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R.J. Ellory

The Devil and the River: A Thriller Hardcover – March 6, 2018

by R.J. Ellory (Author)

4.1 238 ratings

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Internationally bestselling author R.J. Ellory returns with his latest thriller of murder, deceit, and intrigue―“an energetic and winning exercise in pulp fiction with a Southern Gothic flavor” (METRO).On a perfect summer evening in 1954, sixteen-year-old Nancy Denton walked into the woods of her hometown of Whytesburg, Mississippi. She was never seen again. Two decades later, Sheriff John Gaines witnesses a harrowing discovery: A young woman has been unearthed from the riverbank, her body perfectly preserved, yet she bears evidence of a brutal ritualistic killing. Nancy has come home at last, but her return does not bring closure to her family, or to the citizens of Whytesburg. What really happened to the beautiful and vivacious Nancy? And why do her friends refuse to talk? As Gaines closes in on the truth, he is forced to not only confront his own demons, but to unearth secrets that have long remained hidden. And that truth, so much darker than he could ever have imagined, may be the one thing that finally destroys him. The Devil and the River is the tense and shadowy story that will haunt you from its very first pages.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

The Overlook Press
Publication date

March 6, 2018
Dimensions

6.75 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

1468311298
ISBN-13

978-1468311297
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Near-poetic . . . the kind [of thriller] that will give the reader chills as he realizes he’s reading an exploration into the mystery that is the human mind, pointing out that real-life devils live among us.”
- New York Journal of Books

“Voodoo and murders and gothically imposing southern dynasties―what's not to like? Genuine chills, fearsomely speedy page-turning, and real humor [make for] an enjoyable read.”
- Observer

“A southern-gothic thriller in the tradition of William Faulkner. Readers will find themselves immersed in a decaying and disturbing atmosphere . . . a powerful read for fans of James Ellroy and Andrew Vachss.”
- Booklist

About the Author

R.J. Ellory is the author of twelve novels, including the bestselling A Quiet Belief in Angels, which was Strand Magazine's Thriller of the Year, shortlisted for the Barry Award, and a finalist for the SIBA Award. He is also the author of City of Lies, Candlemoth, A Quiet Vendetta, A Simple Act of Violence, and the e-book original series Three Days in Chicagoland.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Overlook Press (March 6, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1468311298
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1468311297
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.54 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,186,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17,211 in Historical Mystery
- #24,491 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- #72,354 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.1 238 ratings

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R.J. Ellory

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RJ Ellory is the author of eighteen novels, all published in the UK by Orion, and available in twenty-six additional languages. They are:

CANDLEMOTH (2003)

GHOSTHEART (2004)

A QUIET VENDETTA (2005)

CITY OF LIES (2006)

A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS (2007)

A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE (2008)

THE ANNIVERSARY MAN (2009)

SAINTS OF NEW YORK (2010)

BAD SIGNS (2011)

A DARK AND BROKEN HEART (2012)

THE DEVIL AND THE RIVER (2013)

CARNIVAL OF SHADOWS (2014)

MOCKINGBIRD SONGS (2016)

KINGS OF AMERICA (2017)

THREE BULLETS (2019)

PROOF OF LIFE (2021)

THE DARKEST SEASON (2022)

THE LAST HIGHWAY (2023)

Additionally, in 2020, he independently published 'THE MAN WHO ATE THE WORLD', with all proceeds being donated to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

'Candlemoth' was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger, and went on to win the Grand Prix des Lecteurs and the Balai d'Or 2017. His fifth novel, 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection in 2007, and won the Livre De Poche Award, The Strand Magazine Novel of The Year, The Mystery Booksellers of America Award, the USA National Indie Excellence Award for Best Mystery, the Inaugural Nouvel Observateur Prize and the Quebec Booksellers' Award. 'A Quiet Vendetta' won the Quebec Laureat, the Avignon Readers’ Prize and the St. Maur Prize. 'A Simple Act of Violence', Ellory’s sixth novel, won the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year 2010. He has been nominated for a further thirteen international awards including two Barrys, the Association 813 Trophy, and the Europeen Du Point. He has also written the screenplay of 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' for Oscar-winning director, Olivier Dahan, and has optioned 'A Dark and Broken Heart' for film. His novella 'Three Days in Chicagoland' was released as a French graphic novel at the end of 2014 (in collaboration with Fabrice Colin), as was 'Seul le Silence' in 2021. He has published short stories in numerous British and American magazines. Currently working on two TV series adaptations, he is also writing for the screen with two original feature films in production. Ellory - alongside Martin Smith (formerly of ELO) - is a founding member of The Whiskey Poets, a country-blues band, and they have released three albums, 'Low Country', 'Native Strangers' and 'The Garage Tapes'.

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Ken C.

Losing Steam?

