“Craig Russell walks a razor’s edge between gothic suspense and horror. The Devil’s Playground conjures rich and riveting elements — all of which come together to create a masterful thriller.”

“A blend of murder, noir, and horror set against a fascinating time-trip through Hollywood. The Devil’s Playground is totally engaging.”

“The Devil’s Playground, set partly in a richly evoked 1920s Hollywood, plays like Chinatown meets The Ring, and it’s the most sheerly entertaining novel I’ve raced through in at least a year … fresh, forceful, elegant but wild.”

“Extensively researched… 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.”

“There’s witchcraft and Voodoo, gunplay, arson, and premature burial…nothing is what it seems to be amid the artifice of Hollywood…. Intriguing and entertaining.”

“Brilliantly written, with repeated surprises.”

“THE DEVIL ASPECT is a wildly entertaining story that grabs you on page one and drags you into its dark world kicking and screaming. Russell has created a truly frightening story, one that gets under your skin slowly, then goes deep, like the tip of a butcher knife. I read the novel one snowy night by the fire, unable to sleep until I finished, then unable to sleep once I had.”

“A tour de force: a clever and visceral thriller with a one-two-three knockout of an ending that left me dazed. The brooding backdrop of a Czechoslovakia on the brink of World War II just adds another layer of atmosphere to an already nightmarish read.”

“A crime story that transcends the genre. Craig Russell brilliantly uses the character of his tough, funny and hopeful man Lennox to give us the eyes and ears on a time and place. This is storytelling at its very best!”

“Steeped in the chilling folklore of Eastern Europe and echoing the dread of a barbaric war to come, The Devil Aspect snatches the reader by the lapels for a thrilling, twisting trip through the darkest corridors of the human mind.”

“A blood-pumping, nerve-shredding thriller–elegant, edgy, ingenious. Craig Russell conjures not one but two unforgettable settings: Prague between the wars, pulsing with menace, and a Gothic mental asylum, as exciting a house of horrors as I’ve ever visited. You’ll enter both with dread. You’ll dwell in them with relish.”

“Deep, dark, and twisty, The Devil Aspect will keep you up all night reading… With all the lights on. Russell has created a gripping masterpiece of a thriller!”

“A distinctive and exciting new voice in crime fiction… this is gritty, authentic and disturbing stuff”

“Lennox is a private eye for the ages. Tough, uncomprising and insightful, with concrete fists and a heart of gold. Russell has brilliantly captured post-war Glasgow and the vulnerability of those left to pick up the pieces.”

“In 1935 Prague, vicious murders are linked to a medieval castle housing an insane asylum outside the city in this well-crafted gothic crime tale…. A seasoned writer, Russell keeps the police case moving at a good clip…but nothing to match the ending, which offers more twists than a Chubby Checker album. A smart, atmospheric, and entertaining read but not for the Jung and easily Freudened.”

“Scalpel-sharp dissection of the nature of evil. A splendidly Gothic story. It is breathtaking.”

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