THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton
★★★★☆
Bloomsbury, 2020
In 1634 on the day that world famous detective Samuel Pipps is set to board the Sardaam from Batavia to Amsterdam in handcuffs, the ship is approached by a leper who climbs atop a crate to declare a frightening prophecy: “The Sardaam‘s cargo is sin, and all who board her will be brought to merciless ruin. She will not reach Amsterdam.” The man then bursts into flames and dies moments later, at which time it’s discovered that, despite the prophecy he just announced, he has no tongue.
While the opening of this standalone mystery is explosive, The Devil and the Dark Water is a slow burner. It mostly follows Arent, Samuel Pipps’ bodyguard, a gruff yet honorable man intent on proving the innocence of his accused employer. It also follows Sara Wessel, a noblewoman trapped in an abusive marriage hoping to make a new life for herself in Amsterdam. The two form an unlikely friendship as the ship comes under siege by dark forces in the form of a demon called Old Tom that has a terrifying link to Arent’s past.
You can read my full review HERE on BookBrowse, and you can read a piece I wrote about the Dutch East India Trading Company HERE.
pace, amore, libri 
I’m glad you enjoyed this one and it gives me hope. I’ve been stuck at 10% for almost a month lol
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Sorry, super late comment – did you ever pick it back up?! I know what you mean, it was slow going for me too at first so I wouldn’t blame you for abandoning ship (ha ha) but I did find it worth sticking with it in the end!
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Super late reply; no I didn’t. I tried to pick it up and it was literally painful, so I DNFd it.
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I am in a love-hate relationship with slow-burners. Sometimes I prefer the build-up, sometimes not so much.
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I know what you mean! I think for me it kind of depends on whether or not the ending is worth the wait, and this one definitely was, thankfully.
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I found Turton’s first novel too convoluted to get through but this sounds a lot better! Would prefer a slow burn to being completely confused!
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(Sorry, super late comment!) Oh yes this one definitely sounds like an improvement! There’s a lot going on but you can absolutely keep track of all the moving pieces. I’ve been on the fence about whether to pick up his debut, I’ve heard THE MOST polarizing things…
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Great review, Rachel! I completely agree with you about the ending, that was brilliant and I liked the book overall. I did have issues with the slow pace and number of characters though.
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Thanks Stephen! I totally get what you mean, I can see how those elements could drag this down for some readers. Thankfully the ending made it up to me though!
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Nice, this sounds great! Happy to see we follow a female character too!
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YESSS you should check it out!
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[…] The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton ★★★★☆ | review […]
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Great review! How slow is the slow burn? Will it annoy me? I so want to read it but also – historical fiction. But I do love a good classical mystery story.
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Wow, late comment is late, sorry!
God I am so on the fence with you and this book. I think it’s worth a try and you’ll know within 2 chapters whether or not it will work for you. Because on the one hand it’s VERY Agatha Christie and that’s just lovely, and on the other hand… historical fiction. It’s SO historical. The slowness is like… it’s slow but steady! I enjoyed reading it at a meandering pace; it was never a chore to pick up or a slog to read, but it IS slow. So it’s hard!
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I do think I still want to try this. Maybe not anytime soon because I am not good with slow at the moment. But it does sound like something that I could adore against all odds.
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I think so too. There are SO many ‘Hannah would hate this’ elements but I still did not find myself thinking ‘Hannah would hate this’ when I was reading.
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Great review, this sounds really promising! Slow burn isn’t always my taste but a brilliant ending that rewards attention to detail sounds worth waiting for. Clever mysteries that manage to provide the clues but hide them effectively are just my sort. Glad you liked this one!
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Thank you!! I’d definitely recommend checking it out – it’s slow but steady!
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