Following on from the success of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton’s new release brings us another murder mystery which also has a lot of fantastical elements to it, so much so that I thought I was reading a fantasy novel at times. This book also manages to be historical fiction at the same time - it is set aboard an east indiaman spice ship bound from Batavia (Jakarta!) to Amsterdam in the year 1634. The crew and passengers become convinced that the voyage is cursed by the devil, known as ‘Old Tom’ and that if they don’t bargain with him, they will not survive. Our protagonists are Arent Hayes, a mercenary who is aboard the ship to try and protect his friend and business partner (a Sherlock-type character who has been arrested for treason); and Sara Wessel, the wife of the Governor General of Batavia who is sailing back home to Amsterdam to take up a new position in the East India Company. This unlikely duo band together to work out the truth behind Old Tom, beginning with the murder of a ship carpenter on the docks shortly before the ship sails. The sinister occurrences on the ship lend a great deal of atmosphere which was a successful part of the book for me.

While it turns out that most of the fantastical elements of the book had rational explanations, many elements still felt wildly unbelievable to me - there are too many genius-level intelligences onboard, for one thing, as well as too many characters that seemed too modern in outlook. While I enjoyed the read, these aspects stopped me from becoming fully immersed in the time period. It also felt like it should be a sequel, though I’m not sure why!

My thanks to #NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out on the 1st October in the UK.

A dark, creepy and sinister historical novel that grips you right from page one!
Well what a book this is it’s full of atmosphere you can almost feel the movement of the ship and the salt on your lips as it sets sail from Batavia (Jakarta) to Amsterdam on a journey that is full of mystery and menace!
So many happenings on this voyage and although it starts at a slow pace full of descriptions of the lives of the passengers and the crew the pace then ramps up and I found it impossible to put down.
We have a detective duo in Samuel Pipps and Arent Hayes, fabulous characters in Sarah, Creesjie and Lia all caught up with a mysterious being “Old Sam” who is he and is he the demon/devil the Captain, crew and passengers are all in fear of their lives from. The book has so much going on in it it’s impossible to describe, it’s so well written you can close your eyes and really imagine the scenes that are so well portrayed in a story that has a bit of everything.
I loved the book I devoured every page it really was a joy to read and I no hesitation in highly recommending it and a big thank you to Stuart Turton for one hell of a ride.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), Raven Books for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stuart Turton, you brilliant, brilliant man. When I read his debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was blown away at how someone could craft such a twisting, confounding mystery. And my goodness, he's done it again.

I must confess, I'm not a mystery reader. But I'm sure even if I was I wouldn't have been able to unravel this tale. It had me absolutely confounded from start to finish. I didn't even bother trying to work things out on my own, I just settled in along for the ride.

Without a doubt this was one of the best and most enjoyable books I've read all year. The cast of characters was varied and wide-reaching, the plot incredibly engaging, and the conclusion immesenly satisfying. I couldn't ask for any more from a book.

(LIVE ON 27 SEPTEMBER 2020)

1634. The Dutch East Indies. The vessel Saardam prepares for its journey to Amsterdam.

At the advent of the voyage's crossing, a shocking mystery is laid before the reader - a leper decries the vessel and curses all those on board before spontaneously bursting into flames. When the leper is recovered, his tongue is missing and long since cut out, making his prophecy all the more perplexing, particularly when shadowy events start to plague the ship.

So opens 'The Devil and the Dark Water', the sophomore novel from Stuart Turton whose 2018 debut 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle', a time-bending murder mystery which, no spoilers, had one foot squarely planted in 'Being John Malkovich' territory, the other in 'Groundhog Day', and which subsequently became a runaway success.

It would have been easy for Turton to remain in this high-concept vein, but fortunately he chose to do the opposite, as 'The Devil and the Dark Water' is firmly a historical mystery, albeit one with a well-constructed, layered cast of characters, and a more forbidding sense of doom that one is used to when examining your standard mystery.

