Ten for the Devil

A Murder of Crows #1

by Deborah Mitton

Ten For The Devil is a labyrinthine murder/revenge ride from an idyllic English Village to the industrious shipbuilding port of Saint John, NB (then St. John), in the newly formed country of Canada, over a span of fifty years.

Chief Inspector Michael McLaughlin has believed that his nemesis was dead, but discovers that Seth Shaw is alive and in the very city that Michael and his family are visiting. His loves ones at risk, Michael closes in on a collision course with a serial murderer while the city is in flames.

Book 1 - Michael was an eleven year old boy when he witnessed a murder and the lives of the families - friends, of both our murderer and witness are intertwined throughout generations from 1850 to modern day. A dark tale of obsession, revenge, murder, seduction, a love curse, reparation and survival. Our young boy grows up to join Scotland Yard and is obsessed with bringing Seth Shaw to justice. There is a sense of paranormal forces at work protecting our villain.

The story’s climax will occur during the fire of June 20, 1877: a fire - second - only in size and damages to the famous Boston fire.

Genres: Horror

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2013

About the author

Hey there...from Atlantic Canada.

I was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, on the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Beautiful rocky beaches where I had corn boils and fried hot dogs over a campfire as a kid. The fog when it comes in is so thick you can't see your fingers in front of your eyes. Where most of my neighbours were cousins or married to family. Where I first learned about life and sadly death. Where I met the love of my life for 48 years.

I fell in love with the written word and storytelling early in life. My older sisters would read aloud 20th-century poems to me to prepare for oral school presentations. As a result, I love the Ancient Mariner or The Highwayman. My father loved history. I remember watching the Nuremberg trials, war documentaries and talk shows with him sitting on the arm of his chair. He travelled overseas after the war working on the warships bringing back injured soldiers and sometimes remarked on what we were watching.
He saw the best and the worst of mankind and told me that I should be aware of its dark side. Perhaps, that's why I'm drawn to dark thinking and writing. Who knows?

I held numerous interesting positions as a PA, Life Insurance Agent, Construction Purchasing, Marketing and Sales. I could write a book on each one.

I have always been drawn to thrillers, so no surprise, I turned to write dark psychological thrillers

Reviews

[J. Kahele]

Intriguing read

Historical fiction is not my read of choice but I saw the blurb on this book and it sounded interesting so I picked it up.

This is a story you have to really be engaged with to understand. Skimming through this book will only confuse you as the timeline seems to jump a lot.

I found the characters to be very well crafted, especially Seth. He is very frightening and one of the most disturbing characters I have ever read but in the same sense the most interesting. I don't want to give much away of the story but if you are looking for a good thriller this definitely is the book for you.

[Michael Kroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book greatly. It's a very intriguing story, and once I got three quarters the way through, I had to finish the book before putting it down. Without spoiling the story, I will say that one character is so evil that it's jaw dropping shocking. It's very well written and it's certainly a book that I would shelf for reading a second time, and I look forward to reading the next books in the series.

-Michael Kroft, author of On Herring Cove Road.

[John Hennessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading many books over the years, I cannot quite recall coming across a stronger representation of evil than the primary antagonist in Ten For The Devil. The story itself is a truly remarkable work in depth and in scope. This is the first book in the series and yet manages to cover a huge amount of time within this one volume.

Reading it back, and actually feeling sorry for Seth, I wondered why he had become so evil? We hear in modern media that the reason killers do what they do can be explained away through some medical imbalance in the brain. Others may state there was an emotional disconnect at home, where the father constantly beat the child for every minor infraction, or the mother never offered a simple hug.

In Ten For The Devil, I think the answer is far more simple. The main antagonist is evil, but not pure and certainly not simple.

I found it remarkable how the author drafted other characters into the story, some who were an unknown witness to several brutal and unnerving kills, and as the reader I felt like I was over their shoulder too - that if the antagonist saw me reading this stuff, he would come after me too.

