Narrated by Lane Hakel
Presented by Dreamscape Media

Wow this was riveting! I'd happily listen to it again.

There's a lot in this, but it's very well put together. It discusses a broad range of topics that feature evil and the Devil, but it keeps things neat and tidy on delivery. It's bookended by the author's personal experience in Mexico with the "Hour of the Witches" ceremony, and tied together throughout with the story of Tate Rowland and his mysterious death, thought to be linked to cult activity.

I was absolutely fascinated with the main story, and will definitely be looking for more information on the murder! I also really enjoyed the discussion of evil/the devil in literature (fancy that) and thought it was really well researched.

It covers such a broad spectrum and at times I did zone out a little (particularly when it was heavily religious) but that said there were also a lot of times I had to go back because I'd missed something.

The narration was fantastic - presented really well, clear and easy to follow. It kept me entertained and, as mentioned, I'd easily listen to it again. I do feel this is one that would convey more on a second read, so I'll probably look at getting a physical copy if I can.

A fascinating look at the subject material. Well written and cleverly structured. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject material.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

The Devil’s best trick was a good book.

Although, from time to time I got quite confused due to the switch between the two timelines.

I enjoyed it for the most part, and would absolutely recommend it to those who are interested in the history about the Devil.

I myself come from the Balkans and loved that Randall talked about the view on the Devil there, and it felt so very important that he mentioned the history of our people, although I wished he would have given it more attention through the book.

As I’ve seen in other reviews I stand by the fact that it lacked other views on the dark and mystical, and it would be a lovely edition to the story itself.

I thought Lane Hakel was a perfect narrator for The Devil’s best trick.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Randall Sullivan for the opportunity to listen to this book.

The Devil‘s Best Trick, how the face of evil disappeared by rattle Sullivan from exorcisms to demonic rituals even satan worshipers rattle Sullivan covers it all invent some. Despite the title almost makes you believe Satan is real and around the corner he has some truly astounding firsthand accounts of things that rattled him (A little pun intended.) he even goes into the Bible to discuss what it has to say about evil The ancient Greeks in much much more this is one of the best books I have read in a while he has written some really good books but this one is truly awesome with no stone unturned personal in public events are documented in this book and it is just so good there’s even an interesting True Crime story out of Texas that when he first started talking about it I thought it was all made up by teens there’s so much in this book and way more than I can put in this review just know it is a great book and if you’re into the macabre and things on the darker side of life then you will definitely enjoy this book. Trust me when I say there are some truly astounding accounts in this book that are all validated in one way or another and it leaves you awe struck. I haven’t even mentioned the great narration by Lane Hacklel he has a perfect voice for this informational type reading and I thought he did a brilliant job. I want to thank Dreamscape media for my free arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Oh, difficult.
I think the book had a lot of potential, but somehow it wasn’t fully explored for me. Maybe it just took too many „wrong“ turns.

You definitely get a rough overview of the history of the devil, but it’s difficult to squeeze so much human and religious history into just one book.
I think I would have put the foreword, in which the author talks about his own encounters with the devil and how he came to write the book, at the end. As it was, I simply went into the whole thing with a rather biased view. The author already seemed to me to be very sure of his opinion and not open enough about the subject matter.

We start the book with two different timelines. One is the time of the Satanic Panic, where we enter into a criminal case, and the other is the story of the devil, which began much, much earlier. This goes on for a few chapters and the switching between the timelines kept throwing me off the flow of the book. Especially because the narrative styles are very different. Sullivan describes the more current and also personally experienced things very informally and the historical aspects (from earlier times) are more reminiscent of a real specialised book. These two different styles really bothered me.
Also, in one scene, the appearance of a woman in Mexico is described in an unnecessary and sexualised way. Also how Sullivan had to stare at her again and again because she was so beautiful. (What is that doing in a book like this?!)

Later, the timelines became one and we actually only followed Sullivan’s report on his experiences in Mexico, which I found very one-sided. Definitely exciting, but too much focus on just ONE thing.

In my opinion, this book wants too much. I would have liked more detail on various points and less on others. I think the book is somehow suitable for a rough overview (if you want to prove the existence of a devil/being), but if you want to delve deeper into different topics/epochs, you should look into other works.

I also miss more current statements from people (perhaps also religious people) who don’t believe in the devil. All in all, I found it very one-sided.
I expected an objective book, but somehow didn’t get it.


Englisch audiobook:
Lane Hakel did a wonderful job and kept me engaged as much as possible. Hakel’s voice was clear, the pace was pleasant and the audio itself was flawless.
If you are interested in the book, I highly recommend the audiobook.