Mysteries, therefore, seem to be Turton's strength, if this tome is anything to go by, as he proves a talent at slowly unspooling the conceits and clues of the story, the main thread of which is that of renowned sleuth Samuel Pipps, in chains for a mysterious crime, being transported across the sea to Amsterdam to answer for his actions. Accompanying him are a coterie of characters - a bellicose governor, his mistress and their children, a religious zealot and his wan acolyte, a mysterious noble confined to her cabin. However, while you may initially suspect Pipps to the book's protagonist, that role is neatly split between Arent Hayes, the mercurial Pipps' loyal assistant and a hulking behemoth of a man, and Sara Wessel, the beleaguered yet intelligent and spirited wife of the governor and mother to his only daughter.

This approach works well in keeping Pipps' deductive talents largely off-screen, but also in fleshing out two potentially-peripheral characters and giving them the active role and agency that the novel requires. Even small touches help create such a fun coterie of players = Turton's usage of symbolism lends extra shadow and dimension to his characters such as Pipps who is referred to as 'the sparrow' by fans of his impressive intellect and finds himself compared to 'a bird with a broken wing' when a standoff goes wrong.

Turton is, if nothing else, a talent at slowly unspooling his mysteries and giving them a chance to breathe. For those who might have been a little confused by Evelyn Hardcastle's approach, this is a little more straightforward and accessible as the reader explores the ship through Arent and Sara's eyes, experiencing both the thrill when a clue is revealed or terror when something chilling and downright impossible takes place. Turton doesn't scrimp on the horror here - voices and visions alike are suitably haunting - but it remains, ostensibly, a mystery through and through.

Ultimately, 'The Devil and Dark Water' is a satisfying, if slightly overlong read, that manages to indulge in tastes bloodthirsty and brain-twisting alike, and that leaves you both pleasantly surprised at journey's end and eagerly awaiting whatever mystery Stuart Turton can concoct next...

2 ½ stars

Readers who enjoyed Stuart Turton's previous novel will probably find The Devil and the Dark Water to be a far more captivating read than I did. While I personally was not enamoured by The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was willing to give Turton another try.
The first quarter of The Devil and the Dark Water had me intrigued. The narrative opens in Batavia (Jakarta) in 1634. Our protagonist, Arent Hayes, a former mercenary turner bodyguard, is accompanying his employer and friend, Samuel Pipps, on a voyage to Amsterdam. This trip is not for pleasure as Samuel, a famous detective, has been convicted of a 'mysterious' crime and is under arrest. Arent wants to prove his innocence, but not knowing the crime Samuel has been accused of obstructs his attempts to free him. Still, he's determined to protect him and decides to go alongside him to Amsterdam. As the passengers and crew embark this ship however, they are intercepted by a leper who perishes after pronouncing an ominous threat.
Before Samuel is taken to his cell in the ship, he tasks Arent with finding out more about the leper, believing that his threat was not empty one, and that someone means harm to the ship.
There are quite a few charcaters, but the 3rd person narrative tends to focus on Arent, the Governor General Jan Haan, and his wife, Sara Wessel. Sara, who happens to be very forward-thinking and in possession of some fine detective skills, joins Arent, and the two try to question the less-than-friendly crew and investigate the ship in order to find out whether something is truly haunting it.
Sinister occurrences seem to confirm our characters' fears: someone or something is set on stopping the ship from reaching its destination.

At first the story held my attention, and I did find the novel to be rather atmospheric. Turton has clearly done extensive research in the way ship's operated (from its hierarchy to the mentality of those willing to lead such a life) giving plenty of specific details relating to its various parts and or levels. Now, sadly, I can't say the same for the narrative's historical accuracy. The characters spoke in a very modern way, with the occasional 'mayhap' to give some authetniticity. While sometimes adding modern elements to historical films or books can work (such as with The Favourite), here it just took me out. Having Sara remind herself and be reminded by others, such as her maid, that she is a 'noble-woman' seemed odd. While I understand that Turton did so because he wanted to explain to his readers that because of her class Sara could and couldn't do certain things (or should be addressed in a certain way by those belonging to a lower class) or , but surely he knows that his audience would be already aware of this? The interactions between the characters also struck me as modern, and it seemed weird that every woman on the ship was so ahead of her times (Sara's daughter is a genius). Arent struck me as the typical 'giant' with a heart of gold, who may have done some bad things in his past, but has now turned a new leaf. Samuel plays a very minor role, and while it made sense given his imprisonment, as things escalate on the ship, I would have expected for Arent to seek his counsel more often.
The middle of his novel drags. Arent and Sara investigate by asking the same boring questions to the same people, they explore the ship some more, and that's kind of that. The Governor, who is compared to a hawk and happens to have very sharp nails, acts like a Bad Guy, which is not a spoiler since within a few lines of being introduced to him we know that he beats his wife.
Arent and Sara were similarly 'good'. Unlike most other people on the boat they do not approve of the
United East Indian Company. Given their respective backgrounds their humanitarian awareness seemed a tad odd.
Toward the ending things take a chaotic turn. There are a few twists, most of which I'd predicted (not bragging, I have merely read enough mystery novels to know how certain stories will unfold). The novel's main twist was painfully clichéd and made very little sense (it was obsolete).
Long, boring, unconvincing, and with a vague 'historicalness' that is miles away from the likes of Sarah Dunant or Eleanor Catton.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Arent Hayes is the bodyguard of Sammy Pipps, who is the greatest detective the world has ever seen. Sammy is arrested for a reason unknown to either himself or Arent, and is being transported to Amsterdam to stand trial.

