The Devil's Playground

April 1, 2023

Equal parts gothic suspense and horror, this extensively researched mystery from the author of The Devil Aspect and the Hamburg, Germany--set Jan Fabel series takes readers back in time to Hollywood's early years. In 1927 Hollywood, studio fixer Mary Rourke is called in to clean up after the suicide of Norma Carlton, mega-star of silent films. Norma had been working on a secretive horror film called The Devil's Playground, and rumors are circulating that the production has been cursed, affecting everyone involved. Is there more to Norma's death than meets the eye? Is the film cursed? Mary is determined to get answers, but then the film reels disappear in a disastrous fire at the studio. Paul Conway, a journalist and film aficionado, picks up the threads of this mystery in 1967 when he tracks down the only remaining copy of The Devil's Playground, only to become the latest victim of the curse. VERDICT A large cast of characters and extensive use of red herrings make this a complex and atmospheric novel, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia.--Terri Lent

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2023
In pre-talkie Hollywood, a murder probe and a spooky movie form the core of this convoluted tale. Film scholar Paul Conway drives to an old hotel in the Mojave Desert in 1967, hoping to find the one existing print of the "greatest horror movie" ever made: The Devil's Playground. Flashback to 1927 Hollywood, where Mary Rourke works for the film studio Carbine International as a fixer, the person who cleans up the messes made by actors that could damage careers and business. Her current mess is the death of Playground's star, Norma Carlton, a murder made to look like a suicide. Flashback again, to the bayous of Louisiana in 1893 and 1907, where nasty things happen to people who trifle with Hippolyta Cormier and her daughter, Anastasie. There's witchcraft and Voodoo, gunplay, arson, and premature burial. In his previous novel, The Devil Aspect (2019), Russell handily managed two parallel narratives concerning madness and murder. Here the 1927 story dominates, with the evil that lurked in Louisiana now looming over Tinseltown and Rourke's investigation of Carlton's killing. Corpses accumulate. Russell tosses in what may be red herrings, but nothing is what it seems to be amid the artifice of Hollywood. In Rourke he has a strong character who carries much of the narrative as she digs into the money, power, and corruption of 1920s Los Angeles, allowing Russell to play with some colorful Hollywood names and legends. Her sections often have a noirish tone that sets them apart from the somewhat gothic atmosphere in the other time frames. The conclusion ties up a lot of loose ends in what has been a busy plot, but some readers may figure things out sooner, as Russell drops a few obvious clues early on. He also has a weakness for unsubtle foreshadowing--"His destiny. He would bring people fear"--that recalls the screen-size title cards of silent films. Intriguing and entertaining.

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Starred review from July 10, 2023
Russell (Hyde) brilliantly braids together clues and scares for a superior standalone about the production of a legendary horror film. In 1967, film historian Paul Conway is on a quest for a surviving print of The Devil’s Playground, once considered “the greatest horror movie, sound or silent, of all time.” According to popular wisdom, all copies of the film were torched during a fire at Carbine International Studio, but Paul follows up on a rumor that a single print survived, which takes him to the desert home of a reclusive actress who was connected to the production. Everyone else involved with the movie has died or disappeared, victims of a supposed Exorcist-style curse caused by the resurrection of a demon during filming. In a parallel 1927 timeline, Carbine Studio fixer Mary Rourke is called to the Hollywood home of Norma Carlton, star of The Devil’s Playground, who’s died by apparent overdose. The studio’s cover-up goes into overdrive when an autopsy reveals Norma was murdered, and Mary learns through the course of her investigation that most of Tinseltown’s horrors aren’t of the supernatural variety. Russell’s painstakingly researched Old Hollywood sections carry the vivid grit and texture many historical mysteries lack, and he’s exceptionally good at maintaining a creepy atmosphere. This intelligent page-turner belongs on the shelf next to Riley Sager’s film-steeped thrillers. Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management.