REVIEW: Friend of the Devil

 Friend of the Devil
Author: Stephen Lloyd

This book snuck up on me. I didn't expect it to be quite so creepy and weird. I enjoy horror stories set in upper class twit boarding schools, and figured this story would be another along the lines of multiple others I have read. I was wrong....oh so wrong. Joyously wrong. Stephen Lloyd weaves sarcasm and wit around a horror plot with grace and style. He caught me by surprise with some of the twists and turns of this plot. A fun creepy read!

The basics:  Sam Gregory is a detective for an insurance company. Sam is a product of Too Much and Too Many.  Too Many Vietnam memories. Too Much Smoking. Too Much work. Too Many vices. Too much Stress.  He's called to investigate a case involving a stolen rare book at Danforth Putnam, an elite boarding school. The setting is perfect -- the school is on an isolated island. The school is creepy. The faculty is creepy. And the kids are......teenagers. Scary as hell! 

This tale rapidly becomes more than just a search for a priceless book gone missing from a safe. There is much, much more going on at Danforth Putnam. It's not a long book -- the pacing is fast. This was a binge read for me. The sort of warped Scooby Doo feel coupled with the jaded aging detective all tangled in a supernatural edged mess.....the tale sucked me right in. Despite several obvious clues and misdirections, I didn't really see the end coming. But then again I'm also the one who knows the jump scare is coming....I know it's coming....then it comes and I still scream and jump like an idiot. Every time!! 

Very entertaining story. It reads like a fleshed-out television script. Short, fast paced, a bit of humor thrown in to break up the creepy, a few tropey side characters and just a couple MCs, and a completely cinematic awesome setting. 

Glad I read this book! It was engaging and very creepy! But not something that was going to weigh on my mind for long after I finished reading. Creepy, entertaining and quick dash of horror -- just what I like for a rainy afternoon scary read! 

This is the first book by Stephen Lloyd that I've read. I will definitely be reading more. 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Penguin/Putnam Group. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**