No-one is safe from his brutal ways, yet he displays many signs of the psychopath - he is self assured, full of himself, has a total lack of respect for all kinds of life, and is vain in the extreme.

This is, however, just one facet of the story, and it would be inaccurate to list Ten For The Devil as a one man show. I will admit, however, that as rotten as he was, I missed him when he was not part of the narrative.

The story ends satisfyingly, though there is a lot more to come from the author, the extremely talented Deborah R Mitton.

Ten For The Devil features bizarre and sometimes distasteful elements of romance, but in no way does the author try to colour her main baddie with shades of grey. Yes, he is handsome, charming, disarming. But he is also a killer, and we must never forget that.

He is not someone you can root for, but you cannot ignore him either.

The story does not lack humour though, and one of the lines I liked:-

Referring to Pastor Brown: 'His voice carried the whole breadth and width of the church and a parishioner had once speculated that the pigeons in the bell tower flew to safer perches when he preached.'

But it is full of beautiful lines like this, too:-

The candle on the side table gave the sleeping pair a halo of golden light before it flickered and died, enveloping the room in darkness.

The book is choc-full of lines like this. Eerily beautiful, I have to say.

Beautiful, eerie, strange, dark, deliciously compelling. Buy Ten For The Devil today!

[Pam Kesterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten For the Devil is an inside glimpse of a narcissistic beast of a man's activities spanned over several decades. In spite of the darkness, this book is poetic in it's writing, has clarity in its wide-range of characters that are well-developed, and is a must-read for historic-fiction fans and horror fans alike.

I read it for the experience of exceptional writing and was not disappointed. Though Michael is the protagonist and Seth is the antagonist, the story is not only about their lives but how many players were altered or motivated by other's actions. You see that evil ingrained in Seth's mind from an early age on and what occurs leading up to progressively worse and endless crimes.

"Ten" reads like a Classic with beautiful language and an interesting plotline that reflects the society of the time. Each page-turning scene surrounded by the dark shadows of Seth's overindulgences gives an observation of human nature in its worst light.

I recommend taking a journey through this book, but only if you're surrounded by a household of people that you know well and trust with your life. Don't read it home alone on an eerie night. This book will keep you interested with its wonderfully written language, but some of the descriptions are very grotesque with no regard for the victims. During one particular scene, my stomach churned in pain, but then I had a greater understanding of how a sociopath killer thinks. Deborah Mitton did an excellent job of pacing the events and not overdoing the minute details or repeating any techniques in this suspenseful story. It takes the wild imagination of the author to write a book like this which held me transfixed the entire time.

This gripping tale is well deserving of my Five-Star Rating. Once you start reading and get to know the different characters as you step back in time and fire up your senses, I guarantee your full attention until the last page.

[Deborah Mitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my novel - which I would like to place on Goodreads. I hope that I am following the proper steps.

[K.A. Krisko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title should give you some clue, although I confess I didn’t really get that until the end. This historical fiction borders on horror, with the main villain’s acts so depraved that I had to take a break partway through. A number of the acts come in quick succession in the middle of the book, increasing their impact both in the mind of the reader and in the world of the book.

The book starts in one time frame, then takes several steps backwards to fill in the history of the main characters and their parents and ancestors and friends. This is all very complete, although a bit confusing, and I almost lost track of who was who by the time we reached the conclusion. You will need to pay attention, but the detail really plunges you into the historical world, and the families and characters are very well thought-out. I was on the ‘edge of my seat’ in several instances. I read much of it in a few very long sessions, since I wanted to find out what happened.

Besides switching from one character’s viewpoint to another’s fairly regularly, which is fine when marked by a chapter or scene break, there was some head-hopping where we are suddenly, for a sentence or two, seeing the world from a different character’s viewpoint (for example, Spencer gets a short paragraph at the end of one chapter), and in several locations we even assume the omniscient or narrator POV, with pronouncements upon the character’s actions.

