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He also thought that the book shifted unproductively between disparate storylines and that the discussions of the deaths in
Childress, Texas lacked any compelling insights. Hoffman states: "There are hints along this crooked journey that Sullivan was as confused while writing his book as I was reading it".
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criticized the book as "one big, sloppy mess that is written strictly from the perspective of the minority of humankind who call themselves
Christians". Hoffman viewed Sullivan's exploration of evil as myopic because it almost exclusively approaches the subject from the perspective of Christianity.
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describes the book as a "master class in the difficult art of first-person, narrative nonfiction". Martin praises
Sullivan's ability to propel the story and to captivate the reader, even when delving into ecclesiastical history. The originality of the perspective also impressed Martin, who stated:
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gave a mostly positive review, writing: "Mr. Sullivan is a gifted storyteller, even if the shifts between recent events and intellectual history can be jarring." Mattix noted, however, that "not everyone will find concluding equivocation satisfying."
172:. This event left a deep impression, and it prompted Sullivan to begin a quest to uncover if the devil exists, and if so, in what form. Sullivan next takes the reader to Catemaco, Mexico, where he attended a
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The book received mixed reviews, with praise for the compelling narrative but criticism for the frequent shifts between storylines. Some reviewers also found
Sullivan's conclusions unsatisfying.
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in which participants pledged their souls to the devil. Following is a review of how the concept of the devil evolved in
Christian theology, with perspectives from different thinkers, such as
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in
Childress, Texas. Rowland and Trosper died under mysterious circumstances, with possible connections to satanic cults. Sullivan also discusses human sacrifices and cannibalism by the
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in May 2024. The book traces how the concept of the devil has changed throughout history and whether the devil is real. Topics explored by
Sullivan include Christian theology,
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The book begins with
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313:"Can we think about evil without getting caught up in Christian mythology?"
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246:"The Author Started as a Skeptic. He Came Out a Believer in Pure Evil"
207:"The writing is never clichéd, nor is the thinking". Micah Mattix of
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281:"'The Devil's Best Trick' Review: In Search of the Unseen Evil"
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The Devil's Best Trick: How the Face of Evil
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149:that was first published by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
