Stuart Turton

New from the bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle! Take Stephen King horror, a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective, and add a dash of Pirates of the Caribbean for an utterly unique murder mystery on the high seas. Samuel Pipps is the greatest detective of his day . . . but now he’s a prisoner, accused of an unknown crime by one of the world’s most powerful men. Along with his faithful sidekick, Arent Hayes, he’s sailing back to Amsterdam from the East Indies, where he’ll stand trial. But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. Still shackled in his cell, Pipps sends Hayes to solve a mystery that connects every passenger on board. All hope is pinned on Hayes solving the mystery, but when he goes missing, Pipps is faced with the most dangerous puzzle of his career. All the while, voices whisper to him in the dark. But are those whispers clues? Warnings? Or the devil himself?

A Novel

The Devil and the Dark Water

Jawahir M

Surviving isn’t winning. It’s what you do when you’ve lost.

Sammy had once told him that love was the easiest thing to spot, because it did not look like anything else. It couldn’t hide itself, it couldn’t disguise itself, it couldn’t go unnoticed for very long.

’It’s a shame. Your mother is wonderful, but she suits your father ill.’ ‘why?’ Creesjie took a moment to think about it. ‘Because he doesn’t need a partner,’ she said, at last. ‘He needs a wife and your mother doesn’t need a husband, she needs a partner.’

Wealth was a key and poverty was a prison, and they’d been born shackled with no fault of their own.

More importantly, he was a man. There was no obligations upon him. No expectations. He could go wherever he wished.

In the United East India Company, he saw the devil’s hands at work, caging humanity with want, persuading them to buy their manacles new every month.

Hard questions were best wrapped in soft words.

The weak shouldn’t have to fear the powerful, and the powerful shouldn’t simply take what they wanted without consequence. Power should be a burden, not a shield.

Strong is strong and weak is weak, and it doesn’t matter if you wear breeches or skirts if you’re the latter. Life will hammer you flat.

Wealth was their master and it was the only voice they heeded. Friendships were sacrificed at its behest, principles trampled to protect it. No matter how much they had, it was never enough. They went mad chasing more until they sat lonely atop their hoard, despised and afraid

Arent murmured his agreement and became thoughtful…It was rare she spoke so freely to anybody…and she was surprised - and pleased - to see how deeply he was considering what she’d said

She was the highest-ranking noblewoman onboard, and yet she had less freedom than the lowliest cabin boy.

That name runs ahead of me. It straightens crooked paths, and it’s the crooked paths I wish to walk.

This was an interesting mystery, thought it did move quite slowly at times.  The solution to the mystery was entertaining and unexpected, but the punishment for the perpetrators was too gentle.  They got off way too easy.  

shellybn

Sandrin

** spoiler alert **
           Honestly, its a 3.5 stars for me.

Enjoyed the writing style - very pretty prose, and the plot was interesting, but the execution was lacking. I found most of the characters unlikable and very two-dimensional. The ones that were actually well written, compelling and not a cardboard cutout of an already overused character trope were either killed or overlooked for the entirety of the book. 

The ending didnt help as well - "Oh, you killed my uncle who I stated numerous times that I love dearly? Cool. You have been deceiving me for 5 years? Nice. Lets create our own Avengers initiative! The power of friendship compels you!". Bruh... Really disliked how cheesy it was, very happily ever after and so different from the story's dark theme.

Basically, we had Sherlock Holmes locked away for most of the story, and a Watson with low self-esteem that tries to solve the mysteries on his behalf whilst simultaneously finding love. 

But ships are cool and demons even cooler so 3.5 stars.

altlovesbooks

"So this is how men go to the devil. Cap in hand and short of hope, all their prayers gone unanswered."

A literal ship-in-a-bottle murder mystery, set in the 1600s, with supernatural elements. Not something I knew I needed or wanted until now, yet here we are. I will be upfront at the beginning here -- there are some problematic elements to this that made it hard for me to rate this book. I'm fully honest here that I probably was generous with the rating because I enjoyed the ride so much.