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013

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Now I, too, can say that I have read all of the writings published by R. J. Ellory. Like many, I started with the beautifully written A Quiet Belief in Angels. I was so impressed with that, i told all of my friends and surely helped sell many copies. But, it didn't end there. I soon discovered A Simple Act of Violence, which is just fantastic. Saints of New York continued my high as Ellory was quickly becoming a favorite author. Then, I read that he had written some reviews of his own novels under pseudonymns, and a mini-scandal developed. I didn't like hearing that news, but it did make me forget Ellory for a while. Recently, though, I started wanting a really good book to read, so I looked Ellory up, and he had written three new novels since I last checked. I sent off to London for all three, and this review is now of the last. The Devil and The River is very hard reading. I can see Ellory try to reach the almost poetic heights of A Quiet Belief in Angels, but it seemed more of a struggle for him this time. The Devil meanders more than it should, and perhaps fewer characters or fewer murders might have helped him focus. The shock for me was that, for the first time, Ellory was losing my interest. I put the book down and felt no rush to pick it back up. The longer it got, the less it interested me. Had Ellory run out of steam? Had the mini-scandal been akin to cutting Samson's hair? I can't answer those questions, but this is surely not the Ellory who enthralled me in Angels and following stories. I even went to his three e-book short stories about a Chicago murder to see if he could still mesmerize me. That's hard enough to do in a short story, but I liked them. Now I have finally finished The Devil and The River, and gosh, I am sorry to say that it does not captivate, and that almost poetic beauty in his writing seems a bit forced. But I will say this: I hate the thought that the Ellory who enthralled me is gone. I will read his next novel and hope that it finds a good editor, more focus, even fewer pages if that's what it takes to get our author back on track. River gets three stars from me, and that was not a gift. It does deserve them as a good story is here. It's just not a great story, and R. J. Ellory is an author from whom I expect greatness.

3 people found this helpful

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eadieburke2

A Haunting and Intense Thriller

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2013

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Another great read by R.J. Ellory, The Devil and The River is a haunting story of a young woman who has been unearthed from the riverbank where she was murdered and buried 20 years prior. Sheriff John Gaines, a Vietnam vet, is bound and determined to find out the truth about what happened to Nancy Denton but meanwhile he is also confronting his own demons from the Vietnam War.

R.J. Ellory's writing is so powerful that you can actually feel the internal torment of Sheriff John Gaines as he goes about finding and interviewing all the people connected to the murder. Once again, I was totally blown away as to who actually committed the murder and was happy to find out that John Gaines came to peace in the end and will be able to move forward and escape his demons that haunted him throughout this book!

I am looking forward to R.J. Ellory's next book, as he never disappoints!

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Heavy going

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2013

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I have read most of R J Ellory's novels and have liked some more than others. Always a wordy writer, in many cases, the power of the plot has carried the depth of description and character development for me. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that to be the case this time and I felt the plot was a bit thin, and so the book overly long and hard to keep with. For me, not a patch on, for instance, A Quiet Belief in Angels, which I loved.

3 people found this helpful

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M. Sexton

Great book by Ellory!

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018

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I believe that I have read almost all of Mr. Ellory's books, and this one lives up to his reputation. It weaves a man's PTSD and war memories with unsolved murders in a small town. The plot builds, and the ending is stunning. Great read from a great author. Recommended!

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Mark Adduci

R. J. Ellory continues to amaze and astonish!

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2014

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R.J. Ellory writes in such beautiful prose that its easy to get lost in his descriptive nuance. But the reality in which he writes will snap you back into the moment like the crack of a whip. "The Devil and The River will traverse decades as the story of murder, wealth, and influence is uncovered. If you have never read Ellory . . . what are you waiting for? He is at the top of my list of MUST READ authors!

One person found this helpful

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Mikec

Typical Ellroy very wordy but if you stick with it it is really quite good.

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2019

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Ellroy takes 3 paragraphs to say what could be covered well in 1.

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2015

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Gripping story, kept a good pace throughout, really enjoyed it!

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2015

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the usual complex dark stuff, always a pleasure

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017

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arrived from UK faster than fron next state , like a new book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018

Many thanks to the author / The Overlook Press / Edelweiss for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A teenage girl is found partially submerged in mud. She has been brutally murdered. Sheriff John Gaines immediately starts looking at any missing persons reports as no one recognizes her. Imagine his surprise when he learns that this girl went missing 20 years ago. She is perfectly preserved, looking as though it's only been days instead of years.

As he begins his investigation, he finds that there are decades of lies and secrets that need to be unearthed. The truth doesn't always set you free.

The crime portion of this book kept me turning pages. There were several suspects and I always appreciate a good who-dun-it. However, the first half of this book was more about the sheriff's time in the jungles of Vietnam. He saw things and did things many of us could never conceive of. While the author is a master of the English language, some of his sentences were longer than any letter I have ever written.

I found the book overlong, and much too wordy for my taste. Character development is always important to a story, but there comes a point when it can actually take away from the story rather than increase one's interest.

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Kendall

it looks like it's been only days

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018

A teenage girl is found brutally murdered half submerged in mud by the river. Sheriff John Gaines starts looking into missing persons reports since she cannot be recognized. What a shocker to find out that this girl has actually been missing for 20 years! But, it looks like it's been only days. How can that be?!

As he begins his investigation, Sheriff John Gaines finds there is so many lies and secrets that have been buried.

I have to say I was not that impressed with this mystery. I feel like it was something that I could have bypassed and another thriller to put on top of the pile. I don't like history in my novels at all and I feel like more then half of this book was about the Sheriff's time in the jungles of Vietnam. This was just too much and don't understand how this was part of the story. I wish the author would have just focused on the missing girl aspect.

I felt the book was very long and some of the sentences I felt kept running on and on? Again, I feel like I've been seeing a pattern in thriller/mysteries lately with being too LONG. The story can be quiet good without it dragging on! :(. In this case also, I feel like the author focusing so much on Sheriff Gaines previous experience in the Vietnam jungle took away from the actual plot. This was a bummer.

This feel short for me and overall 2 stars on this one.

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