The Hand of the Devil Paperback – 29 Mar. 2007

Wow. I bought this for my teenager as my latest attempt to lure her into the delights of reading fiction. But yesterday morning I found I had nothing to read for the train and picked up The Hand of the Devil. Read it all the way into work, read it all the way home from work, read it all evening - finished it. It's a long time since I've been so totally engrossed in a story, particularly one that wasn't even aimed at me (though I rather like the idea of being described as a young adult!)The story is the key - apparently this is Dean Vincent Carter's first book, but it seems as though he's used to telling stories. Stories within stories. I'm not a huge fan of horror or thriller genres, and some bits of this were a bit icky and I had to close one eye.But, much as I hate compound words, this really was "unputdownable". Hurry up with the next one, please, Dean.(Oh, and I noticed it in said teenager's school bag this morning.)

bought as a gift

An assured debut from Mr Carter. The characters are sympathetic, the plot well developed and the pacing excellent (although the events get a bit too hectic towards the end, and the author needs to resort to an exposition dump, which means the hero, Ashley, has a sit down and a conversation when he really should should be FLEEING FOR HIS LIFE!).The gore may be mostly off-scene when it happens (as if that is a bad thing), and only stumbled upon later, but this works brilliantly to create a mood of horror, where events are already taking place, out of the control of the hero.This may be a book intended for "Young Adults" (yuk), but there is much to recommend it to 30-somethings like me.

One word comes to mind - Awesome!But maybe I should say more.... Mr Carter held me in suspense, had my imaginings working overtime (especially in the gruesome bits that have been mentioned in the previous reviews - ever considered that the imagination is the most powerful tool a writer can employ in a reader?), and most of all, it had me impulsively reaching for my jungle formula insect repellant!At an even grander age of 23 I had no problems reading what was most clearly intended 'for a fourteen year old'. I'm sure that many mature readers admit that they have no problem reading a 'childrens book' (Harry Potter? Phillip Pullman?) so why should it be different here, especially when the book is so exciting and gruesome.The only possible thing that could let this book down is your own imagination.'Hand of the devil' is a worthy read, so buy it!

My younger brother, an avid reader, threw this book on my bed and told me to check it out. He knows I don't read much horror, let alone books for teenagers, and has never recommended anything before. I gave it a go out of curiosity. I can't say how happy I was to do so; Hand of the Devil really was quite brilliant. It has something very different in its approach that I haven't seen before, I was very much on that island with the characters and didn't like how it felt, which is exactly the way it should be with a creepy novel. Started and finished in less than 2 days, this book has renewed my faith in the genre. I'm not sure it's too suitable for much younger readers than 13 or so, but at the old age of 20, I was gripped start to finish. Next one, please....

Bugs. Honestly, I don't particularly care for them. They seem to like munching on me, even though I'm pretty sure I'm not the type who is made of sugar and spice. I also suffer from arachnophobia; I absolutely, positively despise spiders. Those hairy bodies, those spiny legs, those googly eyes. <shudder> Spiders truly freak me out. So, I guess I should start by thanking Mr. Carter for not making the bug in his story a spider. On the other hand, he made the bug in his story this ginormous, otherworldly red mosquito who managed to give me nightmares. I guess that means his story was effective; it also means I'm suffering from hallucinatory mosquito bites just from reading THE HAND OF THE DEVIL.Ashley Reeves is twenty-one, a bright guy who works as an investigative journalist for the magazine Missing Link. Where they once centered around inexplicable stories based on alien sightings and the like, they now focus on freak of nature stories that deal with facts and scientific proof. Ashley still finds himself dealing with a lot of hoaxes, so when he receives a letter from one Mr. Reginald C. Mather, he's undeniably excited. Mr. Mather has asked for Ashley to join him at his home onAries Island to view the Ganges Red, a very unique mosquito that he claims to have in his possession. Curiosity piqued, Ashely sets off to visit Mr. Mather and his mosquito in the middle of Lake Languor.It turns out that Reginald Mather was telling the truth. He does, in fact, own the Ganges Red, also known as The Lady or The Devil's Hand. Reginald delights in telling Ashley stories about his very unique, and slightly frightening, bug friend. Some of the stories seem outrageously fantastic, such as the fable that The Lady is the reincarnation of a woman from a Vietnamese tale. Or that the Ganges Red has been alive for hundreds of years, killing and destroying numerous humans on its voyage.As Ashley finds himself trapped on Aries Island during a storm, he realizes that although The Lady seems to be more than just a simple insect, the danger he's finding himself in might actually be coming from Mather himself. It seems the former doctor, now turned recluse and devoted keeper of the Ganges Red, is hiding a murderous secret of his own, and it's just Ashley's luck to have stumbled upon it. As Ashley fights for his life from the wicked Mr. Mather, he will have to suspendeverything he's ever thought to be true to understand the true nature of The Devil's Hand and her hold over Mr. Mather.If you're looking for a book that will unnerve you, mess with your mind, and play on all of the fears you've ever had, then THE HAND OF THE DEVIL is definitely the book for you. Unable to stop reading even while I was scratching at my faux mosquito bites, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've finished it--whether you want it to or not.[...]