The average score out of a possible 10 points was: 3.16 with almost all saying they would not read another novel by this author!
The novel under discussion?
Most Whodunit members had high hopes for this one and almost all were happy with the Toronto setting. A debut novel by Canadian Elisabeth de Mariaffi, "The Devil you Know" turned out to be a disappointing read and it is surprising that this novel has been shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Prize at this year's East Coast Literary Awards.
Can they be talking about the same book???
The Goodreads description of the book:
The Goodreads description of the book:
Debut novel about a rookie reporter, whose memories of the murder of her childhood best friend bring danger—and a stalker—right to her doorstep.
The year is 1993. Rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend Lianne Gagnon who was killed in 1982, back when both girls were eleven. The suspected killer, a repeat offender named Robert Cameron, was never arrested, leaving Lianne’s case cold.
Now twenty-one and living alone for the first time, Evie is obsessively drawn to finding out what really happened to Lianne. She leans on another childhood friend, David Patton, for help—but every clue they uncover seems to lead to an unimaginable conclusion. As she gets closer and closer to the truth, Evie becomes convinced that the killer is still at large—and that he’s coming back for her.
What Whodunit thought:
The year is 1993. Rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend Lianne Gagnon who was killed in 1982, back when both girls were eleven. The suspected killer, a repeat offender named Robert Cameron, was never arrested, leaving Lianne’s case cold.
Now twenty-one and living alone for the first time, Evie is obsessively drawn to finding out what really happened to Lianne. She leans on another childhood friend, David Patton, for help—but every clue they uncover seems to lead to an unimaginable conclusion. As she gets closer and closer to the truth, Evie becomes convinced that the killer is still at large—and that he’s coming back for her.
What Whodunit thought:
- The protagonist, Evie, was not someone that the reader could relate to. She was a disturbed young woman with unresolved feelings about her friend's murder. We wondered how such a scatterbrained, inexperienced reporter was put on one of the most important stories at her paper. We wondered if perhaps her 'stalker' was a mere figment of her imagination...
- The plot was incohesive and disjointed. With many stray tangents that were not followed up on, and many real people mentioned, it was almost as if the author tried to cram too much into her narrative, thus weakening the whole. A plot of unrealized potential.
- The ending left many loose ends and left an overall feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment.
There were some positive comments about the writing, in particular some of the more suspenseful scenes. It was said that the novel attempted to create a snapshot of the volatile and unsettling time of the infamous Paul Bernardo case and how it affected the general public.
The novel we will discuss at our next meeting of Whodunit on Tuesday, June, 28, 2016:
New members welcome!
The lucky winners of new reading material this month?
1. Marilyn
2. Charlaine
3. Carmella
4. Jane
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