An elite public school. An outsider. Rumours of a haunting...Fleeing expulsion and the death of a close friend, Andrew Taylor is sent to spend his final year at the prestigious public school Harrow. It is an eccentric place, a rambling ancient building filled with the sons of the rich and famous. The other pupils notice Andrew's striking resemblance to Lord Byron, a former pupil of Harrow - and then the trouble begins. Andrew senses a malevolent presence, and when a classmate dies, the haunting becomes all too real. When another classmate falls ill, and Andrew discovers old letters hidden in a bricked-up basement, he must uncover a secret history - before it is too late.
The White Devil
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"[An] ingenious and creepy supernatural thriller, will give you chills even in the summer heat. Evans has fused a literary mystery, sinister ghost story and Gothic romance with the story of a boy's intellectual and sexual awakening."--"The Tuscon Citizen"
Book Description
A stunning ghost story set in the public school, Harrow
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By d j j
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gripping and unpredictable. A great read for anyone who likes a shivery read. It makes a very good Winter read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Desert Dusty
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this at Christmas to deliver the time honoured seasonal ghost story. Unfortunately, it was neither chilling nor particularly well written - for example, some of the English characters' speech was too American in tone. The only redeeming feature of the book was some factual interest about Harrow school and Byron.
By jimmy
Format:Paperback
The White Devil wasn't very scary. However, it was compelling. A good debut novel, but I was disappointed as I thought it would be a lot scarier. Fairly well-written, with interesting characters keep you turning the pages. Overall, good but not brilliant.
By Ruby
Format:Hardcover
I wish I liked this more than I did, after reading the blurb I thought I would have LOVED it!
An interesting concept, a well thought out literary mystery with an excellent moody, atmospheric feel but I just couldn't take to the characters. The lead, Andrew, I never felt as if I got to know him, I couldn't stand Persephone Vine. I felt that some of the characters were trying too hard to be English eccentrics. Some chilling set pieces that worked really well but ultimately I felt the characters let the story down and it never lived up to the hype.
Still worth a read if you like spooky,gothic, atmospheric novels.
An interesting concept, a well thought out literary mystery with an excellent moody, atmospheric feel but I just couldn't take to the characters. The lead, Andrew, I never felt as if I got to know him, I couldn't stand Persephone Vine. I felt that some of the characters were trying too hard to be English eccentrics. Some chilling set pieces that worked really well but ultimately I felt the characters let the story down and it never lived up to the hype.
Still worth a read if you like spooky,gothic, atmospheric novels.
By Brett H
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I found White Devil captivating from the outset. The author has certainly chosen the perfect setting for a ghost story in the Lot, a house at Harrow school accommodating students. The house itself is quite old, but at its heart is a much older dwelling which would have been in use at the time of Lord Byron, whom the story is crafted around. I was a little apprehensive about this, as it is very easy to slander the dead, but the author has kept his tale true to the known facts about Byron who was, in any case, famously described as `mad, bad and dangerous to know'.
The story develops at a very gentle pace, but when the writing is good that really does not matter. The whole account is very atmospheric and this was one of those books which I found myself taking the time to read word for word as I was enjoying it so much. The supernatural elements are certainly eerie, but from the outset there is a hint of menace and the impression that this is far from a benign spirit. The plot is well thought out and I did not find it predictable so there is always the feeling that there is something unexpected and somewhat threatening just around the corner which keeps you turning the pages.
The story begins with Andrew Taylor arriving at Harrow to join the sixth form. Andrew is an American and has come to Harrow as a last resort after getting himself in trouble in the educational establishment he had attended in the States. Initially he is like a fish out of water but is soon persuaded to be part of a play based on the life of Byron which his housemaster, Fawkes, is writing. Andrew bears an uncanny resemblance to Byron and when he starts playing the part of Byron, the supernatural elements really start creeping in.... Read more ›
The story develops at a very gentle pace, but when the writing is good that really does not matter. The whole account is very atmospheric and this was one of those books which I found myself taking the time to read word for word as I was enjoying it so much. The supernatural elements are certainly eerie, but from the outset there is a hint of menace and the impression that this is far from a benign spirit. The plot is well thought out and I did not find it predictable so there is always the feeling that there is something unexpected and somewhat threatening just around the corner which keeps you turning the pages.
