The seven and a half deaths of evelyn hardcastle netflix

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If this isn’t hell, the devil is surely taking notes.

This so-called-party takes place on the anniversary of their son's murder (19 years ago), includes the exact same guests as it did so many years ago.

And, during the night, trusts will be violated, truths will be exposed and above all, their daughter, Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered.

Aidan Bishop, along with two others, are in competition to be the first to discover Evelyn Hardcastle's murderer.

Too little information and you're blind, too much and you're blinded.

Life doesn’t always leave you a choice in how you live it.

The second day, Bishop wakes up in the butler's body...but "past-Bishop" is also inhabiting Bell's body. Which leads to a lot of confusion and surprise.

The third day, there's current-Bishop, past-Bishop and past-past-Bishop....well you get the point.

Each day Bishop adds another "character" under his belt. He gets eight bodies, and eight days, to piece together the mystery.

The two others who are in competition with Bishop are unknown to him and are also inhabiting bodies (though, unlike him, they cannot swap and every "day" their memories reset).

They are all racing to find out the murderer, because whoever can figure out this mystery is the winner.

And the winner? The winner gets to escape.

How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?

I could barely write my summary - there's just so many layers of complexity and betrayals and everything.

So effing impressed.

I was wholly ensnared by the mystery - I hardly knew what to think or where to look - but it was such a fun and wild ride that I didn't care.

Aiden Bishop was a wonderfully fleshed-out character and Turton did a particularly excellent job with the various bodies that Bishop possessed.

In particular, I loved how each body Bishop possessed would begin to influence him. When he was Dr. Sebastian Bell, Bishop was meek, under the butler's influence Bishop became moralistic and so on.

It was fascinating to watch how that played out.

The only thing that threw me slightly was the end. The build to the climax and the ending were superb...but the actual grand reveal was a bit of a letdown.

I honestly don't know what I as expecting, just something a bit "more" - if that makes any sense...

All I know is that this is an author to watch. I cannot wait to see what Turton writes next!!

We are never more ourselves than when we think people aren’t watching.

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Our narrator wakes up in a dripping forest, with nothing but the shade of an old unnameable fear, and the eerie sensation of being followed, an invisible gaze locked on his back. He has no recollection of who he is and no notion of how he got there. He can only remember one name: Anna.

He later learns that his name is Aiden Bishop and that he’s trapped inside a stranger’s body. A masked figure curtly informs him that he must unveil a murder disguised as to not look like one if he wants to earn his release, and he must do so by reliving the day of the murder eight times, but each morning he will wake up in the body of a different stranger. If he fails to uncover the name of the would-be murderer, he will return to the first day, memory mopped clean, and start all over again as he has apparently already done innumerable times before. Matters are made worse when Aiden realizes he isn’t the only one washed to this strange shore: two other people are also ensnarled inside this time loop, and a knife-wielding Footman is out for their blood. Quickly Aiden realizes that he, Anna, and the anonymous rivals are pieces on the game board with everything at stake. Including their lives.

“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?” 

So. As I said: deliciously bonkers.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a dazzling, mind-bending murder mystery… without a murder. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read: a brilliantly balanced knife's edge of a book—unfolding gradually, with secrets unveiled as more lies are told. The whole experience of reading this book felt to me like an elaborate lie, like some made-up fantasyland I was locked in for a set number of hours a day. And like Aiden, I was constantly caught between another dead end and another lead. So many pieces of the story but how the hell do they fit together?

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle might be focused on the story of Aiden Bishop but the stories of many others are caught up in the wheel of his, and as that wheel turns, so do these many intertwined lives and fates. The narration lingers in the memories and lives of each “host”, dipping in and out of them like toes in a pool. The book makes you question what you know about these characters, their lives and their secrets. Everyone is unreliable, everything is questionable. Aiden’s very sense of self is threatened to be overruled by the personalities of his hosts, most of which were nasty pieces of work: more than slightly sexist, selfish, mean, manipulative, abusive, more often than not physical and moral cowards—yet still compelling even when you can’t bring yourself to like them even a little bit.