The Saardam, bound to Amsterdam from Batavia, is taking on passengers. A detective, Samuel Pipps, and his friend/bodyguard Arent Hayes are aboard, the former as a prisoner being transported and the latter as his escort and support on the way to trial. Also aboard is the Governor General, Jan Haan, his wife, his daughter, and his consort, as well as a small handful of other characters notable for their role in the events to come. Immediately before the ship gets underway, a mysterious leper calls out a curse on the ship and all aboard and immediately bursts into flames. Under this inauspicious event a great deal of superstition is fostered amongst the passengers and crew, superstition that is fanned even more after whispers are heard at night, a mysterious lantern is seen following them at night, animals are mysteriously slaughtered, and a great deal other supernatural events. Arent and Haan's wife Sara become neck deep in trying to solve the mystery, but with a deadline imposed on them all by Old Tom and things becoming more mysterious and not less, they aren't sure if they can in time.

I really enjoyed the setup and the mystery, just the right amounts of downtime spent trying to uncover clues and actual action and events that add layers to the whole thing. This was my first book by Stuart Turton, and I especially loved his writing style here. The actual mystery is a real head-scratcher, and I found myself making wrong guess after wrong guess at what was actually going on. I won't say much about the actual conclusion though, just that it wasn't what I was expecting. I actually felt a little let down at the big reveal at the end, but not enough to regret reading the book. Suffice it to say that there's a great deal of twists near the end, like any good mystery novel.

The elephant in the room here, and the reason for the 4 stars and not 5, is the author's handling of Sara's situation, and the situation of the female passengers near the end more generally. While, yes, it is the 1600s, and there's a certain amount of cultural baggage that comes with the era, I could have done without the on-page occurrences of spousal abuse. Additionally, (and, spoilers here for the end of the book events, but not the mystery as a whole), (view spoiler)[during the shipwreck period, why do we leap immediately to "well, we're low on food, I guess we should create a harem with the unmarried female passengers to keep crew morale up"? It felt tonally off, considering the rest of the book. Yes, mutiny, scum of the sea, thieves and villains all, I get it, but there's other ways to convey that than island sex slavery.  (hide spoiler)].

All that said, I still really enjoyed the high seas murder mystery feel, and thus the 4 stars. I understand some of it may be hard to overlook though, and can understand the varying experiences listed here. I also listened to the audiobook, and thought the narrator did an excellent job at narrating this book and keeping my interest.

My year’s biggest reading surprise. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did.

Stuart Turton described this book as “historical fiction where the fiction is the history” masked in a menacing murder mystery storyline. This feels like a more gothic historical fiction of an Agatha Christie book where you really don’t know what’s going on till the final reveal and it is absolutely glorious.

This book had the holy trinity: dynamic characters, solid storylines, and an immersive setting all boosted by fantastic writing. Despite its length the chapters moved swiftly, with the story taking to exciting turns. I loved the attention to detail Turton had to the crime scenes and characters. It is easy to “tell” your readers through a long winded monologue but it take skill to imply this through body language, atmospheric descriptions, and emotive dialogue instead.

Do I recommend? Fantastic escapist read, yes!

My year’s biggest reading surprise. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did.

Stuart Turton described this book as “historical fiction where the fiction is the history” masked in a menacing murder mystery storyline. This feels like a more gothic historical fiction of an Agatha Christie book where you really don’t know what’s going on till the final reveal and it is absolutely glorious.

This book had the holy trinity: dynamic characters, solid storylines, and an immersive setting all boosted by fantastic writing. Despite its length the chapters moved swiftly, with the story taking to exciting turns. I loved the attention to detail Turton had to the crime scenes and characters. It is easy to “tell” your readers through a long winded monologue but it take skill to imply this through body language, atmospheric descriptions, and emotive dialogue instead.

Do I recommend? Fantastic escapist read, yes!

Judy Hutchins 

But slow of a read for me, but the premise is superb.

Colleen

4 Stars

*A captivating murder mystery on the high seas*


The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was peculiar and delightful, so I was excited to see what Turton would come out with next. When I heard that his sophomore book would be about a murder on a ship and a deal with the devil, I was certainly intrigued. I recently read another book about a murder mystery aboard a ship (The Bloody Black Flag: A Spider John Mystery) which was good but did not hold my interest as well as I hoped. So I was eager to read The Devil and the Dark Water.

