The Devil and the River
Published on 6. June 2013
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-1-4091-2417-7 (ISBN)
Description
When the rains came they found the girl's face. Just her face. At least that was how it appeared...
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 on, 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, nor to the townsfolk of Whytesburg.
Already haunted by his experiences in Vietnam, Gaines must now stretch his abilities to the limit, pushing himself ever closer to breaking point. 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.
Intense, gripping and hauntingly atmospheric, The Devil and the River is a stunning thriller from bestselling author R.J. Ellory.
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 on, 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, nor to the townsfolk of Whytesburg.
Already haunted by his experiences in Vietnam, Gaines must now stretch his abilities to the limit, pushing himself ever closer to breaking point. 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.
Intense, gripping and hauntingly atmospheric, The Devil and the River is a stunning thriller from bestselling author R.J. Ellory.
Reviews / Votes
RJ Ellory sets out his stall with terrific vim and a gripping premise in his latest thriller... an energetic and winning exercise in pulp fiction with a Southern Gothic flavour. * METRO * Voodoo and murders and gothically imposing southern dynasties - what's not to like? There are moments of genuine chills, fearsomely speedy page-turning and real humour... an enjoyable summer read. * OBSERVER * Another page turner... an enjoyable whodunnit that keeps the twists and turns coming until the very end. * NEWCASTLE JOURNAL * A great read * IRISH EXAMINER * Ellory's a mighty talent who writes insightfully about love and redemption and loss and damnation. * PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
732 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4091-2417-7 (9781409124177)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
R.J. Ellory
The Devil and the River
E-Book
06/2013
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
€3.99
Available for download
Person
R.J. Ellory is a critically acclaimed author whose novels include the bestselling A Quiet Belief in Angels, which was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection and won the Nouvel Observateur Crime Fiction Prize.
Ellory's novels have been translated into twenty-six languages, and he has won the USA Excellence Award for Best Mystery, the Strand Magazine Best Thriller 2009, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for A Simple Act of Violence, the St Maur Prize, the Avignon Readers' Prize, the Livre de Poche Award and the Quebec Laureat. He has been shortlisted for a further thirteen awards in numerous countries, including four Daggers from the UK Crime Writers' Association.
Despite the American setting of his novels, Ellory is British and currently lives in England with his wife and son.
To find out more visit www.rjellory.com or follow him on Twitter @rjellory
Ellory's novels have been translated into twenty-six languages, and he has won the USA Excellence Award for Best Mystery, the Strand Magazine Best Thriller 2009, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for A Simple Act of Violence, the St Maur Prize, the Avignon Readers' Prize, the Livre de Poche Award and the Quebec Laureat. He has been shortlisted for a further thirteen awards in numerous countries, including four Daggers from the UK Crime Writers' Association.
Despite the American setting of his novels, Ellory is British and currently lives in England with his wife and son.
To find out more visit www.rjellory.com or follow him on Twitter @rjellory