Book Review for The Devil’s Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali

I received this book for free. This doesn’t impact my review in any shape or form.

The Devil’s Lieutenant, by Shervin Jamali, is a supernatural horror about a man who seeks justice, no matter how undeserving he is. Michael is a former cop who witnessed his wife murdering his son. After realizing his family is trapped in Hell, Michael decides to make a deal with the Devil, promising him five corrupt souls in exchange for their entrance to Heaven. As Michael begins to perform his duties as the Devil’s Lieutenant, he has to contend with his own fading innocence, spiraling into fits of blissful rage and alcoholism. 

Jamali effectively shows that many people aren’t born evil. Many think going through trauma will produce “diamonds in the rough”, as my mother-in-law puts it, survivors who are willing to do whatever it takes to protect others from going through the same things they went through. But that’s just not true. Others don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The abused can turn into an abuser if they’re in the wrong environment. I also enjoyed how nuanced Jamali portrays morality; I don’t think righteousness exists, so it’s nice to see that just because we think something’s right doesn’t mean it truly is. 

Michael exudes this concept. He was a cop, the supposed figure of justice. So, with how helpful the news has been lately, of course, he’d go off impulse, no matter how much worse he makes things; after seeing his wife cradle his son’s dead body, he has no problems executing her. When he realizes what has happened, he jumps at the chance to redeem himself. Although he questions the Devil somewhat (because that’s obviously what you do in this situation), once again, he gives into his emotions. For all the pain he’s caused to himself and others, he’s forced to see things for what they are, not just in black and white. He has to take accountability for his actions, rather than put them off on someone else. 

While I wish the consequences were more permanent, this was a good book that showed what it meant to reconcile with the things we have left and to learn how to truly regret the suffering we’ve inflicted. As such, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. 

Purchase the book here!