The Devil’s Evidence by Simon Kurt Unsworth (book review)

‘The Devils’ Evidence’ is the second novel in a series about Thomas Fool. He first appeared in ‘The Devil’s Detective’ and I think you can see where this is heading. These books crossover between horror and murder mystery. Thomas Fool’s beat is Hell and it’s not for the faint-hearted. As commander of Hell’s Information Men, Fool’s job is to sort out mysteries, murders and all the other happenings that are not part of Hell’s plan. He has suffered loss in this afterlife and is also scarred perhaps from his original life where he was indeed a fool.

Called to investigate a series of mysterious fires around Hell, Thomas Fool is hemmed in and by a new department who are following him around called only The Evidence. These are seriously unsettling demons and are unknowable. Thomas needs a breakthrough and surprisingly it comes when he is posted on assignment…to Heaven.

Things change considerably as the power balance shifts and the truth starts to emerge. Thomas must cope with several dangerous problems all the while keeping in touch with his demon boss in possibly the most grotesque method of communication invented. He should really have used the Internet but ‘Demon’ went out of business a few years ago.

I really enjoyed this as I’m a sucker for a detective story and a bit of science fantasy so the combination is a cracker. Solving problems in Hell is certainly another twist on the genre and I’m embracing it. There is one previous novel to this and I’ll be looking out for that. I will also be looking forward to the next devilish dilemma for Thomas Fool.

Sue Davies

December 2016

(pub: Doubleday/Penguin Random House. 381 page hardback. Price: $26.95 (US), $35.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-385-53936-4

pub: Del Rey-UK/Penguin/Random House. 494 page small enlarged paperback. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-091956-54-7)

check out websites: www.doubleday.com and www.delreyuk.com