28 November 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-91288196-3 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-91288196-3 (PB)
Ten apparently unconnected people receive letters asking them to
participate in a psychological experiment that will take place on Magpie Island. The invitations have been sent by the
psychologist purporting to be leading the experiment, Dr Crogil. None of the unlikely group know Crogil, but
each of them is promised free accommodation in the only building on the landmass,
Magpie House, and the promise of £150 at the conclusion of the tests. The island is situated off the west coast of
Scotland. It is surrounded by
treacherous currents and can only be reached by boat when the weather is
calm. One member of the group expresses
her delight at the prospect:
“…I think it’s marvellous
getting a free holiday out of this experiment of Dr Crogil’s, and we’re having
a sea cruise into the bargain!”
Such an inaccessible location
is a haven for birds of all kinds and a paradise for ornithologists. It is also the perfect place to lure one’s
enemies and bump them off one by one! It
is not long before the assembled company begin to question the wisdom of their
decision to accept Crogil’s invitation.
Gothic tropes abound in this mystery
and infuse the text from the moment the group embark on the unpleasant sea
journey required to reach the island.
The voyage takes them past the “Devil’s Legs”, two steep rocks that rise
up from an area of swirling waves appropriately known as the “Witches’
Cauldron”. The group finally land and
must then negotiate the steep, inhospitable climb that leads to Magpie House where
they discover that each bedroom contains a framed copy of “The Magpie Rhyme,”
with its unnerving final line:
“Ten for hell and the Devil’s
own.”
It is hardly surprising that
several of the company are rattled as they take themselves off to bed on the
first evening of their stay. Needless to
say, things are about to get much, much worse!
The setting and events
depicted in Ten for the Devil create a wonderfully macabre atmosphere. The plot is well-paced and has several
unexpected twists that challenge the reader to work out the identity of the
elusive Dr Crogil. The novel explores
the different responses of each of the ten people as they begin to realise that
they have been lured into a trap from which there appears to be no escape. Not knowing who to trust and being in fear of
one’s life makes people do some strange things and Dr Crogil’s unfortunate
guests are no exception.
Ten for the Devil is chilling, thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable as it
moves rapidly towards an unexpected and delicious ending.
------
Reviewer: Dot
Marshall-Gent
Trevor K Bell is a consulting psychologist with an interest in
psychopathy and serial killers. He writes Gothic ghost and horror stories and
enjoys reading whodunnits and thrillers. He lives in Cheshire with his wife.
Dot Marshall-Gent worked in the emergency services for twenty years
first as a police officer, then as a paramedic and finally as a fire control
officer before graduating from King’s College, London as a teacher of English
in her mid-forties. She completed a M.A. in Special and Inclusive
Education at the Institute of Education, London and now teaches part-time and
writes mainly about educational issues. Dot sings jazz and country music
and plays guitar, banjo and piano as well as being addicted to reading mystery
and crime fiction.
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