I remained confused until the very end. I was even confused when it ended.

What I think the story was about feels like a spoiler.

I recommend this story as it deserves a chance. Maybe someone else can understand it and love it.

I was so excited to read this one. The cover is so well done and I was hooked by the spooky vibe of the synopsis and the cover. But it took me a minute to get the vibe of the story down. I went in being too serious - think of a gory but silly horror movie. THAT is the vibe. Once I reset it, I loved it.

This is a fast read, hopping from one POV to the next, seamlessly giving us the details happening around the campus as secrets are revealed and bodies start piling up. I had so many guesses on who it was but ultimately, did guess at least part but wasn't disappointed at all.

The best part was how the story was left open for more. I would absolutely love another book or 2 or 3 of this one.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is a really quick read. Really counts as a novella. It begins with Sam, an insurance investigator, called to an unusual boarding school in search of a rare book. The school is a hybrid elite boarding school for the wealthiest kids and an orphanage for the abandoned children. Sam starts looking for a book, but there is something strange afoot on the island and students start disappearing too. This is a macabre little tale with Harriet, an intrepid young black girl, as the protagonist, and Sam, who starts out looking for a missing book, and ends up falling into a mystery of missing students and strange rituals. This is a fun short story for those into the occult. Review posted to Facebook, Litsy, LibraryThing, Goodreads, Amazon.

Super fun and twisty read.
Total page turner that had me gripping the edge of my seat!
Peak creepy vibes throughout with a stellar ending!

My first though when I finished this book was…Wait. What just happened?

The story is basically about a school on an island. The school is filled with kids no one seems to want. There are the stereotypical jocks and nerds. Throw in some satanic rituals and demons, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Friend of the Devil was not really what I expected. However, I usually like the unexpected. Maybe if the setting was a college rather than a school with young children, I would have enjoyed it more. Then again, maybe not. The savage nature of the demon was a bit gratuitous. Nonetheless, the ending was very surprising, which almost made up for the gratuitous violence – almost, but not quite.

"'Your problem,' he told himself as he headed back to the Devil’s Vale, 'is that you can’t leave well enough the hell alone.'"
--------------------------------------
“'Kid walks in here with a bullet lodged in him, I gotta call the cops. Kid walks in showing obvious signs of abuse, I have to contact a social worker. Kid walks in pregnant, I need to inform the parents. Beyond that, for the most part, I’m supposed to keep my trap shut.'
'Who do you call if a kid walks in pregnant, with a bullet wound, showing signs of abuse?' Sam asked.
'A career counselor,' she said, brushing her hair back, '’cause I’m outta here.'"

Ok, island off the Massachusetts coast, private school, Danforth Putnam. (Thomas Danforth and Ann Putnam were judge and accuser in the Salem trials). Why a high school?

"I still think high school is one of the scariest places there is. It’s a place where human beings, who are barely more than children emotionally and mentally, face calamitous, potentially life-ruining choices, while approaching the height of their physical powers and sexual energy…Boarding school is all that with no parental supervision, which just amplifies its Lord of the Flies quality". - from The Big Thrill interview

Friend of the Devil is an enclosed environment thriller of a familiar sort. Think Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. (the original book had a different, dodgier title) An eleventh century book has gone missing and SATCO Mutual, (we can imagine what the SAT stands for) the insurer on the hook, has sent Sam (for Sam Spade) Gregory to bring it back. Identifying the perp is not all that challenging for our gumshoe, but there is more to the tale than nabbing a thief. What is a prep school doing with such an ancient book? What is the nature of the book? Why was it stolen? The questions mount. Like what happened to that pre-teen who supposedly returned to the mainland to be adopted? Is he really having a better life?

Sam is a fun lead, with military hair, a capacity for violence, PTSD hellfire memories of ‘Nam, and not much else, and a determination to see his job through to completion. And then people begin dying, with a hint of brimstone in the air. Sam takes his licks, getting repeatedly knocked out in a running joke, but keeps on keepin’ on, following leads and doing what he does.

Harriet ( the spy ) is our student cozy investigator, epileptic, a nerd extraordinaire, black, bullied, and dogged. She gets her licks in by writing exposes in the school paper. If Sam fails to get to the very bottom of all there is, Harriet is sure to find her way there. Their paths can be expected to cross, eventually.