In inventiveness and richness of ideas, few books in this genre can compare. I was continuously impressed by the novel’s sense of scope, the minute turnings of characters and their choices and how those ripples affect other players, by the hints strewn like breadcrumbs throughout the narrative and the puzzle pieces that were always moving around. This was genuinely brilliant and so intricately crafted and I’m still REELING from it.

The ending was simply insane, and I was left astounded into an awed slow-clap at everything the author has accomplished. When I flipped the last page, all I could do was stare at the wall and ask, with the kind of eloquence and poise perfectly befitting the situation: "What the fuck did I just read?"

The above-quoted line perfectly captures the

Let's not beat around the bush here, this book is bloody FANTASTIC!

I have never been so excited about being so confused whilst reading a book.

Turton is a Master.

This was completely original, completely out there and completely compelling. I was fully absorbed in every moment and most pleasantly CONFUSED.

There is really not much I can say about the plot without risking spoilers. I recommend going into this knowing as little as possible.

With this being said, you should be aware of the fact that it is okay to be reading it and not understanding anything that is going on.

The longer it goes, the more info you have and therefore the more confusing it can become. It's exceptional in its level of detail.

I had many theories over the course of the narrative. Some panned out, others didn't, but I never stopped guessing right up until the very end.

If you are looking for a completely unique Mystery, look no further. Stop right here! This is the book you need to read.

I cannot wait to read more from Stuart Turton. I am already fan-girling over him after one book.
I just love his ingenuity and style.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me a copy to read and review.

I am blown away!!!

The concept of this book was really quite brilliant... A little reminiscent of both Life After Life and Ground Hog Day.... with the added little twist of the body swapping....

Admittedly it is holiday time and I was not as focused on this book as I needed to be.... so as far as me being confused throughout the majority of this book, it could very likely just be a me problem.... I kept needing to go back and reread parts because I really got lost as to what body Aidan was in at what time..... I was also a little bit overwhelmed keeping track of all the characters and what part they played in the story, but again it could have been me!

I liked the premise, I really was intrigued by the mystery, I just was not invested enough to probably grasp the full concept.... additionally I had a huge expectation of a fabulous ending that would make all of this make complete sense to me, and that sadly did not happen for me.....

So while I found this book very clever in concept, I found it a little... ok really a lot confusing for me.... The good news is this book is not released until September, so I might give it another chance this summer when I can be a little more focused and give it the proper attention it probably deserves...

*** i’d like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review ***

This was a buddy read, that left Norma, Marie Alyce, and myself baffled... truly think it was bad timing, definitely not a holiday read! But thanks ladies for making me realize I was not alone in this! 😘

Somebody’s going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won’t appear to be a murder so the murderer won’t be caught. Rectify that injustice and I’ll show you the way out.

I loved how unique the premise was, a murder-mystery where the main character gets to relive the same day 8 times to try and solve it but every day he's in a different body.
It was also interesting to see how the different bodies/personalities affected the story and there were twists I didn’t see coming.

I was feeling a reading slump creeping in and this book fixed it so I’m rounding it up to 5 stars.

Would recommend if you’re in the mood for a mystery with a sci-fi twist to it!

Here are the things I knew about this book before starting it:
1) Its original title (and current UK title) was The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which, in pure coincidence, is very very similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and was therefore changed in the US. (I think this is awesome.)
2) It’s a murder mystery with quite possibly the coolest conceit of any book ever. (I think this is awesome.)
3) It’s teeming with gratuitous fat shaming. (I think this is one of the less awesome things I've ever heard in my life.)

Add to that list that the style is extremely overbearing and unyielding over the course of 480 pages (which feels like many more), and you have my list of major takeaways from this reading experience.

Let’s go in order.

NUMBER 1: TITLE THING
Well, we basically already covered this.

But it says a lot that I still think this is the most interesting thing about this book, and it has nothing to do with its contents.

NUMBER 2: PLOT THING
The idea for this book is SO COOL. Which is why it’s extra lame that I found the first 300-ish pages to be very, very boring, and also found the Big Reveal to be - while not predictable - also boring, and generally speaking was very bored by this whole thing.

Also, the fact that the conceit of this book is what it is (meaning, a guy wakes up in a different person’s body every day with the task of solving the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle) means there must be Magic involved.

