My Review of The Man in the Dark by Jonathan Whitelaw

My Review:

The Man In The Dark by Jonathan Whitelaw was a fun read. I loved the incongruity of the Devil in a truculent mood, one could say that of a rebellious teenager. He's doing God's bidding (again) all whilst unwisely leaving the unruly Brutus and Cassius to their own devices in Hell. Throw in a body that no one would wish for and Whitelaw easily sets the scene for a disgruntled Devil who the reader can laugh at, and I did ... frequently. However, Whitelaw cleverly humanises the Devil so as we feel some sympathy and even one might say empathy. Then in a God like way, Whitelaw has the Devil show his true self as he behaves in a stereotypically devilish way, or does he? It's not a first person narrative so we're never quite sure. Bravo Jonathan Whitelaw, The Man In The Dark was a thoroughly enjoyable romp and I look forward to the Devil's next visit.

The Man In The Dark is not just a flippant endeavour for underneath the dark humour is an undercurrent of what it means to be human which I particularly enjoyed. Whitelaw makes us consider the power of love, both negative and positive; trust; feeling at the mercy of those more powerful; and being dissatisfied with our lot in life. The Devil, of course, does not supply the answers because he's the Devil afterall ... but he does take us on a journey to consider such matters for ourselves.

The Man In The Dark is the second in the series after Hellscorp but it does work perfectly well as a standalone novel.

Thank you to Kelly at LoveBookTours for inviting me to take part in this tour.