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The Devil's Staircase
Rare book
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2009
32 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
About the author
Helen Fitzgerald
20 books345 followersHelen FitzGerald is the second youngest of thirteen children. She grew up in the small town of Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, and studied English and History at the University of Melbourne. Via India and London, Helen came to Glasgow University where she completed a Diploma and Masters in Social Work. She works part time as a criminal justice social worker in Glasgow. She's married to screenwriter Sergio Casci, and they have two children.
Follow her on twitter @fitzhelen
Follow her on twitter @fitzhelen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
November 15, 2020
This was a really quick, interesting read. It had the right amount of twists, a good amount of suspense and I didn't predict the ending at all. I found myself not wanting to put it down, really worth the read!
I found it so surprising because the book itself doesn't sound that good, the only part that made me buy it was the part at the front, how she had never took drugs, killed someone or slept with someone before but within 6 weeks had done all three. I AM SOOOO GLAD I took the chance on it. A girl kidnapped in the basement, the kidnapper one of the squatters. It has so much description in the story that at parts I could imagine it, which wasn't the best image when it got to the kidnapped woman trying to get attention/ a way out by falling over and laying in her own toilet waste.
It's like two stories linked together in such a clever way! Amazing author!
I found it so surprising because the book itself doesn't sound that good, the only part that made me buy it was the part at the front, how she had never took drugs, killed someone or slept with someone before but within 6 weeks had done all three. I AM SOOOO GLAD I took the chance on it. A girl kidnapped in the basement, the kidnapper one of the squatters. It has so much description in the story that at parts I could imagine it, which wasn't the best image when it got to the kidnapped woman trying to get attention/ a way out by falling over and laying in her own toilet waste.
It's like two stories linked together in such a clever way! Amazing author!
September 20, 2014
Amazing read I couldn't put it down :) Helen Fitzgerald is a fantastic author x
June 1, 2021
I hated some parts of this and wanted to stop reading - unfortunately the entire first part of the book - and I mainly carried on reading as this would have been the third DNF in a row.
I'm really glad I carried on reading, however as the second half of the book is significantly more interesting.
The ending is not just a twist but a swift head-butt in the face, I was left quite dazed!
I'm really glad I carried on reading, however as the second half of the book is significantly more interesting.
The ending is not just a twist but a swift head-butt in the face, I was left quite dazed!
November 27, 2017
Don't underestimate this slim piece of amazing work. To be discussed further on my book tube channel. I thought this was going to be at most 3* due to uninspiring cover and my not knowing the author. shows you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!!!
March 15, 2018
ugh. I'm officially in a deep dark book slump:( So possibly, full transparency, this review maybe isn't entirely fair. That said, this was ok. But mostly creepy & weird, with a side of depressing, and hold off on the intrigue. And I'm not a faint of the heart. (FYI-don't recommend if you are). However, based on reviews, there is a big fan base for this author and similar type books. Suppose it's just not for me.
January 9, 2017
Read it all in one sitting.
Slightly predictable but nonetheless was a great story.
Also loved that my home town had a few mentions
Slightly predictable but nonetheless was a great story.
Also loved that my home town had a few mentions
February 7, 2011
The Devil’s Staircase by Helen Fitzgerald
One Man’s Opinion
Helen Fitzgerald must have been one hell of a social worker. As a probation and parole officer she most likely needed to apply levels of patience and understanding that most of us would struggle to find.
You sense this in the way she creates her characters, from the main players to the bit parts. It’s as if she is able to empathise with each and every one of them. She understands that people react differently to situations, that patterns of thinking vary from one individual to the next and that the human condition is to live somewhere under the shady parasol of death.
I first encountered the work of Fitzgerald earlier in the year when booking a place on an evening hosted by her at ‘Crime In The City’, part of a series set up by Edinburgh libraries.
I got hold of a copy of ‘Bloody Women’ to give me some pointers as to what to expect. It turned out to be a real gem. A genuine page-turner. It’s highly recommended.
The event was almost hijacked by a bunch of kids who were getting excited about something in the background. Even so, Fitzgerald wasn’t deterred and she entertained the crowd delightfully with her reading, her tales and her answers to questions.
