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Devil's Playground
Devil's Playground | Craig Russell
2 posts | 1 read | 1 reading | 4 to read
A riveting 1920s Hollywood thriller about the making of the most terrifying silent film ever made, and a deadly search for the single copy rumored still to exist, from the internationally acclaimed author of The Devil Aspect. "An excellent, engrossing historical horror novel."--New York Times Book Review"Rich and riveting...a masterful thriller." --Lincoln Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author"Addictive." --A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window"Totally engaging." --Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan series 1927: Mary Rourke--a Hollywood studio fixer--is called urgently to the palatial home of Norma Carlton, one of the most recognizable stars in American silent film. Norma has been working on the secret film everyone is openly talking about... a terrifying horror picture called The Devil's Playground that is rumored to have unleashed a curse on everyone involved in the production. Mary finds Norma's cold, dead body, and she wonders for just a moment if these dark rumors could be true. 1967: Paul Conway, a journalist and self-professed film aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumor. He has heard that a single copy of The Devil's Playground--a Holy Grail for film buffs--may exist. He knows his Hollywood history and he knows the film endured myriad tragedies and ended up lost to time. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell's tour de force, a richly researched and constructed thriller that weaves through the Golden Age of Hollywood and reveals a blossoming industry built on secrets, invented identities, and a desperate pursuit of image. As Mary Rourke charges headlong through the egos, distractions, and traps that threaten to take her down with the doomed production, she discovers a truth far more sinister than she--or we--could have imagined.
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blurb
DGRachel
The Devil's Playground | Craig Russell
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I hope to finish two more books today but neither of them will be the best of this month and nothing can knock The Devil‘s Playground out of the top spot of the year. It was close, though. I read some other books I loved that didn‘t even make it here, so choosing between some of these felt impossible. #favoritebookof2023

Thanks to @chasjjlee for the template!

review
DGRachel
The Devil's Playground | Craig Russell
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Pickpick

I savored every moment of this mystery/horror novel. The way Russell weaves together three storylines/timelines is brilliant and twisty. Every time I thought I had a grasp on what was happening, the ground shifted and the view changed. While I haven‘t read the other nominees for this year‘s McIlvanney prize, I would not be sorry to see this one win. It‘s so clever and compelling.

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