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Sholto Lestrade Mystery #16
Lestrade and the Devil's Own
In this, the final installment of the Lestrade Mystery Series, Lestrade is arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman dies in his arms on the streets of London.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2001
About the author
M.J. Trow
191 books123 followersMeirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 8, 2026
Another venture into London of the early 1900s.
The series is a surprise. Here the humour of most of the previous books had all but disappeared. This story was much more serious and not just because it opens with Lestrade sat in the condemned cell only a couple of days away from his execution.
From this start we are taken back several months and we read our way through the case of multiple deaths that he is working on. One again our author calls upon several characters from the period to play a part and manages to retain some of the name-plays we have become used to.
I have to say that I lost track of the complicated plot and even when it was all explained, I felt there was much that could had been detailed more fully, for example the number system. I thought the overall motive seemed too weak.
So not my favourite by a long way or perhaps because I have a winter cold, I just hadn't been able to apply the concentration the book needed this time.
6th February 2026
The series is a surprise. Here the humour of most of the previous books had all but disappeared. This story was much more serious and not just because it opens with Lestrade sat in the condemned cell only a couple of days away from his execution.
From this start we are taken back several months and we read our way through the case of multiple deaths that he is working on. One again our author calls upon several characters from the period to play a part and manages to retain some of the name-plays we have become used to.
I have to say that I lost track of the complicated plot and even when it was all explained, I felt there was much that could had been detailed more fully, for example the number system. I thought the overall motive seemed too weak.
So not my favourite by a long way or perhaps because I have a winter cold, I just hadn't been able to apply the concentration the book needed this time.
6th February 2026
February 9, 2025
Not one of the better Lestrade stories. A bit muddled, with parts that you could not see why they were included. Also a lot lighter on the blend of historical fact and fiction that is one of the more enjoyable aspects of these novels. It's only saving grace is that it lacks a lot of the schoolboy humour of the other books.
March 27, 2016
By no means my favourite Lestrade book, but enjoyed the humour. Eg. He's a vegetarian. Do you believe in star signs?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews