The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell is my first book by this author. The story was mesmerizing, and I was kept guessing throughout. I am thrilled that I discovered Mr. Russell's previous books are in the my towering to-be-read file. Squeeeee! Definitely something to look forward to with excitement.

In 1927, the Golden Age of Hollywood, Mary Rourke is a studio "fixer" for Carbine International Pictures. Cover up a DUI? Have a sexual scandal on set? Rourke is the woman who's called to take care of it. She is summoned by the powers that be to the mansion of actress Norma Carlton, one of the biggest stars in silent film. Norma has been working on a terrifying horror film called The Devil's Playground, and it's rumored to be cursed. When Rourke arrives and sees Norma dead, there's a little part of her that wonders if the rumors could actually be true. Fast forward to 1967... Paul Conway, a journalist and huge film buff, has heard a rumor that there is one copy of the horrifying movie The Devil's Playground left, and he is determined to discover if the rumor could possibly be true. Does he really want to find out?

This book was phenomenal! When I started out, I was afraid I was going to be totally confused by the storyline. The timeline is not linear; we go from 1927 Hollywood, to Kansas 1897 to 1910, and 1907 Louisiana. The time periods were also told from different points of view. Amazingly enough, there was absolutely no confusion trying to keep up with the different time periods. Mr. Russell seamlessly weaved all the varying periods together. The author apparently did his research on the Golden Age of Hollywood. What's surprising is that it doesn't seem all that different from today's Hollywood, just a little classier. There were affairs, drinking and drugs; the main difference is this was during the time of Prohibition, and stars' bad behavior was kept under wraps by fixers like Rourke. Mr. Russell also expertly blended themes of Hollywood, black magic and voodoo, horror, drug use, abuse and violence. There were many amazing characters; however, above them all towers Mary Rourke. I absolutely loved this smart cookie! She had hidden depths and secrets herself, but they never got in the way of her work. She was doggedly determined to figure out what was going on, despite threats to her life. Rourke's role as fixer was close to being a detective. Other fascinating characters are Hippolyta Cormier and her daughter Anastasie, who lived in the Louisiana Bayou and were believed to be practitioners of dark magic. Boy left home to join the circus in 1987 Kansas. And of course there was Norma, the Hollywood star. All of the supporting characters were finely drawn and brought to glorious life. I will warn you that there is violence in this story, and some of the scenes are gruesome. If you like to be totally surprised with your stories, this one is for you. Just brilliant. And special kudos for the beautiful but extremely eerie cover art. It suits the story perfectly.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Who killed Norma Carlton, the star of the silent film The Devil's Playground? That's the question Mary Rourke, a fixer for the studio, is charged with answering. But it's not that easy and this complex novel moves back and forth between multiple time periods ranging from the 1890s to the 1960s, although it's mostly set in 1920s Hollywood. It swirls and dips and is actually hard to describe except that it will pull the reader into the quest. Mary is a dynamic character - well rounded, relatable, and someone you will root for. No spoilers from me but know that this will become a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Terrific read. (And, you, like me, might learn a bit and seek out more information on the Hollywood figures of the day).

I don't have too much to say about this one, just know that it's AMAZING!

If noir mysteries, old hollywood & supernatural things are your jam, don't miss this page turner! Twist after twist unfolds.

"It is the way of the world, she thinks without much bitterness, that men bear their scars and blemishes with pride, while women must always conceal evidence of their having lived a life."

Special thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book is probably going to be 5 stars for a lot of people. I'm just not into film noir and classic movies of the 20's. Although I have to say the book is well written.

However, if you're looking for a brilliant book on film noir that im surprised i did really like, might I recommend another book called Silver Nitrate. No disrespect to this author, because Craig Russell is an excellent author. Just wasn't great this time around for me.

I didn't like this book. I'm sorry, but it is not for me, I don't like the time period setting and that is a deal breaker for me.

After loving Craig Russell’s The Devil Aspect, I had high hopes for his latest novel. The Devil’s Playground is a very different story, but it brings forth the sense of evil and horror that I’d anticipated.