Thoroughly satisfied by the evening, I bought a copy of ‘The Devil’s Staircase’ which I finished tonight after a couple of days of reading pleasure.
On the back it remarks: ‘Not for the faint-hearted’ (certainly), ‘is funny’ (definitely), ‘sexy’ (oh yes), and disturbing’ (I’m with you there).
Bronny, an Australian teenager, has witnessed the demise of her mother who has a genetic condition. When her sister is given a clean bill of health at the age of 18, the odds of Bronny having the condition seem to shorten.
Reflecting upon the things she missed out on in the years preceding her own blood test, Bronny explains:
"I never went on the Scenic Railway in Luna Park.
I never kissed a boy in case I began to love him.
I never applied to university.
I never lost my virginity.
I was already dead."
The prospect of being doomed to a life dominated by a ticking bomb is too much for her to bear. Deciding not to collect her results she does a runner. Takes a plane to Britain. Joins a group of backpackers in London and sets herself the goal of losing her virginity.
It’s the sexual quest that has us wrapped in the early stages. Indulging in drink and drugs she lets her hair down, feels chemically induced love for her new friends and a comradeship forged by a common situation and regular smokes on a bong.
She’s the kind of girl I wish I’d met when I was 18. Bright and beautiful, sweet and sincere, fun and tinged with melancholy. I reckon we’d have had a really good time getting to know each other. My imagination was rampant.
When the gang break into the building next to their hostel to set up a squat, the merry-go-round accelerates and the intensity of life is heightened.
Bronny hears strange sounds in the basement, but she’s the only one that picks up on them. She decides she’s taken too many turns at the bong and is losing her mind. That she’s been hearing things.
Perfectly judged as a time for change, in kicked part 2.
It turns out Bronny should have trusted her instincts.
Beneath her a woman (Celia) is trapped, snatched from the street by a man who needs a little something extra to get it up.
It’s this section in which we find out about the victim of the kidnapping and the rape, told in her own words. Her condition is harrowing. Celia goes into detail about her pain, her emotional torment, bondage, attempts at escape and disgust and her captor’s sexual acts. It’s hard hitting, smelly, violent and vivid. I was unsettled to say the least, which is not something that often happens to me when reading.
This short section, full of grittiness and violence, altered the novel’s drive. In Bloody Women the structure is cleverly put together, flitting between narrators and time with ease like a tightly fitting jigsaw. I might have liked the same to have happened here and witnessed the torture of Celia unfold along with the rest of the story. As one chunk it reads well and I remained engaged, but I wonder how it might have come across with a different approach.
From then the plot speeds up and never stops racing. You just know you’re heading for a high speed derailment.
Bronny becomes entangled with men, Celia’s family, miserable colleagues and a wonderfully painted detective Vera Oh (I’d like to see more of her in the future).
The depiction of Celia’s husband and sons coping with their loss is handled with the deft craft of a talented writer.
How’s this for a response from her son after Bronny persuades him to send an email to his missing mum?
‘To: ceils.mayer@hotmail.com
Subject: No subject
Dear Mummy,
Why did you leave? You are a witch fuck. I hate you
and it’s all your fault.
I miss you.
Sam.’
It’s a lovely illustration of contradicting feelings and helps to sum up Fitzgerald’s ability to depict situations and people by considering all their facets.
There’s a real flow to her ideas. The way it’s written means that nothing gets in the way. She has a gentle style which lulls you into a false sense of security, then she gives you a swipe you should have been expecting but were too distracted too look out for. Imagine a teddy bear wrapped up in barbed wire or a Kinder Egg containing an electric chair.
What, then, can you expect to find in a novel by Helen Fitzgerald?
You’ll encounter warmth and humour. There’ll be a lightness of touch and sensitivity that allows for the drawing of characters shaded in with all the colours of the spectrum. There’ll be pitch darkness. You’ll encounter acts of violence that you’re unlikely to have ever considered - The Devil’s staircase had me crossing my legs on more than one occasion. It’ll be a roller-coaster ride that you don’t want to let go of until you reach the end. When you reach the end, you’ll go straight to the back of the queue to get right back on again.
