{"product_id":"9780349135281-devils-playground","title":"The Devil's Playground","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhere horror is silent .\u003cbr\u003eFrom international award-winning author Craig Russell comes another dark thriller, for readers of Neil Gaiman, Caleb Carr and Stephen King.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e* SELECTED AS ONE OF \u003ci\u003ePUBLISHERS WEEKLY\u003c\/i\u003e'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 IN THE MYSTERY\/THRILLER CATEGORY*\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e'Superb! T\u003ci\u003ehe Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e is imagination on steroids. breathtaking!' Jeffery Deaver\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A terrifying tale of the true power in Hollywood. (Russell's) precise, gorgeous prose shines' \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Addictive. \u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003ethe most sheerly entertaining novel I've raced through in at least a year. fresh, forceful, elegant but wild' A.J. Finn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'The Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e is definitely on the shortlist for best mystery of the year' Bookpage.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e'When it comes to Gothic crime, Craig Russell is peerless. Absolutely stunning' M W Craven\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e FROM CWA DAGGER AND DOUBLE McILVANNEY AWARD WINNER \u003c\/b\u003eCRAIG RUSSELL \u003cb\u003eCOMES ANOTHER DARK, GRIPPING MASTERPIECE .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A dark, riveting thriller set in 1920s Hollywood about \"the greatest horror movie ever made\", the curse said to surround it, and a deadly search, decades later, for the single copy rumoured still to exist.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1927\u003c\/b\u003e: Hollywood studio fixer Mary Rourke is called to the palatial home of \"the most desirable woman in the world\", silent movie actress Norma Carlton, star of \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e. When Rourke finds Carlton dead, she wonders if the dark rumours she's heard are true: that \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e really is a cursed production. But nothing in Hollywood is ever what it seems, and cynical fixer Rourke, more used to covering up the truth for studio bosses, finds herself seeking it out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e1967\u003c\/b\u003e: Paul Conway, film historian and fervid silent movie aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumour: that a single copy of \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e-a Holy Grail for film buffs that was supposedly cursed and lost to time-may exist. His search takes him deep into the Mojave Desert, to an isolated hotel that hasn't changed in forty years but harbours only one occupant-and a shocking secret.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eSeparated by decades, both Rourke and Conway begin to suspect that the real Devil's Playground is in fact Hollywood itself.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Praise for \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Horrifying, mesmerising, beautifully imagined. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell at his unrivalled best'\u003cb\u003e Chris Whittaker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e'The Devil's Playground\u003c\/i\u003e has a depth of period detail and atmosphere that lifts it above the ordinary. It's elegant, absorbing and thrilling'\u003cb\u003e Michael Malone\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Totally engaging' \u003cb\u003eKathy Reichs,\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Brilliantly written, with repeated surprises'\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Critic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Seamlessly blends noir, gothic and mystery in a way that's unique to crime fiction. Populated with a truly memorable cast, \u003ci\u003ePlayground\u003c\/i\u003e is a guaranteed one-sitting read.and how can you resist a novel about the scariest movie of all time? Bravo!' \u003cb\u003eJeffery Deaver, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Bone Collector\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eHyde\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e'Stephen King meets Robert Louis Stevenson. an imaginative gothic tale guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine the next time you walk a dark Edinburgh night'\u003cb\u003e  David Hewson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Gloriously diabolical. A terrifying thrill ride through the hidden chasms of the human soul'\u003cb\u003e Chris Brookmyre\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'I absolutely adored it. Intense, harrowing and hugely entertaining. Spectacular'\u003cb\u003e Chris Whitaker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'The story is a thrilling ride through the murky depths of madness and horror, written with all Craig's trademark skill and style. Definitely five stars from me'\u003cb\u003e James Oswald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'An engaging Gothic thriller full of atmosphere and surprises'\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eIrish Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Russell writes a pacy, ever-twisting mystery that will keep you turning the pages'\u003cb\u003e  Ian Rankin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e for Craig Russell \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'A masterclass in suspenseful, character-driven prose fiction. Simply exceptional'\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eFrank Darabont, writer \u0026amp; director of \u003ci\u003eThe Shawshank Redemption\u003c\/i\u003e \u0026amp; \u003ci\u003eThe Green Mile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40859505131617,"sku":"9780349135281","price":20.82,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_29759966.jpg?v=1725721047","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780349135281-devils-playground","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}