The story begins with Andrew Taylor arriving at Harrow to join the sixth form. Andrew is an American and has come to Harrow as a last resort after getting himself in trouble in the educational establishment he had attended in the States. Initially he is like a fish out of water but is soon persuaded to be part of a play based on the life of Byron which his housemaster, Fawkes, is writing. Andrew bears an uncanny resemblance to Byron and when he starts playing the part of Byron, the supernatural elements really start creeping in.... Read more ›
By SJSmith
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Once I'd got to the end of part one (page 157 in my copy) I became interested - it took that long and I genuinely felt like abandoning it many times before that. The only character I really felt was developed consistently was that of Piers Fawkes, who is Andrew's Housemaster. I couldn't visualise the characters at all, despite the extremely detailed information about them. Written in a literary style similar to that of some 18th and 19th century novels, there are passages upon passages of long-winded descrption which at times I felt detracted from essentially a great plot. I thought the setting in the novel was good - it added some atmosphere - and Justin Evans used his own experiences to present the location well enough for those who have never been there. I also didn't feel that the explanations for those not involved in this culture drew the readers' attention away from the developing story.
I'd been looking forward to reading this as I loved the idea of the link with Byron and this really did work. The ghost story aspect was good but not chilling in the way I'd been hoping for. I had visions of feeling like I did when I read 'The Turn of the Screw' by Henry James for example but it didn't sadly. If it hadn't plodded along so slowly and had picked up the pace then it would've been 4 stars and having said that if it had flowed better it might even have been 5 stars because I did like the story. It isn't one I'd recommend to my friends unless I was certain they didn't mind the long-windedness of it.
I'd been looking forward to reading this as I loved the idea of the link with Byron and this really did work. The ghost story aspect was good but not chilling in the way I'd been hoping for. I had visions of feeling like I did when I read 'The Turn of the Screw' by Henry James for example but it didn't sadly. If it hadn't plodded along so slowly and had picked up the pace then it would've been 4 stars and having said that if it had flowed better it might even have been 5 stars because I did like the story. It isn't one I'd recommend to my friends unless I was certain they didn't mind the long-windedness of it.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
When seventeen-year-old Andrew Taylor gets into trouble at his school in Connecticut his parents decide to send him to Britain's prestigious Harrow School to finish his education. On Andrew's arrival at Harrow, people begin to remark on his resemblance to the poet, Lord Byron, who also attended Harrow two centuries earlier. This makes Andrew the perfect choice for the role of Byron in the school play, which is being written by his housemaster, Piers Fawkes. But when Andrew witnesses the death of one of his new friends and starts to experience terrifying visions and ghostly sightings, he becomes convinced that Harrow is haunted and that the death is connected with something that happened during Byron's time at the school. With the help of Persephone Vine, the only girl at Harrow, Andrew and Fawkes begin to investigate, but can they discover the truth behind the hauntings before someone else dies?
I was excited about reading The White Devil as it really sounded like a book I would enjoy. And I did enjoy it, though maybe not as much as I was hoping to. I would describe the book as part ghost story, part literary mystery (though not a particularly scary ghost story, in my opinion - while it was certainly very atmospheric and unsettling, the scenes where Andrew encountered the ghost didn't scare me very much). The Byron element of the novel was what really interested me and the main reason why I wanted to read this book. I admit I wasn't sure exactly how much of this story was based on historical fact and how much was pure fiction, but I did enjoy watching Andrew and the other characters researching Byron's life and attempting to solve the mystery surrounding him.... Read more ›
I was excited about reading The White Devil as it really sounded like a book I would enjoy. And I did enjoy it, though maybe not as much as I was hoping to. I would describe the book as part ghost story, part literary mystery (though not a particularly scary ghost story, in my opinion - while it was certainly very atmospheric and unsettling, the scenes where Andrew encountered the ghost didn't scare me very much). The Byron element of the novel was what really interested me and the main reason why I wanted to read this book. I admit I wasn't sure exactly how much of this story was based on historical fact and how much was pure fiction, but I did enjoy watching Andrew and the other characters researching Byron's life and attempting to solve the mystery surrounding him.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable yarn
(Actually if I could give 3.5 stars, I'd be happier with that. This was recommended by the Times book club (I'm not a member, but they seemed to be pushing it more than I'd... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Wee Charlie
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hard work!
I don't normally review a book before I have finished it, but in this case, I'm making an exception. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lois Yorke
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poor
The opening to this book was very good but...then it just gets silly. Stereotypical public school boys. I am afriad I had to stop reading.
Published 11 months ago by London Tube
3.0 out of 5 stars
An American in Harrow
Andrew: a boy that mixed with a bad crowd and was duly expelled from his college in the USA is transferred at great expense to attend the prestigious Harrow School . Read more
Published 19 months ago by BusyReader
3.0 out of 5 stars
An elaborate and well-orchestrated ghost story, which sadly lacks in...
First published in May of 2010 (US) and October 2011 (UK), 'The White Devil' formed US author Justin Evans' second novel to see publication following on from his debut with 'A Good... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Chris Hall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Harrow-ing
The premise of The White Devil - like most ghost stories - doesn't look all that promising in outline, but, like the best of its kind, the key to its success lies in the detail of... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Keris Nine
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