Cool! Who doesn’t love magic?

Um, apparently this author, because this Magical World goes largely unexplained and then is halfheartedly told at one point but is clearly not the Main Issue.

Which is extra, extra lame.

NUMBER 3: FATPHOBIA THING
Reading this author say that he did not intend to shame fat people in this book is the stupidest, dumbest, most useless excuse for blatant hatred I’ve ever heard.

It’s actually worse if the fat shaming in this book is not intended, because the idea that someone could go around subliminally thinking things as hateful as this is absurd. The way the fat character in this is written - traitless but for the fact that he is very fat, and therefore lonely and abhorrent and disgusting - is so awful. It’s to the point of being basically unreadable.

This book got better towards the end, but I still wish I had DNFed it at this point.

NUMBER 4: STYLE THING
I could tell within a couple dozen pages that this style - extremely overwrought, extremely overbearing, and extremely present for the whole book - was not going to work for me.

It never did.

Bottom line: The only cool thing about this book was the idea behind it, and everything about the execution was a major bummer.

-------------
pre-review

well, i didn't hate this as much as i expected.

what a rave review.

rtc / 2 stars

-------------

42 pages into this and already brutally sick of the style. YET ANOTHER PROMISING READING EXPERIENCE

I thought I was prepared for Turton. I read carefully, giving the book my full attention. I even re-read parts to be sure I understood what I thought I was meant to understand. Still, I did not fully see where I was being led. This was an outstanding literary puzzle! It was not only an expertly crafted whodunnit, it truly ends up being so much more. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I'd give it more if I could. I love to be challenged and surprised by a book and this one did that and then some. 🙌🏽

What a debut! I can not wait to see where Turton's mind takes us next. I'm there for it!

Thank you to Stuart Turton, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advance copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

So the thing I’ve seen praised about this book is that the plot is ridiculously complex, and it very much is. I am in awe over the tight plotting used in this book. This must have taken a very long outline and the complexity certainly makes this stand out. I think, however, that the marketing has been very focused on plot twists - I was only seriously shocked by a few twists reading this book, and I’ve already forgotten what, exactly, it was. The delight in this book is not in plot twists, but in seeing the full story come together. I will say that the actual ending, though I predicted parts of it, had enough surprises that it was still delightful.

As with many adult thrillers, I struggled to connect to or care about any of the characters. The lead character is almost completely lacking in personality, which makes sense given the entire theme of him being absorbed into bodies, but doesn’t work, as we’re led to believe that he is in constant danger of becoming something awful but never given details to notice or a reason to care. There’s a way of writing a compelling character with amnesia; high motivation, people around them we care about, etc, and this book doesn’t do a great job. I was mostly, however, really disappointed by the bodies Aiden switches into: almost every person he occupies is a dislikable person. Bell is quite boring and later revealed to be terrible, Mr. Collins spends his entire day in agony, Ravencourt is terrible (and for unrelated reasons his section was my absolute least favorite of the book). That’s just the first three, and I will not be going into the rest because they get much worse.

Something I really enjoyed about this book, however, was the message - this book is very focused on realizing the changeability of people, and though I never cared about any of these characters much, I did find myself believing in and enjoying the message. I think this message is probably the most daring the book ever gets.

..So I actually considered and came very close to rating this book a four star, but I found myself forgetting it very quickly. With a thriller of this type, I usually would have kept my rating a four no matter how much I forgot.

However, the fatphobia in this book was utterly ridiculous. I found it rather disturbing to read such an absolute distate from the narrator and author for the fatness of the character he inhabits: Ravencourt is described as a “pig” and a “cow” over and over, and repeatedly described as “disgusting” with seemingly no regard for his humanity. The voyeuristic imagery of fatness is, exclusively and completely, meant to disgust and shock the audience. It is the main thread of a good 20% of the book. a few quotes are stated here, and this reviewer only got to the beginning of this section, at 20%, so can I just say: it’s like, five times that many. I found this incredibly distasteful from about the third comment on, and the near-constant repetition of this rhetoric had me wanting to put the book down. I'm really wondering what the authorial intent is here, and perhaps more importantly, how the author must interact with overweight people in his own life.