This story is primarily set in 1927, and I found these chapters to be the strongest. It starts when Mary Rourke, a studio fixer, finds a movie starlet dead. It appears to be a suicide, so she “fixes” it, but she later learns it was murder. Now she and her boss have a bigger problem on their hands, and Mary is sent out to investigate who did this to Norma Carlton. Unfortunately, people in Hollywood have a lot of secrets and aren’t much help. The mystery only gets more complicated and dangerous, especially when more people start dying and attempts are even made on Mary’s life. The film that Norma was starring in, titled The Devil’s Playground, is now rumored to be cursed, but is that really what’s happening?

Some chapters take place in 1967, when Paul Conway hunts down the only surviving copy of this fabled horror film that’s been lost to time. Other chapters take us back to the 1890s in both Louisiana and Kansas. How do those chapters connect with everything else?

One thing I loved about The Devil’s Playground is how it primarily stars women characters. The real protagonist is Mary Rourke as she investigates the shady things lurking in Hollywood’s shadows. In Louisiana, a mother and daughter are also the central characters of those chapters. Many of the themes here fall back on how women and girls are treated by society; it shows both the vulnerability and the power.

I also enjoyed the secrecy and complexity of the Hollywood setting and characters. A lot is eventually woven in, bringing some big surprises. How do the seedier sides of the entertainment industry are exposed, but how much of that connects to the bigger evil making its way across the Devil’s Playground movie set?

At first I wasn’t sure what to think of the chapters set in the 1890s. Who were these characters? How were they relevant? These chapters were also written in a more sophisticated, atmospheric style, adding a layer of complexity and mystique. However, in time, I grew to like the Louisiana chapters and the themes it brought out.

As winding as the roads are, eventually it all comes together into a thrilling end.

Overall, The Devil’s Playground feels more like a mystery than a true horror. I do wish it went deeper into the devilish angle, though I also liked how it brought about a different sort of darkness. I still greatly enjoyed this book for what it is and will definitely read more from Craig Russell.

The Golden Era of Hollywood where Silent films reigned supreme. Our story revolves around a photoplay called The Devil's Playground. The story moves through different timelines was an interesting choice by the author. I kept thinking I knew where the story was going but my assumptions were wrong and I'm glad they were. This is truly a reader's delight. Until next time Happy Reading!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and DoubleDay Books for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Devil’s Playground is at its heart, the story of “the most famous and best horror movie” ever made. There are several subplots/timelines within book but, the primary one follows the story of Mary Rourke, a studio “fixer”, who is attempting to uncover the mystery behind the death of the film’s star, Norma Carlton. There are lots of claims that the movie itself is cursed and Mary is determined to uncover the truth behind all of these accusations.

This book was just fantastic!! From the beginning, I was hooked and finished the book within a day. The writing was so atmospheric and contributed to the haunted feel of the book, which I think only added to the overall reading experience. I also thought the pace of the story was also just right and I enjoyed the many twists and turns that Mary took to uncover the secrets at the heart of this story. As I noted above, there were also several other plot lines told at other points in time within the book and while sometimes, this structure can be confusing or detract from a story, I think these additions were so well done. I actually found myself looking forward to returning to each different time period when they switched off in the book. It was satisfactory to see the pieces of these stories come together and especially to see the full expanse of one of our main characters’ lives come together over time.

Finally, as the heart of this book is a mystery, I think it’s also worth mentioning that the twists at the end were not predictable and came together so well! There was also one part of the ending that was equally gratifying and frustrating, which I think was a great way to end it— definitely not a neatly wrapped ending!

As mentioned before, I truly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to thriller fans, especially those who love a good slow burn (but not too slow!!). I’d be interested in picking up other books by this author and am interested to hear what others think of this one!

What an absolutely fabulous story this was! Russell has done an incredible job crafting an atmospheric and engaging mystery / thriller that had me captivated from the beginning lines - captivation that lasted until the bitter end! I really loved the Golden Age of Hollywood aspect, as well as the creepy Supernatural - but is it really? - elements, and how realism and mythology and history and psychology were all blended together. The result was an absolutely brilliant story and I am definitely keeping Craig Russell on my watch list!