You can’t ask for much more than that in one book now, can you?
One Man’s Opinion
Helen Fitzgerald must have been one hell of a social worker. As a probation and parole officer she most likely needed to apply levels of patience and understanding that most of us would struggle to find.
You sense this in the way she creates her characters, from the main players to the bit parts. It’s as if she is able to empathise with each and every one of them. She understands that people react differently to situations, that patterns of thinking vary from one individual to the next and that the human condition is to live somewhere under the shady parasol of death.
I first encountered the work of Fitzgerald earlier in the year when booking a place on an evening hosted by her at ‘Crime In The City’, part of a series set up by Edinburgh libraries.
I got hold of a copy of ‘Bloody Women’ to give me some pointers as to what to expect. It turned out to be a real gem. A genuine page-turner. It’s highly recommended.
The event was almost hijacked by a bunch of kids who were getting excited about something in the background. Even so, Fitzgerald wasn’t deterred and she entertained the crowd delightfully with her reading, her tales and her answers to questions.
Thoroughly satisfied by the evening, I bought a copy of ‘The Devil’s Staircase’ which I finished tonight after a couple of days of reading pleasure.
On the back it remarks: ‘Not for the faint-hearted’ (certainly), ‘is funny’ (definitely), ‘sexy’ (oh yes), and disturbing’ (I’m with you there).
Bronny, an Australian teenager, has witnessed the demise of her mother who has a genetic condition. When her sister is given a clean bill of health at the age of 18, the odds of Bronny having the condition seem to shorten.
Reflecting upon the things she missed out on in the years preceding her own blood test, Bronny explains:
"I never went on the Scenic Railway in Luna Park.
I never kissed a boy in case I began to love him.
I never applied to university.
I never lost my virginity.
I was already dead."
The prospect of being doomed to a life dominated by a ticking bomb is too much for her to bear. Deciding not to collect her results she does a runner. Takes a plane to Britain. Joins a group of backpackers in London and sets herself the goal of losing her virginity.
It’s the sexual quest that has us wrapped in the early stages. Indulging in drink and drugs she lets her hair down, feels chemically induced love for her new friends and a comradeship forged by a common situation and regular smokes on a bong.
She’s the kind of girl I wish I’d met when I was 18. Bright and beautiful, sweet and sincere, fun and tinged with melancholy. I reckon we’d have had a really good time getting to know each other. My imagination was rampant.
When the gang break into the building next to their hostel to set up a squat, the merry-go-round accelerates and the intensity of life is heightened.
Bronny hears strange sounds in the basement, but she’s the only one that picks up on them. She decides she’s taken too many turns at the bong and is losing her mind. That she’s been hearing things.
Perfectly judged as a time for change, in kicked part 2.
It turns out Bronny should have trusted her instincts.
Beneath her a woman (Celia) is trapped, snatched from the street by a man who needs a little something extra to get it up.
It’s this section in which we find out about the victim of the kidnapping and the rape, told in her own words. Her condition is harrowing. Celia goes into detail about her pain, her emotional torment, bondage, attempts at escape and disgust and her captor’s sexual acts. It’s hard hitting, smelly, violent and vivid. I was unsettled to say the least, which is not something that often happens to me when reading.
This short section, full of grittiness and violence, altered the novel’s drive. In Bloody Women the structure is cleverly put together, flitting between narrators and time with ease like a tightly fitting jigsaw. I might have liked the same to have happened here and witnessed the torture of Celia unfold along with the rest of the story. As one chunk it reads well and I remained engaged, but I wonder how it might have come across with a different approach.
From then the plot speeds up and never stops racing. You just know you’re heading for a high speed derailment.
Bronny becomes entangled with men, Celia’s family, miserable colleagues and a wonderfully painted detective Vera Oh (I’d like to see more of her in the future).
The depiction of Celia’s husband and sons coping with their loss is handled with the deft craft of a talented writer.
How’s this for a response from her son after Bronny persuades him to send an email to his missing mum?
‘To: ceils.mayer@hotmail.com
Subject: No subject
Dear Mummy,
Why did you leave? You are a witch fuck. I hate you
and it’s all your fault.
