I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Anneke Van Helsing saw her father murdered by a monster when she was young, a creature definitely not human who floated just above the ground, smelled like ice, and had dark eyes that haunt Anneke’s dreams. Diavola. Now an adult at the end of the 19th century, Anneke is a special forensic expert reluctantly called in by the Amsterdam police to consult on certain murders. When she connects some of the murders as the Diavola’s style, she and a small team of friends and experts investigate serial murders across Europe, hunting down Diavola. But Diavola is always a step or two ahead, and the letters she sends Anneke are increasingly, distractingly, intimate.
My first introduction to Kiersten White was Lucy Undying, which I loved. The Fox and the Devil is a fabulous follow up to that tale: a mix of serial killer horror (which is quite inventively gruesome and worth mentioning if you are easily icked out), Buffy-gang style feminist detective agency, and a hint of progressive paranormal romance. I loved it all.
The plot jumps time between the progression of Anneke’s story in the late 1890’s and the Paris World’s Fair in 1900. I often don’t enjoy time jump stories because they’re not smooth, but White manages those transitions expertly, and I never felt like I lost my place or wondered what was going on. There are some side-quests that keep the story from becoming too single-minded, surprises and twists that allow Anneke to grow and give the reader needed context without info-dumping. The characters all had their own backstories and lives, which was clear and gave them depth against Anneke’s obsessive determination.
The Fox and the Devil is fast paced, richly descriptive, and both beautiful and brutal. It kept me completely enthralled: highly recommend.
No Pithy Phrase 