I also felt that rape was used as a plot device in a way that made me somewhat uncomfortable – SPOILER: (view spoiler)[a bunch of the book is told through the pov of a person who committed a rape approximately two hours before, and it’s criticized, but… the impacts on the victim are very much ignored. (hide spoiler)] This is a huge and very common issue in literary fiction, but I also hated it and it impacted my enjoyment of this as a thriller.

So… despite many good elements, I kind of just want to tell you to read The Westing Game instead. Nothing but respect for MY president.

TW: really intense fatphobia that the author really sounds like he agrees with, suicide, and rape.

✨Arc received from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
release date: 8 September 2018
💜bro read with Em
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Evelyn Hardcastle will die at 11pm. Aiden Bishop has eight chances to relive the same day, inhabiting a different body each time, to discover who kills her. Only then will he be set free. He has many enemies working against him and also some who claim to be his allies, but who can he really trust? Such is the premise of this story, and it is an intriguing one.

There was so much I liked about this book. The plot is unique, fresh, and interesting. The writing is believable and riveting, and you can tell the author went to great lengths to keep track of everything so that he can correctly weave it all together. And the mystery itself is multi-layered; the more we discover, the more we realize is still hidden beneath the surface.

Yet, this is a case where the story's complexity is a bit too much and works against itself. It was really hard to keep track of everyone and to understand all that is going on. You really have to pay a lot of attention while reading not to feel lost. This was especially so in the first half of the book while we are getting to know all the characters.

The complexity also made revealing the solution in the end confusing, since it wasn't straightforward. Rather, more and more are added to the mystery while bits of it are solved. Even now that I have finished the book, I'm still not sure I understand everything.

I also found the implications of a sequential but also simultaneous timeline to be hard to grasp. Aiden lived sequential days in different bodies while the different bodies (with Aiden in each of them) interacted with each other simultaneously. It raises the interesting question of whether Aiden has control over his actions or is he predestined to do them because he has already observed himself doing so (from a different body). Too bad the story never satisfactorily explores this fascinating dilemma.

Still, even though the book had a few things that fell short for me, I found it entertaining nonetheless. This looks to be Turton's first book, so I look forward to seeing what he comes up with in the future.

this is a ‘whodunnit’ unlike anything i have read before. mainly because of how ambitious it is. there are so many characters, each with their own role and secrets, which creates multiple plot layers and forces different outcomes for various events, all while a murder is trying to be solved! not to mention this story isnt told in chronological order. each ‘host’ wakes up at a different point during the same day, with one man reliving that day eight times. its enough to get anyone confused! but the overwhelming amount of content is what makes this story so exciting! there is just so much to grab onto to that the reader is never left empty-handed.

additionally, i love the writing. the story feels like the words of someone who has written their entire life (can we take a moment to appreciate that this is a debut?!?). not because its distinctly flashy or clever. if anything, its a very subtle kind of writing style. but its also the writing style of someone who is confident in their ability, and that kind of tone works so well this particular story and genre.

i will admit, because this story asks so much by requiring the reader to steadily keep up with everything that is going on (and trust me, theres a lot), you definitely have to be in the right mood/mindset to read this and willing to make the commitment to see this to the end. so if you are looking for a thrilling murder mystery that will constantly keep you on your toes, then this book is exactly what you need!

↠ 4.5 stars

Well. That went downhill fast! I’m totally in the minority here! I usually love this kind of strange book. But I had to slog through this book. Seriously, I need to start dnfing because time is precious!

Sigh!! I’m happy for almost ALL of my friends that loved this!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Ok so please don’t @ me, I really wanted to like this. I’ll take part blame - I didn’t realise the time travel element was quite so heavy, if I had then I’d probably have skipped it. Too much moving between characters at different parts of the day leaving each other notes and I’m sat here like what?

There are way too many characters. Even with the list in the beginning, it went straight past enjoyment to just hard work.

The big twist at the end wasn’t even much cop. It might be because I’ve seen the Black Mirror episode that is similar in that respect so I was like oh that again. Ok.

