The Devil in Gray

by Graham Masterton

A young woman brutally hacked to pieces in her Virginia home—with a weapon over a hundred years old. A retired Army officer butchered—by an invisible attacker. A young man blinded in his bathtub—then boiled alive. What do all the victims have in common? What malevolent nightmare stalked them? He is not dead, but not truly living. He cannot be killed, only trapped. And for years he was trapped, buried alive in a desperate attempt to end the terror. But now he is free again, free to complete his ghastly mission—free to slaughter the unsuspecting. Is he a spirit? An immortal madman? Was he ever human? What is . . . the devil in gray?

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Ghosts, Supernatural, Ebooks

355 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.

At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.

Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.

Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.

He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.

Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.

He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a compelling novel about Santeria, the Civil War and revenge. Who is the mysterious invisible man looking like a Confederate soldier and why is he cutting up people who haven't done any wrong? Who has murdered Decker's wife Cathy? Is there a connection to the mysterious Queen Aché and can she help to solve the mystery? Nailbiting novel in the fine Masterton tradition. There also are humorous elements in the book like the sex scenes Decker has with a very special wife (I won't spoil anything here). You also learn a lot about Santeria and what it is all about. Great horror book that reads like a movie. I also liked the ending. Absolutely recommended!

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent horror/mystery thriller by Masterton, full of the things he does well and not so well. The story is set in Richmond, VA., with the main protagonist being Decker, a police detective. Like many of Masterton's leads, Decker is a 'swinger' or a ladies man, always on the make; this must be something of an alter ego as it appears in many of his books. Anyway, he is called to a strange murder one day (the prologue details it as it happened) where a pregnant woman was beheaded and her fetus stabbed a zillion times; her husband was cut rather badly as well. In both cases, cuts just seemed to appear on their bodies. The woman managed to call 911 before she died and the paramedics had to break down the door to gain entry. As the door was locked, the police captain (and Decker) conclude the hubbie did it.

A few days later, another person gets stabbed to death, this time in his shower; rinse a repeat a few times and we seem to have an invisible killer taking out people that do not have any connections at all. The only 'witness' so to speak is a girl with downs syndrome who has the ability to 'see' things others cannot. She saw, what she calls, the 'so-scary man' leave the first couple's house, walking through the door. Even stranger, he was dressed in Confederacy gray...

Ok, so we know there are some ghosts or something from the Confederacy taking out people, but why is the question. Decker starts poking around civil war buffs to find out more. Now, here is where we get Masterton at his worst. He obviously did some research into the civil war for this one, as well as Voodoo, but Masterton, no 'true blue' Southern war buff is going to call the civil war the civil war-- it would be the 'war of northern aggression'. You just cannot have a bubba who runs a Confederacy memorabilia store call the war 'civil', especially one who still uses words like 'colored' to describe black folks. Why Masterton set so many novels in the US is still a mystery to me, but so it goes.

Overall, a fun read, but the ending felt rushed. For a mystery thriller, the clues seemed just a touch too obvious, as did Decker's reasoning to get to the bottom of the mystery. 3 limp gray stars...

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graham Masterton has been my favorite horror writer since I was a teen and every time I read his work it reminds me why that is so. His true gift as a writer is in the creative research he does for each one of his novels, especially since his bad guys and foes are always different and have different cultural history and folklore woven for them. Whether it's Japanese demons, Mayan pyramids and their watchers, huge rats, Sphinx like evil women, dark angels, djiins or Santeria magicians such as in this book, his writing is so realistic and terrifying that I start to believe half of it as true when I get sucked into one of his books.

Graham doesn't shy to open a book with a violent crime in its process and this one is no exception. He makes it perfectly clear that the person you read about in the beginning will die and it gave me Goosebumps finding out how it happened.

Our main character in this story is detective Martin Decker whom we are introduced to while he's in the middle of having an affair with his Captain's wife. He seems like a nice guy but he surely gets around and runs over lots of female hearts before we find out what broke his own heart in the first place. As the story progresses however, Martin doesn't cease to impress and befriend the reader with his brave quest battling the Devil in Gray.