The start of the story had many hallmarks of classic detective fiction particularly the hyper-observant detective and loyal sidekick who records their adventures. But the story also turns the troupe on its head. For starters, the story takes place almost entirely aboard a ship. For another, the detective-type character is absent from the page most of the time. This leaves his sidekick/bodyguard, Arent Hayes, to stumble along trying to investigate in his stead amongst a ship full of people increasingly paranoid that someone has brought the devil down on their heads. The setting is one of the things that made this story stand out.

  “There’s no glory except what the minstrels make up so the nobles can feel good about the slaughter they paid for. A soldier’s job is to end up dead far from home, fighting for a king who wouldn’t give them the crumbs from his table.”

As a side note, I will mention that the story is light on nautical aspects. So landlubbers need not be worried about getting bogged down by nautical terms or chapter upon chapter of How to Sail a Ship. I actually would have enjoyed a bit more nautical maneuvering, but this will sit better with mainstream readers.

There were some minor things that didn’t do it for me. There were a bunch of odd similes throughout the book. These included ones such as, "The congregation broke apart like lumps of fat in a stew" and many other odd comparisons that had me scrunching my eyebrows. It made it hard to picture things sometimes, because the similes were discordant enough to cause confusion rather than be illustrative. 

I also was not expecting the romance subplot. It was fine, but I wasn’t that invested in it. And I wanted way more focus on Lia. Her character was a lost opportunity.

  “Cleverness is a type of strength, and they won't accept a woman who's stronger than they are. Their pride won't allow it, and their pride is the thing they hold dearest.” 

The story wandered around and certainly took its time. There were many red herrings, and I’m not sure the mystery was actually “solvable” from the reader’s point of view. But the story kept my interest the whole time. The hint of supernatural doom hanging over the story really added to the atmosphere. And the tensions amongst the characters were palpable. Speaking of the characters, there were a lot of them. There were times when I had to job my memory to remember who someone was, but overall, Turton did a good job of pacing out the character introductions as well as creating many memorable, distinct characters. And along the way, there were also many none-too-subtle digs at colonialism, sexism, and classism.

  “His proposal had been thorough, listing the benefits of their union to her father. In short, she’d have a beautiful cage and all the time in the world to admire herself in the bars.” 

“The nobility was like that. They gorged on scandal, but quickly forgot what they’d eaten. After all, there was always more coming.” 

The ending stretched things a bit far, but this was still a satisfying read. Overall, The Devil and the Dark Water was solidly good but not amazing. I did enjoy it though, and I look forward to seeing what else the author writes.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Lane Hokanson

Stuart Turton has done it again with this deftly twisting tale of murder, intrigue, and deception. With an unparalleled web of lies, truth, and devilry, you’ll never guess what’s coming next in this seafaring adventure. 5 stars and a toast to an author whose imagination is nearly as unpredictable as his books.

Ana Gonçalves

It was entertaining and fun. The characters were interesting and the plot was engrossing.
I have pretty mixed feelings about the ending tho.I liked the final twist but I didn't enjoy the conclusion...

Did not like it. Very slow story, I just did not feel it

Jasmine Perdaan

Haley Murray

"Compulsively readable."--New York Times Book Review The extraordinary new thriller from Stuart Turton, author of the bestselling murder mystery The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award. A murder on the high seas. A remarkable 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. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. Among the other guests is Sara Wessel, a noblewoman with a secret. But no sooner is their ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A strange symbol appears on the sail. A dead leper stalks the decks. Livestock dies in the night. And then the passengers hear a terrible voice, whispering to them in the darkness, promising three unholy miracles, followed by a slaughter. First an impossible pursuit. Second an impossible theft. And third an impossible murder. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes? With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent and Sara can solve a mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board. For fans of Steven King, The Devil and the Dark Waterbrings a chilling new spin to the Sherlock Holmes detective duo in a thriller of supernatural horror, occult suspicion, and paranormal mystery on the high seas.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What price will you pay for freedom? Do demons prowl among us? And what is happening to the people aboard the Saardam?

This novel is set during a sea voyage from Batavia to Amsterdam in the 1600s and is part ghost story, part closed-circle murder mystery, and part study of human nature. I love Turton’s writing style, so this book didn't disappoint.

