The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Synopsis

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam, where he is facing trial and execution 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, while also on board are Sara Wessel, a noble woman with a secret, and her husband, the governor general of Batavia.

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 are slaughtered in the night. And then the passengers hear a terrible voice whispering to them in the darkness, promising them three unholy miracles. First: an impossible pursuit. Second: an impossible theft. 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.

Review
Following his huge success with The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Stuart Turnton is back with a dark and disturbing murder mystery. 1634 Batavia, one of the East India Companies most successful trading ports, the Governor General is returning to Amsterdam, with the famous detective Samuel Pipps in manacles, to take his place on the board of the Gentlemen 17. But as they prepare to depart, they receive a warning from a leper about the voyage, and they see a strange symbol on the sail, a mark of the devil. As the voyage progresses there is death, strange whisperings and the promise of three unholy miracles. With Pipps imprisoned it is up to his assistant, Arent Hayes and the Govenor General’s wife Sara to investigate the devilish happenings and to save all those on board.

What can I say about this book? The answer is a lot, but I don’t want to say too much as I think you should experience the book for yourselves. Stuart Turton cleverly combines a historical mystery, with a touch of the supernatural and a malevolent undercurrent. This book plays on the obsession of that period with whitchcraft and the occult, or should I say the fear of it. Setting this book on a ship is perfect, it is a calustrophic environment with nowhere to run so emotions run high, everybody suspects everybody else and on board a ship there are different rules; you can be killed for simply being in the wrong area.

Stuart Turton writes such brilliant and memorable characters, not all of them nice. At the centre of this is Arent Hayes and Sara Wessel, thrown together to try and stop whatever is haunting their voyage. Arent may come from a rich family but he turned his back on that and became a mercenary before working as a bodyguard for Pipps and helping him solve mysteries. He is battle hardened with the scarrs to prove it, and physically big, but he has a heart, and there is a kindness and loyalty to him; he will go to great lengths to protect those he cares about. Sara is the wife of the Govenor General, a man who hits and bullys her at every opportunity, and whom she tries to protect her daughter from. She is intelligent, open minded and a healer, and her position grants her access to places Arent can’t. She takes on her role as helper to Arent with a reverence that shows her strength of character in the face of adversity; she also has her own secret agenda. There are a cast of of colourful and diverse characters including the permanently drunk Chief Merchant Van Schooten, Larme the dwarf, Crauwel the vain captain and Cressije, mistress to the Govenor General and friend of Sara. As their lives cross, tension arise, love blossoms and all are tempted by the devil.

To say I loved The Devil and the Dark Water is a huge understatement. The combination of mystery, history, witchcraft, suspense, malevolece and adventure make this such a compelling and immersive read. The motely crew of characters were wonderfully drawn, all with their own agendas at play. Stuart Turnton shows himself to be a masterful storyteller, layering the plot, drawing the reader in to this fabulous story and taking them on the most amazing journey; this is a stunning and sublime read.