📖 Book Review ~ The Devil’s Eye by Ox Devere

January 2024

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book

Can a CIA operative discover a hidden ancient secret?

The Devil’s Eye by Ox Devere is a gripping blend of thriller, mystery, and espionage, perfect for readers who crave high-stakes action, historical intrigue, and shadowy conspiracies.

The novel weaves together two the dark, mystical corridors of Elizabethan England and the pulse-pounding investigations of a modern-day CIA black-ops team.

Set in 1582 London, the brilliant but enigmatic John Dee, astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, uncovers a mysterious artifact known as the Devil’s Eye—a crystal so powerful that even the angels warn him it is not meant for human hands. Fearing its potential, Dee buries it and leaves behind a cryptic trail leading to its location.

Centuries later, Ridley Samaras, a former Navy SEAL candidate-turned-intelligence operative, learns of an item sold at a Sotheby’s auction—where Dee’s long-lost notebook has resurfaced.

What should have been a routine mission quickly spirals into a race against a ruthless billionaire, and forces beyond human understanding. As Ridley and her team follow Dee’s hidden clues across Europe, they realize the Devil’s Eye may be far more than just a relic—it could be a key to power no one is ready to unleash.

📖 My Review..

The story opens in the late sixteenth century and introduces us to Queen Elizabeth I’s astrologer, John Dee and the discovery of the Devil’s Eye, a mysterious crystal, which allegedly had such incredible power that John Dee was so frightened of it that he had to hide it away. Centuries later at an auction at Sotheby’s, John Dee's mysterious lost notebook resurfaces with unexpected consequences and when the book falls into the wrong hands, it becomes a frantic race to follow the clues set down by John Dee in order to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious Devil’s Eye.

Ridley Samaras and Booker Douglas are CIA operatives who have the difficult task of deciphering John's Dee's original notes in order to track down the the Devil's Eye before the new owner of the notebook, billionaire financier Marc Pearson discovers the artefact for his own purposes. Ridley and Booker's thrilling quest takes them right across the globe and into moments of grave danger as they realise the true potential of the Devil's Eye.

Imaginatively written, with thrills and spills galore, this five hundred year old treasure hunt is a fast action thriller and whilst gritty and graphic in places it certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat as it combines history with a thrilling modern day cat and mouse thriller.

About the Author

 OX DEVERE is Parker Jamison. Her father grew up in Egypt, so when she was young, Parker’s home in Boston, Massachusetts was always filled with artwork, relics, and stories of its ancient culture.

After film school she worked in production and as a screenwriter in Hollywood for many years before returning to the Boston area to write thrillers. Her previous book, Rage of the Jinn was the first to feature Ridley Samaras.

Parker also trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, serves with a non-profit foundation in Haiti, rides horses, and is a fanatic follower of international and Premier League football.