Mackenzie Young

If I could give this book more stars, I would. So good!! This was such an interesting “who dunnit” and it really had me questioning the characters all throughout the book. I also loved the historical setting and it being on a ship. Amazing read for the first month of 2022.

Amanda Crossman

consistently fell asleep while reading this book.

Celeste Richardson

The Devil and the Dark Water is a wonderful spin on a nautical mystery in the style of Sherlock Holmes. Featuring a stellar cast, a rich and atmospheric setting, chilling brushes with the supernatural and a grippingly paced plot, this was everything one could possibly hope for from a mystery novel. I found it incredibly clever, satisfyingly twisty and deliciously suspenseful. And it had an ending I didn’t see coming. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for more.
“Questions are swords and answers are shields… I’m begging you, armor yourself.”
Our story is set in 1634 on the Saardam, a merchant ship leaving Batavia (Jakarta) for Amsterdam. The cast of characters aboard the Saardam is oozing with personality. Every character was fascinating, and many of them tended to be both multifaceted and simultaneously a caricature of some sort. Even the most horrid of characters had redeeming qualities in at least one other character’s eyes. My favorite character was Arent Hayes, hands down. He’s fiercely loyal, good to the core, willing to get his hands dirty to protect others, and far more intelligent than he believes himself to be. But there were other characters, like Sara and Lia and Sammy, who were surprisingly full of depth and who I desperately wanted to learn more about. I would actually love to read a followup book featuring the further adventures of a handful of these characters, should Turton choose to revisit them.
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear… It’s the light we find when fear is all there is.”
I love the relationship between Samuel Pipps and Arent Hayes. Their friendship reminded me strongly of Holmes and Watson, even though they as individuals are radically different from the aforementioned duo. The closeness of their relationship and their fraternal love for one another, though, bear a strong resemblance to Holmes and Watson. 
“He’d always believed miracles were what happened when you finally ran out of hope. They were bits of luck, polished until they gleamed, delivered exactly as you needed them.”
While reading, I was strongly reminded of The Hound of the Baskervilles in multiple ways. Firstly, the the duality of wondering if the supernatural is real and to blame, or if the entire supernatural element is a mask behind which the true action is hiding, is a consuming question. Secondly, the famous detective who is supposed to answer all of our questions is off screen for the majority of the narrative, as Sherlock is in Baskervilles. I found The Devil and the Dark Water even more satisfying than The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is incredibly high praise as it’s one of my favorite stories in the Holmes canon. Doyle very much knew what he was doing, but Turton took note and ran with it. 
“Guilt was like dirt. It got under the skin and didn’t come clean. It made people second guess everything that was done, find fault where there was none and imagine mistakes that weren’t made.”
Besides the beautifully balanced, unpredictable mystery and the highly well-developed characters, my favorite element of the novel was Turton’s writing. The man has an incredible way with words, and yet there’s not an ounce of pretension or smugness to his prose. It’s never flowery, but it’s always resonant. There were quite a few turns of phrases that I had to annotate simply because they were so well worded. As a side note, the author’s afterword at the end of the novel, in which he apologizes to history and ships for the liberties he takes with them, is absolutely delightful and gave me an even greater appreciation for Turton as an author. 
“Some songs weren’t mere songs. They were memories curled tight and set alight.”
I liked The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I didn’t love it. I’m not sure I would have given The Devil and the Dark Water a chance had it not been for the promise of “Sherlock Holmes on the high seas” and the glowing review of my co-blogger Emma, who also gifted me a stunning hardcover copy with sprayed red edges and creepy eyes. I’m so glad she gave TS and I this gift, and that the two of us and Eon decided to read it together, because this book blew Turton’s first novel out of the water. No pun intended. The Devil and the Dark Water has earned its spot on the shelf with Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. It’s one of my favorite books of the year, and one of my favorite mysteries I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. 

