What a book. I laughed so much at this book, really did love it. The authors dark sense of humour really makes this book. The story is based in hell and the description of hell is brilliant. You might think this is your normal boring office job type book but it’s far from it. Absolutely recommend this book

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher,I appreciate the chance to read this books. Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of it. I did not finish it. I found it boring and it put me in a reading slump. I will try to get back to it but for now, it will have to remain a mystery.

A very amusing overlay of corporate structure on the structure of the afterlife. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Abdul’s new novel is an interesting premise with some well-drawn characters that keeps the reader interested until the half point mark. Then the story tone and pacing shifts giving a forced tone with plot and development.

The characters are well written and very three dimensional. The reader is truly invested but unfortunately the plotting lets the reader down which it feels that the writer may have thought that less is more when in fact, could have used a few extra chapters to give it a worthwhile ending that did not seem forced.

Saying this, I feel that this may be down to the fact that a thicker book may not be as marketable as a thinner book in today’s climate. I feel Abdul has a lot of talent and he is on to something amazing and interesting, and I am invested to read his next novel. The novel is interesting and lots of great ideas and the beginning to the middle was excellent, but the ending lets it down though. I would recommend reading as this is well written and the start of a promising career. I would give this a strong 3.5 star rating.

Did I enjoy this book? I’m not sure. The plot seemed to offer a wealth of possibilities and at first it sprang along. Interesting characters were introduced, relationships formed and then for me it all fell a flat. I particularly found the ending a little rushed and obvious. Such a shame for an idea which I think had longer legs.

The Devil’s Advisor
Brad Abdul
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Page count: 241pp
Release date: 21st Feb 2023


We’ve all been there; hate the job, the colleagues, life in general.
Well, for Brian it’s a bit different.
You see, he is the thing – or person – most hated by all of the staff where he works.
He can’t help that he’s meticulous with paperwork or an overachiever.
Lucky for him, Brian’s name comes across Lucy’s desk by way of an email survey completed by his jealous colleagues.
Lucy – aka Lucifer, the devil – wants to retire, but cant do so without a viable heir. The thing is, she has two children, Dallas and Dahlia, but for reasons revealed layer, that won’t work out.
Enter Brian – Lucy’s new advisor and potential replacement.
All he has to do is increase the productivity in Hell by 50% or suffer ...
It’s a work match made in Hell.
As Brian learns more about how Hell operates and meets some of the hellions like young Jeremy plus spends time with Lucy’s kids, those pesky feelings get in the way of business planning. Dahlia in particular is intriguing, not to mention attractive.
In fact, everything Brian thought he knew, well, let’s just say it’s certainly a learning experience for him.
Fans of Bentley Little’s ‘The Consultant’ and Claudia Lux’s ‘Sign Here’ will enjoy this, I think. The dry humour, the author’s relish at their world, the dark elements plus the ridiculous bureaucracy, all come into play here. The scenes with Sal are quite fun and I think a few readers might figure out why he’s in Hell.
Dallas is also a highlight of the novel, from his cheerful bro image to his tempestuous and conniving nature, he’s a great character.
Though Brian is our main character and our POV, it’s his reactions and what he sees, who he sees, that make the novel work. He’s the random boring human thrown into chaos he can’t always control.
The world building is fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey to Dante’s playground.

This plot is quite different from the ones I’ve read before. I do love a good satire filled story which is why I went for this. This is filled with dark humour that got me at times but I feel there is too much of it and it ended up not being as dark and humorous as it intended. I do love the idea of a modern hell! This was quite a fresh concept and offers a different perspective to readers.

I was engaged from the get go but I kind of lost the plot halfway through. Overall, this was still a good enough read for me to want to finish the book. Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the arc.

It really didn't capture my attention like I thought it would. I liked the corporate setting but the whole thing was either rushed or really slow to read. Intriguing concepts but less than stellar execution

So this sentence got my attention and sparked the desire to review the book:
"A pacy, twisting, supernatural comedy of the everyday and the devilish, in the tradition of Gaiman and Pratchett's Good Omens."