I miss you.
Sam.’
It’s a lovely illustration of contradicting feelings and helps to sum up Fitzgerald’s ability to depict situations and people by considering all their facets.
There’s a real flow to her ideas. The way it’s written means that nothing gets in the way. She has a gentle style which lulls you into a false sense of security, then she gives you a swipe you should have been expecting but were too distracted too look out for. Imagine a teddy bear wrapped up in barbed wire or a Kinder Egg containing an electric chair.
What, then, can you expect to find in a novel by Helen Fitzgerald?
You’ll encounter warmth and humour. There’ll be a lightness of touch and sensitivity that allows for the drawing of characters shaded in with all the colours of the spectrum. There’ll be pitch darkness. You’ll encounter acts of violence that you’re unlikely to have ever considered - The Devil’s staircase had me crossing my legs on more than one occasion. It’ll be a roller-coaster ride that you don’t want to let go of until you reach the end. When you reach the end, you’ll go straight to the back of the queue to get right back on again.
You can’t ask for much more than that in one book now, can you?
January 15, 2022
I found this a gripping read which held my attention to the end, guessing what would happen. I can’t say much without giving the story away! I did find many of the main characters fairly two dimensional, and didn’t like the end, but it was a good read.
February 4, 2023
1 - Bronny was one of the most ANNOYING characters I have ever had to read. She was selfish, self centred and at points, downright stupid.
2 - None of the other characters really added any value either, they were incredibly irritating and flat.
3 - I am honestly still confused as to how she ended up getting in with this crowd, like I have no sympathy for her at all after the way she treated her Dad and sister...
4 - I am beyond confused as to why the book skipped from first person to third, out of no where with no indication of the change? Even just a different chapter or part would have made things a little easier to understand.
5 - Part two really took a turn didn't it! Possibly one of the only points that made me rate the plot quite highly. It got really fucked up.
6 - I really cannot cope with the plot holes in this book, they're illogical and completely ruined the enjoyment of this book. I just couldn't look past them.
7- Dear lord, this book isn't for the faint hearted...
8 - Bronny did grow on me as we made our way through the book, towards the end she really showed some resolve that I was proud of, it's just disappointing that we didn't have this at the start of the book, as I imagine some people wouldn't have stuck with it to this point.
9 - I was definitely intrigued to see how things played out but at the same time, I knew there would have to be some crazy leaps by the author to make everything make sense. I had no idea how everything would link together.
10 - I felt really let down by the way the author wanted us to believe it was one person then when they realised that would be too easy, it suddenly changed and became someone else. Except by it being that someone else it opened up plot holes and questions that there were no answers to.
11 - The whole book was incredibly hard to keep up with and the ending was just a complete let down and waste of time. I honestly feel so disappointed to have wasted my time with this one. I'm absolutely fuming with how it ended.
12 - It's described as a coming of age novel, and I thought it was more just a complete waste of time.
For me, this book just did not hit the mark. The only thing it had going for it was the intrigue that it built up, everything else was just a complete waste of my time, I'm sorry to say. I wish I'd have stuck with my earlier instinct of DNFR this one.
2 - None of the other characters really added any value either, they were incredibly irritating and flat.
3 - I am honestly still confused as to how she ended up getting in with this crowd, like I have no sympathy for her at all after the way she treated her Dad and sister...
4 - I am beyond confused as to why the book skipped from first person to third, out of no where with no indication of the change? Even just a different chapter or part would have made things a little easier to understand.
5 - Part two really took a turn didn't it! Possibly one of the only points that made me rate the plot quite highly. It got really fucked up.
6 - I really cannot cope with the plot holes in this book, they're illogical and completely ruined the enjoyment of this book. I just couldn't look past them.
7- Dear lord, this book isn't for the faint hearted...
8 - Bronny did grow on me as we made our way through the book, towards the end she really showed some resolve that I was proud of, it's just disappointing that we didn't have this at the start of the book, as I imagine some people wouldn't have stuck with it to this point.
