The Devil's Footprints - ReadMatter body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; background-color: #f4f4f9; color: #333; margin: 20px; } h1 { color: #2c3e50; font-size: 2.5em; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; } h2, h3, h4, h5 { color: #16a085; margin-top: 20px; } h2::before, h3::before, h4::before, h5::before { content: "📘 "; } p { margin-bottom: 15px; } strong { color: #e67e22; } .condition { background-color: #eafaf1; border-left: 5px solid #16a085; padding: 10px; margin: 15px 0; } .summary { background-color: #fdf2f0; border-left: 5px solid #e74c3c; padding: 10px; margin: 15px 0; } .about-readmatter { background-color: #eaf1fc; border-left: 5px solid #2980b9; padding: 10px; margin: 15px 0; } .icon { color: #3498db; margin-right: 5px; } footer { margin-top: 30px; text-align: center; color: #7f8c8d; font-size: 0.9em; }
The Devil's Footprints
About This Book
Condition & Size
📖 Condition: Score 6.5/10 Good-Very Good
Observations: None
📏 Size: Format B (Medium Format 129x178mm/135x216mm) Paperback
Summary
Michael Gardiner has lived in Coldhaven all his life yet still feels like an outsider. Married but rather distant from his wife, he reads in the local paper that a school friend, Moira Birnie, has killed herself and her two sons by setting their car on fire; but she has spared her 14-year-old daughter Hazel. Michael uneasily recalls his past connections to Moira. As teenagers, Michael and Moira had a brief romance, yet more troubling to Michael is the fact that he was responsible for the death of Moira's brother, the town bully. In the wake of the tragedy, Michael becomes obsessed with Hazel, who is just old enough to be his daughter. Aware of his obsession, Hazel convinces Michael to take her away from the village and her father, an abusive and violent man.
Setting his story against the untamed Scottish landscape, John Burnside has written a chilling novel that explores the elemental forces of everyday love, fear, grief, and the hope of redemption. In its ability to evoke and exploit our most primal fears, The Devil's Footprints prompts comparisons to the best of Stephen King. In both language and imagery, it is a novel of mysterious beauty, written with the clarity and power of a folktale.
About ReadMatter: Your Online Bookshop for Secondhand Books
At ReadMatter, we're all about bringing books to life and connecting stories with readers across South Africa. We stock over 10,000 books and 4,000 authors at any time, with a massive reservoir of 100,000 additional titles available on request. Whether you're searching for a beloved classic or a hidden gem, we're here to help you find your next great read.
Since we started in 2019, we've delivered over 15,000 books to readers all across the country. Every week, we add more than 250 new books to our website, ensuring there's always something new to discover. With a monthly sell-through rate of 30%, 1 in 3 books you see today will find a new home within a monthso don't wait too long to grab your favourites!
The stat we're most proud of? Our perfect 5-star Google rating and 100% positive customer satisfaction on Bobshop. These reflect our commitment to delivering not just books, but also happiness and joy to every reader.
We're big enough to deliver anywhere in South Africa with a street address but small enough to care deeply about every book we send out. At ReadMatter, every order makes a difference. Join us in celebrating the magic of stories and the joy of reading.
© 2025 ReadMatter | Bringing Stories to Life
