The Devil Aspect: ‘A blood-pumping, nerve-shredding thriller’ Paperback – October 31, 2019

In 2012 I first discovered Russell’s writing with his Jan Fabel series. I loved it – and though his books are a little harder to find in the US, I always keep my eye out for them – so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this historical mystery of his set in 1935 Prague and the Czechoslovakian countryside. This is a fascinating standalone thriller that is split between two narrators for the majority of the book – Viktor, a young psychiatrist taking on his first position in a notorious castle-cum-mental institution and Lukas, a murder detective in Prague hunting a killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper, dubbed “Leather Apron”.With short chapters, engaging characters and descriptions of horrible crimes, this book is genuinely hard to put down. I loved the backdrop of a country on the verge of historic violence – it really adds to the overall ambiance of the story. And this is actually, genuinely frightening in places – which totally took me by surprise. It’s downright chilling! Not to mention the fact that the plot had me literally gasping aloud in surprise in places!I really liked it – though I do wish that the epilogue (so haunting!) had been a little bit more extensive, as there were other characters that I wish it had included. I am really excited to see what Russell will write next!

The Devil Aspect was an exceptional book -- grim, at times brutal, set it a time period spotlighting man’s inhumanity to man. At the same time, this is a mystery and the stakes are the highest for all of mankind.Victor, a psychiatrist hunting the devil, takes a job at a criminal insane asylum in Czechoslovakia. The Year is 1935 as the Nazis are just coming into power. The asylum is well known throughout Europe as the location of six of the most odious killers the world has known.The doctor examines each of the six and the reader is spared no detail of his or her heinous crimes. After reading the account of each episode there is no question that the criminal has earned his space in the asylum.Gradually the reader becomes aware that Victor’s plan to flush out the devil is not working as he planned. There is an interloper and it takes a while to figure out what is really going on.This is a well- written, action-packed mystery. If you can deal with the darkness, you will enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was compelling and the story complex. I was very interested in the history going on around the location and the Myths of the surrounding areas. I would recommend this to people who enjoy psychological thrillers and historical fiction.

When I read the teaser for the book I was immediately moved to buy it. I loved the concept, six horrific psychotic murderers locked in an old castle of an asylum to be interviewed in depth by a psychiatrist to find out if there is really an evil side, Devil Aspect, to everyone's nature. A parallel story involves a series of gruesome murders being carried out at the same time in the same area. What I got was a voyeuristic and disturbing glimpse into the lives of the patients and not much about the two main characters; Viktor, the psychiatrist, and Lukas, the homicide detective. I found I couldn't get invested in either of these characters because there is nothing about them that makes us want to care much about them. Viktor does have a romantic fling with one of the asylum's staff, but so what. There is no depth to that relationship and she is another character about whom we ultimately don't care. The big twist at the end is pretty obvious to see coming. I think with some better character development this could have been a very good and very scary book. As it is, it's just an OK read.

A young psychiatrist trained by Carl Jung gets the opportunity of a lifetime working at the Hrad Orlu asylum for the criminally insane, in order to prove his Devil Aspect theory. The asylum, which holds the 6 most feared killers of the time (the Devil Six), used to be the castle of the abominable Jan of the Black Heart, whose deplorable actions are still feared by the villagers. Meanwhile in Prague, kapitan Lucas Smolak is investigating the killing of women in the style of Jack the Ripper.The combination of the physical setting (1935 Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Nazi annexation), Eastern European folklore, and Jungian theories, makes this a super interesting book. Although a bit gruesome at times, which forced me to take breaks from my reading lest I suffer nightmares. The end of the book reminded me a bit of the 1998 Denzel Washington movie Fallen .The only questions I think were not addressed by the author were why did he kill a specific type of women (with the exception of Tsora Migra), and how did he choose his victims? Did they remind him of his mother? If so, how?

I loved this book -- the plot, the characters and, especially, the ending. I also enjoyed the geographical, historical and political aspects of the story. While I had most of it figured out pretty quickly despite the red herrings, I still enjoyed reading the story to watch it play out. Five stars.

Held your attention all the way through

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book and author. He did a great job of moving you forward and of keeping you on the edge of your seat. It read like a modern horror novel and approaches it’s subject matter with a fresh eye. It moves slowly at times but overall the slow movement provides for a constant dramatic tension. It also is scary in its own way. Very very good read as a novel and great story. I highly recommend fans of the genre to try this out. I look forward to reading other books by Russell.

High tension all the time and a clever plot

Although I personally do not believe that there exists in reality The Devil this book grabbed my attention immediately. The book has an extraordinary sense of place which I always look for in good fiction, the characters were well developed and the story, although somewhat centred on a psychic force known as the Devil, was fast paced and through the author's insights into the field of psychiatry, was in fact believable.

The best psychological thriller I've read till now. One of those books which should be made into a movie. All characters were well developed. So many twist and turns.One should read Asylum trilogy from Matt drabble if they want more after reading this book.Cheers

The bohemian setting of Czechoslovakia is the perfect stage for this rich and macabre tale of a young doctor taking up a post at a fortress housing six notorious killers. Dr Viktor Kosarek believes that a ‘devil aspect’ exists in us all and it is this element that assumes control of the host body and takes actions that the individual him or her self is unaware of.One of the most enjoyable sections of this cracking book were the interviews between Viktor and his patients. Rather than bemoan their circumstances, they are more concerned with Viktor empathising with them over the hardship involved in butchering their victims. Black humour maybe, but it makes for compulsive reading.Meanwhile, police kapitan Lukas Smolak is hunting for a killer. Dubbed ‘Leather apron’, the killer has been targeting people on the outskirts of society in Prague. The methods of despatch used by the killer are similar to those employed by Jack the Ripper and the author interweaves Jack’s exploits with his own killer’s reign of terror in Prague.The castle containing ‘The devil’s six’ is itself a pivotal part of the story. Impenetrable and serving a singular purpose to incarcerate the very worst of society, you can feel the dampness of its walls and breathe the fetid air of its tunnels. More than anything else, the wordplay by the author is magical.A book with so many facets to enjoy, no review you read will really do it credit. A stunning achievement and a book to cherish.

Enjoyed story, twist & era set in, plus blending of story in past & future.