There are very few typos or misused words, which is nice and makes for a smoother reading experience. There are a couple (‘ashore’ instead of ‘assure’, and most amusingly, ‘hags’ instead of ‘nags’), but every book has a few. More obvious are the ongoing punctuation errors, which get worse towards the last third of the book, including misplaced commas, missing or misplaced quote marks, and misplaced question marks, as well as incomplete sentences. However, I got an ARC (Advance Review Copy) to read, so I suspect these issues will be cleaned up before the book ‘goes live’.

Overall, very well done, recommended for those who like their good, good and their bad, really bad!

[Nesly Clerge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story lunges into the anatomy of murder and revenge. Michael McLaughlin believed that the evil, conniving Seth was dead—it was only a wish. Seth was alive and McLaughlin wanted revenge. The book started out well, Michael and his appetite for Seth Shaw were initially introduced. The author crafted an overabundance of backstories in order to provide substance to the narrative. Unique to Mitton’s novel is a cast of strong characters, and the story is made exhilarating because of it. John (Seth’s father), Edith (Seth’s stepmother), Katie, Zach, Jonathan, Spencer, and several more are among the cast that you’ll have the opportunity to meet.

Seth Shaw is by far the darkest character that I’ve encountered; in fact, it’s a bit frightening. His malicious behavior started at a young age. Here’s an example:

“There before them was a low wooden beam, and hanging from it was line of kitten. On the floor laid the mother cat with her stomach cut open and her innards pulled out, drawing flies to the feast. John slowly knelt, and saw upon examination that each kitten had a noose tied around his neck. From the expressions on their wee faces, it was clear that they had been alive when hanged.”

The story is full of drama and I really did enjoy the book. Mitton does a stellar job in creating a great plot, but in my opinion the novel’s strongest assets are the characters. Some of the descriptions are not for the weak-hearted, but that’s what made it a page turner—at least for me. Mitton does follow a specific style and pattern: She introduces the character then she provides backstories that justify the character’s action, and this was definitely the case with Seth. Ten for the devil is heart-wrenching and a one-of-a kind must read.

[Laura Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I would not immediately reach for books in this genre, once I began reading this book, I could not walk away from it. I gather from the writing, however, this author would probably be good at telling a story in any genre; I would certainly grab one of a lighter topic.

The author does a good job in making the characters interesting from the start. It was easy to connect with Michael from the beginning as the author uses a quick flashback to introduce his early childhood. In the following chapters, the author is more detailed about Michael’s childhood, which sets the stage for the story. These chapters were written beautifully, and they drew me completely into the story. However, the story takes a chilling turn. New characters are introduced, but the introductions could be great stories in and of themselves. The character, Seth, left me quite nervous to read on, but I was too curious to stop.

The story progresses with more chilling and unthinkable events. Without being specific, so not to give it away, I must say I admire that the author did not hold back on the “shock value” in the story. At times, I thought of Alfred Hitchcock.

There were many characters to follow, but so it is in life. By our interaction with one person, we become exposed to many. Some are good and some who are not.
I would certainly recommend this book for those who already enjoy this genre. To those who would like to try it, this would be a good start.

[Rhoda D'Ettore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos Ms. Mitton! Wow. I admit, I am an action/dialogue type of reader. I like to skip the narrations and get right down to the nitty gritty. Because of this, it took me a little bit to get started with this book--but i am so glad i did. The author does an excellent job by submerging us into the 19th century with great descriptions of settings and a diverse pallet of characters. Once the picture is painted and the back story of the characters fleshed out, an incredible suspense/drama unfolds. I seriously read these 360 something pages in one sitting-- this book is THAT good. I could so easily see the evil grin and laughter of Seth as he commits his heinous acts. I could hear the gears turning as he plotted his next adventure. Some of it I saw coming, much of it I did not. Although I saw a few people refer to this as a horror, it is not gory-- just a sociopathic narcissist doing anything and everything to get his way.

