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Devine’s Providence
There’s something rotten in Providence.
True-crime podcaster and blogger Chelsea Woodstern’s latest case is an investigation into a missing city official. She enlists the help of local private investigator Harry Devine, a lover of old movies and too much whiskey. But when her partner is murdered, Chelsea will stop at nothing to get justice—and Harry will stop at nothing to save Chelsea.
Harry learns he must confront his troubled past and mend some burned bridges in order to enlist the help they need—and they soon find themselves digging toward the bottom of a widespread conspiracy that gets more and more dangerous the more they uncover.
DEVINE’S PROVIDENCE is an exciting, charming, and often funny homage to classic detective stories.
True-crime podcaster and blogger Chelsea Woodstern’s latest case is an investigation into a missing city official. She enlists the help of local private investigator Harry Devine, a lover of old movies and too much whiskey. But when her partner is murdered, Chelsea will stop at nothing to get justice—and Harry will stop at nothing to save Chelsea.
Harry learns he must confront his troubled past and mend some burned bridges in order to enlist the help they need—and they soon find themselves digging toward the bottom of a widespread conspiracy that gets more and more dangerous the more they uncover.
DEVINE’S PROVIDENCE is an exciting, charming, and often funny homage to classic detective stories.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2020
24 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Reney
1 book7 followersStephen Reney is a future award-winning author, uncertified expert on everything, and master embellisher. Devine’s Providence is his first novel, so better to buy it now before collectors drive the price up. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and collection of wine corks which he swears he’s going to do something awesome with someday.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 15, 2020
Devine’s Providence pays loving homage to the old noir detective stories, while also poking a bit of fun at the clichés inherent to the genre. Reney does a great job of creating a PI right out of the old black and white movies with his cigars, scotch on the rocks, Jazz music and mysterious past. But this is a PI for the modern times. He’s got a quirky landlady, an old partner with a foul mouth, and there’s even a femme fatale, but she’s hardly a helpless damsel. The characters are well fleshed out and not one of them is perfect. (Except maybe Charlie.) The honest, and naturally dishonest, humanity of the cast makes them much more relatable. Harry Devine may be good at what he does, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t screw up. He’s smooth, but only sometimes. Zachetti has a heart of gold and a filthy mouth. Terry is something extra special, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. And then of course there’s our leading lady, Chelsea Woodstern, the bombshell that saunters into Harry’s office and turns his world upside down. She’s unlike any dame you’ve seen walking into a grizzled PI’s office asking for help.
Reney’s cast of characters are the stars of this novel. And the city of Providence itself is portrayed in such a way that it becomes its own entity. The capital of the smallest state is described in loving detail. A detail that does not overlook its flaws, but embraces them as part of its charm. It becomes not just Devine’s Providence, but the reader’s as well.
Along with the characters and locale, the dialogue, both spoken and internal, really shine. Reney gives us a dry wit that feels so familiar to the style he is paying homage to, but without taking itself quite so seriously. This is a book for the modern age, and what would the modern age be without an inconveniently purloined t-shirt featuring a kitten shooting lasers?
We also have a story with background information revealed in perfectly timed doses. Like the very best mystery stories, you discover details that shed a whole new light on what you’ve previously read. The entire tale is told from Harry’s point of view, but you don’t really, truly, understand him until right at the very end. The final pages will equally break and warm your heart.
The main quibbles are few typos, which with a small publisher happens fairly frequently these days, and a bit of a slow start. But, it is certainly worth the time. If you love detectives, mouthy dames, heart of gold grumps, Jazz, Providence, witty (and sometimes not so witty) banter or kittens shooting lasers, you won’t be disappointed.
Reney’s cast of characters are the stars of this novel. And the city of Providence itself is portrayed in such a way that it becomes its own entity. The capital of the smallest state is described in loving detail. A detail that does not overlook its flaws, but embraces them as part of its charm. It becomes not just Devine’s Providence, but the reader’s as well.
Along with the characters and locale, the dialogue, both spoken and internal, really shine. Reney gives us a dry wit that feels so familiar to the style he is paying homage to, but without taking itself quite so seriously. This is a book for the modern age, and what would the modern age be without an inconveniently purloined t-shirt featuring a kitten shooting lasers?
