THE DEVIL TO PAY

In this novel, a graduate student discovers a puzzling codex in a university library.

The year is 1969, and graduate student Simon Hannay is working on his master’s thesis in comparative literature at Van Dyne University while teaching karate. In the library’s rare book room, he stumbles across a 16th-century codex (a handwritten book) with “paper pages…bound after a fashion, by a method known as stab sewing, which involves poking holes through the entire thickness.” Apart from one paragraph in Portuguese, the codex appears to be written entirely in code. With the help of his newfound Brazilian friend, Gabriela, Simon decides that cracking the code will become his new thesis topic. He soon discovers that the codex was written by Portuguese fortune hunter Vicente Marques, who discovered a plant with miraculous healing powers. But Simon isn’t the only one interested in the codex. The original soon disappears, and the copy that Simon handed over to his adviser, professor Espinoza, vanishes after the professor is drugged by a blond “mystery man” lurking on campus. The closer Simon and Gabriela get to uncovering the secrets of the codex, the more danger they face. The twisty tale’s central mystery is presented in a way that invites the audience to join in. Readers are shown excerpts of the codex, and at certain points, they have more information than Simon himself. While the prose can become a bit bogged down by inconsequential details (the university’s fraternity hazing rituals, for example), Blackwood maintains a steady pace toward a compelling conclusion. There are plenty of subplots to keep things intriguing as well, including questions about Simon’s father’s death and Gabriela’s heartbreaking secret. The backdrop of the Vietnam War also looms large as Simon becomes increasingly drawn into the conflict between the war’s protesters and supporters on campus.

A satisfying thriller with enough history and mysteries to keep readers enthralled until the end.