The Devil and the Dark Water

It’s a tad Holmes and Watson, a touch Treasure Island, but there’s so much else, too; the lives of women at the time, the contemporary obsession with witchcraft and most of all the authentic stink, creak, superstition and slop of life on board an Indiaman, roaring sailors and all. If you read one book this year, make sure it’s this one -- Wendy Holden * Daily Mail *
Brilliant... intoxicating... There are some great villains and terrific heroes, especially the gentle (and gory) giant Hayes…The Devil and the Dark Wateroverflows with wonderful descriptions, neat similes, and enough horror, mystery, and crime to keep anyone enthralled * Independent *
Think of a Holmes and Watson-style duo operating in a Pirates Of The Caribbean-style universe, complete with a demon with a love for Faustian pacts, a secret invention called The Folly and a leper who has seemingly survived being consumed by flames … A rollicking adventure yarn * Metro *
The Devil and the Dark Water is all about narrative pleasure … The locked room murder meets a Michael Bay movie, by way of Treasure Island; you can’t know what’s going on, if only because the author won’t let you know until he’s delivered the final surprise – and another one after that. The effect is irresistible. Turton has got his world up and running inside the first two pages; thereafter, deceptions and diversions multiply until the ultimate, outrageous reveal, at which point the dark water turns out to be rather darker than you imagined -- M John Harrison * Guardian *
[Turton’s] second book is an even more exuberant demonstration of his storytelling skills … Wildly inventive, Turton’s tale defies definition as either historical fiction or crime novel, but provides all the pleasures of both genres and more * Sunday Times *
A rollicking tale of devils, lepers and witchfinders * Irish Times *
An imaginative tour de force * Literary Review *
Turton’s prose is jaunty and vivid. And unlike most whodunits I wouldn’t recommend it for pre-lights-out reading – not just because of the spooky bits, but because such a lovingly complex construct needs readers who are fully awake * Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the Week *
A genre sampling epic that sets outrageous traps for the reader and builds an atmosphere of dread up to an operatic final twist * Financial Times *
A glorious mash-up of William Golding and Arthur Conan Doyle -- Val McDermid
Stunningly good. A page-turning mystery on an epic scale, intricately plotted and expertly landed -- Simon Lelic
No novel this year was more fun to read than this baroque tale of adventure -- Books of the Year * Sunday Times *
A superb historical mystery: inventive, twisty, addictive and utterly beguiling. I fell for this book (and its characters) in a big way. Beautifully crafted escapism for fans of Sherlock and Master & Commander. A TRIUMPH -- Will Dean
Stuart Turton has done it again. 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! -- Ali Land
The desperate life on board an Amsterdam-bound Dutch Indiamen has never been so vividly painted. Throw in a demon (who may or may not exist), a cast of beautifully realised, compelling characters along with a series of locked room mysteries and the result is one of the most extraordinary books being published this year -- M.W. Craven
An absolute treat from the most original voice in crime fiction -- Ragnar Jonasson
Turton ?its between characters with trademark intricacy, the plot tossing around on the high seas. Each crest and fall adds to the bewilderingly compelling story, culminating in a completely unpredictable yet thoroughly satisfying ending * i *
I can think of few writers who conjure up twists and mysterious happenings with such unflagging gusto and sheer infectious pleasure … It’s a great read -- Jake Kerridge * Sunday Express *
Turton’s debut The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a hard act to follow, but lightning has struck twice ... A genre-sampling epic that sets outrageous traps for the reader and builds an atmosphere of dread -- Books of the Year * Financial Times *
A fiendish maritime mystery, [involving] a lot of secrets and a great deal of swash and buckle -- Books of the Year * Guardian *
Stunning historical fantasy set at sea … Holmes and Watson meets Treasure Island -- Best Novels of 2020 * Daily Mail *