It is 1980. No cell phones. Memory of the Vietnam War is still fresh. Reagan has arrived in a sulfurous chariot to do some lasting damage to the nation. There is a specimen of that breed at the school, who behaves as one might expect, receiving some unwanted insight in return.

The references keep on coming. Mr. Chesterton is named for G.K.. There are plenty more, overt and not. Laura Hershlag is named for the title character of one of the classic noir films. Dr. Spellman is named for a character in Sabrina. There are references to Poe’s The Raven, the Tales of Hoffman and plenty more, a veritable cornucopia for those who enjoy playing literary treasure hunt.

The staff at this school are not the friendliest. Sam interviews Ms. (Annabel? ) Lee, the librarian, whose cat is named for Alistair Crowley.

"When she saw Sam, her mouth twisted into a citrus pucker. “May I help you?” she asked in a voice that could freeze pipes."

The students are no prize either. We expect rich kids to be spoiled, but even the scholarship kid is up to no good. One palooka hopes to juice his way into the NFL, while using his considerable physical brawn to dark purposes. Others are not much better.

Ok, so I had a forked reaction to this one. First is that there were multiple LOL moments, including one ROFL. This is a HUUUUUGGE plus. Not at all surprising from one of the main writers and executive producers of How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family. And I loved all the references.

Second, was that it felt lean, to the point of gaunt. Not quite a novel in length, FotD settles in at a more novella-ish 45,000 words, give or take. Supporting cast was mostly of the cardboard cutout variety. Yes, some background is offered, but only enough to make them cast shadows. (Well, assuming that the characters are actually capable of casting shadows) This is a product of Lloyd’s very successful TV career, (four Emmy nominations) in which the clock is always ticking and descriptions and self-reflection are seen as tools of the devil’s workshop. (which may be in Iowa) There is plenty of gruesomeness, but it is handled with a light touch which, I know, sounds like an oxymoron, and maybe it is. There is a fabulous twist, which is always a delight.

Sam Gregory is a fun lead, an investigator with a Chandler-esque, noir sense of humor, and a war-veteran’s issues with sleep. Harriet, honor student in the civilian investigator role, is one of the better cast members. Their perspectives alternate throughout. It moves along at an over-the-limit pace, while building up a body count, and revealing more and more witchy elements.

Bottom line is that this a devilishly (helluva?) fun summer read. You will blaze right through, pausing on occasion to fall out of your seat laughing. Your brain can occupy itself with catching as many references as it can. This is a fast, pure entertainment, with only an occasional side-glance at real-world concerns. You will not risk eternal damnation if you read this one, so long as you keep your inner demons where they belong, but you may hurt yourself laughing.

Review posted – May 27, 2022

Publication date – May 10, 2022

I received an ARE of Friend of the Devil from G.P. Putnam's Sons in return for a fair review, and the tiniest sliver of a soul. Thanks, folks. and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.

3.5 stars

This was absolutely absurd and it stops making sense if you break from the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pace and think too hard about it, but it’s fun and moves well and is a good pick if you’re looking for something entertaining and action-packed.

The snappy dialogue and solid setting help atone for a thin plot that gets positively goofy by the end of the book, and though there are no lessons or weighty themes, the book does exhibit a solid sense of justice and an interesting twist on good vs evil.

The literal twist in the book is kind of trite, but it works for the story and allows for the vigilante-justice style ending that a book like this needs.

Grab a copy if you’re looking for something well-paced, funny, and not too heavy.

Friend of the Devil is set at a posh boarding school on its own island off the coast of Massachusetts. The school, Danforth Putnam, also serves as an orphanage and has for ages. We’ve got the typical mix of high school kids, nerds, over-achievers, bullies, and staff who range from caring to a little nutty. Into this mix comes Sam, an insurance investigator on the trail of a valuable lost book.

Friend of the Devil is slasher horror, with plenty of dead teenagers and lots of gore to slip in. Sam is kind of a hard-boiled detective not above threatening the kids on campus. Harriet, the school reporter, is also digging around, and they both uncover more than they expect.

You know how some slasher movies and scary and some are lighter, despite the jump scares. This falls in that second camp. It’s funny and over the top. You know who the monster’s going to target, you know it’s going to be gross, and you know who’s going to get away. I enjoyed it. It’s not a long read, the action keeps moving, and there’s a good twist at the end.

