The Demonologist

A stolen child. An ancient evil. A father’s descent. And the literary masterpiece that holds the key to his daughter’s salvation. Professor David Ullman is among the world’s leading authorities on demonic literature, with special expertise in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Not that David is a believer—he sees what he teaches as a branch of the imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a “phenomenon,” he turns her down. She leaves plane tickets and an address on his desk, advising David that her employer is not often disappointed. That evening, David’s wife announces she is leaving him. With his life suddenly in shambles, he impulsively whisks his beloved twelve-year-old daughter, Tess, off to Venice after all. The girl has recently been stricken by the same melancholy moods David knows so well, and he hopes to cheer her up and distract them both from the troubles at home. But what happens in Venice will change everything. First, in a tiny attic room at the address provided by the Thin Woman, David sees a man restrained in a chair, muttering, clearly insane . . . but could he truly be possessed? Then the man speaks clearly, in the voice of David’s dead father, repeating the last words he ever spoke to his son. Words that have left scars—and a mystery—behind. When David rushes back to the hotel, he discovers Tess perched on the roof’s edge, high above the waters of the Grand Canal. Before she falls, she manages to utter a final plea: Find me. What follows is an unimaginable journey for David Ullman from skeptic to true believer. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David must track the demon that has captured his daughter and discover its name. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever.Amazon.com ReviewAn Amazon Best Book of the Month, March 2013: This supernatural thriller rises above its by-the-numbers plot to deliver a mix of creepy mood and engaging musings on good and evil. It’s still a light read despite author Andrew Pyper’s literary pretensions. The movie rights have been optioned, and the staging of some of the narrative seemed based more for big-screen bang than because it made sense. The story is told by David Ullman, a renowned Miltonian scholar whose knowledge of Paradise Lost draws him into a mystery in Venice that ultimately puts him in peril. Ullman has to fight both his internal demons and possibly some very real ones to save himself, his daughter, and maybe the whole world. Original? No. But The Demonologist still provides a bit of page-turning fun with some truly scary moments that had me shivering during a late-night read. --Aaron KnopfReview“Smart, thrilling, and utterly unnerving. Pyper’s gift is that he deeply respects his readers, yet still insists on reducing them to quivering children. I like that in a writer.” (Gillian Flynn #1 New York Times bestselling author of *Gone Girl* )“A mesmerizing and melancholy narrative voice lends chilling credibility to this exceptional supernatural thriller.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )"Pyper crafts compulsively readable and finely written thrillers. . . . This book is going to be the 'Gangnam Style' of 2013." (The National Post (Canada) )“Pyper is an intelligent writer, steeped in Miltonian symbolism, gifted with language . . . This artful literary exploration of evil’s manifestation makes for a sophisticated horror tale.” (*Kirkus Reviews* )"The evil of Milton's pandemonium comes to life . . . Pyper's novel takes on "things that go bump in the brain" and delivers a stirring entry in the supernatural thriller genre." (*Booklist* )“Plenty of books claim to be scary, but this is genuinely terrifying, don’t-read-late-at-night stuff. Thrilling, compelling and beautifully written, The Demonologist makes Rosemary's Baby feel like a walk in the park.” (S.J. Watson New York Times bestselling author of *Before I Go To Sleep* )“Richly crafted, deliriously scary and compulsively page-turning from beginning to end. Imagine The Exorcist and The Da Vinci Code as penned by Daphne du Maurier. Don't miss this one!” (Jeffery Deaver New York Times bestselling author of *XO* )“Smart and astonishing, Andrew Pyper has created a recurring nightmare for adults. The Demonologist holds a mirror to the reader and reveals the places where our deepest darkness lurks. Like Milton’s Paradise Lost, this is the story of the human condition, the fall, and the way back. I slept with the light on for nights, too obsessed to stop reading and too terrified to dream.” (Brunonia Barry New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader and *The Map of True Places* )“The Demonologist is that rare thing—a novel that is both genuinely terrifying and erudite. The research is excellent and lightly worn, the pace and cleverness of the plot thrilling. One of the most exciting works of fiction I’ve read for some time.” (Kate Mosse New York Times bestselling author of Labyrinth, Sepulchre and *Citadel* )“As compelling and smoothly chilling a tale as you’ll find this year. The Demonologist shows an enormously gifted writer at the top of his game, producing a novel of eerie menace and unique depth. Those of us who write supernatural stories do not throw the names Ira Levin, William Peter Blatty, and Peter Straub around lightly. You’ll be hearing all three associated with Mr. Pyper soon, and all such comparisons are warranted, the highest praise I can offer.” (Michael Koryta New York Times bestselling author of *The Prophet* )