The Devil and the Dark Water cover art

The Devil and the Dark Water

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Devil and the Dark Water

By: Stuart Turton
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton, read by Julian Rhind-Tutt.

STUART TURTON'S INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD NOW IS OUT NOW

‘If you read one book this year, make sure it’s this one’ Daily Mail

CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, FINANCIAL TIMES, DAILY EXPRESS AND i PAPER
WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD FOR FICTION
SELECTED FOR THE BBC TWO BOOK CLUB BETWEEN THE COVERS AND THE RADIO 2 JO WHILEY BOOK CLUB


An impossible murder
A remarkable detective duo
A demon who may or may not exist

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam, where he is facing trial and execution for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent, while also on board are Sara Wessel, a noble woman with a secret, and her husband, the governor general of Batavia.

But no sooner is their ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A strange symbol appears on the sail. A dead leper stalks the decks. Livestock are slaughtered in the night. And then the passengers hear a terrible voice whispering to them in the darkness, promising them three unholy miracles. First: an impossible pursuit. Second: an impossible theft. Third: an impossible murder. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent and Sara can solve a mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board…


'A glorious mash-up of William Golding and Arthur Conan Doyle' Val McDermid
'A superb historical mystery: inventive, twisty, addictive and utterly beguiling ... A TRIUMPH' Will Dean

From the author of the dazzling The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award, comes an audacious and original new high concept murder mystery.

©2020 Stuart Turton (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Crime Historical Murder Mystery Fiction Detective
All stars
Most relevant  
The Wreck of the Batavia meets Sherlock Holmes. if you like either of these two things you'll love this book. Another wonderful book by Stuart Turton.

Mystery on the high seas

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Another great book from Stuart Turton. Very different story but kept me hooked from the first! Well written and great twist at the end!

Different that Stuart Turton’s first novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Honestly I did not get pulled into this as quickly as I did with the Seven Deaths but it is a solid piece of writing with complex characters and an even more complex story. I will remain a fan of Stuart Turton and look forward to his next book. The narration for this book was good and suited the style of writing.

Not bad

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book. Yes I did get lost a few times where the story sort of slowed down but it then picked up again each time. There has been a few people complain about the (Spoiler)storm that takes place saying it went on for too many chapters, but honestly I feel it was just enough or maybe just a little more could have been said.

 I love the result at the end I did have my guesses. I won't spoil this on you. I would have loved to have seen a little bit more chemistry between Arent and Sara but at the author says in the end of the book  letter from the author he didn't want it to turn into a story all about them, or Arent being the sexy bodyguard kind of character. But has said that if you wish to do so then that is what you shall have.  
All in all I do recommend this book a adventure to read, there are a few gruesome scenes taking place in the book. But nothing over the top. 

thriller historic fiction Adventure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
When I was 9 or 10 I spent a weekend writing a story of a sailor shipwrecked on a desert island. I think it was more realistic than Stuart Turton’s effort here. I am also an academic with a specialty in early modern demonology and can state that Turton has no idea what he is dealing with here. His ‘demonology’ is a mishmash of ideas that are completely out of time and place and inconsistent. This is disappointing as I loved The Seven Deaths and had actually spent most of that novel thinking it was a demon/Hell scenario. The character development in The Devil is poor overall (characters are either good or bad from the outset and there is no evolution) but the characters of the female characters are even worse and a little more than caricatures (the ‘good prostitute’ character had me rolling my eyes). I kept waiting for the story to develop but it never really did. I am bemused by the array of 5-star reviews which led me astray here.

Poor writing and little character development

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.