Ebook The Devil Aspect A Novel Craig Russell Books

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"A blood-pumping, nerve-shredding thriller--elegant, edgy, ingenious. Craig Russell conjures not one but two unforgettable settings Prague between the wars, pulsing with menace, and a Gothic mental asylum, as exciting a house of horrors as I've ever visited. You'll enter both with dread. You'll dwell in them with relish."
--A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

Prague, 1935 Viktor Kosárek, a psychiatrist newly trained by Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The state-of-the-art facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle outside of Prague, though the site is infamous for concealing dark secrets going back many generations. The asylum houses the country's six most treacherous killers--known to the staff as The Woodcutter, The Clown, The Glass Collector, The Vegetarian, The Sciomancer, and The Demon--and Viktor hopes to use a new medical technique to prove that these patients share a common archetype of evil, a phenomenon known as The Devil Aspect. As he begins to learn the stunning secrets of these patients, five men and one woman, Viktor must face the disturbing possibility that these six may share another dark truth.
     Meanwhile, in Prague, fear grips the city as a phantom serial killer emerges in the dark alleys. Police investigator Lukas Smolak, desperate to locate the culprit (dubbed Leather Apron in the newspapers), realizes that the killer is imitating the most notorious serial killer from a century earlier--London's Jack the Ripper. Smolak turns to the doctors at Hrad Orlu for their expertise with the psychotic criminal mind, though he worries that Leather Apron might have some connection to the six inmates in the asylum.
     Steeped in the folklore of Eastern Europe, and set in the shadow of Nazi darkness erupting just beyond the Czech border, this stylishly written, tightly coiled, richly imagined novel is propulsively entertaining, and impossible to put down.

Ebook The Devil Aspect A Novel Craig Russell Books

"I got an ARC of this book.

There is a lot to this book. I was in love with it from the very first chapter until about 89%. The last 11% just made me feel so cheated. The opening scene introduces one of the main characters of the book. The book is mostly told surrounding Viktor. He takes his post and its all fascinating. His ideas are very Jung, which is you know me, I wouldn't normally enjoy. The exciting part for me was he was doing this and had met Jung. So it was like psychology history fanfiction for me. It was wonderful. There was even a hint of Nazis and WWII looming over everything. It was the perfect setting for me. It was the type of thriller that actually held my attention. I normally am not a fan, but this one was special.

There were interviews with The Devil's Six. They are interviewed one by one and you learn their terrible pasts and their terrible deeds. It was really engrossing. So if you like reading about serial killers and why they started killing, this book will hit buttons for you. There is a lot of mythology and lore in the book too. So if you read about Vlad Dracul III and were fascinated by him, then this book will be perfect. You get all this lore about Jack the Ripper and possible explanations for what happened. There is a lot of references to demons and devils which made the book have the potential for the supernatural. There was clear strong hints throughout the book about it. It was really spooky at times. I was all for it. 

The romance plot felt forced to me. There was no chemistry between the two and there was no real reason for the romance. This was the weakest plot for me, up until the big reveal. The big reveal just left me feeling cheated. There was all of this build up and then it was what it was. I don't want to ruin the ending as it is still a decent ending. The plot device used was done somewhat convincingly throughout the book, though it felt more less convincing through the last 11% of the book. If it weren't for the ending, I would have given this book five stars. 

I do have to warn about content. There is graphic descriptions of gore and violence, sexual assault of a child, religious figures engaging in sexual assault, an assumption that DID makes someone a killer (A HUGE PLOT POINT), and a great deal of racism (mostly antisemitism and against the Romani people). So there is a great deal to be triggered by, it is easy to overlook unless you are sensitive to these things. Despite them all, I was engrossed in the book and would have happily kept reading. Just that ending..."

Product details Hardcover 432 pages Publisher Doubleday (March 5, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0385544367

Tags : The Devil Aspect A Novel (9780385544368) Craig Russell Books,Craig Russell,The Devil Aspect A Novel,Doubleday,0385544367,Asylums;Fiction.,Detective and mystery fiction,Detectives - Czech Republic - Prague,Historical fiction,Murderers,Mystery fiction,Prague (Czech Republic);History;20th century;Fiction.,Psychiatric hospitals,Psychiatrists,Psychological fiction,Serial murder investigation,Serial murderers,Serial murderers;Fiction.,Thrillers (Fiction),Czech Republic,FICTION / Historical / World War II,FICTION / Mystery Detective / General,FICTION / Thrillers / Historical,Fiction,Fiction-Suspense,Fiction/Historical - World War II,Fiction/Mystery Detective - General,GENERAL,General Adult,MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE FICTION,Mystery/Suspense,United States,historical romance; asylum; jack the ripper; czechoslovakia; world war ii; world war 2 books; historical novels; holocaust books; war; holocaust; world war 2; literary fiction; fiction books; novels; fiction; historical fiction; historical mystery; mystery and suspense; crime books; detective novels; mystery and thriller; crime; suspense thriller books; british mysteries; thriller; mystery thriller suspense; thriller books; thrillers; psychological thrillers books; mystery; mysteries; horror; horror books; mystery books,historical romance;asylum;jack the ripper;czechoslovakia;world war ii;world war 2 books;historical novels;holocaust books;war;holocaust;world war 2;literary fiction;fiction books;novels;fiction;historical fiction;historical mystery;mystery and suspense;crime books;detective novels;mystery and thriller;crime;suspense thriller books;british mysteries;thriller;mystery thriller suspense;thriller books;thrillers;psychological thrillers books;mystery;mysteries;horror;horror books;mystery books,FICTION / Historical / World War II,FICTION / Mystery Detective / General,FICTION / Thrillers / Historical,Fiction/Historical - World War II,Fiction/Mystery Detective - General

