This was a great spin on psychological thriller/crime thriller. Brutal, with devilishly good twists and turns. Wade takes the overwritten, basic bitch criminal drama and adds a flair of debauchery and occultism to boot. As other authors struggle to make their cookie cutter characters stand out in a genre that continually uses the bland "bad cop with a chip on the shoulder," Wade makes a cast of characters that are believable, unique, and sometimes utterly atrocious. I have to give credit where credit is due and this is one mean hell ride, with an extraordinary feeling of unease throughout.

Colin Wade has substantial gifts as a writer. Reading a new novel by him is always an absolute pleasure. His detective novels are more than a cut above the average thriller.
DCI Matthew McCallum is an extraordinary creation: a maverick, intellectual, flawed, vulnerable, but with layer-upon-layer of inner strength.
The plot is atmospheric and arresting with its dark complexities and pacy, inventive, assured crafting.
I can't help thinking that this novel with its evocation of Dante's Inferno would have been praised by Dorothy L. Sayers - the renowned crime writer and founder member of the Detection Club - who devoted the last twenty years of her life to its translation.
This is a scorching hot crime mystery tale executed with dexterity and deftness.

This is one of those classic police procedurals which is very satisfying to read. in the tradition of Morse, we get to know the detective and his quirks and are fully engaged in the process of solving the crime. Hopefully this is one character we will see more of!

This is an entertaining easy read with an unusual and unexpected ending. However, some of the characters and their relationships didn't gel for me. For example, the main character enjoys classical music, is best friends with a university professor and is meticulous and pedantic in his professional role. I don't see him using speech like 'gonna'. Also, his relationship with his immediate subordinate didn't feel right, changing from close to distant and back in a moment.

Nevertheless, as stated above, I found the book enjoyable.

This was a strange one. I started reading it and was thinking it was lightweight. The story didn’t dwell on detail, everything moved along at a rate of knots.. I had worked out a major theme in the plot about a quarter of the way through. I was tempted to give up. I persevered and found that the second half of the story was much better. I ended up ready the whole book in one day! The ending suggests that there is a possibility of a sequel. I will look out for more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for a prepublication ebook in return for an honest review.

A really excellent read and one of the best books I have read for some time.
Certainly an author to keep an eye on. Recommend.

I really enjoyed The Devil's Code. A great British police procedural / detective story. I really hope there 'll be more to come.
DCI McCallum and his team come up against a truly twisted psychopath. With good detective work and a great team, they slowly but surely solve the case. Although, there's still a twist or three to keep things exciting! McCallum is a great character. He's human, he takes a lot of strain during the case, he gets grumpy and stubborn, but he's a good guy! I look forward to seeing his character develop further.

DCI McCallum is one of the better detective characters I've come across recently. There seems to be an awful trend of making detectives/PI's so flawed they become unlikeable. They seem to have some haunted past that affects every single case they work on, or they're popping pill or shots to the extent they can barely stand up. Yet, they have amazing flashes of brilliance which miraculously solves the case 10 pages before the end of the book with the reader none the wiser how they got there! That isn't the case with The Devil's Code. Good policework, diligence and persistence pay off. And the reader is along for the ride every step of the way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.