Review: Devil in the Countryside by Cory Barclay

Published: January 2017

Pages: 348

Synopsis: “Devil in the Countryside is a story about the most famous werewolf investigation in history, brimming with intrigue and war, love and betrayal, and long-kept vendettas.

It's 1588, the height of the Reformation, and a killer is terrorizing the German countryside. There are reports that the legendary Werewolf of Bedburg has returned to a once-peaceful land. Heinrich Franz, a cold and calculating investigator, is tasked with finding whomever -- or whatever -- the killer might be. He'll need all the help he can get, including that of a strange hunter who's recently stumbled into town. Though they're after the same thing, their reasons are worlds apart.

And through it all, a priest tries to keep the peace among his frightened townsfolk, while a young woman threatens his most basic beliefs.”

Rating: ****

I received a free copy of Devil in the Countryside in exchange for an honest review.

I know embarrassingly little about the rise of Martin Luther in Germany (other than what was mentioned during the TV series of The Tudors) and the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, so the historical Religious setting was unfortunately lost on me. But I decided to refrain from using Google to supplement my reading and hope that Devil in the Countryside would manage to teach me something.

Devil in the Countryside had an eerie atmosphere from the very beginning and Cory Barclay’s descriptive writing style definitely suited the setting. The characters were introduced gradually, with the main four players each having chapters written from their points of view – Heinrich the investigator hunting the werewolf of Bedburg, Georg a former solider who is also hunting the werewolf, Dieter the local Priest and Sybil the daughter of a local farmer. These were a good mix of characters with four very different views on the world and different motives, which provided interesting reading and room for character development. This also provided an interesting take on brains versus brawn, as Heinrich was the logical thinking official investigator, whereas Georg was a former solider with personal reasons for hunting the beast.

The werewolf hunt was a good introduction into the community, which was both united in their fear but divided at the same time and was a good starting point from which to develop the characters and their individual storylines.

The only thing I wasn’t sure about (and this is my being VERY picky) were the various references to teenage angst. Was this a recognised concept in the 1500s? Maybe it was, but would it have been defined in the same way as we define it today?

Devil in the Countryside gets a very solid 4*, well thought out, researched and written. Cory Barclay is definitely an author to watch.