The Devil Aspect A Novel
The Devil Aspect A Novel by Craig Russell is a reprint edition published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on January 21, 2020. This 432-page novel is set in Czechoslovakia in 1935, where Viktor Kosárek, a newly trained psychiatrist, arrives at the notorious Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The asylum, located in a medieval castle, houses six of the country’s most dangerous criminals, collectively known as the Devil’s Six. Viktor aims to explore a new medical technique to uncover a common archetype of evil among these inmates, but he soon discovers unsettling truths that challenge his understanding of their psyche.
Readers will find a narrative steeped in the folklore of Eastern Europe, intertwined with elements of historical fiction and mystery. As Viktor delves deeper into the lives of the inmates, a parallel storyline unfolds in Prague, where a phantom serial killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper terrorizes the city. Police investigator Lukas Smolak seeks Viktor’s expertise to understand the mind of this elusive criminal. The novel intricately weaves themes of psychological exploration and the nature of evil, set against the backdrop of World War II tensions, creating a chilling atmosphere that enhances the unfolding mystery.
Official synopsis Publisher
A USA Today Best Mystery of All Time • Steeped in the folklore of Eastern Europe, and set in the shadow of Nazi darkness erupting just beyond the Czech border, this bone-chilling, richly imagined novel is propulsively entertaining, and impossible to put down.
“A wildly entertaining story…Russell has created a truly frightening story.” —The New York Times Book Review
Czechoslovakia, 1935: Viktor Kosárek, a newly trained psychiatrist who studied under Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle surrounded by forests, on a site that is well known for concealing dark secrets going back many centuries. The asylum houses six inmates–the country’s most treacherous killers–known to the terrified public as the Devil’s Six. Viktor intends to use a new medical technique to prove that these patients share a common archetype of evil, a phenomenon he calls The Devil Aspect. Yet as he begins to learn the stunning secrets of these patients, he must face the unnerving possibility that these six may share a darker truth.
Meanwhile, in Prague, fear grips the city as a phantom serial killer emerges in the dark alleys. Police investigator Lukas Smolak, desperate to locate the culprit (a copycat of Jack the Ripper), turns to Viktor and the doctors at Hrad Orlu for their expertise with the psychotic criminal mind. And Viktor finds himself wrapped up in a case more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.
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