I would like to thank Netgalley and Scribe UK for a review copy of The Devil, the fifth novel to feature Rome detective, Leone “Leo” Scamarcio.

When teenager Andrea Borghese is found dead Leo is put on the case because, as his boss says, he’s the man for the complicated ones and this is complicated. Andrea was last seen undergoing an exorcism by The Vatican’s chief exorcist and four assistants. As he investigates the case gets murkier by the minute.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Devil which is a well told tale that held my attention from start to finish. It has a lively tone and plenty of developments which would normally have led me to think 5 stars but the use of the c*** word (and not just once) led me to downgrade it. I can f and b with the best but I find that particular word highly offensive. Ok, rant over, I can now get on with my review.

This is the first novel in the series that I have actually read although it was always my intention to give it a go at some point. Coming in at book 5 is not always good but it works well as a stand-alone and there is enough backstory to give a new reader an oversight of the characters but not enough, I would imagine, to bore a series reader. The plot is well constructed with several avenues of investigation, some leading nowhere, some broadening out to wider complications and one leading to the perpetrator. It all seems logical and natural although perhaps with a particularly Italian bent as it involves corruption and The Church. I particularly liked the seemingly petty offences that unwittingly cast long shadows. They reach out to me although I’m not exactly sure what they say, perhaps that the road to hell is paved with good intentions or more likely that we should think before acting. There are a few homilies in the novel about doing nothing or taking the right path but I can’t say I took them too seriously, not my bag.

Leo Scamarcio is an interesting character and quite well drawn. He’s panicking because the birth of his first child is imminent and he doesn’t feel prepared for the responsibility, not that he’s done anything to get prepared. His answer is to smoke more before he can’t anymore and work the case hard. Somehow, I don’t imagine he’s the first to take that attitude but it is amusing. At work he’s a good detective. He manages to cover all the bases and think logically without appearing to be a know-all or conceited. I enjoyed the descriptions of his thought processes and decision making.

The Devil is a good read that I can recommend.