Review: The Devil Upstairs

The Devil Upstairs by Anthony O'Neill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cat Thomas has moved to Edinburgh, from Florida. She has found the perfect flat and for a while it is an idyll. But then her neighbour comes home and Dylan Moyle or Tur-Moyle as he is known, makes her life hell. Constant noise all night to the extent she spends some nights in a nearby hotel, just to get some sleep.

She’s started her new job, as a fraud investigator for ABC bank and is befriended by Agnes, a fiery Scot with a penchant for the Goth. Chatting about witches and general spooky stuff, Agnes invites Cat to a get together of her group, the conclave, for a game.

Tired and stressed, Cat agrees….takes part in a weird aptitude test, while drinking Irn-Bru and breathing in sulphurous air…….just who is sitting in the velvety blackness?

She wakes up in her own bed, not really knowing what’s going on…Agnes says she was just drunk! But then Tur-Moyle is found dead in the flat upstairs, torn apart! There are more murders, anyone who upsets or threatens Cat, seems to end up dead.

What follows is a clever mix of Ira Levin and Dennis Wheatley, with strange violent events, a charming, mysterious new neighbour and creepy, whispering ‘tourists’…..

This captures the damp, foggy atmosphere of a chilly Edinburgh, and the general inconsiderate nature of some people in general……a chilling reminder of Be Careful What You Wish For and its consequences…utterly brilliant.

My thanks to Jaz at Black & White Publishing for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest and unbiased review.



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