I loved this book. It takes you back in time to the Golden Age of Hollywood and shows the depths of evil man can fathom. A definite read.

This is a terrific book on many levels. It is actually three stories in one and they all work well as the reader trues to figure out how they are related.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Hollywood and Louisiana in three very periods:1897, 1927, and 1967
Characters: Protagonist and Hollywood fixer Mary Rourke, who is terrific and deserves her own full book, plus a wide and distinctly varied supporting cast in all three time periods.
Overview: It is the just before the advent of talkies in Hollywood and the entertainment business is about to change drastically. One studio is staking everything on “the most terrifying movie of all time” – The Devil’s Playground - but is plagued with a series of suspicious crimes, making the movie a publicity treasure. Is this simply bad luck or is there something exceptionally sinister going on that has devilish roots in the past? What happens to the film and why it happens are the reasons you will stay up to read on.
Recommendation: I rate this book 5 stars. Not only is it a great plot in the three dimensions, it is a wealth of knowledge and facts about Hollywood’s Golden Age with fictional characters nicely integrated with lives of well-known and misbehaving stars.
Extras: This is one of the most well-written books I have read in a while. Russell has many descriptive sections and phrasing that seem above the standard fare for this genre. Another story in the 1927-time frame with more of Mary Rourke’s adventures would be welcomed.
In summary, don’t be too scared to go out and get a copy of this book – well worth the time.
Thanx to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to provide this unbiased review.

This book sounded really interesting to me when I read the synopsis. Eldritch horrors, 1920's Hollywood, murder & mayhem.... These are a few of my favourite things. I didn't know it when I started this book, but I had read Craig Russell's earlier work titled "The Devil Aspect" and was suitably impressed (and not a little disturbed).

The book was clever, humorous and spooky from the out. The characters were larger than life, believable and human in the best and worst ways. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from open to close. If you want an exciting mystery with a little built-in horror and an ending you won't see coming, read this book.

Thank you to Craig Russell, Netgalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is catnip for lovers of the Hollywood Golden Years, before “talkies” came and spoiled everything. It is twisty, creepy, suspenseful and so atmospheric, that it was a treat to read. Several stories converge into the filming of a cursed silent epic, the best, most terrible horror movie ever made, but never seen, the titular Devil’s Playground. A scholar is looking for the mythical only copy. He was hired to find it by a mystery client and arrives at an abandoned hotel in the middle of the desert. Other chapters are set in Luisiana, at the beginning of the 20th Century and a creepy phantasmagoria circus. Most of the book is set in Hollywood in the twenties, where Mary Rourke, a fixer, is trying to cover up a star’s suicide. The plot is expansive and impossible to summarize here, but despite its breadth it’s easy to follow. It is also hard to list all the reasons why I loved everything about this novel. The characters are complex and the dialogues so witty and appropriate for the times. The plot keeps you looking one way, the wrong one, so each twist blindsides you. The writing achieves the perfect balance between propulsive and atmospheric, and it reads like watching a movie. The author plants the images in your head, rather than describe what’s happening. A small thing that I noticed, which I loved but may not be enjoyed by everyone, is the overwhelming amount of details from movie history. It’s clear that the author, who surprised me to learn is Scottish and not an Angeleno, did a lot of research. I loved how he uses real people as background (Lon Chaney, I never saw that coming!). This is one of my favorites so far this year. I’d give it more stars that are in heaven but, for now, it gets 5 from me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Doubleday!

Excellent thriller set in 1927 Hollywood about the scariest silent movie ever made and the journalist in 1967 looking for the lost film. Voodoo, black magic, movie stars and the golden age of Hollywood this is a book you will just wiz through

5 stars

This story includes several timelines.

This book tells the story of a legendary lost movie called “The Devil’s Playground.” It is reputed to be the most incredible horror movie of its time. The movie turns out to be many things to many people. It is said to be cursed. There were many deaths surrounding the film that were attributed to this curse.