This book deals with African magical religion known as Santeria. Martin's nemesis is the Devil in Gray; an invisible foe who seems to murder random people in the most gruesome and bizarre ways. As martin follows the investigation he finds out more than he bargained for and his own life is turned upside down. Somehow we find out that he directed the Devil's anger on his own life and he needs to go and get allies to help him. The only problem is that the only person who can help hip is a very evil woman, but she is connected to his heart that I mentioned was hurt in the past. Decker is forced to believe that his nightmares are real and they are coming after him and he is not safe in his home, his job and not even his own dreams as the invisible enemy charges closer and closer.

I loved reading the suspenseful struggle and detective work that Martin had to go through in order to decipher the strange murders before the list stopped at his own name.

The ending of this book was superb, the typical golden trophy of any Masterton book as he is the master of great endings. This will fill you up and leave you satisfied. Even though this book deals with African magic and the Civil War, two odd topics that somehow do come together I had a blast reading it.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have a lot to say about this one. Graham Masterton's works are absolutely chilling when the writer is at the top of his game. I was surprised by how deeply he was able to tap into primal emotions in THE MANITOU and FEAST.

THE DEVIL IN GRAY didn't have nearly that impact for me. It read like an "average" horror paperback with grotesque descriptions and very slim character development. I absolutely need to connect with a character if I am to emotionally follow along on "the journey." In this one, I was reading only to see how it would end. The plot became convoluted (although not particularly difficult to follow) with multiple "unexpected revelations" that only strained credibility. That's a shame, because its connection to the battle fought at The Wilderness during the Civil War had a great deal of potential.

I know that Graham Masterton has his devoted fans, and I would be among the first to admit that his stories are better than most of the modern horror releases that I find out there. I may check-in again at some time. For now, though, I have some titles that I want to delete from my Reading List.

[Janie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can really say about this book is WOW! Graham Masterton is probably one of the best paranormal writers of our time. Some of the favorites are books like Spirit, Edgewise, and Night Wars. The Devil in Gray is no different with its uniqueness. A classic Paranormal thiller.

In this book, Masterton gives us a wide array of characters, from good doer detectives, to the innocent bystanders, to maniacal killers. Each character so unique that you will feel them become a part of your life the further you read and become immersed in the pages. From being scared to death, to laughing, to almost crying. I also love the way he a painted the plot by giving us glimpses of extraordinary history set back to the Civil War. History that we all learned about in school.

The main character of the book is a do gooder detective named Decker. Not only does Decker learn a dark secret of his own heritage, but he also learns about an old and still used african religion, called Santero. Decker has to strive towards stopping an Entity that has arisen out of the darkness of his heritage and the heritage of each victim that became a part of this paranormal maniac's revenge. Definitely a great read for any fan of the paranormal.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a different story. Wait a minute, just let me repeat that again - Wow.

The plot, while not flawless, is certainly a ride on the "different side"...it possesses something actually unique (can you believe it?) The book is another twist on the classic "detective hunting down a madman" deal...come on, admit it, it's hard to get tired of those if they're done right! While that parts familar, the end result and villian aren't. And..neither is the detective.

The religion Santeria is focused on, which is a new one for me, something that proved to be fascinating.

Taking place in Richmond, VA, Detective Decker is a sarcastic lady go-getter determined to stay out of relationships since the tragic death of his ex-girlfriend. Bizarre cases unfold concerning an invisible type man, which Decker doesn't believe in at first...until he just doesn't have a choice. With his friendly partner (and partner's shy but talented wife), and the aide of a little girl who's disabled but 'gifted', the group prepares for the ultimate hunt of the ultimate bad guy.

One of the things in the novels favor is its characterization. Detective Decker had me laughing out loud on more than one occassion with his seemingly endless bag of cheap pick-up lines. Although he did some asshole things, I eventually found him endearing for seeing the reason of his actions. He had a good amount of bravery in doing what he had to, and evolved throughout the story, coming to terms with pain and loss. Sandra, a little girl with down syndrome and uncanny abilities, was fun to read about, and although she wasn't present much of the time, when she was it counted.

It begins with violence and ends with violence. Quick paced but not suffocating, Masterton passes this part of the test. Masterton's writing style shines; this man almost paints the words on the page, beaming with great talent. There are no complaints in this department! This novel also relies heavily on gore and graphic violence, what a treat :)

While The Devil in Gray had me sitting there wanting to devour it all at once -- it really WAS hard to break myself away from it --- that's not to say there weren't faults to be found. While Detective Decker was cute and clever, a few small shades of her personality were a little unconvincing. When it was revealed what had happened to his wife, I had sort of predicted that from the get go.