Unlike when I read Good Omens, I experienced multiple times when I was on the verge of just quitting the novel. The premise was promising, but the delivery left a lot to be desired. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters, which is often the thing that can really hook a reader. The plot occasionally felt forced and the author was just throwing things at the reader to keep things moving.

I did persevere to finish the novel but have to wonder if my time would have been better spent on a different book.

I think there's potential and I found some moments very funny. Unfortunately it didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

High-concept comedy is hard, and dark satire even harder. You have to keep the reader interested while explaining the rules of your world which you have almost certainly peopled with terrible characters. Peopled is a misnomer here as the Devil's Advisor mainly takes place in Hell with various demons, hellions, the Devil, and the Devil's kids. And Bryan.

The gag at the heart of The Devi;'s Advisor is that a modern US Middle-Management employee could run hell better than the Devil. This isn't a new joke, its basically at the heart of Colin Robinson in What We Do In The Shadows and plenty of workplace satires, and unfortunately for its core joke The Devil's Advisor missed the mark. It gets to its point pretty quickly, with Bryan being installed in the first five chapters, and then a pleasant trip around the operations of Hell. But the for the plot of the book to work the author has to sell a financial model to run hell, so Bryan can set and beat targets, and both the process of this is not much fun, and the system itself doesn't seem to make much sense. And then there is the big problem with many high-concept books, you've built a world, now what are you going to do with it? The answer, a romance and power struggles are fine, but seems to squander the opportunity available. Abdul seems to not want to get too into Judeo-Christian mythology if he can help it, and there just aren't enough gags to make it work. So there is a nicely ironic tone of voice, and it clips along, but didn't work for me.

For a book about the Devil, God, and Death, the last thing I expected was for it to be boring. Unfortunately, this book ended up being incredibly predictable for me - the plot was unsurprising, the characters felt flat and indistinct, and - while the premise was intriguing (conceptualizing Hell as a business operation) - it ultimately didn't land for me.

The story is about Brian, who is a business strategy person who winds up in Hell. It so turns out Hell is not doing so hot these days, having failed to modernize their operations to keep up with the times. Brian makes a deal with the Devil - he makes Hell more efficient, and the Devil retires and leaves him her kingdom. As with all jobs, the description and reality don't quite line up - we discover along with Brian how Hell works, the weird family dynamics with the Devil and her kids, and learn a lot about all the different business departments.

A thing that really didn't work for me was how flat the characters are. Brian felt very unmotivated - he has such a passion for business, and that's why he makes the deal with the Devil? He always succeeds and never encounters any serious setbacks, challenges, or moral conflicts during the course of the story, and this made it hard to connect with him and invest emotionally in his journey. I also didn't like how female characters are written in this story. All three of the supposedly powerful immortals in this story (Devil, Death, God) are female, and yet for the most part, they just felt incompetent. (Death was described as "mousey". And seriously _how_ had the Devil sat on her throne for millennia without having an ounce of cleverness in her?). Most of them are basically set pieces, with the most cursorily explored backstory and inserted to further Brian's story along as the love interest or the foil against his brilliance. This was really a lost opportunity in my opinion.

Because of the comp to Good Omens (one of my favorite books), I went into this book very excited and expecting something clever and subversive. I was disappointed to find that this book contained neither. The setup presented such a great opportunity to comment on the morality of our times and what it means to be human, but the take was utterly uninspired and caters to the most conventional of sensibilities (Jealous coworkers are assholes! Adult entertainment is run by Hell! Sins are forgiven by repentance, which is a snap of the finger by God!).

I picked up this book with high expectations, but unfortunately the story failed to deliver on its intriguing premise.

4.5 Stars!

When I saw The Devil’s Advisor by Brad Abdul, I was instantly captivated. A supernatural comedy with high praise comparing it to the likes of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman should be enough to grab anyone’s attention. The fact it was from Flame Tree Press was the cherry on top. I knew this was a book I had to read, so I did.



