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The Devil and the Dark Water
Stuart Turton
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. 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.
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. 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.
GENRE
Historical; Mystery; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
October 2020
Historical; Mystery; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
October 2020
Also by Stuart Turton
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Praise
The Times Book of the Year
Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards 2020
Selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club
Shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2021
Longlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award 2021
"[A] vibrant mix of history, fantasy and detective fiction ... With its rollicking plot and swarming cast, Turton's novel invites readers to sit back and embrace its strange enchantments."
Daily Mail
"Lots of fun and the perfect escapism... A pleasingly fiendish mystery which wraps up ever so satisfyingly."
The Bookseller
"No novel this year was more fun to read than this baroque tale ... Stuart Turton's extravagant imagination conjures up ever more bizarre plot twists."
The Times
"Dark, disturbing and very hard to put down."
Choice magazine
"A genre sampling epic that sets out outrages traps for the reader and builds and atmosphere of dread up to an operatic final twist."
Financial Times
"Compulsively readable ... Pipps and Hayes are such charming company that I was happy to travel with them for the extended journey."
New York Times
"Wildly inventive, Turton's defies definition as either historical or a crime novel, but provides all the pleasures of both genres and more."
The Times
"Turton shows he's the modern master of the classic impossible crime mystery."
Publishers Weekly
"Turton flits between characters with trademark intricacy, the plot tossing around on the high seas. Each crest and fall adds to the bewilderingly compelling story, culminating in a completely unpredictable yet thoroughly satisfying ending."
i Newspaper
"An unforgettable and brilliant read."
17 Degrees
"Turton has a fantastic time laying out the details of his intricate plot, leaving the reader wondering if it is something human or supernatural causing the devilry on the Saardam."
The Observer New Review
"A rollicking tale of devils, lepers and witchfinders."
Irish Times
"An equally expansive and enjoyably convoluted successor –Turton’s prose is jaunty and vivid. And unlike most whodunits I wouldn’t recommend it for pre-lights-out reading – not just because of the spooky bits, but because such a lovingly complex construct needs readers who are fully awake."
Sunday Telegraph
"Intoxicating… overflows with wonderful descriptions, neat similes, and enough horror, mystery, and crime to keep anyone enthralled."
Independent
"Murder, conspiracy and gothic mayhem abound... an irresistible maritime mystery."
Guardian
"It’s a tad Holmes and Watson, a touch Treasure Island, but there’s so much else, too ... if you read one book this year, make sure it’s this one."
Daily Mail
"Artfully combines intriguing characters, fascinating historical details and a seafaring labyrinth of twists and turns—not to mention a demon named Old Tom. There is never a dull moment in this 480-page whodunit… History and mystery lovers alike will delight in the heart-racing escapades of The Devil and the Dark Water."
BookPage
"A rollicking adventure yarn that makes the most of the superstitious terrors of its 17th-century setting."
Metro
"Outstanding whodunit... brilliant resolution... fans of impossible crime fiction won't want to miss this one."
Publishers Weekly
"The Devil and the Dark Water is absolutely spectacular. Brilliantly clever, compulsive and gripping. Impossible to compare it to anything else, as was Seven Deaths. [Stuart Turton] drowns difficult 2nd book syndrome in an acid bath. A cast-iron must read come October."
Adam Simcox
"[Turton] posed knotty challenges for readers, has a colourful tale to tell and does so in highly entertaining fashion... A devilish saga that never runs out of cutthroat conspiracies."
Kirkus Reviews
"Stunningly good. A page-turning mystery on an epic scale, intricately plotted and expertly landed."
Simon Lelic
"Stuart Turton has done it again. The Devil and the Dark Water is mind bending, genre bending, intricate, vivid, intelligent and with one of the most gloriously grizzly cast of characters ever. An absolute razztwizzler of a novel!"
Ali Land
"An absolute treat from the most original voice in crime fiction."
Ragnar Jónasson
Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards 2020
Selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club
Shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2021
Longlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award 2021
"[A] vibrant mix of history, fantasy and detective fiction ... With its rollicking plot and swarming cast, Turton's novel invites readers to sit back and embrace its strange enchantments."
Daily Mail
"Lots of fun and the perfect escapism... A pleasingly fiendish mystery which wraps up ever so satisfyingly."
The Bookseller
"No novel this year was more fun to read than this baroque tale ... Stuart Turton's extravagant imagination conjures up ever more bizarre plot twists."
The Times
"Dark, disturbing and very hard to put down."
Choice magazine
"A genre sampling epic that sets out outrages traps for the reader and builds and atmosphere of dread up to an operatic final twist."
