megs_bookrack's Reviews > The Devil and the Dark Water
The Devil and the Dark Water
by
by
In 1634, passengers and crew begin boarding the merchant ship, Saardam, for a voyage from Batavia to Amsterdam.
On the docks, a leper suddenly appears high atop a pile of crates and issues a warning that the voyage will end in merciless ruin.
He subsequently bursts into flames and dies a very public and painful death. The observers, although chilled by his damning proclamation, shrug it off as the ramblings of a madman.
It's harder to ignore the devil's mark that miraculously appears on the sails, however. The incident, understandably, casts a sense of foreboding over the entire voyage.
Samuel Pipps, a well-respected detective, happens to be aboard for the journey. Surprising to some is the fact that he is being transported as a prisoner, not a free traveler.
Due to this status, he is locked in a grimy, claustrophobic cell, without even enough room to stand up.
Luckily, his faithful bodyguard, and our intrepid hero, Lieutenant Arent Hayes, is also aboard. He just so happens to have a close connection to the Governor General, Jan Haan, also aboard.
Through Arent's suggestion, Samuel earns the right to be taken out of his cell every night to get some fresh air upon the decks.
As mysterious happenings plague the ship, paired with reoccurrences of the devil's mark, Arent teams up with Jan Haan's lovely wife, Sara Wessel, to try to get to the bottom of it.
An important piece of Arent's past, the lore of a demon named Old Tom, plays a large role in this story. Some say Old Tom is aboard the ship; that he's the cause of all the problems.
There's a ghost ship stalking them, the food supply is treacherously low, a storm threatens to sink them, people die, things disappear and throughout it all, Old Tom is trying to recruit passengers to the darkside.
This book has such a vibe. I don't quite have words for what it is, but I love it!
As with The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Devil and the Dark Water is a complex and suspenseful mystery.
The tone of this novel, the is it supernatural, is it not-feel of it all was masterfully done. Additionally, the use of Arent and Sara as an amateur sleuthing team was incredibly executed.
Together they are trying to work out who among them has been possessed by Old Tom. Their investigation has a lot of twists and turns, casting doubts on numerous passengers and crew.
All of the characters were so interesting. Anyone could have been the baddie. I had no clue who to suspect!
The entire story was completely original. I have never read anything quite like it. Turton's imagination knows no bounds.
Apparently, 17th-Century Supernatural Mysteries are now my jam, because I am OBSESSED with this!
Thank you so much to the publisher, SourceBooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. This was by far, one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I certainly appreciate it.
I am such of fan of Turton's writing and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!
On the docks, a leper suddenly appears high atop a pile of crates and issues a warning that the voyage will end in merciless ruin.
He subsequently bursts into flames and dies a very public and painful death. The observers, although chilled by his damning proclamation, shrug it off as the ramblings of a madman.
It's harder to ignore the devil's mark that miraculously appears on the sails, however. The incident, understandably, casts a sense of foreboding over the entire voyage.
Samuel Pipps, a well-respected detective, happens to be aboard for the journey. Surprising to some is the fact that he is being transported as a prisoner, not a free traveler.
Due to this status, he is locked in a grimy, claustrophobic cell, without even enough room to stand up.
Luckily, his faithful bodyguard, and our intrepid hero, Lieutenant Arent Hayes, is also aboard. He just so happens to have a close connection to the Governor General, Jan Haan, also aboard.
Through Arent's suggestion, Samuel earns the right to be taken out of his cell every night to get some fresh air upon the decks.
As mysterious happenings plague the ship, paired with reoccurrences of the devil's mark, Arent teams up with Jan Haan's lovely wife, Sara Wessel, to try to get to the bottom of it.
An important piece of Arent's past, the lore of a demon named Old Tom, plays a large role in this story. Some say Old Tom is aboard the ship; that he's the cause of all the problems.
There's a ghost ship stalking them, the food supply is treacherously low, a storm threatens to sink them, people die, things disappear and throughout it all, Old Tom is trying to recruit passengers to the darkside.
This book has such a vibe. I don't quite have words for what it is, but I love it!
As with The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Devil and the Dark Water is a complex and suspenseful mystery.
The tone of this novel, the is it supernatural, is it not-feel of it all was masterfully done. Additionally, the use of Arent and Sara as an amateur sleuthing team was incredibly executed.
Together they are trying to work out who among them has been possessed by Old Tom. Their investigation has a lot of twists and turns, casting doubts on numerous passengers and crew.
All of the characters were so interesting. Anyone could have been the baddie. I had no clue who to suspect!
The entire story was completely original. I have never read anything quite like it. Turton's imagination knows no bounds.
Apparently, 17th-Century Supernatural Mysteries are now my jam, because I am OBSESSED with this!
Thank you so much to the publisher, SourceBooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. This was by far, one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I certainly appreciate it.
I am such of fan of Turton's writing and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!
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Reading Progress
January 1, 2020
– Shelved
January 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 13, 2020
–
Started Reading
September 21, 2020
–
21.6%
"This is so unique. I'm really enjoying the sea-faring vibe. Devils and dark marks and cursed ships...oh my!"
page
100
September 22, 2020
–
25.92%
"Apparently, 17th Century Supernatural Mysteries are now my jam, because I am OBSESSED with this!"
page
120
September 23, 2020
–
33.91%
"Let me tell you where I am at:
A demon, who goes by the name Old Tom, has possessed one of the passengers to gain passage onto the ship, but who?
A man named Kers, the last of his witchfinding order, has been lured to the ship by Old Tom himself. This has just been deduced.
If this doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will!"
page
157
A demon, who goes by the name Old Tom, has possessed one of the passengers to gain passage onto the ship, but who?
A man named Kers, the last of his witchfinding order, has been lured to the ship by Old Tom himself. This has just been deduced.
If this doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will!"
October 18, 2020
–
87.9%
"This:
Fear was too brittle a material to make good decisions from.
🙌"
page
407
Fear was too brittle a material to make good decisions from.
🙌"
October 19, 2020
– Shelved as:
arcs-read
October 19, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-43 of 43 (43 new)
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by
Catherine
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 10, 2020 05:14PM
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Thanks, William!
Your jealousy is appreciated, Herbie! hahahahaaa :)
Thank you, my sweet friend. I appreciate your kindness! xx
Thank you! It is a perfect Halloween read. xx
The ending was little too wacked out and didn't fit for me.
The ending was little too wacked out and didn't fit for me." I think you would like this one. The quality of his writing, as far as the detail, the vast array of well-constructed characters, the ominous feeling, is all there, but without the wacky bit... :)
If you do read it, I would love to hear what you think!
Thank you so much, Anita! I am glad to hear you loved it as well. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next! 😊💙
Have a great day too! 🕊
Yayee!! I hope you love it, Lorraine! I had never read anything quite like it. It's an adventure 💜
Haha, I hope you enjoy this one, Davie. It's very different from the first, but the writing is engaging and I loved the plot and atmosphere.
Yesss, Wendy! I loved his first book!! It was refreshing as well, but in a completely different way. Both were inventive and definitely hooked me in. I love his writing style. I would recommend either!