The Devil Wore Black by Mark Fowler | @MFowlerAuthor

Author : Mark Fowler
Title : The Devil Wore Black
Series : Tyler & Mills #3
Pages : 306
Publisher : n/a
Publication date : March 21, 2020

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

November 2003. When a priest is found crucified, following the desecration of local churches, hysterical media coverage focuses on terrorism, and a satanic cult operating out in the wilds of North Staffordshire. Panic grips the city. DCI Tyler and DS Mills are under pressure as the toxic atmosphere deepens.

One line of enquiry, involving historic allegations against the murdered priest, is close to home for Tyler and threatens to tip him over the edge. But Mills has a hunch that could lead the investigation in a different direction, until a serious complaint is made against him. The investigation appears to have stalled, when a second ritual murder is discovered. The pressure to find the killer mounts, and as winter closes in the detectives find themselves pushed to the limits. 

| MY THOUGHTS |

The Devil Wore Black is the third instalment in the Tyler and Mills series but reads perfectly well as a stand-alone. Things start out rather gruesome in this one when an unsuspecting jogger stumbles across the body of a priest nailed to a cross. The year is 2003. It hasn’t been that long since terrorism invaded the western world and so the media focuses on the terrorist angle but detectives aren’t convinced. There is after all a satanic cult operating in this area that could have something to do with this murder. Or was the priest hiding a dark secret? Plenty of angles for the detectives to investigate but for DCI Tyler, things may start to hit a little too close to home.

Several lines of enquiries then and all of them seemed perfectly plausible to me. But just when I thought I was getting close to figuring things out, another body is found in similar circumstances to the priest and it completely threw me off. I didn’t have a clue as to who was behind these murders or why.

Central to the story are allegations of abuse. Not only do these surround the dead priest in a “did he or did he not” kind of way, but abuse is also a big part of DCI Tyler’s background. Tyler is a difficult character to get to know, always playing things close to the vest, a tough nut to crack. But this investigation allows the reader to get a glimpse behind the facade. Do his experiences cloud his judgment though?

Different as they may be, as a team Tyler and Mills work quite well. Mills is a very different kind of person and often provides some of the comic relief with a witty remark or action, the latter mostly happening when biscuits are in his immediate surroundings. Despite their differences, they get along well. The banter between them covers up a multitude of feelings but also offers some hope that maybe some day there will be a friendship between the two of them.

I can’t deny I struggled a little bit with The Devil Wore Black at the start of the book and for some reason, I kept mixing Tyler and Mills up. That could quite possibly be down to me though as my concentration levels are shot to pieces (as I’m sure applies to many of us) and the pace was a bit too much on the slow side for me. But once the investigation really kicked off, I couldn’t stop until I knew what was going on. For the faint-hearted among you, while the murders sound brutal, none of it plays out on the page. But what I particularly liked is that the investigation isn’t nicely wrapped up in a bow. Maybe that’s something for Tyler and Mills to sink their teeth into in the future.

The Devil Wore Black is a well-plotted and intriguing police procedural with plenty of suspects and complex issues that will undoubtedly please fans of this series.

My thanks to Mark Fowler for the review copy. The Devil Wears Black is available to buy!

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