9 - I was definitely intrigued to see how things played out but at the same time, I knew there would have to be some crazy leaps by the author to make everything make sense. I had no idea how everything would link together.
10 - I felt really let down by the way the author wanted us to believe it was one person then when they realised that would be too easy, it suddenly changed and became someone else. Except by it being that someone else it opened up plot holes and questions that there were no answers to.
11 - The whole book was incredibly hard to keep up with and the ending was just a complete let down and waste of time. I honestly feel so disappointed to have wasted my time with this one. I'm absolutely fuming with how it ended.
12 - It's described as a coming of age novel, and I thought it was more just a complete waste of time.
For me, this book just did not hit the mark. The only thing it had going for it was the intrigue that it built up, everything else was just a complete waste of my time, I'm sorry to say. I wish I'd have stuck with my earlier instinct of DNFR this one.
March 12, 2012
Bronny is a naïve 18 year old Aussie who runs away from life and ends up in London, trying to hide from her problems in extreme partying. She’s made new friends who live on the fringes of society and are squatting in an empty house where she hears noises coming from the walls that no one else hears. Is it a drug induced hallucination or something more sinister?
I came to this book having already read FitzGerald’s previous work and she did not disappoint. She has a knack for being simultaneously creepy and laugh out loud funny.
I could really relate to Bronny and her naivety as she tries to figure out what she wants in life and engaged with all the characters. There was tension and suspense galore right until the last page with FitzGerald employing the device of shifting points of view with Bronny in first person, and other characters in third. I haven’t seen this technique used often before, but it really worked.
I was riveted by The Devil’s Staircase and ended up reading it in one sitting, not a mean feat with a toddler. This is one book that will remain with me for a long time, and I can see myself reading it again.
I came to this book having already read FitzGerald’s previous work and she did not disappoint. She has a knack for being simultaneously creepy and laugh out loud funny.
I could really relate to Bronny and her naivety as she tries to figure out what she wants in life and engaged with all the characters. There was tension and suspense galore right until the last page with FitzGerald employing the device of shifting points of view with Bronny in first person, and other characters in third. I haven’t seen this technique used often before, but it really worked.
I was riveted by The Devil’s Staircase and ended up reading it in one sitting, not a mean feat with a toddler. This is one book that will remain with me for a long time, and I can see myself reading it again.
January 12, 2014
It is rare for me to read a book in 24 hours these days, or even to want to. This book will do that to you. Bronny would not be out of place in one of John Birmingham's shared houses, and her fellow travellers read like the litany of characters you find in any big city hostel around the world. The pacing is breathless and eager and London is just the right blur to match Bronny's experience of it. The tale hits a series of excellent cliffhanger, with a climax that could be European cinema instead. Highly recommended!
January 11, 2011
"In my opinion, this book is confused. It tries to be a thriller, it tries to be a coming of age tale, it tries to be an unlikely heroic story. It has a go at being all three and fails on all counts.
It isn't a bad book, it is entertaining at times, but it didn't grip me like I had hoped it would."
Full Review; http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2011/0...
It isn't a bad book, it is entertaining at times, but it didn't grip me like I had hoped it would."
Full Review; http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2011/0...
February 27, 2015
This was my 1st novel by Helen Fitzgerald, discovered through the Kindle English Mystery Group. Having in my 20s lived in London's Kangaroo Valley, I quite liked the setting, loved the heroine/ingenue, & the Bridget-Jones-meets-Fred-West plot which is simultaneously belivable & totally off-the-wall. There's a twist that made Brony especially vulnerable & attractive.
May 27, 2019
I didn’t warm to any of the characters in this book, so found it hard to get into the story. I didn’t find it a black comedy or a thriller but rather disturbing and unpleasant. However, the second part gripped me and I decided I had to keep reading to find out what happened. Luckily, it didn’t take up too much of my time.
January 6, 2018
Took me a while to finish as in between starting and finishing I managed to fracture my wrist. Very painful to hold books until recently. A worthy 4 stars from me.
June 24, 2018
I am surprised by this one, completley the reviews were oooh dont neglect this little novel and i was truly questioning what these people were on.
