The Devil's Playground

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One of the most creative twist endings I have experienced in ages… The Devil’s Playground might just be the best mystery of the year.”

I loved the character of Mary Rourke. She clearly thrived in her life as a Hollywood Studio Fixer and while she balked a bit at investigating a possible murder, she jumped in feet first and followed every lead to the inevitable conclusion. Her interactions with the various Hollywood types were a highlight to the story. I did find some of her conversations with her boss to be a little repetitive hanging the pace a bit. Investigating Norma's death, Mary discovers the dark underbelly of that time where young girls disappeared, were used violently, and were discarded. The police are on the "take," and all the dirt can be swept under carpets. Under the glitz and glamour is a dark, dark world. There is an economy and purposefulness in the woman’s movements as she makes her way to the house. As she passes, she looks into the parked police wagon and, seeing it is empty, walks on through the open gates and up to the house. An expensive, foreign-made, sand-colored sporting coupe sits at an angle on the driveway as if abandoned in haste, its top down, the driver’s door flung open. Mary Rourke—a Hollywood studio fixer—is called urgently to the palatial home of Norma Carlton, one of the most recognizable stars in American silent film. Norma has been working on the secret film everyone is openly talking about…a terrifying horror picture called The Devil’s Playground that is rumored to have unleashed a curse on everyone involved in the production. Mary finds Norma’s cold, dead body, and she wonders for just a moment if these dark rumors could be true. The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot.

There’s this other theory that one scene in the movie—perhaps only a few frames—captures something.” In 1927, a Hollywood fixer is called yet again to take care of a situation that will look bad for a film studio. Mary Rourke arrives at the home of gorgeous star Norma Carlton to find that she’s committed suicide. Norma had been filming a horror movie, The Devil’s Playground, that’s now rumored to be cursed. When the situation turns out not to be exactly as it appeared, Mary is given a new assignment as a secret investigator. It leads her down a lot of dark alleys and gets quite complicated — and dangerous. Horrifying, mesmerising, beautifully imagined. The Devil’s Playground is Craig Russell at his unrivalled best’ Chris Whittaker Paul Conway, a journalist and self-professed film aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumor. He has heard that a single copy of The Devil’s Playground —a Holy Grail for film buffs—may exist. He knows his Hollywood history and he knows the film endured myriad tragedies and ended up lost to time.

Seamlessly blends noir, gothic and mystery in a way that's unique to crime fiction. Populated with a truly memorable cast, Playground is a guaranteed one-sitting read...and how can you resist a novel about the scariest movie of all time? Bravo!' Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector There is a rumor—again, a legend, almost—that a single copy, just one print, of The Devil’s Playground survived. Every piece of research I have done suggests that only one person could possibly know where that print is—the only person to have survived all the mishaps, on-set accidents, and mysterious deaths and disappearances that have given the movie the reputation of a cursed production. There’s only you. The only one left living.” Because we had a row. A bad one. I told her I wouldn’t leave my wife. We’d talked about it before, but things . . . things are complicated.” Most of the contents, they know, will be innocuous; but they have done this often enough to be aware they don’t have the time to be too selective.

Yes. I’m from Carbine International,” she clarifies for him: Huston is on loan to the studio from First National Pictures. She tells the fiction with such conviction and certainty that the younger cop looks disconcerted, as if he is no longer sure what really happened. She smiles at him. Rourke reaches into her bag and takes out a roll of bills. She peels off one hundred dollars in fives and tens. Nolan’s eyes widen. She has bought herself her hour. Then again, Conway knows he doesn’t see or experience the world the way others do. He never has, and it led him to the profession he now pursues, now excels in. Part of that innate otherness means scenes from movies—whole and flawlessly recalled—play out continuously in his head, holding up confected celluloid realities against the harsh mundanity of daily life. Horrifying, mesmerising, beautifully imagined. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell at his unrivalled best' Chris Whittaker

An engrossing thriller likely to satisfy even the most demanding hardboiled fans as well as movie buffs… a gallery of sharply-drawn characters … twists lurking around every Californian corner and a pace that never tires… wonderfully drawn and unique protagonists … a memorable piece of work that I just lapped up with relish.” A masterwork. . .This is a terrific blend of historical fiction, with its depiction of classic Hollywood, and chilling supernatural elements. We go along for the ride.” I’ve read Craig Russell before. Only one book but it’s made an impression. And with this novel, I am now officially a fan.

This story is told in third person in multiple timelines from the swamps of 1893 Louisiana to 1927 Hollywood and an old hotel in the desert of 1967. I usually enjoy a book with dual timelines, but this one was weighted a little heavier on the central timeline than the others and one timeline just felt pointless. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had just been dual timelines with equal time spent on both.