But overall this is a treat I'll be re-reading one day. The old religion Santeria, fascinating history of the US war, detectives in modern times, psychic children and wives, nervous partners, excessive blood shed and violence detail -- what more could one ask for?

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: THE DEVIL IN GRAY by Graham Masterton

The reader's hook commencing this novel is explosive: the first chapter is gory, violent, and the horror is unexpected and oh so implacable. That implacability stays the course throughout this very suspenseful horror novel. I've long been a fan of this author, but I think THE DEVIL IN GRAY must be one of his best. Set in contemporary Richmond, Virginia, the background locale is vividly detailed. Along with the plot (which does rest on suspension of disbelief), the author generously develops character and emotion, and orchestrates evolution for several of his characters, particularly protagonist Lieutenant Dexter Martin of the Richmond Metro Police Department, and his new partner, Detective Tim Hicks, but also for secondary characters as well. Dexter undergoes a full-fledged change of perspective and really, evolves into an entirely new individual.

Mr. Masterton weaves in some of the rich historical background of the locale, specifically the tragic loss of life at the Battle of the Wilderness in May, 1864, and also some of the ugly historic underbelly such as the Ku Klux Klan. Into this tapestry he also weaves a theme of Santeria, the syncretistic spirituality formed from the Yoruba religion of West Africa imported to the New World with slavery, over which the saints of Roman Catholicism were added to disguise the true beliefs and practices from inquisitive or overbearing slaveholders. The result is a deeply satisfying horror novel.

[Sheree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my 1st Graham Masterton book and what a terrifying introduction. Supernatural horror at its best. The Devil in Grey is one to read at night with the lights on, creepy enough to make your skin crawl and have you checking for the boogie man!
"The Devil in Gray" combines a series of gruesome murders, the ancient African magical religion, Santeria and a smattering of the civil war. Just enough history to send you checking facts on the 'Devils Brigade'.
Detective Martin Decker is the main character in this story, on the trail of his nemesis The Devil in Gray, an invisible foe who is murdering people in particularly horrific ways.
Not one for the faint hearted, if you like your horror gruesome, graphic enough to nauseate and guaranteed to give nightmares then this is for you.

[Juxian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished it. Took me a long time but not because it was not interesting. It was awesome so it was a pleasure to stick with it for days. Amazing plot, two time periods, two mysteries intertwined. Epic characters! Queen Ache, oh my God! Decker Martin was fun. I had to stop reading another Graham Masterton's book, Charnel House, because the main character was an asshole; not because he was meant to be but because the author didn't know better. Martin is an asshole, too, and flaunting it, and it makes all the difference. You can't help liking him and rooting for him.
Loved all the stuff about Santeria, too, so much I didn't know. And the story, yes, it was really great, totally captivating.

[Books.to.go · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne ⭐

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Released The Devil in Gray on October 2004 from Leisure Books, Gray was hailed as a masterpiece before it even came to print. The plot conceived centered on Lieutenant Martin Decker and the mysterious deaths that seem to be piling up around him. Although he was cast into a role that has been done to death, the lieutenant struggles admirably with the weight of having to deal with the death of his fiancé, all the while still managing to hop into a few beds and hop out of a few sticky situations with a Santeria Queen. Also, even though he was a good cop with firm beliefs in only what can be touched and verified, Decker manages to swallow what’s happening around him with the swiftness. His pain must have felt endless. The secondary characters will not be mentioned here, as they are ineffectual and overall completely forgettable. The story was both stale and decrepit, adding neither a fresh perspective nor an intriguing rejuvenation of an old one. Sadly, both the storyline and the characters were weak. Contributing to this already debilitating condition was the pace. Moving at a sluggish speed, the pace cast a feeling over the reader much like being immersed in quick sand - suffocating and painfully slow. Although the atmosphere was tangible, the style of writing crafted, the descriptions tight and the dialog concise, it was not enough to save this book. It expired at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2004 when it was beaten repeatedly and then thrown out a three-story window. Although the book will not be missed, the money will be.

Gray is survived by characters that actually matter, pace that moves swiftly and does not pretend to be stale air in a closed country bar, and stories that are more exciting than watching paint dry on a mortuary wall. Survivors can be found huddled together at your local library, celebrating rather than mourning, the passing of this book.