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

"Compulsively readable."—New York Times Book Review The extraordinary new thriller from Stuart Turton, author of the bestselling murder mystery The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award. A murder on the high seas. A remarkable 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. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. Among the other guests is Sara Wessel, a noblewoman with a secret. But no sooner is their ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A strange symbol appears on the sail. A dead leper stalks the decks. Livestock dies in the night. And then the passengers hear a terrible voice, whispering to them in the darkness, promising three unholy miracles, followed by a slaughter. First an impossible pursuit. Second an impossible theft. And third an impossible murder. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes? With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent and Sara can solve a mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board. For fans of Steven King, The Devil and the Dark Water brings a chilling new spin to the Sherlock Holmes detective duo in a thriller of supernatural horror, occult suspicion, and paranormal mystery on the high seas.

Chulandon leanday Bradley 

I was not expecting that ending I loved all of the twists and turns in this book. Also the author really did have me thinking that perhaps there is a demon on board the ship but then it turns out that Samuel pipps, his sister and some hired help are the demon.

Cindy Lieberman

A moody mystery at sea set in a time when superstitions ran deep, people and voyages were cursed, and revenge was best served cold, with a bit of sea salt.

Kari Finkle 

2 STARS ⭐️⭐️

I’ve really given myself a couple weeks to think about this and honestly this one just flopped for me. I guessed everything really early on, there was way too much info dumping, and this just did not meet my expectations. I was super intrigued about this being a pirates/Sherlock Holmes themed adventure, but it was not that at all. His other book, Evelyn Hardcastle, was WAY BETTER. This was not a great follow up. Super disappointed.

Liz Carpenter

I enjoyed the story and characters in this one even more than 7 1/2 Deaths, and bonus - didn't need a spreadsheet to keep track of it all this time.

Katharina Hoffmann

Before I dive into my review of “The Devil and the Dark Water” I just wanted to say: Thank you, Suart Turton, for giving Sara’s dress pockets. It’s what she deserves.

As soon as I had finished reading “The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” I knew I wanted to read more of whatever Stuart Turton was writing. I had to wait for his second book for two years, but it was so worth it.

Imagine this: In the year of our Lord 1634 a Dutch merchant ship is bound to sail from Batavia (Jakarta, Indonesia) to the Netherlands. Its cargo consists of expensive spices and goods and a top-secret load that everyone only refers to as ‘The Folly’. On board of the Saardam are sailors, musketeers, the governor general of Batavia, his daughter and his wife Sara. They are joined by the famous detective Samuel Pipps who is a prisoner at the mercy of the governor general, only protected by his mercenary friend Arent Hayes. With the appearance of a mute leper on fire who suddenly starts talking in tongues, the journey is doomed even before the ship has left port.

Arent asks Sara for help in uncovering the mystery of the leper but things take a turn for the worse when people start dying as soon as the Saardam has set sail. It starts with the appearance of the sign of a devil named ‘Old Tom’, but Arent, Sara and the rest of the crew realise that the sign is only the start of so much worse. There are whispers of evil prophecies coming true, people go missing in the dead of the night and a cult begins to form…

Stuart Turton triumphantly returns with another murder mystery. Calling his work “Sherlockian” wouldn’t do it justice as there is so much more to this book. The descriptions of a dangerous voyage half-way around the world are lush and vibrating with magic, horror and the mysterious. This is a book with mind-bending twists and turns and more than a touch of the supernatural. As with Turton’s previous work, it’s hard to say which genre TDATDW belongs to. It’s part crime, part historical, part thriller and action, part gothic-horror and romance! Yes, there is a delicious slow-burn in this book which was one of many reasons why I simply couldn’t put it down (I finished it within 2 days and that says it all, I think).

As the paranoia and hysteria on board of the Saardam were growing, I found myself getting more and more nervous, shifting around, trying to find the hidden clues that would eventually lead me to the bottom of this mystery (never mind that - I failed and had no idea whatsoever who and what was behind it all).

TDATDW is Turton’s second work that I rated 5 out of 5 stars and I’m eagerly anticipating his next book (please hurry, Stuart, I'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms).

Erin Russell

4 1/2 stars. Loved the characters and the plot overall. Ending wasn’t bad per say, just rushed in my opinion.

Harriet Moar-Smith

Such a shame, I really enjoyed 65% of this book, I love a good mystery set on a ship that takes some historical licence. But, alike with 7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, it just felt like it could have benefitted from a harsh edit and a better ending.

