The characters in Devices and Desires are more contemporary and diverse than those in James's previous novels.

In general, adverse criticism of this novel hinges more on its plot than on its character, accusing James of combining too many different genres — the crime novel, the detective story, and the thriller. One critic fails to see any signifying pattern "amid the plot's chain reaction of false leads, dead ends, subverted logic, and clumsy comings and goings." Another writes: "Like the strangler, James goes immediately for the throat. But after grabbing the reader, she steadily loses her grip. The compelling, complex but straightforward mystery begins to disintegrate; tensions slacken . . .

James, usually a keen prober of the psyche and especially gifted at isolating homely detail, lets stylization bury her stylishness." Another critic, on the contrary, sees "an artfully constructed, beautifully written story of flesh and blood...