Book Review: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

 

Title: The Devil and the Dark Water
Author: Stuart Turton
Pages: 448 pages
Expected publication: October 6th 2020 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Source: Edelweiss

GoodReads Description: "The breathtaking new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

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 onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board."

Pirates of the Caribbean meets Sherlock Holmes!  

I love both of those, so this book was quite fun!  It was more Pirates than Sherlock, I'd say - lots of action and adventure and more of that time period, but the detective duo was very Sherlock.  I believe this would make a terrific and adventurous movie! 

A cursed ship. A mysterious warning. A hated, power-hungry nobleman and his prized possession. A detective duo - one of whom is a mercenary with a hidden past.  Intrigued yet?  I guess technically there were no pirates, but with sailors like these... 

It was a wild ride aboard the Saardam!  There was not a dull moment and Arent was fun to root for!  The mystery was a bit of a slow-burn, but the action was ever-present.  

Story: 4.5
Characters: 4
Overall: 4.25 stars

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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