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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Some murders and supernatural-seeming violence aboard the ship
Language
Barely any
Mild language in Turton's historical mystery register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some period-appropriate drinking
Emotional Intensity
Some
The atmospheric mystery and the question of whether the evil is supernatural — sustained effectively across the voyage — creates the novel's primary pleasure
What this book is about
Stuart Turton's second novel is a historical mystery set aboard a Dutch East India Company ship in 1634, where detective Samuel Pipps and his companion Arent Hayes must investigate a series of terrifying events that seem to be caused by a demon. Turton writes clever, atmospheric historical mystery; the sailing-ship setting is richly rendered and the mystery is genuinely surprising. For adult readers of historical mystery.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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