The Devil’s Detective
Simon Kurt Unsworth
Doubleday
Reviewed by Wayne C. Rogers
The Devil’s Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth is the author’s first novel, and it’s certainly an impressive one to say the least. In some ways the author has reinvented the “horror” genre with this whopper of a story, setting its location inside Hell itself with stark reminiscences of our present-day world when humans are sent to serve the demons with no knowledge of their sins, but only the realization that they did wrong.
The story centers on Thomas Fool, who is one of Hell’s Information Men. His two partners are Gordie and Summer. They are more police detectives than private investigators and have full autonomy with regards to each investigation that takes place. They have the authority to question any citizen of Hell and visit whatever sections of Hell they want in the pursuit of an investigation. No other entity in Hell has that power, except for maybe the Devil.
Investigating the murder of a human being near the Lake of Fire, Fool begins the journey that will eventually change his whole, mundane life. Whether it is for the better or not is still questionable even after finishing the book. What Fool soon realizes is that the murderer is actually a serial killer, and the deaths keep racking up as the Information Man draws nearer to the conclusion, suspecting that the demons may be behind it.
What made this novel so wonderful to read, at least for me, is not only the terrific new concept of what Hell is like, but the writing style of the author and the unusual characters he creates like the Man of Plants and Flowers, the angels Adam and Balthazar, Elderflower, Rhakshasas and the other demons, and Morgan of the Questioning House. It took me about twenty pages to get used to Hell as it is described and the flowery prose of the author. The writing style, which wouldn’t work for other novels, turned out to be perfect for this one. It seemed to add a subtle richness to the descriptions and texture of the story. In fact, I now find the story of Thomas Fool difficult to visualize without the avid descriptions that literally fill every page.
Strange as it may be, I kept seeing the British actor, Clive Owen, in a dark overcoat as Thomas Fool, an investigator who has become complacent in his solving of the crimes that take place in the nether regions between the earth plane and Heaven. It isn’t until this particular case lands in his lap and he’s given the feather from an angel, that his insights become sharper and the path to finding the killer certainly more pronounced. The feather, in many ways, sweeps the cobwebs away that block his clearer vision and enables the thought processes of his mind to function more coherently. Anyway, Clive Owen would make a terrific Thomas Fool.
Also, the uses of so many adverbs and adjectives would normally turn me off to a novel, but not this one. After a day or two of reading, I found myself hooked with the author’s prose and loved the way he made everything appear in your mind with such clarity…much like a theatrical film. It made the story of Hell and Thomas Fool more engrossing and vivid, drawing me into its sweet web before I even knew how addicted I was to this mind-blowing tale.
I will add that the novel ends in such a way as to invite a sequel to it, which I hope the author is already writing.
I mean, let’s face it, after one finishes reading The Devil’s Detective, you immediately want to know what happens in the newer version of Hell and to Thomas Fool. This means waiting for the sequel to eventually come out. Let’s hope it will be soon and that the future adventures of Fool are not to remain a mystery.
So, this book is highly recommended by me for its sheer brilliance and originality. It’s both a mystery and a horror novel, and I trust that Hollywood already has its eyes focused upon the story. This novel would make a fine horror film with the right cast and a well-written screenplay.
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