Apologies for the delay, but I was unable to finish this book so will not be reviewing, it I did feature it in this video: Most Anticipated Release for the 2nd half of the year - May 2020
https://youtu.be/98fveawscQc

I received this on NetGalley back in 2020 before it was released. I'm ashamed of how late I got to this, but I'd still like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the early digital copy FOUR years ago, lol.

I don't read this genre anymore, but I needed this. It was a cleanse, and I had a fun time aboard the Saardam.

In The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton, we find ourselves aboard the Saardam in the 1600s, journeying from Batavia to Amsterdam. Detective Samuel Pipps is accused of a crime, and his loyal bodyguard embarks on a risky journey to clear his name. Unfortunately, something demonic haunts the ship; people die, and Arent has to put the puzzle together.

I read Turton's previous book and it confused me. I was prepared to be overwhelmed by this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. A note from the author at the end explains his thought process behind the story. He wanted to avoid bogging down the story with too many characters, and I want to thank him personally for that. Also, don't go into this with historical accuracy in mind because that's not the book's point. Just read it with the expectation of having fun.

I think my favorite part about this is how much Arent reminded me of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. He has a cool, baddie type of charm that I fell in love with, and I thought it was funny that Arent was mentioned in the note at the end about being sexy.

The characters are believable the entire time. I had multiple theories on what was happening, and at first, I was completely wrong, but then I remembered that I had read mysteries before. Is the ending of the story surprising? Not entirely, but I enjoyed the buildup to it. There's a lot of tension between everyone trapped at sea with nowhere to escape.

I also thought the descriptions of injuries or death were a bit elevated compared to an average mystery. It added spice to such a historical tome.

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a fun, thrilling time aboard the Saardam. It's a story full of many secrets, lies, and betrayals. Don't get seasick, though, because you'll want to be alert the whole time.

Historical fiction about a merchant ship carrying mysterious cargo. This voyage endures one weird event after another. Interesting characters, a spooky supernatural vibe, twists & turns and a couple mystery to solve.

This was just average for me. I think this is my last Stuart Turton book for me. I know many love his books and I really want to but they just don't seem to be for me. I am always intrigued by the synopses the his books, which is why I keep picking them up. However, I found myself bored pretty quickly with this one. There were so many characters introduced so quickly, and each with their own backstories so it was a bit hard to keep it all straight in the beginning. I did like following Arent, Sara, and Creesjie but honestly I didn't care for the mystery in the end. I didn't hate the ending but it was a bit lackluster. I will say both of his books would be interesting adaptations if done right.

Excellent story from a brilliant author. Took me a while to really sink my teeth into it, but once I did, I didn't let go until I was done. Absolutely struck by the reveal at the end, which is hard to do. Yet again, Turton proves to be a name deserving of being on the lips of many.

This is a very well written book but I just couldn't get into the setting. The twist at the end was great and I would definitely read more books by this author, I just didn't care for the setting of a pirate ship.

Did not live up to my high expectations after "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle", but still an okay book. I was not drawn into the mystery as immediately this time, maybe has something to do with more expansive setting and more characters to introduce. The characters felt two dimensional, as if each were assigned one trait at their introduction and all subsequent scenes with that character existed only to reinforce their one trait. Generally, too much information was stated rather than shown to the reader, and I was unsatisfied by the ending. The mystery contained too many familiar tropes.

Stuart Turton does it again. I really enjoyed The 71/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I love the whole strange premise of the book. In this story we have Sam Pipps, the world's greatest detective locked up on a ship to face execution for a crime. His best friend is Arent is also on board trying to figure out how to save his friend. There is a very real Sherlock and Watson vibe. There is also the whole locked room (in this case a ship) mystery full of suspicious characters like in a Christie novel. Plus there is a evil spirit on board, slaughtering livestock and marking people for death, or is there? All in all a very clever and enjoyable mystery.

This was an incredible book- atmospheric, thrilling, well written. After reading this and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I'll read anything else Turton writes forever. I was so charmed by this book.

I absolutely loved Turton's previous novel, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, so my expectations were high for this one. With a completely different setting, the novel immediately sets itself apart from its predecessor, while keeping with the murder mystery trope. While the novel dragged at parts, the ending was everything you can hope for.

The Devil and the Dark Water follows the story of several key characters aboard the Saardam. A leper has threatened ill will on the ship. Will he be proven right? Will the devil known as, Old Tom, turn the ship? Will they survive?

I had all of these questions while reading this book. This was a masterful story and it one that really transcends genre. You cannot pigeon hole this into one genre. The characters are all so multi faceted. I loved how the characters grew as they progressed in the story. I was shocked when the big reveal occurred and the mystery was unraveled. I was boggled by how seamlessly all the pieces came together when I could not see it AT ALL. I cannot wait to read more from Stuart Turton!!!

I LOVED the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so I was so excited to read this one. Sadly it felt like a completely different author wrote this. I wasn’t interested at all in the plot and it was so confusing in places.

Stuart Turton has DONE IT AGAIN. I know what you're thinking, murder on the high seas? Set in the 1600s? Sounds a little antiquated... but this book is anything but. Much like Turton's last book - the characters are connected in ways you'll never be able to predict, and the story will keep you guessing at every turn!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for advance access to this title!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

After I read this author's work, I am always struck speechless and immediately want to read the book again. I never know what to expect and it never turns out the way I think it will.

This book is exceptional in its originality and prose - just as the previous work I read by this author.

It's hard to explain what it's about without giving too much away. I was thrilled, I gasped aloud, I held my breath and was washed away by this story!

I loved it, loved it, loved it.

While not as tongue-in-cheek as the author's prior work, this novel was still thoroughly enjoyable, well-written, and well-paced.

This was good but didn’t necessarily grab me. I’m glad I read it and have a few library patrons in mind to recommend it to. I will purchase this title for my library.

A brilliant book by Stuart Turton. I would love to read another Samuel Pipps adventure. The novel was very atmospheric and clever. Its one of my favorite books I read last year.
The story happens in a ship and the author keeps us guessing till the end. There is an ominous presence throughout the book .I loved how once again, the murder-mystery was happening in a contained environment with lots of possible suspects. They all had interesting background and possible motives and the possibly of supernatural kept me guessing. I do think that once again the ending was the weakest point of the book but I think if you’ve enjoyed his first book, you’ll enjoy this one too!

For fans of crime fiction, thriller fiction, myseries or historical fiction.

I'm not a fan of historical fiction AT ALL but I loved this book.

With Sherlockian characters on board a Tolkienesque journey, the characters are complex and textured as is every other element of the story.

DNF at 50%. Unfortunately, I think this is a situation of it's me and not the book. This is very much a multi-layered, slow burn murder mystery that I think a lot of people will love. This one just is not maintaining my attention, and I just don't want to keep pushing myself through. Maybe I'll give a try later down the line.

Atmospheric and thrilling - I had a lot of high hopes going into this book and I think it tainted my enjoyment a bit. But still - it was a page -turner, mysterious, and twisty.