Catarina Silva

5 stars
This book took me a while to read (totally my fault), but I was excited about it everytime I picked it back up. The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic, the mistery was amazing and I did not see that ending coming. The characters were amazing and I will forever love Arent and Sara.

'No novel this year was more fun to read' Sunday Times 'A locked room murder mystery... by way of Treasure Island' Guardian 'If you read one book this year, make sure it's this one' Daily Mail SELECTED FOR THE BBC TWO BOOK CLUB BETWEEN THE COVERS AND THE RADIO 2 JO WHILEY BOOK CLUB An impossible murder A remarkable detective duo A villain who may or may not exist It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam, where he is set to face trial for a crime that no one dares speak of. But no sooner is the ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. Strange symbols appear on the sails. A figure stalks the decks. Livestock are slaughtered. Passengers are plagued with ominous threats, promising them three unholy miracles. First: an impossible pursuit. Second: an impossible theft. Then: an impossible murder. With Pipps imprisoned in the depths of the ship, can his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, solve the mystery before the ship descends into anarchy? From the author of the dazzling The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award, comes an adventurous and wildly entertaining murder mystery. 'Think of a Holmes and Watson-style duo operating in a Pirates Of The Caribbean-style universe' Metro 'A glorious mash-up of William Golding and Arthur Conan Doyle' Val McDermid 'A superb historical mystery: inventive, twisty, addictive and utterly beguiling... A TRIUMPH' Will Dean CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, FINANCIAL TIMES, DAILY EXPRESS AND i PAPER

The mind-blowing new murder mystery from the Sunday Times bestselling author

sara louise

“power should be a burden, not a shield.”

3.5 rounded up
I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting and whether this was it, but I had a fun time nonetheless. ps I loved the little homage to evelyn hardcastle snuck into the last chapter.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

This was truly a long, arduous, yet wild ride. I went into this with the expectation that the ending would be the weakest point of the book, having heard that it was true to Turton's previous work. I am a huge sucker for endings, but I loved his first book so much and the journey we went on that I threw everything aside and was willing to receive that weak ending yet again for another journey of a lifetime. 

It was the complete opposite. The entire book was confusing, with so many people in the cast and a lack of focus on anyone. I think Turton purposefully spread the focus on so many people to confuse the reader, but really I just had no idea who to care for. The characters in this felt a bit weak. For how long this book was, I wanted to get to know people more, delve deeper into not just their motivations but what makes them as a person. I think we got that with Arent, but even then, he felt a little flat. Something about it felt so crafted for story purposes and not actually like real people. Turton is wonderful at writing descriptions of the world around the characters, but invoking emotion in the reader is his weaker point. Describing their emotions doesn't have to be pretty dude. I want to feel what they are feeling right along with them, not just appreciating the nice way you worded it. Sometimes it seems evident he hasn't felt a lot of these things.

Most motivations just felt cheap and fell short. I think some of the females especially made no sense to me, and the emotions that were gender-centric I could really tell that they were written by a man. He has sympathy for these situations, but he's lacking empathy, which is understandable as he hasn't experienced them, but it makes the situations feel like caricatures, like what a man would assume a woman would feel. Sara should feel real, tangible fear, her heart pounding, her stomach nauseous, the past memories of this awful things clinging to the front of her vision and never leaving her alone. There is no way she would experience so little hesitation, not in the beginning of the book. Her growing bravery should've been a slow buildup, and she should have been punished for it. There was no consequence for actions in this book, and as a result one of the villains ended up feeling a bit more tell and not show, which left me uncaring about him being bested. 

I struggled to get to the end of this, hitting many lulls after sections that I adored, feeling like I was waiting for it to get good only for it to peter out again. But then I really enjoyed the ending, and where he took it. I was not expecting to like the ending, so that was a pleasant surprise that kept the books high rating. But this was way too hard for me to read for me to rate it higher. At times it felt like a final draft that still needed an editors eyes to tell Turton his sentences were growing clunky, his characters flat, he needed more excitement in this section and to be hitting story beats in a better way. His novels shine with potential for me, but the day someone takes a red pen to these books is the day that Turton crafts a masterpiece. I think all the elements are here for a great book, but it's not quite meshed together right. I'll be waiting excitedly to see what happens next, because I'm confident he can only get better.

The Devil and the Dark Water A Novel

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