or 'bad' but reflective of real people who have elements of both. The story had me questioning who was the mastermind behind everything and each little clue had me questioning the integrity of a different character which I think is the sign of a good mystery book. The ending was not what I expected at all and I was pleasantly surprised that it felt original and not like some ending I'd read a million times over before. I think there were definately some elements that could be developed further as there was reasons behind every action you see but some felt a little far fetched depending on the time/logistics of each part of the story. I really dont think that impacted the enjoyment of the book though and I'm desperate for the author to write more books on these characters and turn it into a series!

He has become my favorite author of all time because he is the only one who will make me read his books all over again because once you know the ending, it's like reading a totally different story. You see everything differently and curious as I am I have to see what clues I missed to be so wrong about the ending!

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton is a historical nautical mystery that takes an Agatha Christie plot and adds the devil. The plot has so many twist and turns that all make sense. The novel is a fun who done it, with so many suspects that will make you head spin. The standouts for me is the plot, however crazy it gets there's always a plausible reason and character work is so good giving all 20 supporting characters their unique voices who all have their own motives and actions. A quick plot for The Devil and the Dark Water is what if a Sherlock like character was in chains and locked away and his Watson like compatriot who is a sympathetic giant that is more of a bodyguard than a problem solver had to solve a supernatural the crime. This is Stuart Turton's second novel after the excellent 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle that was best described as Agatha Christie on crack! I rarely buy new books when they first come out, but based on his strong debut I did and I was rewarded with a well thought out who done it. The story did not blow me away like The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle did, which was my the number one book I read last year, but this is a great book that is easily in my top ten of this year.The Plot: Samuel Pipps is the world's greatest detective in 1634, who has been imprisoned and taken to a ship setting sail for Amsterdam to serve time for his crimes, what ever thy are. Arent Hayes is Samuel's loyal bodyguard determined to protect him and prove his innocence, but before he can do that he has to stop a devil that boarded the transport ship. A leper warns the people boarding the Saaradam that Old Tom/ The Devil is a board this ship as he burns himself alive. When the leper is seen to they find his tongue had been severed and could not talk. Arent finds people willing to help but never knows who to trust as ghost and phantom boats lead to murder plot.What I Liked: Really well written characters, both main and side. I was never confused with characters and there is an awful lot of them. The plot is really captivating and dealing with all the elements on a boat which is. character in it's self. The twist are very layered, I did not guess who the killer or killers was, and was guessing back and forth until it was revealed. That for me is a true sign of a great mystery. Women are written very well and hold there own being very clever at a time when they did not have power. Arent's character really grew on me and you can't help but root for him solving the mystery. It's great to see a big character not dumb who is still a gentle giant but a smart one. The going to the bathroom and what they wiped with on a ship at the time is pretty horrifying. The way the sailors are described - They’re only on this ship because they’d be hanged anywhere else.What I Disliked: The story was always interesting, but it took a little bit for it to really get going. The after the climax ending felt unfinished, I felt the characters would definitively decide what was going to happen next, it left it mostly closed but there was still a crack that was left unclosed.Recommendations: Check out the work of Stuart Turton great characters, really clever plot twist, that will have you guessing who done it until the end. The Devil and Dark Water is less confusing than the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which was the main criticism for people who did not like it. This book is a lot more accessible and told in a more traditional mystery way than Hardcastle. I rated The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton 5 out of 5 stars. It is a little too soon to call Turton the king of new mystery, but he's off to a great start I eagerly anticipate his next work. I have rated all his works 5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed it much more than Seven Deaths, and am glad that I bothered reading the first pages of The Devil and the Dark Water at the end of Seven Deaths.The characterisation was clever, wooing the reader into fighting in Sara and Arent's corner. The plot twists were convincing, along with exploiting the fear of witchcraft rife throughout the known world in the 1630s.

Eine Seereise, die um die halbe Welt geht. Ein dunkles Geheimnis, das irgendwo im Schiffsraum verborgen ist. Ein Machtmensch,der alles daran setzt, um noch mehr Macht zu erhalten. Ein brillanter Detektiv, beschützt von einem Söldner, der aus unerfindlichen Gründen gefangen gehalten wird. Und ein unsichtbares Grauen, das bald ein Leben nach dem anderen fordert...Der atmosphärische Thriller der Extraklasse vereint die Düsternis von Dan Simmons "Terror" mit der beklemmenden Sozialanalyse von Niklas Natt och Dag in "1794". Die Hierarche auf einem holländischen Handelsschiff des 17. Jahrhunderts war unerbittlich, das Überleben oftmals eine Kombination aus List und Grausamkeit-und dennoch bewahren manche Charaktere ihre Menschlichkeit. Die Auflösung kommt völlig unerwartet, wird aber plausibel dargestellt.Ein meisterhaft geschriebener Roman für alle Freunde der gehobenen Thriller-Kunst!

I had been looking forward to read this book ever since Turton announced it, given how delightful his first book, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was! While The Devil and the Deep Water is not as complex and jaw-dropping as his first book, it’s still a surprising story, is a page turner from the first page to the last and ends satisfyingly!The story is set on a ship, The Sardaam, which is transporting cargo from Batavia to Amsterdam for the United East India Company. Governor General Jan Haan is the senior-most official on board and is carrying some personal secret consignments. He is accompanied by his wife, Sara Wessels, his daughter, Lia, and his mistress Creesjie Jens – all of them accomplished women but forced to hide behind a veil of mediocrity in keeping with the times. A famous investigator, Samuel Pipps, is a prisoner on board and his journey from being a hero a short while ago to a prisoner is shrouded in mystery. Arent Hayes is his bodyguard and sidekick and in the absence of Pipps’ freedom, takes on a more central role in the proceedings.The mysteries begin from the end of the first chapter itself. And as the story moves forward, tales of fear, greed, betrayal and revenge emerge, framed in the backdrop of a devil called Old Tom, as various characters get killed off. The “dark water” of the title could refer to the sea around the ship or could refer to the evil in the souls of men. Besides the mysteries of the various protagonists, there is a strong supernatural element through the book and after the experience with Turton’s first book, it is impossible to decide whether this element is imaginary or not.Like all good mystery novels, this one is a page turner right until the end. And has a big surprise towards the end. And ties up all the loose ends and the questions raised through the book, neatly. There are several references to the period in which the story is based but as Turton pens in an “apology” at the end, he has sacrificed some of the historical realism to befit the narrative.The absolute ending is perhaps a trifle glib and convenient. And this book is nowhere as jaw-dropping as his first book. But that does not take away from the fact that this is an extremely enjoyable book. I now can’t wait for his third book!Pros: Page-turner, satisfying and surprising denouement, well-writtenCons: A trifle convenient ending perhaps