This one took me a lot longer to read than normal, but I'm not sure why. I was engaged in it, I enjoyed it, but it just took awhile. My point is, it sure as hell wasn't due to the quality.

This is—and I say this rarely—a much better story than the first novel. It's one of the few times I've seen an author absolutely fearless in doing everything bad to their hero, and Unsworth does it with a mad glint in his eye.

This series takes place in Hell...so it should be hellish. And Unsworth delivers. But the real shocker here, is when the action moves to Heaven. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say it's a completely unique and fascinating look at that world, too.

But in the last third of the book, it just shines. The action, the pathos, the twists and turns....honestly, this book couldn't really have delivered more.

In fact, I just talked myself into a 5-star review. ( )

This is really a 4.5 - I love his ideas and prose and where the end looks like it's going, but he feels the need to undercut his theme in a way I didn't feel was necessary. ( )

Whether it be in the eternal fires of hell or in the eternal joys of Heaven, Thomas Fool, Information Man, conducts his investigation and nothing, be it angel or demon better get in his way.

I loved the creativity of this book! Building upon the hell he established so well in The Devil's Detective, this time Simon Kurt Unsworth turns his imagination to building a heaven. Turns out, his heaven is just as warped as his hell; maybe even more so. There are angels, the Malakim, (the messengers of heaven) and the Estedea, ("Pray their sadness never reaches you.") Lastly, there's Mayall, (not of the Bluesbreakers variety), heaven's own version of a clown. Or is he more than that?

While conducting his investigation of several mysterious fires in hell, (I know, mysterious fires in hell? It sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, it works), Thomas is called for and sent to heaven to investigate....something. The angels don't want him there, the demons and the Evidence back in hell don't want him there, but someone does. Why? You'll have to read this to find out.

I believe that it would be difficult to pick up this book and understand everything that's going on without having read The Devil's Detective first. There are terms and people, (the Man of Plants and Flowers, for instance), that are introduced in the first book and without any knowledge of them, I think much of the impact of this story would be diluted.

I enjoy the way Unsworth writes. For instance, as Thomas leaves Heaven to return to hell:

"His last view of Heaven was of a motionless rank of beautiful, somber angels surrounded by falling snow and, behind them, the chapel of all faiths standing alone and mute in the storm light."

I love that quote because I can picture it perfectly in my mind.

I did have an issue with the self-deprecating Thomas Fool beating up on himself every 5 minutes. (Stupid little Fool! Know nothing Fool!) It became irritating but after about halfway, it occurred less often.

With fascinating world building, highly imaginative and creative ideas, it's difficult for me to find any other faults with this book. I've never read anything like these Fool books before. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will meet Thomas Fool once again.

If you liked the first book I HIGHLY recommend you pick up The Devil's Evidence.

*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*

Find this review and others like it at Horrorafterdark.com. ( )

I recently reviewed The Devil's Detective (Thomas Fool #1) by Simon Kurt Unsworth. I found the book was stunning in it's originality and descriptions. The Devil's Evidence, the second book is the series maintains the high level of originality while introducing new characters and concepts. As with the first book, the characters are a wide range in creation. There are new individuals and new species. There was also new information that contributes to the world building. And Mr. Unsworth has built an amazing world.

It is hard to discuss the plot of either book without spoilers. The basic premise is that heaven and hell do exist. They are not your grandparent's concept of heaven or hell. The humans (yes humans because there are so very nasty non-humans lurking in these pages) do not know why they have been sent to hell. They cannot remember their lives. They only know that they committed sin(s) so heinous to sentence them to an eternity in hell.

So we have hell and we have Thomas Fool whose job is to investigate crimes in hell. Let that one sink in for a moment. Investigating crimes in a major city would be quite a job but in hell, where every human there because he deserves to be and demons just add to the chaos, it is close to impossible. In the second book, Thomas Fool takes a trip and becomes involved in investigating crimes in heaven. You know, perfection, harmony, all peace and fluffy clouds. You would not think there would be a lot of crime but heaven is out of balance and pulling hell out of whack to.

My descriptions do not even begin to do justice to this incredible book. Let me just quote one small section:
"fire had a voice, it talked in a constant bitter mutter, the sound of something chewing its own teeth, a one-sided conversation that babbled as the flames burrowed deep into wooden frames around now-glassless windows and ate warping doors buckling in their mounts. And as the fire talked and drew itself on, it cleaned, leaving no spore or trail"

Every time I read that section it takes my breath away. The prose, the characters, the descriptions, everything is done well in this book. I recommend you read The Devil's Evidence as soon as you read The Devil's Detective. The books are just fantastic.

I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Review copy

Thomas Fool, The Devil's Detective, is an Information Man and a human among demons. Fool is now the Commander of the Information Office, a position in Hell for which he gets little respect.

Now there's a new department in Hell, The Evidence, headed by Mr. Tap. All they seem to do is get in the way of the Information Men. "They didn't investigate, they simply tore things apart and reached conclusions that made little or no sense, and then executed justice on the spot."

As Fool and his team are investigating a series of arsons and murders, he is called away to be part of a special delegation to Heaven. While in Heaven, he learns of some mysterious deaths there. Heaven blames Hell. Hell blames Heaven. Can Thomas Fool uncover the truth before there's an all out war?

The Devil's Evidence turned out to be a worthy sequel to The Devil's Detective, and was slightly better than book one. More fantasy than horror, but it does get rather gruesome at times. Pure escapism requiring a total suspension of disbelief. This is not an easy read, but it is an interesting and entertaining foray into a completely different world and the final twist is pure gold.

From Doubleday, The Devil's Evidence: A Novel, is available in hardback, e-book and audio formats.

Simon Kurt Unsworth as born in Manchester and lives in a farmhouse in Cumbria, in the United Kingdom. He is the author of The Devil's Detective and many short stories, including the collections Lost Places, Quiet Houses, and Strange Gateways. ( )