Set against the backdrop of Devils Island, this gripping tale intertwines the beauty of wildlife conservation with a chilling mystery. Kerry's passion for rescuing Tasmanian devils adds a unique layer to the story, creating a compelling setting. As a naturalist guide, she leads a diverse group of characters, each with their own secrets and connections.

The narrative skillfully weaves together the complexities of strained friendships and hidden ties, all against the backdrop of a stormy island. When a guest goes missing, the group's assumption of a simple wandering turns into a suspenseful mystery. As the storm worsens, the isolation intensifies, and suspicions rise among the characters.

The author masterfully captures the tension and unease, keeping readers guessing until the very end. It's a thrilling exploration of human dynamics and the secrets that bind or break us. Perfect for those who enjoy a blend of wildlife conservation, atmospheric settings, and a gripping mystery.

What I was hoping for, after my last read ([book:The Accident|198427542] which had terrible descriptive writing, was some quality conjuring of the wild Australian landscape. Devils Island promised Tasmanian devils in a setting modeled on Maria Island, and in this respect, it did deliver, with Marbury Island: "now uninhabited save for wallabies, echidnas, wombats, kangaroos, and, of course, the endangered Tasmanian devils."

One of the two authors writes decent descriptive prose: "they left the sylvan confines of dense forest for a eucalypt overstory, which let in undulant daylight, and now they're under moving storm clouds, winding their way along the coast." The other writes barely palatable Mills & Boon: "It was the first time she'd touched a man since she left William, and she felt something awaken inside of her, something she was beginning to fear had died but realizes now was only dormant." Barf. Neither are particularly good plot writers.

Also, if I had known this was a book about actors, I wouldn't have picked it up. The narcissism grates me. Genuine feelings seems optional, and the energy is vampyric, Jane reaffirms her self-worth by punishing someone who had no feelings for her. I also hate unreliable narrators, constantly rehashed versions of the truth, and vacant morality: "She's in trouble. I have to decide whether this is my cue, whether I stay in the wings or take the stage and remove my mask." Really, when your friend is fighting for her life, you think about whether you will put your fake story and self first?

My biggest problem with Devils Island was the long soliloquies telling us (rather than showing us) why particular characters behaved as they did. Honestly, who cares about every narcissistic thought these D-grade not really actors have ever had? "Facebook is the biggest stage of all. I cast myself in the role of a lifetime—the role of a happy person." Yawn, only if you use it as such. You could actually have moments of real connection, which are definitely lacking in this book. I found it hard to care about any of them.

"whatever modicum of optimism she still had for this trip ending less than disastrously vanishes in almost a physical rush, like a soul leaving a body. All she can hope for now is that things don't go from worse to dystopian."



Target audience:
🤸‍♀️ mystery and thriller fans
🤸‍♀️ People with interest in travel and ecotourism/nature
🤸‍♀️ Those who care about animal and women's rights 🐾💚💪
If you like...
🤸‍♀️ Multiple POVs
🤸‍♀️ A bit of 'And then there were none' meets 'Gone Girl' on a remote island setting 🏝️
🤸‍♀️ Mentions of theater acting and roles... Shakespeare and plays e.g. Lady Macbeth 🎭
🤸‍♀️ A glimpse into wildlife and a little bit of background info, conservation works and fun facts about Tasmanian Devils.

Alright - interesting setting, intriguing concept, a couple of fine characters, and a plot that kept me at least kind of guessing and made this a quick read. This was tilting towards a healthy 3.5 star or generous 4 star, but! The really weird anti-prescription medication bullshit in here is absolutely inexcusable and needs to be edited out - it adds nothing to the story, other than making each character spouting this garbage sound like a total asshole. And the fact that it's multiple characters saying this crap makes it clear that this is just authorial opinion injection where it doesn't even belong. Just post your terrible opinions on Elon Musk's X along with the rest of the conservative weirdos and leave it out of your otherwise adequate book!

To anyone else reading this review who needs to hear it: taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications is nothing to be ashamed of. "Depending" on antidepressants in particular because you'd rather not kill yourself if that's avoidable is no different than "depending" on insulin because you'd rather not kill yourself if that's avoidable. The only person who can tell you what you do or do not need in terms of medication should be a licensed medical mental health professional. To any person in a vulnerable spot with your clinical depression or anxiety disorder, please do not let yourself be negatively influenced by fiction writers who have an axe to grind against...depressed people trying to help themselves, I guess??...and who do not appear to be psychiatrists.