Everyone is a shallow character there is really not that much going on. Bronny -?, had a mother with a mysterious illness her perfect sister had managed to escape, she runs off and her family are not seriously worried the first contacts we see are them wishing her well. Not why did you leave like that and we worry about you etc. oh no its 'oh how lovely enjoy london with a bunch of strangers'
All the other characters listed have the same shallowness to them with little real emotive attachment avaliable to them. I honestly wondered what i was doing, all these other reviewers must have read another edition to mine. But it was a short book so i persevered. Then about halfway things change.
Things really change, a twist and then a twist the other way really had you going thinking about what would be happening next and who you could trust in this story. Its a cool idea, and would probably make a good movie, it has enough action elements to be explosive enough on screen.probably would make the decent bronny goes through in the earlier parts a little more easy to swallow.
Everyone is a shallow character there is really not that much going on. Bronny -?, had a mother with a mysterious illness her perfect sister had managed to escape, she runs off and her family are not seriously worried the first contacts we see are them wishing her well. Not why did you leave like that and we worry about you etc. oh no its 'oh how lovely enjoy london with a bunch of strangers'
All the other characters listed have the same shallowness to them with little real emotive attachment avaliable to them. I honestly wondered what i was doing, all these other reviewers must have read another edition to mine. But it was a short book so i persevered. Then about halfway things change.
Things really change, a twist and then a twist the other way really had you going thinking about what would be happening next and who you could trust in this story. Its a cool idea, and would probably make a good movie, it has enough action elements to be explosive enough on screen.probably would make the decent bronny goes through in the earlier parts a little more easy to swallow.
September 9, 2017
Nice quick read, but I feel like this book was sold to me as something it wasn't.
I went in thinking it was gonna be a creepy thriller-horror type book, but no. I'm not really sure which category I would put this book in, but it's not exactly a horror or thriller. Also, the tagline on the cover of the book kind of spoiled some of it.
There were a few moments where I audibly gasped such as . Overall, it clearly wasn't one of the best thriller books I've read, but yeah, it was good, and a quick read as I said before.
I went in thinking it was gonna be a creepy thriller-horror type book, but no. I'm not really sure which category I would put this book in, but it's not exactly a horror or thriller. Also, the tagline on the cover of the book kind of spoiled some of it.
There were a few moments where I audibly gasped such as . Overall, it clearly wasn't one of the best thriller books I've read, but yeah, it was good, and a quick read as I said before.
December 6, 2019
Helen Fitzgerald is one hell of a writer, packing entire worlds into this deceptively thin book.
We have sweet nineteen year old Bronny, who has run from her sheltered life in order to experience what she can in the time she has left. Recently bereaved of her mother, Bronny finds she has the same genetic condition that killed her beloved parent.
Bronny sets up home with other young transients in London. Head and heart full with making her way in and unfamiliar city and the attempt to lose her virginity, Bronny initially dismisses the sounds from downstairs. The reader gets the story of the sounds, which come from local abductee Celia. Celia has an awful time, which the reader is privy to through her harrowing descriptions.
Fitzgerald's skillfully drawn characters and one hell of a plot make this a smoking read.
We have sweet nineteen year old Bronny, who has run from her sheltered life in order to experience what she can in the time she has left. Recently bereaved of her mother, Bronny finds she has the same genetic condition that killed her beloved parent.
Bronny sets up home with other young transients in London. Head and heart full with making her way in and unfamiliar city and the attempt to lose her virginity, Bronny initially dismisses the sounds from downstairs. The reader gets the story of the sounds, which come from local abductee Celia. Celia has an awful time, which the reader is privy to through her harrowing descriptions.
Fitzgerald's skillfully drawn characters and one hell of a plot make this a smoking read.
December 15, 2017
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this book as gripping and entertaining as it was. Bronny is funny and likeable, the other characters are well developed and the relationships are realistic. The editing is impeccable and I love the Australian and English slang and references (Cheesles!). The only very slight criticism would be that I found the random changes from first person perspective to third person perspective a little jarring, though I understand why the author did this, considering how the story develops. However these sections do not have quite the same charm as the ones where we see through Bronny's eyes.