We also have a story with background information revealed in perfectly timed doses. Like the very best mystery stories, you discover details that shed a whole new light on what you’ve previously read. The entire tale is told from Harry’s point of view, but you don’t really, truly, understand him until right at the very end. The final pages will equally break and warm your heart.
The main quibbles are few typos, which with a small publisher happens fairly frequently these days, and a bit of a slow start. But, it is certainly worth the time. If you love detectives, mouthy dames, heart of gold grumps, Jazz, Providence, witty (and sometimes not so witty) banter or kittens shooting lasers, you won’t be disappointed.
September 3, 2020
A goddamn delight. What else can I say?
Okay, I'll just be blunt about this -- Devine's Providence is a goddamn delight . A modern twist on classic noir, it's a story about a washed-up PI and a rag-tag ensemble of characters trying to solve a murder in the most wonderful and corrupt city in America (Providence, RI! MY city, y'all!). The characters are amazing, the writing is sharp as a whip, the setting breathes, the mystery is layered -- I could go on.
But beyond all that, Devine's Providence also has a certain something else to it that makes it extra-special... it has what I can only describe as heaping amounts of heart. It just feels incredibly, deeply genuine. I'm not usually much of a mystery reader. But Devine's Providence caught me hook, line, and sinker. It's intensely readable, and presents a cast of characters that it's impossible not to love. And I can't help but feel that now, in a deeply cynical and generally sort of crappy 2020, is the time when we most need stories like this -- stories that are fun and earnest and emotional and laugh-out-loud funny and also, of course, very human and relatable.
I feel so fortunate to have seen this one come to life, and suuuuper jazzed to see the world experience it. October, folks. You want to read this one. Really.
Okay, I'll just be blunt about this -- Devine's Providence is a goddamn delight . A modern twist on classic noir, it's a story about a washed-up PI and a rag-tag ensemble of characters trying to solve a murder in the most wonderful and corrupt city in America (Providence, RI! MY city, y'all!). The characters are amazing, the writing is sharp as a whip, the setting breathes, the mystery is layered -- I could go on.
But beyond all that, Devine's Providence also has a certain something else to it that makes it extra-special... it has what I can only describe as heaping amounts of heart. It just feels incredibly, deeply genuine. I'm not usually much of a mystery reader. But Devine's Providence caught me hook, line, and sinker. It's intensely readable, and presents a cast of characters that it's impossible not to love. And I can't help but feel that now, in a deeply cynical and generally sort of crappy 2020, is the time when we most need stories like this -- stories that are fun and earnest and emotional and laugh-out-loud funny and also, of course, very human and relatable.
I feel so fortunate to have seen this one come to life, and suuuuper jazzed to see the world experience it. October, folks. You want to read this one. Really.
August 5, 2021
As a Providence resident, so much to relate too. Not a disappointment at all. I am a fan and hope to see another local book in the future.
November 29, 2020
It was an interesting read
It was written in the first person and very dialogue driven. These are my favorite books to read, as you can get a better sense of what the character is thinking. When I wasn't reading, I found myself wondering what the characters were up to. The author made the people in the story come alive, and Providence was written as if it too were a character. I loved that it was set in Providence and in places I was familiar with. I enjoyed this book very much.
It was written in the first person and very dialogue driven. These are my favorite books to read, as you can get a better sense of what the character is thinking. When I wasn't reading, I found myself wondering what the characters were up to. The author made the people in the story come alive, and Providence was written as if it too were a character. I loved that it was set in Providence and in places I was familiar with. I enjoyed this book very much.
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October 31, 2020Stephen Reney's "Devine's Providence" was a fun and entertaining read. The mix of humor and intrigue, balanced with the sounds, smells and sights of the Rhode Island capital was captivating. The main characters were as complex as they were relatable; traits I've rarely found in novels. The wit was subtle yet keen, a truly intelligent mix. If I were asked to describe this work I'd say it was rapidly moving livre noir. This was assuredly worth spending a few hours away from television and social media. Reney's first novel is a winner. I think he and writing is "the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews