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Samantha Cody #1
Devil's Playground
Does Satan have a malevolent Earthly presence?
Deputy Samantha Cody finally bagged her man. The juryâ s Guilty of three counts of murder despite Richard Earl Garrettâ s "the devil made me do itâ defense. The A trip to San Quentinâ s death row.
But, even with Garrett safely locked away, other murders occur, each with his â signature.â
The bizarre deaths attract a cadre of characters to Mercerâ s Corner, a tiny California desert Nathan Klimek, star reporter for â Straight Storyâ , a supermarket check-out tabloid rag; Penelope, no last name, and her pseudo-Satanic followers; Awinita Stillwater, a local Cherokee Indian spiritualist; and Reverend Billy Thibideaux and his First Church of God disciples.
As fear and panic grip the community, Sam struggles to uncover the truth only to find more questions than answers. Does Satan have a malevolent Earthly presence? A face? A name? How could Richard Earl Garrett continue his rampage while locked up? How could he know details of the brutal killings and, more importantly, know what lies in the deepest recesses of her heart? Could she ever defeat a man who appears to possess such unearthly powers? Are her tough-mindedness and professional boxing skills enough to wage war against â the right hand of Satanâ ?
Follow Samantha Codyâ s further adventures in DOUBLE BLIND.
Deputy Samantha Cody finally bagged her man. The juryâ s Guilty of three counts of murder despite Richard Earl Garrettâ s "the devil made me do itâ defense. The A trip to San Quentinâ s death row.
But, even with Garrett safely locked away, other murders occur, each with his â signature.â
The bizarre deaths attract a cadre of characters to Mercerâ s Corner, a tiny California desert Nathan Klimek, star reporter for â Straight Storyâ , a supermarket check-out tabloid rag; Penelope, no last name, and her pseudo-Satanic followers; Awinita Stillwater, a local Cherokee Indian spiritualist; and Reverend Billy Thibideaux and his First Church of God disciples.
As fear and panic grip the community, Sam struggles to uncover the truth only to find more questions than answers. Does Satan have a malevolent Earthly presence? A face? A name? How could Richard Earl Garrett continue his rampage while locked up? How could he know details of the brutal killings and, more importantly, know what lies in the deepest recesses of her heart? Could she ever defeat a man who appears to possess such unearthly powers? Are her tough-mindedness and professional boxing skills enough to wage war against â the right hand of Satanâ ?
Follow Samantha Codyâ s further adventures in DOUBLE BLIND.
432 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2001
17 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
D.P. Lyle
34 books153 followersDP Lyle, MD is the Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning and Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, Silver Falchion, and USA Best Book Award nominated author of many non-fiction books as well as numerous works of fiction.
He has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, House, Medium, and Pretty Little Liars and others
For the past 35 years, he has practiced Cardiology in Orange County, California. He is the co-host, along with Jan Burke, of Crime and Science Radio, a twice-monthly program on Suspense Radio.
He has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, House, Medium, and Pretty Little Liars and others
For the past 35 years, he has practiced Cardiology in Orange County, California. He is the co-host, along with Jan Burke, of Crime and Science Radio, a twice-monthly program on Suspense Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2020
This might be a generous rating: I confess I didn't read the entire book. You need to know why.
The book grabbed me early on--a trucker goes a little nuts, crosses the median, and hits a car he seems to have targeted, killing the couple inside. It all seems tied to a man just tried and convicted in a tiny Mohave town, a man who serves Satan.
From there the book sort of devolves into a series of gruesome murder descriptions and at least one scene of Satan-worshipping which concludes with a sex orgy. That's where I closed the book.
All along I'd wondered if DP Lyle was a man because so much of the way Sam was described -- a sort of "just between us guys" tone crept through to me with the sexualization of a Satanic ritual and the glorification of two women getting into a boxing ring to hit each other.
I'm all for strong female protagonists, and tend to choose the books I read hoping to always find them (Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak comes to mind), so I'm not a fan of shrinking wallflowers. Because of some of the phrases Sam used, I even wondered if the book had originally been written with a male main character, then switched to female in a later draft, not quite successfully.
Some odd typos and other details were likewise distracting. A Cherokee woman appears in Sam's office to warn her. I'm no expert in Native American tribes, but Cherokees are generally on the East Coast, and while such a character could certainly be in the Mohave, I would have liked some explanation for it.
And somehow it's hard to imagine a town as tucked away as fictional Mercer's Corner is supposed to be having a Starbucks. Or other businesses. Novelists are known to stretch the truth, and I would have bought into a non-brand-name coffee shop. But Starbucks?
Yep, I take the suspension of disbelief seriously. I want to be sucked in, I want to believe this town and these characters exist someplace. When I get poked and prodded and nudged away from that believe, the book fails for me.