This is truly an edge of your seat kind of thriller, set in a costume period of English gentlemen, society balls and proper traditions. All of that is under attack when the evil Seth comes of age. I loved the references to Edgar Allen Poe and the foreshadowing. This new author has quite a career ahead of her!

[Dean Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off like a typical crime drama, albeit one set in the 19th Century Maritimes, but quickly develops into much more as the author begins flashing back to several different points in time. Through these flashbacks we are given the riveting back story of the main characters who we have only briefly met in the present. She does an excellent job of teasing the reader with snippets of information that leave you eager to learn more about their significance. A couple of the characters are slightly cliche but this is overcome by a well paced and intriguing storyline. A well-written and compelling start to a series.

[J.B. Trepagnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kind of reminds me of a cross between Victor Hugo and Poe. Without spoiling anything in the plot, if you've read either, you'll see what I mean as you read through it.

The book is not told in linear history and sometimes spends a few chapters going back into the history of the two main characters fathers and grandfathers. It was a little bit of a slow read at first getting through some of the history of grandfathers, but I should have known, since this is not told in linear fashion, that this information would be needed later in the book.

Once the pace picks up, it really doesn't let up. Seth truly is a horrible, evil person. Sometimes we see his deeds and sometimes they are cut away. He pretty much uses or kills anyone and has no respect for anything except himself. I was interested to know what happened to Edith and her child, but maybe that is addressed in the next book.

The book finished on a bit of a cliff hanger and I'm interested to see where this goes. I hope the person I was rooting for managed to escape the end that was hinted at towards the end of the book, but like I said, there's some Victor Hugo at work here

[Philip Newey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series that the author entitles A Murder of Crows. It spans the middle of the nineteenth century, from a village in England to St John in New Brunswick, Canada.

The story opens with Michael McLaughlin, at thirty-one years of age a Chief Inspector with Scotland Yard, in St John on a fateful day. On June 20 1877, much of St John was burned down. Michael is there in pursuit of a criminal called Seth. He has personal reasons for pursuing Seth, as becomes apparent in the tale that follows.

The author takes us back through time to explain how Michael arrived at this point. She does so through several steps, and I enjoyed this process. I did think at one point that she took this process a little too far when she went back to tell the story of Michael’s father Peter’s best man at his wedding, Jonathan, and even back to Peter’s father and uncle. In the end, however I thought she handled this quite well. When she occasionally hopped from one time period to another, I did not find myself disoriented for more than an instant. She does not return the reader to the ‘present’ (St John, 1877) until the final chapters.

The back stories are interesting and complex, as are the characters which inhabit them. With the exception of Seth, each of the characters has a good and bad side. The darkness of Seth is perhaps overdone in contrast. Apart from the obvious fact that we know Michael will survive at least until 1877, the fate of many other characters is less certain, and I was sometimes surprised—in a positive way—that the author chose to kill off who she did.

Three things initially pleased me about the book. First, the story is not told in a straightforward linear fashion. Second the characters are mostly complex, even those who appear only briefly. And third, the writing is good, tinged with a hint of nineteenth century formality, but not overburdened with the pomposity and verbosity that some people mistake for this style.

Most of the story is told at quite a leisurely pace which is by no means dull or boring, but when the narrative returns to the ‘present’, the pace picks up. This in itself is not a bad thing, but it becomes somewhat chaotic at times and more difficult to follow. The fact that Michael pursues his own personal agenda while the city burns around him is difficult to understand and accept. It’s also difficult to understand how Seth comes from being a squire in a small village to... Well, I shouldn’t give too much away. Clearly there is more back story to be told, but I did find this discontinuity disconcerting. The story at this point has an entirely different ‘feel’ to that which it had earlier. It was not easy to see Seth as the same man.