Financial Times
"Compulsively readable ... Pipps and Hayes are such charming company that I was happy to travel with them for the extended journey."
New York Times
"Wildly inventive, Turton's defies definition as either historical or a crime novel, but provides all the pleasures of both genres and more."
The Times
"Turton shows he's the modern master of the classic impossible crime mystery."
Publishers Weekly
"Turton flits between characters with trademark intricacy, the plot tossing around on the high seas. Each crest and fall adds to the bewilderingly compelling story, culminating in a completely unpredictable yet thoroughly satisfying ending."
i Newspaper
"An unforgettable and brilliant read."
17 Degrees
"Turton has a fantastic time laying out the details of his intricate plot, leaving the reader wondering if it is something human or supernatural causing the devilry on the Saardam."
The Observer New Review
"A rollicking tale of devils, lepers and witchfinders."
Irish Times
"An equally expansive and enjoyably convoluted successor –Turton’s prose is jaunty and vivid. And unlike most whodunits I wouldn’t recommend it for pre-lights-out reading – not just because of the spooky bits, but because such a lovingly complex construct needs readers who are fully awake."
Sunday Telegraph
"Intoxicating… overflows with wonderful descriptions, neat similes, and enough horror, mystery, and crime to keep anyone enthralled."
Independent
"Murder, conspiracy and gothic mayhem abound... an irresistible maritime mystery."
Guardian
"It’s a tad Holmes and Watson, a touch Treasure Island, but there’s so much else, too ... if you read one book this year, make sure it’s this one."
Daily Mail
"Artfully combines intriguing characters, fascinating historical details and a seafaring labyrinth of twists and turns—not to mention a demon named Old Tom. There is never a dull moment in this 480-page whodunit… History and mystery lovers alike will delight in the heart-racing escapades of The Devil and the Dark Water."
BookPage
"A rollicking adventure yarn that makes the most of the superstitious terrors of its 17th-century setting."
Metro
"Outstanding whodunit... brilliant resolution... fans of impossible crime fiction won't want to miss this one."
Publishers Weekly
"The Devil and the Dark Water is absolutely spectacular. Brilliantly clever, compulsive and gripping. Impossible to compare it to anything else, as was Seven Deaths. [Stuart Turton] drowns difficult 2nd book syndrome in an acid bath. A cast-iron must read come October."
Adam Simcox
"[Turton] posed knotty challenges for readers, has a colourful tale to tell and does so in highly entertaining fashion... A devilish saga that never runs out of cutthroat conspiracies."
Kirkus Reviews
"Stunningly good. A page-turning mystery on an epic scale, intricately plotted and expertly landed."
Simon Lelic
"Stuart Turton has done it again. The Devil and the Dark Water is mind bending, genre bending, intricate, vivid, intelligent and with one of the most gloriously grizzly cast of characters ever. An absolute razztwizzler of a novel!"
Ali Land
"An absolute treat from the most original voice in crime fiction."
Ragnar Jónasson
Also by Stuart Turton
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Rights Sales for THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER
Bulgaria: Ednorog
Canada: HarperCollins CAN
Czech Republic: Dobrovsky
Finland: Otava
France: Sonatine
Germany: Klett Cotta
Greece: Metaihmio Publishing
Italy: Neri Pozza
Japan: Bungeishunju Ltd.
Korea: Daewon Cl
Netherlands: House of Books
Poland: Wydawnictwo Albatros
Portugal: Grupo Almedina
Romania: Rao Distributie
Russia: Azbooka-Atticus Publishing Group
Serbia: Vulkan
Sinhalese: Muses Publishing House
Slovakia: Slovensky
Spain: Atico
Sweden: Modernista
Turkey: Ithaki
UK & Commonwealth: Bloomsbury Raven
USA: SourceBooks
Canada: HarperCollins CAN
Czech Republic: Dobrovsky
Finland: Otava
France: Sonatine
Germany: Klett Cotta
Greece: Metaihmio Publishing
Italy: Neri Pozza
Japan: Bungeishunju Ltd.
Korea: Daewon Cl
Netherlands: House of Books
Poland: Wydawnictwo Albatros
Portugal: Grupo Almedina
Romania: Rao Distributie
Russia: Azbooka-Atticus Publishing Group
Serbia: Vulkan
Sinhalese: Muses Publishing House
Slovakia: Slovensky
Spain: Atico
Sweden: Modernista
Turkey: Ithaki
UK & Commonwealth: Bloomsbury Raven
USA: SourceBooks