Brian is a very successful business advisor. He is the best there is at his job. In fact, he is too good, as he is repeatedly passed over for promotions to pad his boss’s bonus. Brian is fed up. He hates his job. He feels trapped. Then Lucy comes strolling into his life, and nothing will ever be the same.



Lucy is short for Lucifer, as in the king of the underworld and the sworn enemy of Heaven. Hell has a problem. It is running out of power and Lucy would like to be able to kick back and retire. She brings in Brian to fix both problems: if he can raise Hell’s productivity by 50%, he can take over for Lucy as she enjoys her golden years. It is an offer Brian cannot refuse and he jumps in with gusto. The only problem is that Lucy’s son is not happy to have an outsider taking what he feels is his rightful place as the leader of Hell. It turns out that Heaven is not thrilled either. Brian finds himself in a power struggle to save the underworld, and there may be Hell to pay if he is going to succeed.



I entered into The Devil’s Advisor with high expectations, and for the most part, I was not disappointed. I was not really familiar with Abdul but he brings a wit to the story that made it funny yet thoughtful at the same time. There is a heavy dose of political satire here, but Abdul also gives the devil and her cast of minions a humanity that I was not expecting. Yes, Abdul would have made The Rollling Stones proud, because I had some sympathy for the Devil while I was reading this book. Even the obvious juxtaposition of Lucy’s twins, with the daughter being on the side of Hell and the son on his own side (so ostensibly on the side of Heaven), works in the story. Abdul puts everything on the table early so there are really no surprises. This is not a book of twists and turns. This is a work of satire to entertain and possibly educate, and it works on that level.



The only thing that keeps The Devil’s Advisor from getting a five-star review is that the novel seems to lose a little steam as it goes along. As the focus of the story changes from the politics and administration of running Hell toward the power struggle and war with Heaven, the book lost a little bit of steam. It was still entertaining, but the wit and satire that filled the first part of the book tapered off in favor of more action. This may appeal to some readers more than it did not me. I just felt that what was a very good, satirical book turned into an entertaining but more rote action/horror novel. This is not to say that the second part of the book was bad. I enjoyed the novel all the way through. I just enjoyed the satirical take on Hell that the first part was devoted to much more than the ending. Overall, this is a very good book that is well worth the time it takes to read. I would recommend putting in some time, too. There are layers to this novel and the discerning reader will find themselves alternately laughing and cringing, but also maybe even learning a little about the world as the story goes along. Highly recommended.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. The Devil’s Advisor is available now.

A light (in one sense of the word) and amusing read.

Plot - I was expecting this to be a bit darker, but the story was good, matched the blurb, and was funny. I like the idea of your soul being x% corrupt and changing over time - I wonder what mine would be?

Characters - I did like Brian and thought his co-workers could go suck it. I enjoyed what each of the other characters brought to the story.

Believability - I could totally imagine this happening. But I also liked the other elements that were drawn in as the story progressed - such as God and Death and how they're involved.

Pace - It's not quick paced, but then it isn't a book to rush through.

Ending - I enjoyed the crescendo at the end, but I do feel it's been left open slightly for a sequel...

*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from RandomThingsTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

As someone who always liked the idea of gods and demons interacting with regular folk, this was an easy sell to me. I really liked that in the end I was rooting for Hell. Because as we all know, the good guys are very rarely the good guys.
I will admit that it took a little to get into it, but after the first 30% I was in for the ride.
An enjoyable read.

Thank you for the arc! I really appreciate it. I did finish reading the novel and I am going to go in my review:

I feel as though the world's description was not immersive. I believe that there needed to be more description, especially at the beginning of chapter two, I wrote. I did reread a few lines a few times because sometimes it didn't make sense. A lot of things were lacking in description as well, not just including the world. I wish we had more of Brian's interiority as well. I also think that the characters lacked in depth. They felt very two dimensional and everyone seemed as though their personalities were like the same and it was kind of boring reading that. I never really felt as immersed in a scene as everything felt very surface level.

