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Return to 1920s Appalachia in this thrilling fourth installment of The Stephen Robbins Chronicles, as Robbins and his former lover seek atonement for their past mistakes amid the threatening events surrounding them in the present.
In the autumn of 1924, Anna Ulmann arrives in Hot Springs, North Carolina, hoping to be reunited with her former lover, Stephen Robbins. In returning to Hot Springs, she is gambling on the power of forgiveness to somehow reknit the relationship they lost due to her betrayal in New York four years earlier.
However, Anna is not the only one from the war years who returns to Hot Springs. Four mysterious German men also arrive on the passenger train, including the enigmatic Siegfried Sonnach, Stephen’s former nemesis. The Germans claim they have come back for a reunion, but their true motives remain ambiguous.
When a series of appalling crimes begin to occur in Hot Springs, Stephen begins to wonder if this reunion is hiding something much darker. With a monster roaming the streets and Anna’s reappearance forcing him to confront difficult emotions, Stephen must discover if forgiveness is enough to overcome the effects of past mistakes and present violence. Ultimately, what is the true quality of mercy?
Content Warning: This book includes descriptions of sexual assault (off-page). Please read with care.
Want more Stephen Robbins? Read more of his story in A Short Time to Stay Here, My Mistress’ Eyes are Raven Black, and The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape.
Praise for The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape
“Roberts matches evocative historical detail and genuinely surprising twists with top-shelf character work, cementing Robbins’s spot in the troubled PI hall of fame. Fans of Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quartet will adore this.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"The third Robbins novel rings all the bells of its hard-boiled genre: a quick read with snappy repartee, predictable action scenes, and a snarky stream of internal dialog…[that] would appeal to stalwart admirers of the 'tough guy with a philosopher’s soul' trope.” —Booklist
“This is a propulsive read with great noir atmosphere, third in the “chronicles” of Stephen Robbins. … I’ll be back for future installments no matter where Robbins ends up crimesolving.” —The Historical Novel Society
“Those familiar with Asheville and those who love mysteries won’t want to miss this engaging novel.… The plot zips along with all the elements expected in a good mystery: an antagonist or two, an unexpected ally, a bit of romance, and several more murders—all wrapped up in delicious prose.” —The Southern Literary Review
“If Hercule Poirot had been born in Appalachia instead of in Belgium, he would be Stephen Robbins.” —Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish and This Isn’t Going to End Well
"A gripping story with an unflinching view of Asheville in 1924, it echoes Thomas Wolfe, John Ehle, and Robert Morgan, and looks forward, we hope, to another Stephen Robbins mystery, perhaps co-starring the elusive Anna Ulmann.” —Wayne Caldwell, author of Cataloochee
"Those who dive into this deliciously crafted mystery will find themselves submerged in such evocative mood and detail that they will not want to come up for air. With this latest installment in the Stephen Robbins Chronicles, Terry Roberts cements himself as the master of Appalachian noir.” —Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City“Terry Roberts has crafted another classic noir mystery rich with sensory details, brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and escalating tension. I tore through the pages of this newest Stephen Robbins novel, completely immersed in the atmospheric details of Jazz Age-Asheville… The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape swept me along so powerfully that I became just as desperate as Robbins to see justice prevail.” —Heather Bell Adams, author of Maranatha Road and The Good Luck Stone
“Terry Roberts delivers with another novel about hard-boiled detective Stephen Robbins. You’ll be enthralled as Robbins uncovers a killer, and left thinking as the novel explores privilege, power, corruption, racism, and the cost of redemption. The historical setting may be illustrious, but everyone’s morals are in question.” —Leslie Logemann, Highland Books, Brevard, NC“If you want a needle-threading, button-popping literary crime novel that you can’t put down, then pick this one up. Quickly.” —Clyde Edgerton, author of Redeye“Terry Roberts proves once again his distinction as one of our finest novelists, in a narrative of sinister danger, enduring love.” —Robert Morgan, Author of Chasing the North Star
"You'll hang on to every word and read long into the night in this superbly crafted historical mystery.” —Mark Kaufman, owner of Story & Song Bookstore Bistro“Corrupt officials, sultry dames and a world weary but tenderhearted detective combine to create a cracking story replete with secrets, twists and characters who linger in your mind long after the story is over.” —Amy Tector, author of the Dominion Archives Mysteries Series“Terry Roberts writes the best of historical fiction: His novels show us the complexities of our past and present selves while at the same time entertaining the hell out of us.… Stephen Robbins investigates, and as usual, we're glad to follow.” —Julia Franks, author of The Say So
Terry Roberts is the celebrated author of A Short Time to Stay Here, That Bright Land, The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival, My Mistress’ Eyes are Raven Black, The Sky Club, The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape, and In the Fullness of Time. Roberts is a lifelong teacher and educational reformer as well as an award-winning novelist. He is a native of the mountains of Western North Carolina whose ancestors include six generations of mountain farmers, as well as the bootleggers and preachers who appear in his novels. He was raised close by his grandmother, Belva Anderson Roberts, who was born in 1888 and passed to him the magic of the past along with the grit and humor of mountain storytelling.