These nasty little mentions were sprinkled in here and there from multiple characters and included a throwaway plotline where one "friend" STEALS the other friend's antidepressants (why not, I guess if you know everything about mental health as a non-doctor you also know which meds can be stopped immediately with no harmful side effects!) because she thinks her friend doesn't need them (???) and when the friend finds out immediately after a series of insanely traumatic events she's all oh you're so right bestie! And it's dumb as hell and deeply insulting and could easily be excised along with all other needless and infuriating moments like this without the plot losing anything at all - in fact it would make these characters all more likable and less obnoxious, which frankly some of them need.

This book isn't out until September 2024. Fix this.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Two Americans Brooke and Jane connect once again and are off to a remote Island for a week of camping and hiking. Joining them are two married couples and long time friends. Australian Kerry and Bryan are new to being the lead guides on the mysterious island full of primates called Devils. On the very first night one of them disappears and appears to have been killed by the Devils. Soon another person meets a fatal fate. Who is holding back secrets and who wants revenge?

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3,25 Stars

What first pulled me in when I requested this book was the cover, for some reason I really like an island setting, even better if its super remote.
Then from the description it seemed like it would be a plot similar to 'And then there were none' by Agatha Christie, which is the only kind of mystery I like.
The story revolves around a group of people who tour the island: led by guides Kerry and Bryan there are two australian couples who have known each other for a long time and americans Brooke and Jane, who haven't been in contact in years. On the very first night someone disappears and that's all I'll say about the plot to avoid spoilers.
Theres secrets, lies and plot twists that are not predictable, at least to me, someone who is relatively new to the genre. There's extensive description of the islands flora and fauna, sometimes even a bit too much.
What was a bit unusual to me is that the characters and their interactions aren't too deep? I get that it might not be the purpose of this genre, but thats usually something I am looking for. Nevertheless, I'd say it was an interesting read.

Got an arc copy from NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This was my first book from this author and I loved the setting of being isolated on an island of Australia while spending a hiking/ camping trip. (Isolated closed circles are my favorite genres). I also loved the talk about the Tasmanian devils and I loved the bit of mystery of a few of the characters.

But I did find in some spots were a little slow, but I will definitely read from this author again.

Such a fun and creepy romp on Devil’s Island!
I love that the plight of the Tasmanian Devils is brought to light consistently, yet hopefully.

Devils Island by Midge Raymond and John Yunker

Enter Marbury Island off the coast of Tasmania for a backpacking trip. Sprinkle in the mother of all storms and then a missing guest. What could go wrong?

Devil’s Island is a mystery that will keep you hooked and guessing until the very end. Guides for the trip; Kerry and Bryan are kept on their toes when one of the American guests goes missing. American friends Jane and Brooke are two of the guests along with two Australian married couples; Malcom and Charlotte, and Ian and Margaret. The first night a guest goes missing also sees bad storm blowing in. This keeps them from progressing on their journey and the beginning of their problems.

This book was not my cup of tea but it had my attention and thoughts for the two days it took me to read it. The story was a very interesting idea but I thought there were too many chefs in the kitchen if you will. Too many possible plots/directions to go were introduced. It gave me whiplash instead of suspense.

This one was pretty tough to get through.

First of all, it was very slow. There was a LOT of information about Brooke and Jane’s past as actors that I didn’t see the need for, and nothing really happened until more than halfway through.

I felt like there were a lot more explanations than dialogue, and that made things move really slow. Instead of allowing us to learn what’s going on through interactions and conversations between the characters, things were kind of spelled out for us a lot of the time which made this book feel a little more like nonfiction

There was also weird, repeated bad-mouthing about Americans. “Americans always have to be right about everything” “I hope they’re not like the last group of loud Americans” and Kerry kept calling Brooke the smaller American as if Kerry couldn’t remember her name. But she would literally say “Brooke, the smaller American”

I liked the initial twist, I didn’t see that coming, so this book has that going for it, but the end was still so confusing and convoluted to me. Nothing happened for so long and then everything happened at once.
It was an interesting and unique presence, I just don’t think it was successful.

Six guests visit devils island on a wilderness tour and retreat, embracing the Australian wildlife and spotting some wonderful animals along the way. The tour guide Kerry is keen to have a successful journey after a previous mishap and a difficult but strong relationship to the Tasmanian devils, her hopes are dashed when one guest goes missing, evidence of a crime is found and it’s quickly followed by another body and a terrible storm. Brooke has just left her husband and joined her old friend Jane on this trip, little does Brooke know Jane has her own secrets for joining up to this adventure and their history as actresses will definitely come in handy

I recently became a member of NextGalley and Devils Island is the first book I’ve read from there. It will be out in September 2024.