Slasher horror
Lots of dead teenagers
Surprise twist ending

There are two literary colloquialisms that came to mind when I finished this book: one, this is definitely a case where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (because this book is so much more fun than the cover suggests); and two, if there was a book I thought would make a great movie, it’s this one. Though, given Stephen Lloyd formerly wrote for various tv shows, this doesn’t surprise me. Heck, if this was a tv show, I’d watch it. A little bit Buffy (the overarching plot), a little bit Harry Potter (which you can see in the school’s librarian to an extremely creepy effect), a little bit Riverdale (in our dogged female lead, school journalist, Harriet), a little bit Supernatural (which we can see in our Vietnam vet insurance investigator, Sam), a little bit Stranger Things (puzzles, dungeons, D&D, quests, side quests)? A sprinkle of Constantine (spoilers!)?

This book is a horror book and a suspense book, but it never takes itself too seriously. There’s a dry wit to it, as well as a mean sense of humor that tickles that awful place inside of me that likes to see gory and awful stuff happen to horrible characters in books. There are deaths you wouldn’t get to see in books or movies that take place in present-day because of how technology has changed (this book takes place in 1980, which we know because one character is wearing a huge Reagan pin all the time and complains about people who love Jimmy Carter), and those deaths are such a delight because if you’re a fan of slasher films or horror films you know just how that vivid imagery would look on film and it’s delightful.

That’s another thing: this book has some seriously vivid imagery that just knocked my socks off and made this book incredibly engaging to read. This book isn’t about narrative style or atmosphere or deep-diving into anything. It’s just a fun, page-turning, propulsive, tilt-a-whirl, gory, creepy, wry, slick, and incredibly clever book that fans of genre tv will love and fans of genre fiction will find to be a fast and light read.

About that cover: it’s far too serious for how fun this book is and I think they should’ve taken that into consideration, because covers do matter in book sales, especially when it comes to social media influencing.

About that movie or tv show: can you guys get on that?

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. .

Friend of the Devil by Stephen Lloyd
#twentyseventhbookof2022 #arc

CW: death, murder, extreme violence, snakes and frogs, supernatural beings, occult, demons

NetGalley called this a demonic detective novel best devoured in a single sitting. It started off like a regular mystery. War vet Sam is called to a private school to locate a missing book. I completely forgot about the demonic description so when things started getting spooky I was a little surprised. I didn’t love the way it was going, but by the end I was intrigued by the supernatural conclusion. I certainly didn’t guess the ending. I didn’t find this to be a standout though. I didn’t realize the story was set in the 80s until halfway through. Several minor characters seemed to blend together and I couldn’t keep them straight. Ultimately this one didn’t come together for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the advance copy. (Pub date was 05/10/22)

Insurance investigator Sam is summoned to Danforth Putnam, an exclusive boarding school off the coast of New England, to investigate the theft of a valuable, rare book. He soon learns the depths of secrets the adolescents are hiding and the faculty is no better. Jaded from his time I’m Vietnam, Sam is keeping secrets of his own. But what he fails to consider is the the book wasn’t stolen for its monetary value but rather the information contained therein.

This is a unique, disturbing suspense novel with heavy horror overtones. Even after finishing it, I’m not entirely sure what happened but it was a wild ride. #FriendoftheDevil #NetGalley

Sam has been sent to Danforth Putnam, an elite boarding school to find a rare stolen book. When he arrives, he realizes that there is more going on than he initially realized. Things take a decidedly dark and witchy turn and he has to figure out what is really going on.

In Friend of the Devil, insurance investigator Sam is looking for a missing rare book at the hoity-toity boarding school, Danforth Putnam. He is helped, and hindered, by the school’s faculty, staff, and students. But what he ultimately finds will be miraculous.

Friend of the Devil is marketed as a horror noir. I admit I did not know what that meant when I began reading. The book definitely has a noir feeling in the beginning. However, that is quickly overshadowed by a young adult horror plot. Only the totally unexpected twist at the end (it literally caused me to gasp!) raised my rating to 4 stars.

Friend of the Devil is probably best for younger horror readers rather than mystery fans. But I still enjoyed it.

Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Friend of the Devil by Stephen Lloyd is a very entertaining story that reads like a movie with a bit of humor.