Overall I would give this 4.5 stars, and I rounded up because there were a few unexpected surprises right at the end.
Overall I would give this 4.5 stars, and I rounded up because there were a few unexpected surprises right at the end.
October 16, 2017
It was ok. I found parts 1+2 boring, although it got interesting from part 3 onwards. Read this book straight after 'bloody women' as I'd brought them both at the same time because they were shorter reads and I was a fan of 'The Cry' (also by Helen Fitzgerald)
Both were disappointing compared to 'The Cry', however I have not given up on Helen Fitzgerald yet. I still have 'The Donor' & 'Dead Lovely' to consider.
Both were disappointing compared to 'The Cry', however I have not given up on Helen Fitzgerald yet. I still have 'The Donor' & 'Dead Lovely' to consider.
November 27, 2021
I found The Devil's Staircase a bit slow to start - as a crime novel genre, Bronny is running from a potentially life-threatening medical diagnosis and ends up with more than she bargained for - partying, lifting life to the full only to discover a woman locked in the cellar of the vacant house her friends have taken as their squatter. Who is the murderer /abductor in their group and will she risk her own life to ensure the real killer is discovered.
May 23, 2024
3.5* rounded up to 4 for GR
A charity shop buy with no background on the story or author and short compared to a lot of books I read = I didn’t have high expectations. Not poor ones but not high ones and I’m happy to report that I was sooo wrong. This is a great little book, full of suspense and creepy undertones that will keep you guessing. I loved how it was split into parts and told from different perspectives. A lot of drama and suspense in a small read but well worth the read!
A charity shop buy with no background on the story or author and short compared to a lot of books I read = I didn’t have high expectations. Not poor ones but not high ones and I’m happy to report that I was sooo wrong. This is a great little book, full of suspense and creepy undertones that will keep you guessing. I loved how it was split into parts and told from different perspectives. A lot of drama and suspense in a small read but well worth the read!
March 19, 2018
Bronny a young Australian girl is down & out in London. She's living in a squat with others. Celia is happily married to Greg with 2 little boys. She is snatched in the early hours on her way home froma late shirt. He keeps her tied up in the basement of the squat. We think it's Pete who is the serial killer but it is actually Hamish. Celia and Bronny are saved in the end.
November 14, 2016
I read it in less than 24 hours - couldn't put it down! Had me engrossed from the beginning to the end. This is a book that I would definitely recommend to people. So entertaining, thrilling & well written & so easy to follow :-)
October 22, 2017
I was slightly disturbed by The Devil's Staircase and expect that's exactly how Helen Fitzgerald would like her reader to feel. Some funny moments, some difficult to read moments. Would certainly recommend.
December 12, 2020
I read this book over an afternoon and enjoyed the twists and turns. It wasn’t predictable so was really enjoyable to wonder where the story would go.
I didn’t find the ending to be somewhat underwhelming, but only as it seems to be over really quickly.
Overall, an enjoyable short read
I didn’t find the ending to be somewhat underwhelming, but only as it seems to be over really quickly.
Overall, an enjoyable short read
July 22, 2021
This was quite a short read but it packed a lot of punch. Twist half way through which was a little unexpected but I did guess the outcome of it as it got nearer the end. Overall a very interesting read.
March 17, 2022
⭐⭐/ 5
I really don't know how I feel about this book. In fact I was really disappointed! I just couldn't get in to it, I feel like it took me ages to read and I just wasn't feeling it.
The book kept moving from character to character and it was really confusing.
Beckie x💛x
@readwith_rjm1988xx
I really don't know how I feel about this book. In fact I was really disappointed! I just couldn't get in to it, I feel like it took me ages to read and I just wasn't feeling it.
The book kept moving from character to character and it was really confusing.
Beckie x💛x
@readwith_rjm1988xx
January 27, 2023
Everything happens so fast I couldn't connect to any of the characters or even picture them. Seemed like the twist was chosen on a whim and then the 'reasons' for it were just made up and tacked onto the end
August 1, 2024
I really didn't understand this book at all. The plot was everywhere, I hated all the characters and found the lead character selfish and irritating. I almost DNF'd this book as I found the first chapter boring.
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