Publishers Weekly
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What if a Jack the Ripper copycat was at work in 1935 Czechoslovakia? That's the premise of this sensational serial killer novel, Scottish author Russell's U.S. debut, in which twists are both jaw-dropping and logical. KapitAˇn LukAˇs SmolAˇk of the Prague Police is desperate to catch the fiend known as Leather Apron, who has been butchering prostitutes in ways that mimic the Ripper's methods. When a respectable, upper-class woman is slain, SmolAˇk fears the motive is related to the victims' Czech-German ethnicity. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Viktor KosAˇrek arrives at Hrad Orlu Asylum, situated in an isolated gothic castle that was supposedly constructed to block a literal gateway to hell. The asylum houses the Devil's Six, murderers who all claim that they were compelled to commit their crimes by a demonic figure. KosAˇrek hopes to employ new hypnotic drugs on the patients to validate his theories regarding archetypes. Russell integrates the period's political tensions into a mind-blowing story line that will appeal to fans of Caleb Carr and Thomas Harris. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management (U.K.). (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In 1935 Prague, vicious murders are linked to a medieval castle housing an insane asylum outside the city in this well-crafted gothic crime tale.Psychiatrist Viktor Kosrek tests his theory about the evil in humans on the six inmatesthe "most notorious cases in Central Europe"of the Hrad Orl? Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Prague Police Kapitn Luk Smolk, the vegetarian son of a butcher, hopes a glass bead at the latest gory crime scene will help identify the serial killer Leather Apron. As these two storylines converge, Russell (The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid, 2016, etc.), a Scottish author making his U.S. publishing debut, plants tantalizing parallels. Take the bead: One inmate's husband (whom she cooked and fed to his sister) sold glass beads like the one Luk found. The Kapitn heads to the asylum to consult one of the so-called Devil's Six, who is a glass expert and earlier mentions beads known as the Tears of Perun from Slavic mythology, part of a rich vein of lore and legend that Russell weaves into the narrative. The asylum cases have "odd commonalities," particularly a demonic figure who abets or is blamed for the violence. Plausible perps abound. Luk dreams of helping his father slaughter one of Leather Apron's victims. Luk' medical examiner is the twin of one of the six nasties. The head of the asylum mysteriously disappears into his office for days. In the background but never forgotten is the rising political threat from Germany, the "Madness of the Many." A seasoned writer, Russell keeps the police case moving at a good clip, more so than the clinical narrative and its unavoidable repetitions. Each has nice surprises but nothing to match the ending, which offers more twists than a Chubby Checker album.A smart, atmospheric, and entertaining read but not for the Jung and easily Freudened. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Young psychiatrist Viktor Kosárek leaves Prague for a position at Hrad Orlo, an ancient castle that has had many uses over the centuries. The forbidding structure now houses the Devil's Six, Czechoslovakia's worst criminals a woman who is a strict vegetarian except when she's a cannibal, for example, and a serial killer who spent days torturing a family (gory violence is meticulously and calmly described by these patients, making it all the more frightening). Kosárek uses sedatives to coax from the six their innermost motivations, the causes of their awful deeds, which he calls the devil aspect. Evil prowls outside the walls, too, as Kosárek has left a city that is in the grip of a serial killer's terror, and Hitler is making his rise to power. Award-winning Scottish author Russell makes his American debut here, and it's not only one of the most memorable thrillers of the year; it's also unique: the premise is strikingly original, and the mood created by the juxtaposition of the patients' memories and the real-time horrors is utterly chilling. Readers will eagerly await other books by the author becoming available stateside.--Henrietta Verma Copyright 2019 Booklist