The book grabbed me early on--a trucker goes a little nuts, crosses the median, and hits a car he seems to have targeted, killing the couple inside. It all seems tied to a man just tried and convicted in a tiny Mohave town, a man who serves Satan.
From there the book sort of devolves into a series of gruesome murder descriptions and at least one scene of Satan-worshipping which concludes with a sex orgy. That's where I closed the book.
All along I'd wondered if DP Lyle was a man because so much of the way Sam was described -- a sort of "just between us guys" tone crept through to me with the sexualization of a Satanic ritual and the glorification of two women getting into a boxing ring to hit each other.
I'm all for strong female protagonists, and tend to choose the books I read hoping to always find them (Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak comes to mind), so I'm not a fan of shrinking wallflowers. Because of some of the phrases Sam used, I even wondered if the book had originally been written with a male main character, then switched to female in a later draft, not quite successfully.
Some odd typos and other details were likewise distracting. A Cherokee woman appears in Sam's office to warn her. I'm no expert in Native American tribes, but Cherokees are generally on the East Coast, and while such a character could certainly be in the Mohave, I would have liked some explanation for it.
And somehow it's hard to imagine a town as tucked away as fictional Mercer's Corner is supposed to be having a Starbucks. Or other businesses. Novelists are known to stretch the truth, and I would have bought into a non-brand-name coffee shop. But Starbucks?
Yep, I take the suspension of disbelief seriously. I want to be sucked in, I want to believe this town and these characters exist someplace. When I get poked and prodded and nudged away from that believe, the book fails for me.
August 5, 2022
Devil’s Playground by D. P. Lyle
Sam is a deputy in Mercer’s Corner a tiny town in the desert. The story begins with a satanist’s conviction for the foul murder of three children. Richard Earl Garrett believes he is connected to the devil and he seems blithely unconcerned about his confession to murder and subsequent conviction. The plot includes Nathan, a tabloid journalist seen by Sam as a bottom-feeding slime bucket.
Sparks fly between Nathan and Samantha. Their mating dance is interwoven throughout the story. Manson like followers of Richard Earl Garrett show up in town and murders begin.
Lyle creates a lot of tension. The fearful community, the insanely attractive slimeball journalist, the town’s mayor, Reverend Billy, an unscrupulous pseudo evangelist all seem pitted against each other.
The tension carries to the end and as this is the first in a series featuring Sam, you can guess he survives the terror-stricken town’s ire.
I enjoyed the book.
Sam is a deputy in Mercer’s Corner a tiny town in the desert. The story begins with a satanist’s conviction for the foul murder of three children. Richard Earl Garrett believes he is connected to the devil and he seems blithely unconcerned about his confession to murder and subsequent conviction. The plot includes Nathan, a tabloid journalist seen by Sam as a bottom-feeding slime bucket.
Sparks fly between Nathan and Samantha. Their mating dance is interwoven throughout the story. Manson like followers of Richard Earl Garrett show up in town and murders begin.
Lyle creates a lot of tension. The fearful community, the insanely attractive slimeball journalist, the town’s mayor, Reverend Billy, an unscrupulous pseudo evangelist all seem pitted against each other.
The tension carries to the end and as this is the first in a series featuring Sam, you can guess he survives the terror-stricken town’s ire.
I enjoyed the book.
August 23, 2024
Picked this up because the back cover synopsis sounded so good and intriguing. It was fast paced and definitely intriguing. Was the murdered really in league with Satan or was he schizophrenic? And if he is in prison, who was committing all the gruesome murders? It was a page turner, though I was really disappointed with the sex scenes the author felt he had to include in the book. It would have been fine without them. Innuendo would have sufficed.
Not a keeper on my shelf.
Not a keeper on my shelf.
March 26, 2025
Another DP Lyle character that I've read and enjoyed. A little dark but compelling story with excellent writing and good characters. I still probably prefer Bobby and Harper but so far have liked Jake, Dub, and now Samantha. Great author.
February 29, 2020
My favourite series from this super talented author. This book got me from the beginning and never let go. Hope there are many more books to come in this series.
January 5, 2018
I have read many strong, female protagonist stories, but D.P. Lyle’s Deputy Samantha Cody’s strength is near to unwavering from beginning to end. The Devil’s Playground, the first book in the Samantha Cody series, is both a mystery and a gripping suspenseful story pitting good against evil, while asking the unnerving question many have asked--Is the Devil real? When Deputy Cody catches the vile, Richard Earl Garrett, she believes her job is finished and she merely needs to wait his sentencing…death. Yet, jury members are murdered. Members of the community, good folks, are thought to have murdered. And Richard Garrett, locked away in jail, takes responsibility for it all, stating it proves he is in concert with the devil and is one of the devil’s disciples. I turned page to page wondering how Mr. Lyle was going to finish this book. Almost as if I was waiting to see if he would in fact answer the age old question.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews