"A wonderfully atmospheric historical thriller exploring the curse of a Hollywood horror movie made during the 1920’s."
Deliciously dark and tantalising, this chilling thriller vibrates with gothic menace. A movie is said to be cursed after the star dies and accidents plague the set, studio fixer Mary Rourke is charged with discovering the truth. I’ve read a fair few of Craig Russell’s books and love the deeply barbed darkness contained within, this is something else again, and is probably my new favourite of his novels.
Three time frames span 70 years, with much of the story covering the last year of silent movies before the talkies took over. This particular time period in the novel is incredibly atmospheric, I felt as though I was surrounded by all aspects of classical Hollywood cinema. The beautifully staged mix of fact and fiction works brilliantly, and assists in the feeling of immersion.
An uneasy foreboding rides the tale and as you move forward and backwards through the years questions rise to taunt as you leave each time frame. There is a beauty to be found in the descriptive detailing, the intricacies of the characters, and the eloquence of the well-written plot. I absolutely adored the ending, its arrival created shockwaves that still resonate.
A Liz Pick of the Month and LoveReading Star Book, The Devil’s Playground is branded with a fiery intensity that creates and entertaining and enthralling read.
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.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
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Closing date: 15/10/2026
When Rourke finds Carlton dead, she wonders if the dark rumours she's heard are true: that The Devil's Playground 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. 1967: Paul Conway, film historian and fervid silent movie aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumour: that a single copy of The Devil's Playground-a Holy Grail for film buffs that was supposedly cursed and lost to time-may exist.
The Devil's Playground features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Crime and Mystery, Fiction, Recommendations, Star Books, Historical Fiction, Hollywood, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950, Los Angeles, California, US West: Pacific States, US West, United States of America, USA, North America (USA and Canada), The Americas, Place qualifiers, Fiction: narrative themes, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, c 1500 onwards to present day, Time period qualifiers
Paperback, Hardback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Devil's Playground was written by Craig Russell and published by Constable an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
The Devil's Playground has 453 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. In Stock.