Insurance investigator Sam Gregory arrives at an island off the coast of Massachusetts, the site of the exclusive Danforth Putnam private school. A valuable manuscript has been stolen from a safe. Only two people have the combination and they swear they are not responsible. So who has the manuscript? And what do they plan to do with it?

So far so good. Now Friend of the Devil devolves into a mix of devil worship, hidden basements, secret ceremonies, flying demons and evisceration. I liked the premise of this mystery but not the rest of it. It wasn’t for me. 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Stephen Lloyd for this ARC.

This book snuck up on me. I didn't expect it to be quite so creepy and weird. I enjoy horror stories set in upper class twit boarding schools, and figured this story would be another along the lines of multiple others I have read. I was wrong....oh so wrong. Joyously wrong. Stephen Lloyd weaves sarcasm and wit around a horror plot with grace and style. He caught me by surprise with some of the twists and turns of this plot. A fun creepy read!

The basics: Sam Gregory is a detective for an insurance company. Sam is a product of Too Much and Too Many. Too Many Vietnam memories. Too Much Smoking. Too Much work. Too Many vices. Too much Stress. He's called to investigate a case involving a stolen rare book at Danforth Putnam, an elite boarding school. The setting is perfect -- the school is on an isolated island. The school is creepy. The faculty is creepy. And the kids are......teenagers. Scary as hell!

This tale rapidly becomes more than just a search for a priceless book gone missing from a safe. There is much, much more going on at Danforth Putnam. It's not a long book -- the pacing is fast. This was a binge read for me. The sort of warped Scooby Doo feel coupled with the jaded aging detective all tangled in a supernatural edged mess.....the tale sucked me right in. Despite several obvious clues and misdirections, I didn't really see the end coming. But then again I'm also the one who knows the jump scare is coming....I know it's coming....then it comes and I still scream and jump like an idiot. Every time!!

Very entertaining story. It reads like a fleshed-out television script. Short, fast paced, a bit of humor thrown in to break up the creepy, a few tropey side characters and just a couple MCs, and a completely cinematic awesome setting.

Glad I read this book! It was engaging and very creepy! But not something that was going to weigh on my mind for long after I finished reading. Creepy, entertaining and quick dash of horror -- just what I like for a rainy afternoon scary read!

This is the first book by Stephen Lloyd that I've read. I will definitely be reading more.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Penguin/Putnam Group. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The initial description of this book sounded fabulous - a mystery involving an ancient book with smatterings of Dracula and Strangers Things - sign me up! However, this one just did not work for me. It starts off right in the middle of things - I kept having to page back to see if I missed something - I am was generally confused about what was going on. The pacing of the novel was just off and the characters did not seem fully developed. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Yes, yes and more YES! I absolutely 100% enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be.
Sam Gregory is a war veteran that now works for an insurance company as an investigator. He is assigned to a case of a missing book at an elite boarding school - and we come to find out this book isn't just an ordinary library classic. Oh no, this book has incredible value...of the paranormal kind. Just that alone is intriguing. But add in all of the characters and the side stories and I couldn't put it down!

This is so clever, witty, freaky, violent, and funny, I was laughing out loud and shocked all at the same time. The dialogue between all of the characters is sublime. Every character from main to minor, down to the librarian, are right where they need to be. And did I mention I was shocked? I wasn't expecting the level of violence but I am so very glad it was there. I loved every single detail! And the ending is just too good to be true. I will absolutely read this one again. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

This book reminded me of The new Sabrina and Riverdale, which are both very entertaining shows and exciting.
The writing style is humorous and the villains are so horrible you can’t help but hate them. The imagery of the things the villains have done is so vivid, it makes the reader feel disgusted and outraged.
Sam the insurance detective is likeable because of his mission as it becomes much more than saving a book. His sense of duty and mentions of his past in the Marines makes him seem reliable enough to trust.
I would recommend this book to an older young adult audience. I would also watch an adaptation.
Thank you to Netgalley and GP Putnam &Sons-randomhouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A mash up of mystery, horror, and the boarding school novel all wrapped up in a tidy short novel. Well not that tidy because there's a fair amount of gore but...Sam is an insurance detective of sorts sent to the island where the Danforth Putnam school is located after an 11th century manuscript disappears from a locked safe. Something's funky with this school, which Harriett, who writes for the newspaper, knows. They link up after bad things start to happen. No spoiler from me but veterans of the various genres this hits will likely be able to guess pretty quickly. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. More for the YA reader.