When we do get the reveal I wanted more info. (view spoiler)[ why was Anna a murdering psycho? Give me more background! Also forgiving the person who tortured and murdered your sister enough to volunteer to go into a makeshift prison/hell and help/save her?! What the fuck! (hide spoiler)]

The whole thing made me tired 😑

The 2 stars are for the beginning, it was quite gripping.

************************

Why does the British copy have 7 deaths but the US version has 7 1/2.

Where is the extra half death?!

"Funny how things repeat, isn’t it?"

i have read a lot of books, but i have never read anything like this.

that’s one of those glib clichés; the book-blurb equivalent of picking a tattoo from the wall, but in this case, it’s the absolute truth. it’s a baller of a debut—an intricately plotted and wholly satisfying mix of sci-fi and mystery; their different-but-complementary flavors as unexpectedly addictive as m&ms in popcorn.

any attempt to summarize this book will probably make me sound bonkers, but if you want a touchpoint-parade, it’s basically quantum leap meets groundhog day meets Life After Life meets downton abbey meets memento with more twists than… something really twisty. so twisty.

and this is why no one invites me to pitch meetings.

i’m glad i *finally* got around to reading this—i enjoyed trying to keep track of all of the layers of paths and people and timelines; attempting to winnow out the book's secrets before their various reveals, squeaking every time that creepy footman made an appearance, and loving the fact that pretty much every body our poor narrator found himself in was a different kind of terrible.

"How splendid it is to be a gentleman."

this is another book that, if a graphic novel version of it were to become available, OH OR A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE (GRAPHIC) NOVEL, i would be very keen on reading it.

if there’s ever a pitch meeting to make this happen, feel free to invite me to it. i will supply the snacks and similes. and sibilants.

see you soon, rabbits...

The answer is VERY! Considering that our MC has no memories and wakes up in a totally foreign body this doesn’t really come as a surprise though. I guess we’d all be scared if we’d experience something like that. I mean at first Aiden doesn’t even know his own name, all he knows is a name that dropped from his lips before he witnessed a murder. What a way to start your day! And this is just the first one.

8 days.
8 different hosts.
A huge manor.
A murder.
A violent footman.
A mysterious Plague Doctor.
Several rivals.
And innumerable intrigues and lies that entwine around Blackheath like ivy.

”The future isn’t a warning my friend, it’s a promise, and it won’t be broken by us.”

Who can you trust?
Who is telling the truth?
Who is lying?
Who is desperate enough to cut your throat in your sleep?

”If this isn’t hell, the devil is surely taking notes.”

I LOVED this so much! <3 “The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” was some sort of “Groundhog Day” meets “Every Day” and “Sherlock Holmes”. There were so many different characters in this book and each and every single one of them had their own agenda. To collect all those hints and breadcrumbs, to keep track of the happenings, to know the right order of things, it was quite a challenge! And boy, do I love myself a decent challenge. *lol* In other words: I had so much fun trying to figure out things! There were times my brain cells ended up twisted like a pretzel but this only made everything even more intriguing! XD I already said it in my pre-review and I’ll say it again: I don’t even want to know how many hours Turton invested in all those plot lines! It must have taken ages! Also the mysterious Plague Doctor and the character of the footman added quite some thrill to the story. Aiden isn’t just hunting for the killer but he’s also hunted by the footman and this gave the story such an urgent vibe that I found myself at the edge of my seat!

”Everywhere I go, he seems to be a step ahead of me. And yet, simply winning isn’t enough. He needs me to know it. He needs me to be afraid. For some reason, he needs me to suffer.”

All told, I loved the atmosphere of Blackheath, the countless mysteries that floated around in the air like a seemingly impenetrable wall of mist. Easy lies falling like ripe apples from the lips of corrupted souls, truths that vanished like smoke if you scrutinized them too closely, lies within lies and deceptions that could have filled the entire mansion with their presence. In short: This was brilliant!

I won’t say more! This is a book you just need to experience for yourself and it’s definitely worth it!
READ IT!! You won’t regret it! ;-)

For every one of you who followed my updates closely: I managed to solve at least 2 ½ of the main puzzles and I’m going to share it in the spoiler tag! XD

(view spoiler)[
1.) ”The Plague Doctor was telling the truth. There’s no escape from Blackheath.”
I kind of figured that Blackheath is some sort of prison. I mean we got enough hints throughout the entire book, so that one was pretty easy. ;-)

2.) ”It doesn’t matter whether we like her, or whether the Plague Doctor is right, you don’t get to kill somebody and put them on display. She’s innocent, and we can stop it. And we should.”

