When young magazine journalist Ashley Reeves receives an intriguing letter, he leaves his London office in the hope of reporting on an unusual species of insect - the Ganges Red. That evening he arrives on Aries Island and encounters the writer of the letter - Reginald Mather. At first Mather seems no more than an eccentric collector, happy to live in isolation on the island. But when Reeves unearths the horrific truth he finds himself thrown headlong into a macabre nightmare that quickly spirals out of control. His life is in danger ...and Mather is not his only enemy ...Both gruesome and compelling, chilling and page-turning, this much-anticipated thriller from Dean Vincent Carter will delight older readers.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—As a journalist for the weird science magazine Missing Link, recent college graduate Ashley Reeves has dealt with his fair share of crackpots and phony tips, but the letter from Reginald Mather seems genuine. Mather claims to have in his possession the only known specimen of a particularly large and deadly variety of mosquito known as the Ganges Red, a legendary creature believed by some to have supernatural abilities. Ashley quickly departs for Mather's isolated cabin on Aries Island where, of course, he is promptly cut off from civilization and finds himself in the company of a very unpleasant insect and at least one madman. It turns out that the Ganges Red, aka Nhan Diep, was once a human who betrayed her husband, and she needs Ashley's blood to break the curse. Carter's novel contains a fair helping of gore, but never generates much tension or atmosphere. Although large portions of the novel are devoted to people explaining various back stories to one another, none of the characters (with the possible exception of Mather) really emerges as an individual. Suspense and horror fans will probably find Lois Duncan and Darren Shan more satisfying.—Christi Voth, Parker Library, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Dean Carter began writing short stories at the age of fourteen. After graduating from Thames Valley University with a degree in English and Media Studies, he worked in sales and as a bookseller before getting a job in the facilities department at Transworld Publishers and Random House Children's Books. His writing talent was spotted by his editor after she read his company-wide emails. His first novel, The Hand of the Devil was published in 2006 to great critical acclaim. He lives in Hounslow, Middlesex.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hand of the Devil (Hardcover)
Bugs. Honestly, I don't particularly care for them. They seem to like munching on me, even though I'm pretty sure I'm not the type who is made of sugar and spice. I also suffer from arachnophobia; I absolutely, positively despise spiders. Those hairy bodies, those spiny legs, those googly eyes. <shudder> Spiders truly freak me out. So, I guess I should start by thanking Mr. Carter for not making the bug in his story a spider. On the other hand, he made the bug in his story this ginormous, otherworldly red mosquito who managed to give me nightmares. I guess that means his story was effective; it also means I'm suffering from hallucinatory mosquito bites just from reading THE HAND OF THE DEVIL.Ashley Reeves is twenty-one, a bright guy who works as an investigative journalist for the magazine Missing Link. Where they once centered around inexplicable stories based on alien sightings and the like, they now focus on freak of nature stories that deal with facts and scientific proof. Ashley still finds himself dealing with a lot of hoaxes, so when he receives a letter from one Mr. Reginald C. Mather, he's undeniably excited. Mr. Mather has asked for Ashley to join him at his home on Aries Island to view the Ganges Red, a very unique mosquito that he claims to have in his possession. Curiosity piqued, Ashely sets off to visit Mr. Mather and his mosquito in the middle of Lake Languor. It turns out that Reginald Mather was telling the truth. He does, in fact, own the Ganges Red, also known as The Lady or The Devil's Hand. Reginald delights in telling Ashley stories about his very unique, and slightly frightening, bug friend. Some of the stories seem outrageously fantastic, such as the fable that The Lady is the reincarnation of a woman from a Vietnamese tale. Or that the Ganges Red has been alive for hundreds of years, killing and destroying numerous humans on its voyage. As Ashley finds himself trapped on Aries Island during a storm, he realizes that although The Lady seems to be more than just a simple insect, the danger he's finding himself in might actually be coming from Mather himself. It seems the former doctor, now turned recluse and devoted keeper of the Ganges Red, is hiding a murderous secret of his own, and it's just Ashley's luck to have stumbled upon it. As Ashley fights for his life from the wicked Mr. Mather, he will have to suspend everything he's ever thought to be true to understand the true nature of The Devil's Hand and her hold over Mr. Mather. If you're looking for a book that will unnerve you, mess with your mind, and play on all of the fears you've ever had, then THE HAND OF THE DEVIL is definitely the book for you. Unable to stop reading even while I was scratching at my faux mosquito bites, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've finished it--whether you want it to or not.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Puh-lease! And who is the target audience???,
By The Illustrated Home Librarian (Owings Mills, MD USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hand of the Devil (Paperback)
Too simple and simply written for adults and way too violent and gory for kids. I couldn't honestly recommend this to any age group. Not scary.Despite the reviewer's claim on the bookcover, it doesn't even come close to Stephen King in his prime. Just another over-hyped novel.
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