On the more technical side, one anachronism jumped out at me: the mention, in 1877, of Sherlock Holmes, who made his first appearance in 1887. Others might detect additional anachronisms which escaped me. For about two thirds of the book there were very few typos, but these seemed to increase after this point. At the very least the author might want to correct ‘fish mongrels’ to ‘fish mongers’.

I did quite enjoy this, but more during the back story than in the ‘present’ of 1877. I was also disappointed that the story reached no resolution here. I realise this is part of a series, but it would have been nice to see some ‘endings’ here, while pointing ahead to things yet to come. Instead, the author deliberately creates some ‘cliff hangers’ during the last few pages. I just find this annoying.

All in all, I think this is worth 3.5 stars. I’m feeling generous, so I will round up to 4 where necessary.

[Trista Borgwardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrifically horrific novel. The moment I started reading it I was immediately attached and engaged with the characters. The author gives some of the back story a little at a time to keep you attached and anxious to find out more.

As the story develops, we are introduced to Seth, who is described by the author as a classic disturbed child with sociopathic tendencies. I knew he was no good from the beginning and was quite curious to find out where his path would lead.

The novel was well crafted and portrayed the depth of the characters relationship and how their lives are all intertwined. From the poor widow who is just trying to survive and provide for her son and her father to the important entitled sociopath son.

Seth is a horrifying creature with a heinous and devilishly creative criminal side. The author has a disturbingly wild and graphically evil creative imagination for the acts that were committed in this novel. It was quite impressive. The vile scenes in this book were grotesquely imaginative and intensely more horrifying compared to the normal blood and gore of a horror book. I was quite impressed.

I loved the back in time, simplistic nature of this story without the complications of technology. The author did an excellent job in giving each character their own unique identity and history. This story portrayed love, loss, betrayal, evil, murder and the genuine kindness that people can have.

The very end of the story took me for a twist as this story didn't have any obvious supernatural entities in it, until the end. It was quite intriguing and I am hoping that there will be a second book soon to follow!

If you like horror...this is a MUST read!

[Sarah Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael’s reason for hating his brother summed up in three words, he was conceived, indicates the quality of the writing, and it does not disappoint. Seth, the villain, is the darkest, most appalling, ever, and yet believable. How could he be anything but the man he is when even his father, with such justification, couldn’t beat the evil from his soul? There is no description of this event beyond the order to lift a nightgown and grip a bedpost. “Servants throughout the house could hear the boy’s cries” lets the reader hear the swish of the willow rod and feel the agony when it kisses naked flesh.

Many scenes follow, jumping seamlessly from one character to another, and in time and place, all evocative of poverty or riches and the tragedy of both. Relaxing is unwise: Seth hates his years at boarding school, vows to be revenged, and shows himself capable of murder without pity or guilt. It isn’t a spoiler to say Michael meets Seth, old, grotesque and more depraved, in his own quest for revenge: it occurs in the first chapter.

Deborah Mitten goes on to create one of the most intriguing, and chilling, thrillers ever, and the next book in this series is definitely on my to-read list as soon as it’s published.

[Nadege Nicoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wanted to live inside a book? Ten for the Devil does just that! The story has got such great scene settings and character descriptions, that the reader is actually in the book. While reading, I could feel the despair of Michael, the tears of Dorothy, the angst of Martha, the love and compassion of Jonathan. I could picture the evil face of Seth and his wicked grin. I can definitely say I was in that story, I lived it, and I loved it. It's got everything: great writing, descriptive scenes to settle the reader in, fast paced drama to make sure (s)he doesn't settle for too long!! And, a pretty unconventional ending, which makes it even more interesting. I loved everything about this book.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Ten For The Devil by Deborah Mitton 5 Stars

A great story that twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged throughout. The inter-relationships between the protagonists are described enough to allow one to build a good understanding of the depths of passion involved but yet still permit the reader to add their own interpretations.

Without wishing to spoil the story you will enjoy the baddie, wicked to the core, and his associates only to eager to please their boss. One builds a good relationship with the decent folk that piece together the parts of the puzzle and are avowed to bring the reign of terror to an end.