Once aboard the ship, strange events start happening. A symbol from Arent's past is painted and carved on the ship, livestock are slaughtered, a leper is seen wandering the ship and they are being stalked by a mysterious ghost ship.

With passengers turning up dead and Sammy locked up in a cell, it is up to Arent to investigate these strange goings on and discover who is responsible for this devilry.

What I liked about this book

The story is cleverly put together. I did not see the big twist coming at all.
Arent and Sara are my favorite characters. Sara is a forward thinking female character and Arent is kind despite outward appearances. It was quite refreshing to read a book where the main character is not outrageously handsome.
I really enjoyed the writing style.

What I didn't like

For the first few chapters I felt like I had missed something. As though there was another book before this one that I hadn't read yet.
the story was quite slow to build up.
Although this book is slow to start it does pick up and when it does the story grips you and keeps you guessing. I think that you would enjoy this book if you like stories set in the 1600s or mystery novels.

3.75 Stars

Stuart Turton's second novel is as full of inventiveness and originality as his first. This is a vastly entertaining feat of storytelling.
It is 1634 as the action unfolds aboard the Saardam, sailing from the Dutch East Indies, bound for Amsterdam. The ship has been cursed and amongst the oddly assorted passengers and crew there is a leper who should be dead and a demon.
The narrative is magnificent; the attention to detail superb; the imagery stunning. There is high drama, action, horror, sadness and hope. The author casts a magic spell over his readers.

A disparate crowd gather at the port of Batavia, a trade stronghold in the 17th century, and make ready to board a ship to Amsterdam. For some, their destination will unlock positions of power. For others, an altogether different fate awaits them, if they even survive the perilous journey.

But before anyone can board, a leper delivers a terrifying message that all who sail on the ship – the Saardam - will be brought to ruin and that the ship will not reach Amsterdam. With his message delivered, the leper’s clothes spontaneously combust and he falls to the ground.

With barely any of the passengers taking heed of a madman’s ravings, the group board the ship and set sail... but they will soon find out that a devil walks amongst them, intent on destruction.

- - -

Do you remember ‘Jonathan Creek’? The BBC television series starring Alan Davies and, my favourite of his assistants, Caroline Quentin? A seemingly inexplicable crime would take place, often a murder, and it would be down to Jonathan and Maddie to find out how it was done. Some of the episodes were quite scary, full of tension and the occasional jump-scare, and this book is very similar. There are some parts of the book where I found myself eagerly anticipating a scare and, at one point, I confess I was alone in the house and caught myself gingerly glancing out the window, half expecting a leper to be looking back at me.

The characters of the novel are very well described and fully-rounded, so I was able to get a very good picture of them in my mind’s eye. There are some characters you take an instant dislike to, some you grow to really like, and others that you just don’t trust... For the most part, investigating the mystery aboard the Saardam, are Arent and Sara, with a little help from their friends and the ship’s crew. The spark of attraction is clear from the first few pages of the book, but with Sara being the bejewelled wife of the Governor General and Arent being a gruff soldier-cum-gaoler, any romance is unlikely – though the reader always hopes! Certainly, this aspect provides some of the light relief from the darker aspects of the novel. Returning to the ‘Jonathan Creek’ comparison, it could be considered that Arent and Sara are our Jonathan and Maddie, but there is another character that is possibly more akin to Jonathan. Samuel Pipps is a prisoner aboard the Saardam, but is well known – famous even – for solving mysteries and crimes with Arent as his assistant and chronicler. Gaoled in the depths of the ship for a reason nobody but the Governor General knows, Sammy instructs a reluctant Arent to discover who or what is making threats and carrying out terrifying deeds on the ship by using the skills he learnt while watching Sammy’s own investigations.

