He’s based on a demon called Astaroth, who tempts the lazy and doubtful with pseudoscience, effectively. I read many reports of possession and witchfinding. With a modern eye, it’s impossible to believe that anybody believed this stuff, so I ended up researching superstition instead and how we collectively begin to believe untruths. Given what’s happening with our politics these days, that was an eerie path to follow. Truthfully, I always saw the Company as the real big bad of the novel. It cares only about profit, tempts people to do terrible things for it, and destroys those who serve it.
Fear is a big motivator throughout the book. What are you afraid of?
Not doing this for a living. Telling stories is what I’ve wanted to do since I was little. In my forty years, I’ve done every other job under the sun, always hoping they’d deliver me here eventually. Now that I’m doing my dream job, I can enjoy the daily terror of trying not to screw it up.
It seems like most, if not all, of the passengers and crew on the Saardam fall prey to their own greed in some way. Do you think people are inherently selfish or corrupt?
I’m a bit worried that between this book and 7½ Deaths people will start thinking I’ve got a dim view of the human race. I’m actually more positive about people than my books suggest, but I think our worst characteristics tend to show themselves when it’s not easy to be kind, or civil. As my books always make life as difficult as possible for my characters, we tend to see them at their very worst. The flip side of this is that we get to see great courage, kindness, empathy, and intelligence from the heroes. That’s a really nice thing to write.
Acknowledgments
Buckle in kids, I’m going full Gwyneth. On Evelyn Hardcastle, I thanked half the people I should have. This time, I’m thanking absolutely everybody. Writing Devil was hard work, as was having a newborn baby while I was doing it. I moaned a fair bit about both. Sorry, everybody. I’m happier now. Come find me. I owe you a pint.
Poor Resa. Aside from all the listening and tea, my wife took care of Ada all alone on many more weekends than was fair. She was also the one who pointed out that my original ending was rubbish. If you have a partner like Resa, 90 percent of your life is perfect. Thanks, hottie. (Using this nickname in public will definitely get me killed.)
Let’s talk a little bit about my editors: Alison Hennessy, Shana Drehs, and Grace Menary-Winefield. Devil had to be dug out, word by word. It kicked, and spat, and bit. They had to read so much dross and were nothing but kind and positive. Devil wouldn’t exist without them.
My agent, Harry Illingworth, is…tall, so there’s that. In all seriousness, he’s my mate who knows a lot about publishing. This is marvelously helpful. He’s also brilliant at not crying when I tell him I’m going to miss another deadline, and he has to break the news to Alison. These skills can’t be taught.
Big Phil’s abandoned us, so she’s dead to me. I was going to say how brilliant her campaign for Evelyn Hardcastle was, and how ace the campaign for Devil was shaping up to be. I was going to say she’s a pal, but she selfishly got pregnant and went on maternity leave, so I’m not going to say any of those things. They’re all equally true of Amy, so I’ll say them to Amy alone. Amy, you’re a miracle worker. Thank you. And Phil, of course. I can’t really be mean, because you’ve got a newborn. That’s punishment enough.
Glen brings me brownies whenever I sign books. For that, and letting me talk his ear off as we crisscross London bookstores, I thank you. David Mann designs wonderful covers. The two for Evelyn Hardcastle were his. The Devil cover was his. I love them all. Ta, mate. Emily Faccini drew the map you’ve been ogling. She’s supremely talented. She did the Evelyn Hardcastle one in the UK edition, as well, which is why that’s also wonderful.
Caitlin, Valerie, Cristina, Molly, and Genevieve have managed to shove my books in front of so many faces, I’m surprised people aren’t tripping over them when they leave the house. Thanks, guys. And let’s not forget Sara Helen, Heather Hall, and Danielle McNaughton, making the production process look effortless, even in the midst of a pandemic. Nice work. Ta!
And, finally, mum, dad, and spud. How do you thank the earth you stand on and the ozone layer for protecting you from incineration? I’ve been trying to be an author for a long time. They never stopped believing I would be. That still matters.
Cue the music. Cue the tears. I’m out of here.
About the Author
Stuart Turton is English. Painfully so. He lives in a village near London with his adorable daughter and clever, beautiful wife. His house is much too small, but he likes the light. He previously wrote The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which was an international bestseller and won a number of awards, despite being absolutely nuts. Before becoming an author, he was a travel journalist, and before that, he did every other job you can possibly imagine. Goat farmer was the best. Cleaning toilets was the worst. Find him on Twitter @Stu_Turton.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
This inventive bestseller twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity, it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.
The Rules of Blackheath: Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape when you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Let’s begin.
Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.
For fans of Claire North and Kate Atkinson, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.
“Pop your favorite Agatha Christie whodunnit into a blender with a scoop of Downton Abbey, a dash of Quantum Leap, and a liberal sprinkling of Groundhog’s Day and you’ll get this unique murder mystery…[a] twisting, cleverly-written debut.”
—Harper’s Bazaar
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The Devil and the Dark Water Page 45