When Devils Dance With Saints

by John Carson

Every chapter is a death sentence.

When literary agent Sarah Matthews is found murdered in her St. Andrews office, the scene holds a chilling pages from an unpublished manuscript describing her death with eerie precision.
Days later, DCI James Craig receives an envelope containing the next chapter—detailing another murder that hasn’t yet happened.
As bodies begin to appear across Fife, each staged exactly as written, Craig realises he’s chasing a killer who is using fiction as their blueprint for revenge. The victims all share a dark history in the ruthless publishing world, where loyalty is fleeting and betrayal can be fatal.
With every new chapter that arrives, Craig is forced deeper into a web of ambition, obsession, and secrets long buried. The killer is always one step ahead, writing the story as it unfolds—and Craig fears his own name may be destined for the final page.

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2025

About the author

John Carson is the author of the DI Frank Miller detective series. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and lived there most of his life. In 2006, he emigrated to New York State with his American wife and two daughters. They now live in a small town in the Hudson Valley where his wife was brought up, with a German Shepherd, a Beagle mix and four cats.

Reviews

[Gareth Aspinall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say I’ve been reading John’s books for a few years now. I love the plot, the characters and the overall stories but I find the writing somewhat clumsy. There’s a lot of repetition with dialogue and it’s starting to get a little off putting. No doubt I’ll read the next instalment though…..

[Lora King]

Literary agents are being killed their deaths staged to look like accidents and Craig is receiving manuscripts describing each death....all this over a rejection letter? But who is the writer. A rejected author or a rejected retired police officer who knows how to not leave evidence.

[Gladys Block · Rating 1 out of 5]

This needs a rewrite. It should be read by an editor, from start to finish -- an editor who has not read it before. It is FULL of inconsistencies, things mentioned but no basis laid for understanding them, things that would have been caught by a good editor. It makes me wonder if there was an editor, or if it was written with the use of an AI. I've never seen this number of problems in a human-written book. It would have been not bad otherwise.

[Donali Howell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needs a new editor? The book contradicts itself every two pages!

[Steven Lane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very Sloppy

I've read many books by this author and this is the first one that I felt was extremely disjointed. There were many plot error and mistakes in information about characters. It is usually fun to read & try to work the clues leading to the killer, but this one kept introducing so many new people and going off on tangents (like the funeral) that I became confused (and not because I missed clues). Also, what's with introducing an evil twin right at the very end... REALLY??

[Frances Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absorbing story

Overall I enjoyed this story, it was a bit more complex than the usual police procedurals but I managed to keep pace with murders and the various personalities attending.
The first murder seemed standard once the initial investigation started, but then another happened which had a tenuous link to the first, but the deeper the investigation went, it appeared the could be many others.
I was drawn into the story quickly and tried to work out whodunnit but it wasn’t that simple, so I kept reading and enjoyed the journey.

[Mrs Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

James craig and Harry o'neil!! what a combination 👍

One Murder, that leads DCI's James Craig and Harry O'Neil searching for 'accidental deaths ' that are becoming unsolved murders
... thanks to chapters of books yet to be published.
We're led first in one direction then another when links seem to point to certain people.... this all ends in a surprise reveal!!!!
Another great book from John Carson, definitely a 5🌟 read 👌

[Lynne Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't dislike this book. A little confusing in places. John Carson is a prolific crime fiction writer and likes his 'crossover' detectives. well I suppose Scotland isn't the largest country in the world. Harry McNeill seems to pop up in quite a few of his books just drops everything to help out ! If you are a John Carson fan you will enjoy it.

[Margaret McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you read the series back to back you notice so many inconsistencies in this book. In book 1 the storyline includes DCI Craig’s dad dying in a suspicious accident. In this book, his dad dies while at his desk at work of a heart attack. Just a lot of inconsistencies, from hair colour of his girlfriend from book to book etc.
Story is just a bit all over the place and feels rushed.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Book

It was nice seeing DCI Craig and DCI McNeil working together again. This book kept me guessing the whole time! I didn’t expect that ending. It kept me interested the whole time. I look forward to the next book. Beth P.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a page turner!

Well written, great characters, and outstanding murders!
DCI Craig has his hands full, with what turns out to be serial killings. Bringing together old cops, and cops with a pedigree.
I couldn’t put this book down!

[peter senha · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Devils Dance with saints

Good read. I like to vary my book series to keep up my interest. The new characters made a fresh change and I will be continuing to read John Carson to get into them a bit more.

[Carol Elsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a Police procedural and fictional crimes become entangled!

Another well written book about DCI James Craig, that I could not put down! I always enjoy the interweaving of characters from other story lines.

[Margaret Ridings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting reading

Lives up to Carson’s style. Well plotted and a good read. Keeps reader engaged in the plot. Those looking for a good story will find what they want in one of Carson’s novels.

[Ryan Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

satisfying read

I’m a big fan of all of the John Carson series and this book lives up to my expectations. I enjoy all of the recent crossovers of characters and this one did it exceptionally well

[sharon cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read

Loved this book. It kept me guessing right up to the end. John Carson books are a must for any self respecting police procedural lover.

[Mrs Sue Leaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner

Great story bringing together characters from other series, who you feel you already know. Plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep you wanting more

[Marktroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

when devils dance with saints

Another great book by John Carson in the dci James Craig series can’t wait for the next one in the series

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not figure this one out. That being said there were some weird jumps in this storyline and didn't jive with what was actually going on in the investigation.