At the start of the story Brooke is on a boat. She was invited by Jane, to whom she has a long time but now complicated friendship, to accompany her on a hike across the most beautiful island in the world. Besides Jane and Brooke, there are six other people on that boat as well: the tour guides Kerry and Bryan, and two couples Malcolm and Charlotte and Ian and Margaret. The couples are friends. We quite early in the story learn why Jane wanted to go on that hiking trip, because she tells Brooke the real reason why she wanted to go. Then someone goes missing, and about a day later someone gets murdered and the remaining members of the hiking group get divided.

From the first sentence this story had me. I love the writing style that is used and for me this style makes it an easy read. The characters are likeable, flaws and all. I had a hard time putting the book away when I was reading. What I liked was that I read chapters through the eyes of a character (mainly Brooke and Kerry). Another thing what doesn’t happen often to me is that at one point this story had me teary-eyed.

When I started reading I went globally through the acknowledgments and information. While I can understand a writer’s need to place this at the beginning of the book, as a reader I’m more interested in the story that lays ahead. At the end, there was another author’s note and information and because I'd finished the story, I could read it with more attention. My advice would be to add the acknowledgments and information, in the beginning of the book, at the end as well.

Would I advise people to read this story? If you like a good mystery, care for animals, and like plot twist, then yes, I’d advice you to read this one.

Thanks for letting me read this book Oceanview.

(This review will also be posted on Goodreads and my instagram)

I really enjoyed this standalone novel, mostly for its nature setting in Australia as well as doing research on the Tasmanian Devils. As for the book itself, it’s an easy whodunit with an..interesting cast of characters, all with their own flaws.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed reading this book. You can tell that the authors thoroughly researched the wildlife in the area the story is set in. The plot was also suspenseful and grabbed my attention right from the beginning.

Set on a (fictional) remote island off the coast of Australia, Devils Island offers armchair travellers a vacation to die for. I devoured this book - with plenty of suspense, murder and mayhem - it's both a mystery and a thriller. The plot moves quickly, the details are lush, and the characters are nuanced. This one will definitely be a re-read for me.

Devils Island is very descriptive, as it follows a hiking trip between a group of people who have secrets between each other. The book instantly draws you in and is a great mystery. The plot twists were predictable; however, it was overall enjoyable. This book is interesting and allowed me to learn more about Tasmanian devils and the island's environment. It was a great suspense story, with excellent pacing. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This story follows 2 couples and a pair of friends as they embark on a camping/hiking trip to Devils Island - known for its home to the Tasmanian devil. As they arrive on the island, secrets come out and it seems that the group may not be strangers with one another after all. As members of the group start disappearing, the book sends you through a maze of “who done it.”

This book does a really great job of immediately drawing you in and not lingering over the unnecessary parts.

This was a very quick and easy read, there was nothing that you had to really work to piece together yet very enjoyable… until the end. The plot twist was rather disappointing and that definitely took the book down from a potential 4 to a 3 star. There wasn’t anything too exciting about it and the book didn’t go into the direction I was hoping for. The island itself really didn’t have much in the reasoning for the disappearances and suspense.

This is a good, quick read but not one that is memorable.

The book was a bit predictable in the developed of the characters. But it was a whole new concept of book for me and was interesting to read and it was a very quick read and I enjoy how the book build and I recommend it for sure.

Devil’s Island was an easy read. The character developments were a bit predictable but the characters themselves were enjoyable. The twists weren’t unplausable.

The nomenclature of Devils Island could refer to the Tasmanian devils on the island (loosely named Marbury Island for the real Maria Island) or the "devils" who are part of the group of six, two Americans and four Australians, who have suspenseful and questionable relationships which lead to at least one death. The most interesting and not particularly likeable character is Jane, an American who is unstable and a bit of an egomaniac who travels with an old friend whom she hasn't seen in years, Brooke. They both have an interest and background in theater that seems a bit unrelated to and somewhat interrupts the plot.

Kelly and Bryan, the two assigned guides for the three day hiking and camping trip, are a bit more interesting, and Kelly's interest in and knowledge of Tasmanian devils is, to me, the most intriguing aspect of the book. Kelly's interest in the environment of the island, and her carefully woven information about the devils piqued my interest in the topic and led to a desire to know more about the island's wildlife and their struggles.

The plot of the book moves quickly but has, perhaps, too many directions to make it comprehensive. Nonetheless, this book is interesting and mostly compelling.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.