Can Arent and Sara discover who the devil is? Who will be the next victim of this unseen, possibly unholy, force? And how does a once dead leper keep appearing on the ship? The conclusion to the book ramps up the tension and readers will either congratulate themselves on their guesswork or kick themselves for not suspecting absolutely everyone.

Following his incredible debut novel, ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’, Stuart Turton has – to pardon the pun – absolutely smashed it out of the water once again with this highly anticipated book. It had me utterly gripped from start to finish and therefore, naturally, it receives a rating of five stars.

My thanks to Raven Books and Bloomsbury, the publishers, and to NetGalley UK for the advance copy on which this review is based.

As the Governor-General leaves Batavia, with his wife, his mistress, a group of soldiers and a prisoner in chains, a leper curses the journey then bursts into flames.

The prisoner in chains is noted investigator Sammy Pipps, but his assistant/muscle Arent Hayes is the one who is having to investigate, with the help of Sara - wife of the the Governor General - her daughter, and her friend who is also the Governor General's mistress. Hayes has his own connection to the Governor General, and the demon now said to be haunting the ship.

It's a complicated story, with several different viewpoints and different strands of the story. I really wasn't sure if I was reading a supernatural horror or a crime thriller at one point, and was a little apprehensive as to how it was going to turn out as I thought there was a risk it would spoil the rest of the story. Happily it didn't, and a twisty plot was tied up fairly well. Some of the characters are a little anachronistic for the 17th century but that didn't really occur to me until I'd finished the book and didn't impinge on my enjoyment! It's a good follow up to the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Stuart Turton’s eagerly awaited next novel after the smash hit The Seven (and a half?) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle starts with a bang. There’s a leper on fire, a spooky curse, a beautiful healer woman who happens to be the Governor’s wife and an introduction to the seventeenth-century Batavian version of Sherlock Holmes who is in chains for some unknown reason. Wow!

The action continues apace throughout the novel, although compared to the thrill-packed beginning and dramatic end, the middle of the book felt a little sedate by comparison. I think perhaps I was impatient to find out the secrets of Old Tom - was he a supernatural demon or were his bloodthirsty doings all too human?

A recommended read, completely different from Evelyn Hardcastle but equally compelling.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

As a huge fan of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turtons new novel The Devil and the Dark Water is highly anticipated although very different!

The story is set in the 17th century on board a ship sailing to Amsterdam. A leper claims the ship is doomed and that a devil is on board before bursting into flames, only for the passengers on board to discover he couldn't have said those words because he has no tongue. The ship is plagued by the ghost of 'Old Tom' who leaves his mark as the body count rises!

A brilliant piece of historical fiction with plenty of adventure and twists and turns. The writing is so vivid that I really felt part of the story! I highly recommend this for historical fiction fans!

This had an interesting setting, (mostly) on a ship heading from Batavia to Amsterdam in the 1600s. A sense of place is conveyed well, with the descriptions of the sights, the sounds, and yes, the smells, of a hard working cargo ship, but I didn’t feel the same about the sense of time. None of the lead characters felt like genuinely seventeenth century people to me, and their attitudes and dialogue often felt a bit too modern, which undid a lot of the hard work put into the descriptions of life aboard the ship.
The mystery is complex and involving, with plenty of twists and misdirection, but the resolution is disappointing. The denouement and subsequent explanation was straight out of Scooby Doo, lacking only someone complaining that they would have got away with it if it hadn’t been for those pesky kids.
Basically, the book’s an entertaining way of passing a few hours, but little more than that.

Having read and loved The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle I was over the moon to be approved for this book, Sadly I struggled through this book , I so much wanted to love it but it was a chore for me to read through and at times I felt like quitting. I stuck with it but it wasn’t for me, This in no way makes me not want to read any more by this talented author but this particular book just wasn’t my taste.

