Title: The Devil’s Work
Author: Mark Edwards
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Age Group: Adult (18+)
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies.
When Sophie Greenwood returns to work after four years raising her daughter, she is ready for an exciting new challenge.
But after an unnerving encounter drags up memories she’d rather forget, things take a turn for the sinister. What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.
As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.
I quite enjoyed Mark Edwards’ writing style in the previous book I read by him, Follow You Home. While I thought the plot in that book was slightly exaggerated, I did enjoy the author’s fluent writing style, and found his ability to craft believable, realistic characters impressive.
The Devil’s Work is another intriguing thriller in which Mark Edwards once again, proves that he knows how to write. The book reads fast, and despite being just below 400 pages, I had to finish this one in a single setting. Sophie is a realistic, easy to connect with character. She’s a Mom to four-year-old Daisy, married to Guy, a freelance writer, and she’s dreamt of working in publishing all her life.
I have to say that one of the parts I enjoyed the most about the book was no doubt the publishing angle. As an author / publicist, Sophie’s job is just about my dream job, and all the talk about children’s books, marketing plans, really made me feel at home. Sophie’s marital struggles, and her increasing anxiety as someone starts stalking her and strange accidents start happening is very believable.
The trips down memory lane to Sophie’s past at university were interesting too, and helped turn her into a more rounded, fleshed out character. I instantly had an idea who was behind it, but that didn’t make the book any less suspenseful.
So what’s keeping me from rating this a five? Again, the sheer over the top level of everything that’s happening. A stalker at work I can buy, easily. Someone from Sophie’s past coming back to haunt her, sure. But everything mixed in (I don’t want to give out spoilers, but there’s a lot more to it than that) and it just seems unrealistic. Enjoyable and engaging, sure, but not very credible.
Despite that, this is an excellent read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.
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