Synopses & Reviews
The second installment in Christopher Brookmyres new crime series,
When the Devil Drives is an intensely gripping literary thriller that delves into the darkest reaches of the human psyche.
Actress turned private investigator Jasmine Sharp has become accustomed to clients looking for long-lost relatives, so when a woman hires her to find her younger sister Tessa Garrion, Jasmine presumes the case will be relatively straightforward. The assignment takes her back into the world of professional theater, where she is warned off more than once for probing too deeply into the past.
Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent and mother-of-two Catherine McLeod is called to the scene of a murder in the Highlands. Following a theatrical outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Cragruthes Castle, a prominent figure in the Scottish arts community is shot dead during a post-performance photo call. With her initial leads turning out to be red herrings, McLeod struggles to determine the killers motive.
Jasmine soon uncovers Tessas involvement in a drug-riddled Highlands estate retreat replete with occult rituals, which implicates more than a few people in the upper echelons of Scotlands arts scene. Tessas disappearance in the summer of 1981 begins to look increasingly like murder, but the guilty will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden. As Jasmines and McLeods investigations intertwine, it becomes evident that both cases are far more convoluted and dangerous than anticipated.
Review
The elements that have attracted readers to Brookmyre since his early efforts are abundantly present in his latest work: complex plots, deep examinations into those dark aspects of the human personality and psyche that are simultaneously fascinating and repellent, and, at the core, a puzzling and intelligent mystery or two. It is difficult to imagine what more one could ask for.”BookReporter
Brookmyre is a master at rendering ingenious, intertwining plots. Sharply drawn characters and an idyllic Scottish setting add further appeal to this engaging entry in which foul plays the thing.”Booklist (starred review)
When the Devil Drives is a true pleasure for all detective fiction fansthink Ian Rankin by way of Agatha Christie, by turns dark and delightful and always intriguing. Christopher Brookmyres strong prose and clever dialogue deliver on every page of this intricately plotted thriller, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.”Michael Koryta, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and New York Times bestselling author of The Prophet
When the Devil Drives is an engaging, well-written, Scottish-based crime thriller. . . . there is no disguising Brookmyres prose.”The Herald (Glasgow)
Brookmyre paints the workmanlike nature of private investigating with veracity and insight. . . . yet another accomplished, engaging, smart, and funny piece of crime writing, plotted and executed with no small amount of skill, style, and craft.”The Scotsman
Invigoratingly complex . . . cripplingly infectious.”Daily Mirror
Brookmyre at his chaotic, brilliant best.”Daily Record
Deftly plotted and believably characterized as ever, with a pleasing anti-establishment edge.”Marylebone Journal
About the Author
Since his award-winning debut novel Quite Ugly One Morning, Christopher Brookmyre has established himself as one of Britain's leading crime novelists. He has worked as a journalist for several British newspapers and is the author of twelve novels, including Where the Bodies Are Buried, One Fine Day in The Middle of the Night, and Not The End of The World.