Being a big fan of "Seven Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle" by Stuart Turton, I was curious to see what "The Devil and the Dark Water " was like. Well it was very different, no similarities. I struggled at first because the whole book is set on a boat and I wondered whether the interest would sustain me. As the story unfolded, I was drawn in, especially with the Old Tom plot. It's certainly not a page-turner or a book that you race through but do persevere as it is worth getting to the end.

I might have squealed, or done a little happy dance when I received an e-ARC of this book. Having enjoyed Turton’s debut novel The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was really looking forward to his new book.

The book is set in the early 17th century. A ship loaded with spices and other valuable cargo is setting off from Batavia (Jakarta in Indonesia) on an eight month journey to Amsterdam. On board of the ship are several nobles, lots of musketeers and sailors, the best detective in the world and his assistant, and ‘Old Tom’, the devil.

Turton writes very vivid main and secondary characters. His descriptions of the life on ship and the ship itself are detailed but never boring. The story’s pace is good throughout and keeps you turning the pages, because you need to know who’s behind all this.

Why am I not giving this book 5 stars? I kept wondering throughout the book how some of the characters managed to obtain their information; character A finds out something, which two chapters later is used by character D, who shares it with character F. But there’s no mention of A talking to D at all.

An impossible murder mystery set in 1634.
An unusual detective duo find themselves trying to solve an impossible murder on a boat headed for Amsterdam.
Samuel Pipps faces execution for a crime he may or may not have committed. His faithful body guard is left to solve the crime with the help of Sara Wessel, the wife of the Governor General of Batavia.
Together they must try to solve a murder, but is the devil himself at work on the ship?
If you love historical mysteries then this book is for you, from the author of The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I’m a sucker for a historical mystery story, and the inclusion of supernatural overtones (a demon, strange symbols calling back to the past, a dead leper haunting a ship), with the addition of a 17th century Sherlock Holmes-esque detective (unhelpfully a prisoner) and his ‘muscle’, made this a fantastically enjoyable tale. I genuinely didn't see some of the twists coming, but in retrospect (nearly?) everything is there in front of you to discover along with the characters.

Largely constrained to the ship throughout, this allows a tight focus on a vivid set of characters and what seems to be an impeccably researched sense of the feel and the smell of a ship at close quarters for an extended period. Tense, absorbing, surprising and well structured. Definite recommend.

I'm such a huge fan of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was so excited to receive a copy of The Devil. I really like Turton's way of plotting and planting elements of mystery, it's one of his biggest strengths.

"'...That mark on the sail is how it starts. It's meant to scare us because scared people will do anything to stop being scared, and they'll do it to almost anybody.'"

It's 1634 and the mercenary East India Company's Saardam galleon is ready to set sail from Batavia (Jakarta) to Amsterdam. The journey will take eight months. Abroad is' The Folly', a valuable and mysterious treasure, belonging to powerful Governor General Jan Haan. The Saardam is also transporting prisoner Samuel (Sammy) Pipps, a famous investigator accused of an unknown crime. A dramatic scene with a leper and the mark of a demon on one of the sails marks an inauspicious start to the perilous journey. As the journey progresses, it soon becomes apparent that someone, or something, plans to sink the ship.

The focus is on Lieutenant Arent Hayes (Sammy's companion) and Sara Wessel (the governor's wife) as they undertake their investigation to stop who or what wants to sink the ship. The perilous, stinking atmosphere of the Saardam is described in detail, with very well-drawn characters. I loved reading as Sara's confidence blossomed and I admired her determination to protect teenage daughter Lia (whose cleverness needs to be hidden from men for fear of being accused of being a witch). Arent is a hero to get behind, with principles and skills, but a scarred past he needs to lay to rest.

I don't feel I can do this book justice, it could be one of the best books this year. Turton's impressive storytelling is vivid, enthralling and entertaining. I was invested in the engaging characters, in their desperate mission and drawn into the shocking reveal at the end. Themes of good and evil, love and loss mingle with the Orient Express vibes. Genre-busting supernatural, historical detective fiction on the high seas, this is an eerie and thrilling read. Highly recommended!

Lots of people had raved about the 7 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle so I was keen to try this. Sadly I felt this book far too slow going and long winded. My attention wavered (not helped by the appalling formatting for Kindle) and I struggled to finish it