Carr, John Dickson - The Devil in Velvet (1951)

Review by Nick Fuller

5/5

The author himself considered this to be his "single finest piece of historical fiction"- and he will find few who disagree, for it is compulsively readable, and despite its length (330 closely-printed pages), completely devoid of padding. Professor Nicholas Fenton sells his soul in order to travel back to 1675, where he inherits the body of the unpleasant Sir Nicholas Fenton (no relation), in an attempt to prevent the murder of Lydia Fenton by poisoning, and thereby undo the course of history (which leads him to blurt out things better left unsaid). This ingenious and tense situation is described with such skill and delicacy as to prove those who accuse Carr of writing artificial and mechanical puzzles wrong, for this is a remarkably human book, Carr's considerable talent shining as never before, especially in the characters of Fenton, Lydia, and her cousin Meg York. Restoration London is brought vividly to life, and with it such illustrious personages as Charles II, Nell Gwynn, and Lord Shaftesbury of the Green Ribbon Club, which soon establishes itself as a threat. With Fenton facing danger from four fronts, having to prevent Lady Fenton's murder, his murder at the head of the Cromwellites, the devil from gaining possession of his soul, and Sir Nick Fenton from gaining possession of his body, there is plenty of action and danger. This is perhaps Carr's most violent book, with swordplay in Dead Man's Lane, battles in Pall Mall, and a final thrilling duel at the Tower of London, all of which show the influence of Alexandre Dumas. If anything suffers, it is detection, for this is predominantly a novel of action. Yet Carr produces a genuinely surprising solution, as satisfying as that of The Crooked Hinge - and follows it up with an ending equally unsatisfactory.

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       Readers familiar with Carr's other work will immediately sense that he had enormous fun writing The Devil in Velvet, but for this particular reader, it was something of a chore to get through. I readily admit that's in no small part because I'm not especially a fan of historicals, and because I expected—and hoped for—more of a mystery plot from the writer I consider the single greatest exponent of the pure detective story. This one has a relatively minor mystery, the solution to which I guessed early on, but is more romantic adventure with a touch of the supernatural—Carr throwing in all the elements he loved and for which he justly became famous.

        Unlike Nick Fuller, I did not find it "completely devoid of padding." Instead, I thought there were numerous passages which, though some were in and of themselves interesting, could have been eliminated without detriment to the story, and which would have improved its pacing. Some passages I found both unnecessary and dull.

        That said, it's a far better novel overall than the godawful Murder in the Hellfire Club, because Carr, in addition to limning 17th Century London and the attitudes of the era, actually has a story to tell and the ability to tell it well. Nonetheless, I prefer Carr when he's dealing in baffling murders and the seeming impossibilities that surround them.

—Barry Ergang, August 2007