The Satan Sleuth #3 - Devil, Devil

The third and final entry into The Satan Sleuth series of novels is probably the most gruesome of them all - and I'm not just referring to the blood and gore content.  This series, from the very beginning, has been one filled not only filled horrific acts of violence, but with psychological terror as well.  The criminals have been brutal and sadistic, and Philip St. George has been surprisingly creative and vicious when meting out justice to the perpetrators.  Author Michael Avallone definitely pays wonderful homage to those classic pulp tales of mystery, suspense, and horror of the past, rolling them all into one with each of the three books in this series.  It's just a shame this was the final book in the series (whether that was the author's choice or the publisher's choice, I have no idea), as The Satan Sleuth is some of the finest pulp fiction I've ever read.

Devil, Devil takes Philip St. George on a journey into the true depravity and duplicity of human nature.  It all starts with the beheaded bodies of young females being found throughout New York City, each body carved with markings of the devil.  The police are baffled, and only one FBI agent is willing to believe this is the work of a cult of devil worshipers.  St. George is on the outside of the whole thing until a reporter reaches out to him, revealing her own connection to the coven of thirteen men and women who have been performing hellish ceremonies and rituals for some time - all led by the alluring and bewitching Sister Sorrow.  She goes to St. George for help, but before she can reveal the location of the meetings, she mysteriously drops dead of cyanide poisoning - without any indication as to how!  Since the death of his wife, St. George has dedicated his life to eradicating evil in whatever form it takes, and he once again dons his Satan Sleuth persona to search out this Sister Sorrow and put an end to these ritualistic murders.

Due to the nature of this story, there is more sexual content (not actual sex mind you, but descriptions of the naked form), as the rituals are performed while the participants are naked, and even poor St. George, when he unwittingly has the tables turned on him and finds himself tied naked on a sacrificial altar.  Avallone's writing is provocative without being explicit, leaving much to the imagination, while at the same time making it very easy to picture the bodies, particularly those of Sister Sorrow and St. George (who, as can be assumed, has all the features of a god).  I do give Avallone credit for not being biased - he offers up male and female descriptions equally, which is rare, since most male authors focus more on the female form than the male.

In true pulp style, Avallone offers up the horror of the deaths ... the mystique of the rituals and alleged witchcraft ... the mystery of finding Sister Sorrow ... the action and adventure of stopping the Satanic cult ... and the sexuality of the men and women in the story.  Basically, everything that made pulps so popular in the early part of the 20th Century is present and accounted for in this one story, making is a real page-turner.  It's also an interesting commentary on society and people who are so easily led away by promises of power, beauty, and unrealistic dreams.  As the story reveals, the members of the cult are theatrical agents, newspaper men and women, architects, artists, magazine editor, engineers, actors, and other professional men and women.  These are not poor, confused people who think the cult will help them rise above their circumstances - these are people who have already reached an apex in their lives and still want more, no matter the cost.  Definitely a level of truth to that in the real world, that's for sure...

A well-written, captivating story that ends with a statement I think anyone who reads this series can agree with - Philip St. George was alive.  Long live the Satan Sleuth!  (Hmmmm, this would make a great comic book series for Dynamite Entertainment, who publishes such comics as Vampirella, Ash vs. the Army of the Dead, James Bond, and other titles that are so similar in theme and genre ... someone needs to suggest it to them!)

RATING:  9 penthouse balconies perfect for cult ceremonies out of 10 for a terrifying tale of just how depraved mankind really can be!