Memorial Service will be 12:00 p.m. Wednesday. There will be no public visitation as the appearance of the deceased may be unsightly. All that is asked is that you put your flag at half-mast all day Wednesday.

My rating? I give it a 1. Send it back from whence it came, never mentioning it again!!

-As reviewed for Horror-Web.com

[Adamus (Like Adonis, but with a M) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 1/3 of this book a while ago & never finished it & finally the other day i was going thru what to read & decided to finish this & i realized after why I went out & bought a bunch of his books. This is def one of the best horror books he has ever written. It's def 1 of my favorite horror books of all time. The plot in it is amazing & the characters are great. I'm usually not a big fan of supernatural horror storys, but this book & this author i would read any of them at anytime there that good. I recommend to anybody who likes horror you won't be disappointed!!

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another winner from the reigning master of horror...

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author. There are always twists that I never see coming and this one is no different. Multi-layered horror story.

[Ewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rozpoczynam dopiero wkręcanie się w Mastertona!!

i to było dobreee!

[Leslie Wiederspan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bloody death scenes were really good, but I wont be reading any more by this author. I fail to see what the descriptive sex scenes have to do with an invisible man hell-bent on murderous revenge have to do with anything. Decker is trying to find out who killed his girlfriend, but flirts with and sleeps with every woman he meets, including his bosses wife. There was an interesting history of the Civil War and Santeria, but, in my opinion, it was maybe worth the $1 I spent on it.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this!

[Claudya Nadeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pour ceux qui n’ont jamais lu de Graham Masterton, foncez! Wow! Si j’avais pu, je l’aurais lu d’une traite! Un excellent mélange entre un roman policier et horreur ! J’ai accroché tout de suite. Des scènes sanglantes, une histoire originale avec un thème peu commun sur les croyances ancestrales africaines de Santeria.

[Amy Bobbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by this author. It messed with my head so much that I actually got spooked in the shower one night. Great thriller!

[GaP · Rating 4 out of 5]

You think it's a ghost story...

....but then it becomes something else. A solid, educational horror yarn. Believable characters you easily identify with and root for.

[Michaël Wertenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite silly. Santeria, vooodoo, ghosts, all done with childish sensibilities. However, the writing was economical and splashed with well-executed gruesome deaths.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Οπωσδήποτε ενδιαφέρον θρίλερ υπερφυσικού τρόμου με όλα τα καλούδια που μπορεί να βρει κανείς σε βιβλίο του Μάστερτον.

Ο ντετέκτιβ Ντέκερ της αστυνομίας του Ρίτσμοντ της Βιρτζίνια, καλείται να εξιχνιάσει μια σειρά από αποτρόπαιους φόνους με κοινό παρονομαστή, εκτός βέβαια της βιαιότητας των εγκλημάτων, την άγνωστη ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου. Το θέμα είναι ότι τα θύματα σφαγιάστηκαν χωρίς να βλέπουν τον δήμιο τους και διάφοροι μάρτυρες δεν είδαν επίσης τίποτα. Η μόνη μάρτυρας που είδε κάτι, είναι μια νεαρή κοπέλα που μπορεί να βλέπει νεκρούς ανθρώπους και σκίτσαρε τον πιθανό δολοφόνο, του οποίου η εξωτερική εμφάνιση θυμίζει έντονα αυτή ενός Νότιου στρατιώτη που πολέμησε στον αμερικάνικο εμφύλιο! Τι κοινό ενώνει τα θύματα, γιατί σφαγιάστηκαν και πως ο Ντέκερ θα αντιμετωπίσει το υπερφυσικό στοιχείο της υπόθεσης;

Όπως και να το κάνουμε, αμερικάνικος νότος, σαντερία, αστυνομική πλοκή και υπερφυσικός τρόμος με λίγο από σπλάτερ, δύσκολα θ'αφήσει τους φαν του τρόμου αδιάφορους. Η πλοκή είναι αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα, αν και λίγο έως πολύ ξέρεις που περίπου θα καταλήξει αν έχεις ξαναδιαβάσει Μάστερτον, η γραφή είναι ικανοποιητική, ιδιαίτερα ευκολοδιάβαστη, η ατμόσφαιρα σούπερ, κάπως σκοτεινή, και οι χαρακτήρες, αν και μονοδιάστατοι, έκαναν την δουλειά τους. Και, βέβαια, οι περιγραφές των σκληρών σκηνών με σφαγιασμούς και τα τοιαύτα οπωσδήποτε γλαφυρές και σιχαμένες, θα ικανοποιήσουν τους φαν του σπλάτερ.

