On the Devil's Court Carl Deuker

On the Devil's Court by Carl Deuker Joe Faust is an average student with a genius father. Joe's basketball game is more then decent. He never thought it was enough to please his father. The Fausts move to Seattle for his fathers new job. Joe finds an old boarded up gym to practice inside. Its in this gym that Joe sells his soul to the devil for the perfect season, 24-0. Basketball fans will love this. Deuker knows how to describe a game His writing allows the reader to see the play on the court.

"They went into a four corners stall to milk the clock. We came out of our zone and pressed them. They tried a backdoor play, their center breaking behind john. The guy was wide open and for an instant I thought all our hard work was down the drain, but John somehow managed to get a fingertip on the ball and there was Reynolds to save it from going out of bounds. Doyle took off. Reynolds hit me at center court and I went crosscourt to Doyle with a perfect pass."

I have a thing for novels that include either the devil or hell. Its always interesting to see an authors interpretation. I was a little disappointed that a devil never made an appearance. When Joe sells his soul there are dark and unusual sounds that elude to evil forces. On the Devil's Court is not about encountering the devil but rather superstition.
Deuker does a great job of making the reader believe Joe Faust sold his soul. Overall I enjoyed One the Devil's Court. Joe Faust is a likable character. Deuker makes it a point to include Joe's family in the story. I loved the basketball games and the team dynamic. Just like with a Heart of a Champion, Deuker gives us a great game.