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The Devil's Switch
The Devil's Switch takes you into the mind of a serial killer. It draws a reader into a web of events from different characters that leads the reader to realize that anyone could be the killer.
The book is a psychological mystery novel.
For Detective Jack Davis, justice is never swift nor severe enough for criminals in Joxton City . So he personally sees to it that lawbreakers receive what he deems an appropriate punishment in an expeditious manner – and sometimes that’s death. But lurking in the shadows and operating under the guise of a vigilante is The Versifier, a mutilating killer who aids Jack’s efforts until a line is crossed. The Devil’s Switch is a gritty tale of the hunt for The Versifier as the killer’s deadly path intertwines with the lives of the temperamental Jack Davis, a lonely FBI agent grasping with her own dark past and an eccentric millionaire juggling the lives of others at the expense of the truth.
The book is a psychological mystery novel.
For Detective Jack Davis, justice is never swift nor severe enough for criminals in Joxton City . So he personally sees to it that lawbreakers receive what he deems an appropriate punishment in an expeditious manner – and sometimes that’s death. But lurking in the shadows and operating under the guise of a vigilante is The Versifier, a mutilating killer who aids Jack’s efforts until a line is crossed. The Devil’s Switch is a gritty tale of the hunt for The Versifier as the killer’s deadly path intertwines with the lives of the temperamental Jack Davis, a lonely FBI agent grasping with her own dark past and an eccentric millionaire juggling the lives of others at the expense of the truth.
345 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 24, 2014
This was a rough and violent book. The characters were psychopaths. I could not understand the plot. The twists and turns were over my head. I could not keep up with the characters. Some of them showed up under different names so I could not recognize them for many chapters. I still do not know who the Versifier was. Where did this name "versifier" come from? There were verses written at some of the murders, but they never made any logical or intuitive sense to me.
This book dealt with the dark under-belly of humanity more than most. There were a few pages describing copulation with a corpse. Her lover found her just as she was dying and realized he could never enjoy sex with her again, so he enjoyed sexual intercourse one last time with her dead body and this was described in some depth. I found these passages troubling but also interesting, since I ordinarily would never have thought of any of this.
Women were not treated empathetically by the author. One of the female protagonists was emotionally twisted from sibling incest. Except for one unrealistic idealized mother figure, all of the female characters were whores to their cores.
Negro-caucasian racial elements were emphasized, but to me were not significant to the story. I did not understand most of these references since to me the human psychology would normally have over-ridden the culture of race on most of the sub-issues. There was also an emphasis on police corruption which I thought was accurate. I think the author has some insight into government and politicians. The rich–versus–poor imbalance was a major influence on the stories.
There were many murders throughout the book. Lots of deaths. "Violent", "dark" and "gritty" are good words to describe it. I finished the book with a confused mind, not understanding why, who did what, when, to whom. Mysteries were unsolved through the ending for me.
This book dealt with the dark under-belly of humanity more than most. There were a few pages describing copulation with a corpse. Her lover found her just as she was dying and realized he could never enjoy sex with her again, so he enjoyed sexual intercourse one last time with her dead body and this was described in some depth. I found these passages troubling but also interesting, since I ordinarily would never have thought of any of this.
Women were not treated empathetically by the author. One of the female protagonists was emotionally twisted from sibling incest. Except for one unrealistic idealized mother figure, all of the female characters were whores to their cores.
Negro-caucasian racial elements were emphasized, but to me were not significant to the story. I did not understand most of these references since to me the human psychology would normally have over-ridden the culture of race on most of the sub-issues. There was also an emphasis on police corruption which I thought was accurate. I think the author has some insight into government and politicians. The rich–versus–poor imbalance was a major influence on the stories.
There were many murders throughout the book. Lots of deaths. "Violent", "dark" and "gritty" are good words to describe it. I finished the book with a confused mind, not understanding why, who did what, when, to whom. Mysteries were unsolved through the ending for me.
May 22, 2009
I met this author in the bookfair in 08 and loved his first book, after then, I have practically been stalking anything new he writes.The Devil's Switch is a very dark book with a very unpredictable ending. I found it very insightful, in the manner in which all the major characters were flawed, dark and yet so complete. I really loved the book and highly recommend the book to everyone.
October 30, 2013
This book is amazing
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews