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alexanderp's review
4.0
A brutal murder forces Nate Burns out of retirement and across the country to solve a case. This not only moves Nate geographically but inward as he attempts to deal with the fallout of the Cold War from thirty years earlier. Book three of the Nate and Clare series and this novel specifically attempts to deal with our hero, Nate, as he deals with being forced into retirement for medical reasons. He is hesitant with rising to this new case, with dealing with his identity that is so closely linked with his former position. The novel unpacks a lot and with a dash of humor, Dance with the Devils by Kwen Griffeth, is a great thriller, especially for those who want to see a little less blood or cursing in their novels.
At first glance, as it is with most mysteries to the untrained reader, it seems like a simple solve, but Griffeth takes us on a complex, arc over the course of the journey, which has the best narrative form, both a plot of the mystery and murder, while also dealing with Nate and his crisis of identity and purpose. The killer is obviously, always a step ahead and keeps our heroes on his trail for most of the book as the genre
The characters, from Jack Mill, to Nate, to Gabe are all well characterized and keep us invest in the story considering there are both new and old faces in this novel. They all play out their various roles well and Nate’s struggle becomes very defined as the novel goes on. Being that this is the third book in the series, the struggles and plot sometimes weigh it down and rely on the reader to remember some characterization from previous books, but Griffeth is able to keep the book moving enough for this not to be a burden.
Some elements of this novel became too much at times though, such as how description was thrown in with stilted phrases. None of it seemed natural and the novel tends to lean on genre tropes more heavily that even the predecessors did. The fact that Griffeth makes this a “clean” thriller is an interesting flip with the lack of cursing and “blood-lite”, but at the same time this negates some of the tension that a thriller needs to carry a book like this.
Despite all of this, Dance with the Devils is an exciting and interesting trip for Nate and the reader, where we attempt to answer who we outside of the things that define us.
At first glance, as it is with most mysteries to the untrained reader, it seems like a simple solve, but Griffeth takes us on a complex, arc over the course of the journey, which has the best narrative form, both a plot of the mystery and murder, while also dealing with Nate and his crisis of identity and purpose. The killer is obviously, always a step ahead and keeps our heroes on his trail for most of the book as the genre
The characters, from Jack Mill, to Nate, to Gabe are all well characterized and keep us invest in the story considering there are both new and old faces in this novel. They all play out their various roles well and Nate’s struggle becomes very defined as the novel goes on. Being that this is the third book in the series, the struggles and plot sometimes weigh it down and rely on the reader to remember some characterization from previous books, but Griffeth is able to keep the book moving enough for this not to be a burden.
Some elements of this novel became too much at times though, such as how description was thrown in with stilted phrases. None of it seemed natural and the novel tends to lean on genre tropes more heavily that even the predecessors did. The fact that Griffeth makes this a “clean” thriller is an interesting flip with the lack of cursing and “blood-lite”, but at the same time this negates some of the tension that a thriller needs to carry a book like this.
Despite all of this, Dance with the Devils is an exciting and interesting trip for Nate and the reader, where we attempt to answer who we outside of the things that define us.
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