Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #343: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

 

Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Goodreads:

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.

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.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton is expected to be published October 1st, 2020.

Why am I waiting on this book? I liked Turton's first book. I don't read many historicals set in this time period, but this one sounds interesting. There is the mystery aspect and then unusual parts with those marked for death and strange symbols appearing on the sails and more. 

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is like the old tv program Quantum Leap mixed with the movie Groundhog Day and an Agatha Christie novel. The author does mention Quantum Leap and Agatha Christie as influences at the end of the book.

For me, the book started out great, then slowed down for a while before picking up again. I had a really hard time during the slow part. In fact, I put it aside for a little while. But, once it picked up it really took off.

I thought the author did a great job with characterization. Aiden Bishop was jumping from body to body with a total of 8 possible hosts while trying repeatedly to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. The author managed to stay true to Aiden while dealing with the influences each host exerted on him - a growing influence with each jump.

Anna was another major character who was consistent in each of his jumps. She was interesting in that it was hard to determine if she was an ally or enemy. And while Aiden had one set of rules determining much of his efforts, Anna had a slightly different set. I would have liked to know Anna's rules sooner. The footman and the plague doctor are consistent like Anna but seem more aware of what's going on.

There were surprises and red herrings and twists to the plot. The 8 host characters were varied and not all nice. It was interesting to see how Aiden made each host's traits work for him. The ultimate ending was a surprise to me if a bit deus ex machina. It was still a satisfying ending.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's mostly well-plotted except for that pesky slow part. Characterization is great. And it's an original blend of mystery and science fiction. I would recommend it for lovers of both mystery and science fiction.



View all my reviews

Teaser Tuesday: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home? This lost, I decide. Precisely this lost. (p. 5)

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton was published May 7th, 2019 by Sourcebooks Landmark.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!