Mary Rourke’s story begins in 1927. She is a “fixer” for a large silent movie studio. Her job is to ensure that the celebrities behave themselves and when they don't to “fix” it so that no scandal affixes itself to the studio. She has many varied contacts, including a tame police officer.

In 1967, film aficionado and historian Paul Conway is hired to look for the film. It is rumored that a copy still exists. That it did not burn when the studio was lost in a conflagration in 1927.

There are several twists and about-turns in the telling of the story of The Devil’s Playground. Part gothic, part noir, part voodoo, it colorfully and accurately illustrates the lives of the stars of the silent film era and those who strived to create glamorous Hollywood.

It also tells the story of a malignant evil that arises in Louisiana. An evil that travels west, picking up more malignancy along the way. All the way to Hollywood.

Something is amiss at the studio. A very famous actress dies. Is her death a suicide? Accident? Or, is it murder. Mary is assigned to “clean it up.” So begins her reluctant, but nonetheless, brave journey to find the truth. She interviews many people. She charges ahead in spite of the interviewees reluctance to speak to her. She discovers many things. She is in danger. She is threatened and injured.

People are not who they seem. Situations are not what they seem. Really not what they seem at all.

Towards the end of the book, Mary finally meets the writer of the script for The Devil’s Playground. This was perhaps my favorite part of the book. I suddenly realized the truth of the whole production!! Beautiful.

This is an incredibly well written novel. Mr. Russell has penned a tour de force. It made a great impression on me and I don’t think I will ever forget it. The scenes in the movie were so well described. I could see the townsfolk. I could feel the flames - and the evil. Just wonderful!

I want to thank NetGalley and Doubleday Books/Doubleday doe forwarding to me a copy of this absolutely entrancing book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in the review are solely my own.

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for my honest review.
Extraordinary!!! A wonderful stand alone mystery novel by Craig Russell in which he delves into legends and mysteries from the Golden Era, the Silent Movie era of Hollywood. This is a wonderfully crafted work that takes us back and forth in time from 1967 to 1927, and then even further back to 1897 and 1907 to introduce us to character and a plot that is intricate and spellbinding. It all begins with the death of Hollywood star Norma Charlton and is mostly seen through the eyes of Carbine Studio fixer, Mary Rourke who is tasked by the studio owner to figure out who killed Norma. Norma was part of the alleged cursed production of the epic silent movie The Devil's Playground of which there is alleged to be only a single copy remaining. In 1967 Dr. Paul Conway is on a mission to find that elusive copy which takes him to Sudden Lake, California to a former hotel which may very well hold the secret to the lost film. We also are introduced to an alleged voodoo queen in the Louisiana swamp back in 1907 and even further back the author takes us to introduce many aspects of the plot, all of which add to the mystery of Norma's death, the cursed movie production, and missing young girls who flocked to Hollywood in the early days of film to become the next big star. Just a well done plot and a well written book. Meticulous research on many aspects of Hollywood including the now defunct Hollywood Studio Club, the goat-gland guru John Romulus Brinkley, and much, much more. Yes, this is a novel, but it transports you back in time and with such realism that you feel that these events actually happened. Mystery, suspense, horror, thriller?? You pick your genre, for me it is just one heck of a great book!!!!!! An enthusiastic 5*****, and a hope that the author will return to those yesteryears of Hollywood with an array of scandals that could launch a series of books dealing with the Golden Age of Movies!

Mary Rourke is a Hollywood fixer, one of those working for the Hollywood studios in the 1920s, who covers up embarrassing moments from their stars. She’s called one night to the home of Norma Carlton, the leading lady of a new silent film, The Devil’s Playground, who’s found dead, an apparent suicide. From that moment, Craig Russell takes us on a thrilling journey through Golden Age Hollywood, as Rourke attempts to piece together what happened to Norma Carlton.

