Today I have a review of The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell available from Doubleday Books on March 5, 2019!
My Thoughts:
Viktor Kosarek is a young psychiatrist, a protege of Carl Jung, when he’s hired to work at the Hrad Orlu Asylum in Prague. The year is 1935. The facility is considered state of the art for its time, a castle built right into the mountaintop.
Hrad Orlu is home to six of the country’s most notorious murderers, and each has a chilling nickname by the staff.
Viktor’s theory is that these patients share a personality trait of evil in common, and he has developed a medical technique to identify just that. He calls the trait The Devil Aspect.
At the same time as Viktor’s arrival, there’s a serial killer on the loose in Prague, setting everyone on edge and in fear. Lukas Smolak is the investigator in charge, and he quickly takes note that the killer is imitating Jack the Ripper from 100 years before. Smolak comes to Hrad Orlu for help in tracking the suspect through Viktor’s breakthrough.
Overall, The Devil Aspect had my mind spinning and my pulse racing. If you are looking for an original thriller with a historical edge, this is it. The interactions with the killers gave me the for-real heebie jeebies. The plot moves along at a brisk, even pace. It’s dark. It’s gothic and atmospheric. It’s a wonderfully engaging thriller that kept me up late flipping its pages. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
Prague, 1935: Viktor Kosárek, a psychiatrist newly trained by Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The state-of-the-art facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle outside of Prague, though the site is infamous for concealing dark secrets going back many generations. The asylum houses the country’s six most treacherous killers–known to the staff as The Woodcutter, The Clown, The Glass Collector, The Vegetarian, The Sciomancer, and The Demon–and Viktor hopes to use a new medical technique to prove that these patients share a common archetype of evil, a phenomenon known as The Devil Aspect. As he begins to learn the stunning secrets of these patients, five men and one woman, Viktor must face the disturbing possibility that these six may share another dark truth.
Meanwhile, in Prague, fear grips the city as a phantom serial killer emerges in the dark alleys. Police investigator Lukas Smolak, desperate to locate the culprit (dubbed Leather Apron in the newspapers), realizes that the killer is imitating the most notorious serial killer from a century earlier–London’s Jack the Ripper. Smolak turns to the doctors at Hrad Orlu for their expertise with the psychotic criminal mind, though he worries that Leather Apron might have some connection to the six inmates in the asylum.
Steeped in the folklore of Eastern Europe, and set in the shadow of Nazi darkness erupting just beyond the Czech border, this stylishly written, tightly coiled, richly imagined novel is propulsively entertaining, and impossible to put down.
Have you read The Devil Aspect, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
And now I need to read this one ASAP! It seems really intriguing and… creepy!
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It’s definitely both those things, Susy! I loved it and hope you enjoy it, too, if you read it!
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If you were trying to set the stage for a really creepy, sinister story, consider your job well done, Jennifer! Just the word “asylum” sets my teeth on edge and mix in a little Jack and you’ve got a powerful brew.
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Thanks, Jonetta! This was so sinister, so creepy. The author did an impeccable job “building” the asylum.
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Sounds delightfully chilling! I’ve often been tempted by his books but haven’t got around to trying him yet. This appeals more than his Glasgow-based ones… more original. 😀
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So chilling, FF, and definitely felt original. How interesting some of the others take place in Glasgow!
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Yes, he’s got a long-running series – the Lennox books – which I think are set in 1950s Glasgow. One day I’ll get around to trying them…!
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i admit the title alone can give me the hibbies.
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It’s a creepy one, Jina!
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GREAT REVIEW! Got this on my netgalley TBR.
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Thank you! YAY! I hope you love it, too! I’ll be watching for your thoughts!
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You’ll be the first to know 😄
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This actually sounds quite creepy, Jen! Excellent review. Love your pic too. 💖
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Thanks, favorite M! It was a super creepy book! Oh my! 💕
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I so like seeing that historical edge. I am going to take a look at this one for sure. As always, I enjoyed your review, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Marialyce! I could see you enjoying this one. It’s got a dark edge and it’s absolutely chilling.
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I just saw that I have this book. Its on my to read next week schedule.
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Yay! Can’t wait for your thoughts!
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I love the sound of this, Jennifer! That mix of history and serial killers always gets me😁
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Tammy, this book is fab! I hope you get a chance to read it if this is your kind of thing!
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Wonderful review and picture, Jennifer. I have not read this historical thriller and added it to my tbr list. Happy 😊Thursday! 🌹🌹❤️📚
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Thank you, Virginia! I think you’d enjoy this one, too. It’s so original and chilling! ♥️
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This is the one I’ve seen a lot of buzz about in the historical thriller circles. Looks so good!! Thanks for the review.
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Thanks, Paul! It’s really well-done and atmospheric. I hope you get a chance to read it!
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Cool. Straight onto my TBR.
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Sound like one of those books that can really play with my mind. Lol. Lovely review. I do find the premise interesting.
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Thanks, Nina! Yes, it’s a book that keeps you guessing and has a super creepy vibe. It borders on disturbing because of how it gets inside the mind of the murderers.
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*Shivers
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Wonderful review Jen! The tulips are gorgeous!! Happy Thursday!💙
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Thanks, Sus! I love those tulips too! Mine are coming up! 😬 Now I’ll have to cover them at the next freeze! Too early! 🌷 I hope you had a wonderful Thursday! Xo
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Loved it, couldn’t put it down! 😀
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So happy you loved it, too! What a good book!
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Fab review! I have a NetGalley copy of this but I’m a bit scared of trying it. Is it very grisly?
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Thanks, Nicki! I wouldn’t say super grisly, but it is very dark. It’s about as dark as I go and it was a bit disturbing because of the serial killers. I look forward to what you think if you give it a try. ♥️
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Thanks I’ll give it a try so I can at least give feedback on NetGalley.
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I like the sound of this! Heebie jeebies and everything, yay!
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It was so good, Kelly! Engaging and original!
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I went and requested it on NetGalley 😁 Hope I get approved!
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And I just got approved, yay!
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YAY! That’s awesome! I hope you love it, Kelly!
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I have all my fingers crossed 🤞 that you do! ♥️ Thank you you for your twitter shares, Kelly! I am in Twitter jail, but I will be back to sharing soon, and I really appreciate you sharing my blog posts. 💕
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You’re most welcome!
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I haven’t read it but it does sound quite thrilling!
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It was a superb thriller, Mackey! ♥️
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The heebie jeebies?! Sounds intriguing.
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Dark and disturbing and lots of heebie jeebies, Chrissi! ♥️
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This sounds sooooo good, Jennifer!! And eyes on book covers always freak me out so this already has points in the heebie jeebies department. 😀
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It really was terrific, Kathy! I know- eyes on covers are super creepy! Happy Friday, my friend! ♥️
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Oh boy this looks creepy! Descriptive review!💜
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Thank you, Berit! It was super creepy! ♥️
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I’m ready to read the ARC next!
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I can’t wait to hear what you think, Jen! Enjoy!
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Yaaay Jenni so pleased to see you’ve reviewed this one, it’s actually going to be one of the next books I read! 🤗
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Aw, yay! I can’t wait to see what you think, Beth! It was gripping! ♥️ Enjoy!
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