I’m continually impressed with how well Carr can weave a story. I enjoy how the characters have progressed throughout this short series, with The Devil’s Hand being the fourth installment of a great series thus far.
I did find that this novel missed the mark for me, especially when I compare it to how much I enjoyed the first three novels.
First, I’d love to see the protagonist, Reece, get “reined in”, somewhat. The character seems to be flying down a road of neuroticism or psychosis, and I’m hoping that in the future, we see Reece in a less crazed form.
One thing I admire about thriller writers is their ability to beat headlines, seemingly predicting the future. This year, however, has felt different. After the chaos surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, I was looking forward to taking mental breaks from it and enjoying some great thrillers. Unfortunately, there seems to be a trend among thriller writers to create stories with viruses being the chaos-delivery mechanism for the villains. As I mentioned, I enjoy books that create their own world, with their own characters, and can be a mental break from the current situation. I find that with these viral-centric novels, I become tired just reading them, as I feel like I’m reliving 2020 all over again.
As I’ve also mentioned in other reviews, I’m not a fan of political rhetoric infused into the writing and characters. I get it - we’re in a polarized time of politics, and everyone feels like their opinion needs to be heard by everyone. That’s the point of twitter, in my opinion. It does seem like an interesting writing choice, especially when it has the ability to ostracize half of the readership, but in these current times, it seems that people are less concerned with that and more concerned about their personal opinions. I have found this with both right wing and left wing authors. The politics get so injected in the plot that there’s no way to separate the two. I found that this was the case with the first quarter of The Devil’s Hand. I did find that I thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the novel, but that first 25% was tough to get through at times.
I still appreciate Carr’s writing, as I think he’s one of the best pure-writers in the genre right now. He has made a legacy as a creative, fast-paced writer that delivers thrilling, exciting, and nonstop thrillers with intense action scenes that can stick with their readers for years after. I did find that it got bogged down in politics and reading about a virus after just living through one made it difficult to sit back, relax, and enjoy a thriller.
I understand that these feelings will likely put me in a small minority of readers, which I understand and can even appreciate. I think most readers will find this a fun, fully-loaded read. If you do find yourself bogged down in virus talk and politics though, this may not have the same impact as other Carr novels have. Either way, I’ll definitely be reading the next installment, and I think it’s a solid novel by one of the best thriller writers in the business.
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