The Devil's Playground

'A blend of murder, noir, and horror... totally engaging.'
Kathy Reichs, bestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series

'Horrifying, mesmerising, beautifully imagined. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell at his unrivalled best.' Chris Whitaker


'The Devil's Playground has a depth of period detail and atmosphere that lifts it above the ordinary. It's elegant, absorbing and thrilling.' Michael J. Malone

'Addictive. . . the most sheerly entertaining novel I've raced through in at least a year. . . fresh, forceful, elegant but wild' --A.J. Finn, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

'Craig Russell walks a razor's edge between gothic suspense and horror. . . a masterful thriller' -- Lincoln Child, No.1 New York Times bestselling author

'When it comes to Gothic crime, Craig Russell is peerless. Absolutely stunning.' - M. W. Craven

'Brilliantly written, with repeated surprises' The Critic













CRAIG RUSSELL



: Hollywood studio fixer Mary Rourke is called to the palatial home of "the most desirable woman in the world", silent movie actress Norma Carlton, star of The Devil's Playground. When Rourke finds Carlton dead, she wonders if the dark rumours she's heard are true: that The Devil's Playground really is a cursed production. But nothing in Hollywood is ever what it seems, and cynical fixer Rourke, more used to covering up the truth for studio bosses, finds herself seeking it out.

: Paul Conway, film historian and fervid silent movie aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumour: that a single copy of The Devil's Playground-a Holy Grail for film buffs that was supposedly cursed and lost to time-may exist. His search takes him deep into the Mojave Desert, to an isolated hotel that hasn't changed in forty years but harbours only one occupant-and a shocking secret.





'Horrifying, mesmerising, beautifully imagined. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell at his unrivalled best'

'The Devil's Playground has a depth of period detail and atmosphere that lifts it above the ordinary. It's elegant, absorbing and thrilling'

'Totally engaging'

'Brilliantly written, with repeated surprises'

'Seamlessly blends noir, gothic and mystery in a way that's unique to crime fiction. Populated with a truly memorable cast, Playground is a guaranteed one-sitting read...and how can you resist a novel about the scariest movie of all time? Bravo!'



'Stephen King meets Robert Louis Stevenson... an imaginative gothic tale guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine the next time you walk a dark Edinburgh night'

'Gloriously diabolical. A terrifying thrill ride through the hidden chasms of the human soul'

'I absolutely adored it. Intense, harrowing and hugely entertaining. . . Spectacular'

'The story is a thrilling ride through the murky depths of madness and horror, written with all Craig's trademark skill and style. Definitely five stars from me'

'An engaging Gothic thriller full of atmosphere and surprises'

'Russell writes a pacy, ever-twisting mystery that will keep you turning the pages'




'A masterclass in suspenseful, character-driven prose fiction. Simply exceptional'