It will make you keep turning the pages eager to find out what happens, the best recommendation of a thriller in my opinion!

[Ronel van Tonder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten for the Devil is a historical thriller set in an English town. It revolves around the exploits of a man named Seth, who believes everything to belong to him and goes to great lengths to ensure this.

Although the writing was solid, I found the timeline and point of view of the characters to shift too often, sometimes without warning, mid-scene. This was a bit confusing and destroyed the pace of the book. The book spans quite a length of time, which also slowed it down for me.

The character I most enjoyed (even though he was the antagonist), was Seth. He was dastardly enough to keep me reading, even when the pace and flow of the book frustrated me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

[Rebecca Bryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychological thriller at its best. Deborah endows her settings and characters with a depth of rich detail and complexity. The plot dances backwards and forwards, with characters tripping in and out of the dance, keeping the reader up on their toes. As the story is woven, evil stalks the pages, threatening each and every character. An enthralling, gripping read and an unexpected ending. Recommended read.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks about Seth and how evil people can be. Seth is a killer. This book was very creepy for me. I like it. I really like the characters the author added to this book and the scenes in which she added. This book is very good for horror fans which I love horror books. If you are looking for a good horror book, you should check this one. *This was book was given to by the author in exchange for an honest review*

[David Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book eminently readable and enjoyed it. as I progressed through the book, I looked forward to my next session and for me, this is the mark of a good tale.

[Angela Mckeen butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, page turner from beginning to end. I can't wait for the next book, your left with your heart pounding and wanting to know what happens next.

[Robert Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seth, the villian, is so bad and cunning from the beginning of the book on you read to find out when and what justice will be done to him. Myself I wanted him torn and quartered. The novel is historical fiction that pulls you into the time and place with good descriptions but its strong points are the characters and how they cope with all the bad things that has happened to them becasue of Seth. The ending is not what I expected but does leave one hoping book 2 is released soon. A strong read, not for the weak of heart, and not for those who can forgive all wrong.

[Tom Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale is set in the mid-19th century, a period which lends itself to the heinous crimes depicted.
How so? There are no forensics teams, nor early intervention by fastidious law enforcement. For many, these were dark times when a ‘missing person’ remained missing.
It is not a tale for the faint of heart. There are plenty of characters to like, a few to dislike, several to pity, and one to despise. In every case, the character development was performed effectively.
If I had one nagging concern it is the introduction. We are all aware of the movies which start with an action scene, and then up comes ‘ten years earlier’, or some similar warning that we’re leaving the poignant opening to see how we arrived at this point.
Yes, a great tool and effective if used well—but in my opinion, not a technique to be used in a book, unless the intro is brief.
I believe the first chapter would be more effective if reduced to a preface. One of the characters we meet in the first scenes does not appear generically until half-way through the book. By then, I didn’t remember him from the intro. There are too many characters in the story for this idea to work.
Apart from my perceived glitch above, once underway, I was content with the time scales changing as we learn who sired which of the men, which of the women were taken against their will, and which characters were murderous. The author knows her craft. Suspense, mystery and bloody murder abound, and I’ve no doubt I’ll pick up another of Deborah Mitton’s titles.

[Morton Morelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to recommend this book to anyone who likes character driven stories.
It is an easy page turner and in my opinion well written.

It started off a little Dickensian and gave the initial impression it may be a little quaint, but I was wrong.
It soon kicks off and gets on with the action. Once it starts it doesn't really stop.

The main baddie of the piece is a great creation.
He is a real nasty piece of work and one of those born bad, types.

I would like to see a prequel, showing more of the baddie as a kid. That's not a complaint, I would simply like more please. There was something about an evil kid that made him more intriguing than an adult.

This is the first time I have read an author that was unknown to me and it won't be the last.
Very competitively priced ebook and well worth the money.

Morton Morelli