Το τέλος δεν θα το έλεγα και τρομερό, μου φάνηκε κάπως απότομο, όμως είχε την φάση του και δεν με απογοήτευσε. Επίσης κάποια άσχετα σαλιαρίσματα του Ντέκερ, με διάφορες γυναίκες, θα μπορούσαν να λείπουν ή έστω να είναι λιγότερα και καλύτερα δοσμένα.

Γενικά πέρασα πολύ καλά, ψυχαγωγήθηκα για λίγες ώρες και τα 5 ευρώ που έδωσα έπιασαν τόπο. Υποθέτω ότι σε κάποια από τα γνωστά μεγάλα παζάρια βιβλίου θα υπάρχουν ακόμα αντίτυπα.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly creepy ghost story that will definitely keep you reading, The Devil in Gray is written by one of my all-time favorite writers of horror and I highly recommend it. Anyone who likes stories involving ghosts, Santeria, & revenge will like this book.

The story begins as a man and woman who are expecting a baby are remodeling the home they've just bought. The man notices that he's cut himself with a wallpaper knife, but he also notices that the wound is expanding and he's bleeding everywhere. He calls to his wife to help him, she dials 911, but the signal is choppy. By the time the paramedics get to the house, they find him in a gigantic puddle of blood, trying to put his wife's head back on her neck. The problem is that he didn't do it. The police assign detective Decker Martin to the case. There is also a witness, who swears she saw a "so-scary man" coming through the door. As Decker investigates, the case draws him into the world of Santeria where he also finds out that his own days are numbered.

The end was inventive, but kind of silly, but it really worked! If you've read anything by Masterton, you know that he's a very good author and this book will not disappoint.

[Matt's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mittlerweile freue ich mich echt auf jede Veröffentlichung von Graham Masterton!
Mit „Grauer Teufel“ präsentiert uns der Autor einen grandiosen, gnadenlosen und brutalen Thriller, ganz nach meinem Geschmack und Masterton hat es wiedermal geschafft mich ab der ersten Seite zu fesseln.
Graham Masterton gilt nicht umsonst als Englands Großmeister der Angst!
Gleich zu Beginn baut er Spannung auf und er schafft es (wie auch in seinen anderen Büchern) diese bis zum Ende auf dem gleichen, hohen Niveau zu halten!
Die Mischung aus religiösen Themen, Santeria, dem Bürgerkrieg und der Realität finde ich mehr als gelungen. Man merkt auch bei allen seiner Werke, dass er sehr viel Wert auf seine Recherchearbeit legt und alles schlüssig wirkt.

Der Schreibstil ist wie immer sehr flüssig und auch die Charaktere, allen voran der sympathische Protagonist Martin Decker, sind meiner Meinung nach sehr gut ausgearbeitet.

„Grauer Teufel“ von Graham Masterton hat mich wirklich begeistert!
Klare Empfehlung meinerseits!

[Karen Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for this outstanding piece of horror fiction. My first ever by Graham Masterton & I am hooked!(& kicking myself for having not discovered him in my youth!)
This story packs more then just sheer terror; it is filled with fabulous twists and turns, hair raising moments of ghost filled terror, paranormal activity, anxiety, fear. Loaded with the darker side of religious beliefs and cultural revelations all wrapped in a tightly woven historical background.
Would highly recommend this to true horror fans and admirers of psychological thrillers.

[Joe Geesin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of Masterton's best, a decent story, original, and the introduction of a parrallell that comes to a good conclusion. A good twist and turn along the way.
Some trademark Masterton daftness but the ending is at a good pace, not rushed.

[JulieP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! Bizarre story about a Confederate soldier who's spirit begins a killing rampage in modern day Richmond. Horrible dialogue and totally unlikable characters. Even now I'm wondering how I managed to finish the book.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book. from start to finish action, action, action.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this book from page one. Graham has done it again what a great horror :) I highly recommend it :)

[Rebekah Tyrrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad storyline, but the smut, I can’t even. Like a hyper-sexualized testosterone wet dream or something in places.