Also -- Dallas being the main villain really was wild for me. I could see that there were seeds dropped that were pertaining to him not liking that Brian was taking over, but like that was it. When it came to Jeremy and the sales team betraying him, I was like ??? this came out of left field for me. I felt like there should have been more seeds dropped to propel that. Or maybe that's the point and it was supposed to come out of left field because we didn't think he was as angry as he actually was.

I also thought it was strange that Brian accepted being in hell so quickly. Like barely questioned that he was there, was okay with being there, etc. Like I feel like if he would have had more of an opinion, more of an interiority about it, then I would have been there with him. It just seemed unrealistic.

When women characters are described, they are described with what they are wearing, their hair, etc. Almost every time we see any of the women characters, I know that we are going to be told what they were wearing and how it "accentuates" their curves. I got tired of reading that. But when his boss, Dianne, was described, she was frumpy and wearing all gray. Very not liking.

The romance also was something I didn't care about. It was not convincing that they were meant to be in a relationship and it really didn't mean anything to the story, honestly.

I did like the way they explained souls and how they were broken up by their sins as well what percentage goes to heaven or hell. That was interesting.

Again, thanks for the arc!

Everyone’s office has a Brian. He’s smart but obnoxious as well as the office suck up. One day, Brian gets a chain letter. You know, the kind you answer a question and forward to ten other people. This letter is an actual email from Hell. It asks the recipient who would they like to punish. Brian forwards it to his co-workers, who resoundingly respond with Brian’s name. Hell listens and calls Brian down. However, instead of punishing him, they interview him to replace the current Devil (but she prefers being called Lucy). Brian needs a new work challenge, but should he become The Devil's Advisor, and eventually The Devil himself?

This book has a great plot idea. But unfortunately, it fails a bit with the delivery. It is surprisingly boring in hell. It has the same office politics and family drama as life on Earth. Ho hum.

Depicting Heaven, Hell, God and The Devil in a non-religious way is sure to offend the most likely readers of this book. While The Devil's Advisor is an interesting concept, I don’t see it having much universal appeal. To be honest, I’m not even sure what genre it is. Definitely not a thriller or a mystery. It wasn’t humorous once the setting was in place. Maybe fantasy? 2 disappointed stars.

Thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I love the idea of this - Hell as a business, calling in a business consultant - but the execution fell a little short for me.

I love the imagination here. Things appearing as needed, the descriptions of the rooms, the way Hell is laid out and works - all fantastic, and not things I've read anywhere else. It's clearly all been carefully thought out and planned, and it all makes sense as you read.

I did find some of the descriptions overly wordy; I know that's a personal preference, but for me it was a bit too much. Plus, as other reviewers have noted, the formatting is odd, with huge FOR YOUR EYES ONLY inserted every couple of pages and messing up the font sizes. That won't apply to the finished book, of course, but it did make things harder as I was reading.

It's a really clever idea, though, with some great twists and good writing. I'll be watching out for Brad's work in future, because I think he's only going to get better.

This is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars but I rounded it up to 4.
Short, fun story and a creative take on running hell. I enjoyed all the characters and their stories, especially that in such a short book author managed such complex personalization of everyone. If you're looking for a light read on hell as a corporation and an interesting take on hell, heaven, and what happens in between, I'd recommend this!

Lucy, the devil wants to retire. Brian, a business advisor hates his job. When Brian’s jealous co-worker put Brain in crosshairs with Lucy, she offers him a deal he cannot refuse: work for her and increase Hell’s productivity by 50% or suffer cruel fate planned by co-workers. If he succeeds, he will succeed Lucy and become CEO. Brian agrees and dives in. To make it out alive, Brian faces Death, God and Lucy’s own twin children.

Take a bowl, throw in super smart Brain bored of his job and with no earthly entanglements, throw in beautiful unearthly women, hellions with personality ——- what do you get?? Action adventure worthy of gone eras of Sidney Sheldon and such. This is fun fast read