The Devil and the Dark Water
In 1634 the Saardam sets sail from Batavia bound for Amsterdam carrying a hold full of spices, a notorious detective locked in irons, his devoted bodyguard, the governor-general of the East Indies, and a secret called the Folly that is worth more than the ship. Before the ship clears the harbor a leper on the dock curses it aloud, a demonic sign appears on the mainsail, and a chain of deaths and sabotage begins that everyone on board, officers, merchants, witchhunters, and passengers, blames on a devil named Old Tom. With the detective Samuel Pipps chained in the brig, the puzzle falls to his loyal sergeant Arent Hayes and the governor-general's clever wife, Sara Wessel. Stuart Turton's novel is a locked-ship mystery with Gothic atmosphere and a clockwork plot.
Themes & atmosphere
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What you might want to know about The Devil and the Dark Water
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
On a 1634 Dutch East India Company ship sailing from Batavia to Amsterdam, a leper on the dock curses the voyage. Aboard, the famed detective Samuel Pipps is held in chains in the brig, and a demon's mark begins appearing.
The Devil and the Dark Water (2020) is Stuart Turton's second novel, after The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It is a standalone historical mystery set on a 17th-century Dutch East Indiaman ship.
The Devil and the Dark Water is around 480 pages and structurally complex but not as demanding as The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. The historical maritime detail rewards readers who enjoy that subgenre.
The Devil and the Dark Water was written by Stuart Turton, published in 2020 by Tropen.
The Devil and the Dark Water is 448 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Devil and the Dark Water takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
The Devil and the Dark Water is a standalone novel by Stuart Turton, not part of a series.
The Devil and the Dark Water is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.