I must admit that I was expecting more of a horror novel. What I found was a rip roaring mystery with elements of horror that was just an incredible read. Interspersed with real figures from the Golden Age, Russell’s characters absolutely come to life and are brilliantly created, especially the protagonist, Mary Rourke. The plot was so well done that I was racing through the novel to see what happens next. While there are many lost films from Hollywood’s silent era, Russell’s fictional creation of The Devil’s Playground was so well constructed that I could almost expect to look it up and find that it was real.

My thanks to Doubleday and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this most impressive novel.

5 *****

The story in this book was seamless and propulsive, layered and nuanced; the various storylines easy to track, even as they became more tightly interwoven. Similarly, the characters, though many, were easily remembered. And the multiple timelines were equally well handled, so the reader never has to stop and ponder. All these complexities, and their deft treatment, make me enjoy a story that much more.

There was a lot of period detail to support the setting in place and time, without ever being intrusive. The predominant storyline is in Hollywood’s Golden Age, on the cusp of “talkies” coming along. There is mystery, murder, people masquerading as other than their true selves; shifting and competing alliances . . . . The blurb will give you more details, and don’t miss the recommendations from Lincoln Child and Jeffery Deaver.

I had not previously read this author and am very happy to discover a healthy backlist – and I take it as another positive sign that at least some of his books are available in Spanish, Italian, German – and another couple of languages I didn’t recognize. That’s a popular author!

My thanks to NetGalley for a free preview copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mary Rourke is what makes this book work as well as it does. Tough with a feminine determination that refuses to be silenced she leads the reader through a mystery that spans almost a century, starting in the late 1800s and ending in 1968. The story takes place mostly in the late 1920s, set in Hollywood during the it's Golden Age, The Devil's Playground tells the twisted story of one of cinema's most 'cursed' films.

As something of a film buff I loved the slight nods to the 'real' stars of Hollywood at the time, like Fairbanks and Valentino, but the namedropping is infrequent enough to avoid detracting from the real draw of the story - the mystery of the murder of Hollywood's most famous starlet - Norma Carlton. Starting in Los Angeles the story twists it way through the California underworld to the backwater bayous of New Orleans to the plains of Kansas and back to California and the desert Hollywood rose out of.

Though I'd argue the novel lacks historical integrity (parts felt poorly researched or fell into cliche rather than fact) I believe that's part of it's charm. After all, Hollywood is a legendary facade, isn't it? Russell has a charming turn of phrase and he writes his main character in a way that has you rooting for her from start to finish.

I'd categorize the story as more mystery than horror, though there are certainly elements that might make some cringe. It reminded me of a good Film Noire -- more mystery than answer, though all ends up wrapped somewhat neatly for the reader by the end. Overall a clever and enjoyable read!

Hollywood fixer Mary Rourke is a wonderful protagonist; smart, tenacious, intuitive, and a little mysterious. It's 1927, and her studio, Carbine International Pictures, is in a hurry to finish and release its latest blockbuster before any of those rumors about talking pictures and a shaky national economy come true. "The Devil's Playground" is an immense effort, staring the luminous Norma Carlton, who, Mary has just discovered, is dead. Suicide? Heart condition? Murder? The picture will be completed, but it will be destroyed in a huge fire, and all copies will disappear except for the one that is rumored to exist, somewhere.

Craig Russell shows us a vibrant late-'20s Los Angeles, assured in details and confident in ambiance. Also wonderfully strange is a film professor's 1968 trip to an abandoned hotel in the middle of the Mojave where a copy of the film may be hidden. "As a mystery, there's not a false note in The Devil's Playground," with Mary and her crooked cop poking their noses into sensitive places as the story becomes increasingly sticky and strange.

As a horror story, the tale didn't gel. There were plenty of devotees of the psychic and weird in silent Hollywood, but these didn't come off as creepy enough. Diversions into the bayous of Louisiana and the Nebraska prairie seemed just that, and let's to get back to Mary. There's a huge denouement, fantastic and horrible, which makes a good case why "The Devil's Playground" should never be seen.

This is a gripping read, and I would love to see Mary Rourke fix another early Hollywood mess.