The Devil Aspect A Novel Craig Russell Books Reviews :

The Devil Aspect A Novel Craig Russell Books Reviews

• Look, I enjoyed this novel, so 3.5 stars. It'll definitely keep you turning the pages. It's well-written and exciting. BUT, if you're at all an attentive reader, you'll figure out the "big twist" long before it's revealed. There is also a very silly coda that an editor should have cut, which would have made the ending more satisfying.
  
  All that aside, you weird uncle Jimmy, sez, "Check it out".
• In 2012 I first discovered Russell’s writing with his Jan Fabel series. I loved it – and though his books are a little harder to find in the US, I always keep my eye out for them – so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this historical mystery of his set in 1935 Prague and the Czechoslovakian countryside. This is a fascinating standalone thriller that is split between two narrators for the majority of the book – Viktor, a young psychiatrist taking on his first position in a notorious castle-cum-mental institution and Lukas, a murder detective in Prague hunting a killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper, dubbed “Leather Apron”.
  
  With short chapters, engaging characters and descriptions of horrible crimes, this book is genuinely hard to put down. I loved the backdrop of a country on the verge of historic violence – it really adds to the overall ambiance of the story. And this is actually, genuinely frightening in places – which totally took me by surprise. It’s downright chilling! Not to mention the fact that the plot had me literally gasping aloud in surprise in places!
  
  I really liked it – though I do wish that the epilogue (so haunting!) had been a little bit more extensive, as there were other characters that I wish it had included. I am really excited to see what Russell will write next!
• When I read the teaser for the book I was immediately moved to buy it. I loved the concept, six horrific psychotic murderers locked in an old castle of an asylum to be interviewed in depth by a psychiatrist to find out if there is really an evil side, Devil Aspect, to everyone's nature. A parallel story involves a series of gruesome murders being carried out at the same time in the same area. What I got was a voyeuristic and disturbing glimpse into the lives of the patients and not much about the two main characters; Viktor, the psychiatrist, and Lukas, the homicide detective. I found I couldn't get invested in either of these characters because there is nothing about them that makes us want to care much about them. Viktor does have a romantic fling with one of the asylum's staff, but so what. There is no depth to that relationship and she is another character about whom we ultimately don't care. The big twist at the end is pretty obvious to see coming. I think with some better character development this could have been a very good and very scary book. As it is, it's just an OK read.
• Never slowed down and kept me reading til the wee hours of the night. Unique and is up there with Hannibal Lecter.
• An interesting foray into Slavic mythology and superstition. Slow going at the beginning, picked up steam in the middle, totally predictable ending hinted at 3/4 of the way through, and a conclusion that was hurried. And then an epilogue. I liked this author’s Fabel series, but I did not like this book.
• This book had all the qualities I love. I couldn't put it down, but also didn't want it to end.
• Strongly recommend for lovers of psychological thrillers. The setting adds to the. Macabre sense of ultimate evil. Love the twist in the epilogue.
• I got an ARC of this book.
  
  There is a lot to this book. I was in love with it from the very first chapter until about 89%. The last 11% just made me feel so cheated. The opening scene introduces one of the main characters of the book. The book is mostly told surrounding Viktor. He takes his post and its all fascinating. His ideas are very Jung, which is you know me, I wouldn't normally enjoy. The exciting part for me was he was doing this and had met Jung. So it was like psychology history fanfiction for me. It was wonderful. There was even a hint of Nazis and WWII looming over everything. It was the perfect setting for me. It was the type of thriller that actually held my attention. I normally am not a fan, but this one was special.
  
  There were interviews with The Devil's Six. They are interviewed one by one and you learn their terrible pasts and their terrible deeds. It was really engrossing. So if you like reading about serial killers and why they started killing, this book will hit buttons for you. There is a lot of mythology and lore in the book too. So if you read about Vlad Dracul III and were fascinated by him, then this book will be perfect. You get all this lore about Jack the Ripper and possible explanations for what happened. There is a lot of references to demons and devils which made the book have the potential for the supernatural. There was clear strong hints throughout the book about it. It was really spooky at times. I was all for it. 
  
  The romance plot felt forced to me. There was no chemistry between the two and there was no real reason for the romance. This was the weakest plot for me, up until the big reveal. The big reveal just left me feeling cheated. There was all of this build up and then it was what it was. I don't want to ruin the ending as it is still a decent ending. The plot device used was done somewhat convincingly throughout the book, though it felt more less convincing through the last 11% of the book. If it weren't for the ending, I would have given this book five stars. 
  
  I do have to warn about content. There is graphic descriptions of gore and violence, sexual assault of a child, religious figures engaging in sexual assault, an assumption that DID makes someone a killer (A HUGE PLOT POINT), and a great deal of racism (mostly antisemitism and against the Romani people). So there is a great deal to be triggered by, it is easy to overlook unless you are sensitive to these things. Despite them all, I was engrossed in the book and would have happily kept reading. Just that ending...