Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Devil Aspect is a wonderfully atmospheric gothic horror story set in 1930s Czechoslovakia. I had not previous heard of this author, but had seen many rave reviews, so jumped at the chance when it came up on NetGalley. I worried when I started that the many unfamiliar character and place names might make the plot hard to follow, but this didn't turn out to be a problem at all. The suspense is brilliantly done as you try to work out what the hell (pun intended) is going on, and I certainly didn't work it out in advance.

1935, Europe is simmering with rising racial tensions in Germany, but in Prague, most people are worried about a vicious killer preying on young women and desecrating their bodies.
Handsome young psychiatrist Viktor Kosàrek, trained by the famous Carl Jung, and determined to make his mark with a new theory about the nature of evil, travels to take up a position at the infamous castle of Hrad Orlù, where a sextet of notorious serial killers known as the Devil's Six, are incarcerated. Embarking on an experimental treatment using sedative drugs to access the deepest layers of the patients' psyches, Viktor is convinced that he will find "the devil aspect" - a suppressed psychosis that overwhelms their personalities and drives their violent acts - in each of them, but he has no idea of the horrors he is about to face.

Well researched and masterfully written, this opens with a deliciously creepy prologue, then transports us to historic Prague, as we follow Viktor's progress. There are some brilliant characters, especially the other hero, earnest police captain Lukas Smòlak, who is desperate to stop Leather Apron, the serial killer who seems to be copying Jack the Ripper, but keeps hearing different accounts from witnesses of terrifying mythical creatures emerging from the shadows. Similarly, beautiful Judita, forced to work as an assistant when she wanted to be a psychiatrist herself, is haunted by the fear of what is coming for her fellow Jews.

There's a lot going on here and you do need to pay attention, but it's not a difficult read at all. I found the pace slowed a little in the third quarter as the interviews with the six started to feel a bit repetitive, but the final part more than made up for it. There are some fairly gruesome descriptions and scenes, so this is not for the faint-hearted, but no cruelty to animals is described.
I did feel I had some unanswered questions at the end, and would've liked to discover the fate of some other characters, but overall this does finish properly. My only minor criticism is the way several jarringly modern terms appear on occasion, such as "pimp" or "the creeps".

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review, and apologies to the author for the delay in my review, due to personal circumstances. The Devil Aspect is available now.

Craig Russell's The Devil Aspect is an interesting but flawed novel. As a study into the mind of a killer - or in this case six - during the early years of psychology it is a fascinating read. But as a supernatural thriller is severely lacking.
A bookended story of sorts, it follows a young psychiatrist who, in an effort to help track down a Jack the Ripper style killer, interviews six homicidal lunatics in a remote castle that each claim the devil committed their crimes.
It's an intriguing set up let down by pacing issues. A chunk of the narrative involves the stories of the crimes from the Devil's Six putting the "A story" of the investigation on the backburner for much of the novel.
It's an interesting read, just slow going.

This is a gripping, terrifying and engrossing book, a gothic horror that I wasn't able to put down.
it's well written and the author mixes wondefully fantasy, horror and mythology making this novel an excellent and creepy read.
It's a perfect Halloween book but you cannot help see the historical facts in the background and see some elements that are common to the current political situation.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Devil Aspect
By: Craig Russell

*REVIEW* ✔✔✔✔
Wow-The Devil Aspect was even darker than I expected. I enjoyed the story despite the fact that it was terrifyingly close to reality. The atmospheric presence here was so sinister, menacing, gothic and dark that it felt like a living breathing entity. The author really did a fantastic job bringing the feeling of this story to life. It was sharp, compelling and thought provoking in a major way. I felt claustrophobic while reading this. The characters were well developed and distinctly warped in their own ways. The Devil Aspect delved into deep recesses that might have been better left unexplored, but that was what made this story so unique and engrossing. I'm certain this book will stay with me for a long time.

Craig Russell first made his mark with Hamburg-set crime: the mythology-drenched Jan Fabel series. More recently he’s added acclaim for his Lennox tales set in post-war Glasgow.

But neither Fabel or Lennox are anywhere to be seen in his latest novel. Instead, THE DEVIL ASPECT takes readers into some incredibly dark places in 1930s Czechoslovakia.

Viktor Kosárek is a Jungian psychiatrist tasked with delving into the minds of the infamous ‘Devil’s Six’, a sextet of sadistic killers entombed in the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Meanwhile policeman Lukas Smolak is hunting another killer, ‘Leather Apron’, who is terrorising Prague in a manner akin to Jack the Ripper, while an even greater shadow is building across the border in Germany. What’s the connection between the evil at large and the evil contained within the walls of Hrad Orlu, a castle with a blighted history?

Russell plays Masterchef here, expertly blending history, Central European folklore, psychology, and compelling characters into a delicious goulash in this very dark thriller.

Craig Russell’s latest novel is a terrific historical/gothic horror novel mixed with psychological suspense, set in Czechoslovakia in 1935, amidst the rising of Nazism in Germany. Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist who studied under Carl Jung, takes his post at Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where they’ve got the Devil’s Six locked up. They’re the most dangerous killers in Central Europe and Kosárek is set to prove his theory that they share a common evil, The Devil’s Aspect. Meanwhile in Prague a bloodthirsty serial killer known as Leather Apron is killing women, in crimes reminiscent of those of Jack the Ripper in London almost 50 years before. The two storylines will intertwine throughout the book leading to an explosive ending.

Russell has written a deeply atmospheric novel, littered with East European folklore, Slavic myths and legends that show the tremendous research he has carried out. The time the author chose to set the story contributes to create that climate of fear, with Nazism spreading out, and the consequent repercussions it will have, as shown trough Judita Blochová character.

This was a compellingly dark and oppressive read, mix of thriller, terror, psychology and even a love story, with a cast of well developed characters, both main and secondary ones (the therapy sessions with the Devil’s Six were definitely scary), that will delight fans of gothic horror stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.