I figured out that Daniel Coleridge was no future host of Aiden. The more I saw of him the more I realized that he couldn’t be. Aiden Bishop was too honourable to be Daniel and the less hosts he had left, the less likely it became that Daniel was one of them. Call it a gut feeling I had pretty early on.

3.) I figured out that Michael Hardcastle killed Evelyn. There were a couple of hints we got and I followed them as good as I could. For instance the two black revolvers that looked exactly the same. Aiden asked Michael about them on the hunt and it was that moment when I realized that Evelyn used a white revolver when she killed herself the second time. There was a change in the pattern which only left the conclusion that the black revolver had been changed and from there on it was easy to see the connection to Michael and what it meant that she hadn’t used the black one.

4.) “This isn’t a celebration, it’s a punishment, and there’ll be fifty people in their very finest clothes watching it happen.”

Now to Evelyn herself... that got my brain into a real knot. At first I suspected Cunningham to be the murderer of Thomas. He had the opportunity and a motive. After all he was one of the children that went on that scavenger hunt and he was the illegitimate son of Helena Hardcastle and Charlie Carver. Jealousy is a strong motive and he didn’t seem to be happy about his position in the house. But then I got to see more of him and stopped suspecting him. Still, I KNEW, I just knew that one of Helena’s children had to be Thomas’s murderer. She had been covered in blood but it was obvious that she didn’t kill him and so I assumed that she was trying to cover for someone else. One of her own children. A mother would always try to protect her child, no matter what it did. Well, and then I got that little bit that Michael had been at home sick. So who else had an opportunity to kill Thomas and the means to do it? Evelyn. She had a horse, everyone assumed she was out riding and no one could prove where she’d been. And here came my dilemma. I was SO damn certain that Evelyn killed her own brother. I KNEW it! But I just couldn’t align her character with the cunning deed. You see, the Evelyn I got to know throughout the entire book was a good soul. She defended her maid against a rascal; she regretted her decisions, she showed kindness to a man she had despised for his actions. It didn’t fit. How could a person like that be a killer? So I was at a loss. What I never took into consideration was that Felicity was acting as Evelyn Hardcastle and that Evelyn’s maid Madeline Aubert was actually Evelyn. Turton definitely got me there. Even when Millicent Derby and Evelyn’s father were poisoned I didn’t really suspect Evelyn. I didn’t connect Millicent going to the gallery of pictures after seeing Evelyn and her maid next to each other. *lol* And I could bite myself for that mistake. XD In retrospective it all makes sense. I mean who else would want Evelyn to be out of the picture? Michaels poisoning was just an accident because he drank from the same glass Evelyn did.

5.) And now to Helena Hardcastle. I knew she wasn’t the killer right from the start. Aiden might have suspected her but she would have never hurt her own children no matter how much she despised them. (She knew Evelyn had killed Thomas, I mean she believed it to be an accident but she never forgave her for it. Yet she still protected her for years.) So since Helena was a no-show the entire book I knew she was dead, which was the reason I suspected Cunningham for a while. He was the last one to see her alive. ;-) You see, if Cunningham would have been Thomas’s murderer he would have a reason to want his mother out of the way, and if Evelyn would have been Thomas’s murderer the same would be valid for her. But Cunningham spoke with his mother and was fond of her and he would have had multiple opportunities to kill her over the years. So what changed? Evelyn appeared on the scene. And once again I was sure Evelyn killed Thomas and Helena but I couldn’t connect it with her character which seemed to be so at odds with those sinister deeds. *LOL* Damn, if I would have made that connection with Madeline. XD

6.) And last but not least: I never would have figured out that ALL of the Hardcastle’s children were from Charlie Carver. That one caught me out of the blue. Also Anna’s true identity. Never would have known that if the Plague Doctor wouldn’t have told Aiden. *lol*

So I guess that’s all for now! I hope you had fun reading my musings. XD (hide spoiler)]

All the stars! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature.

Debut author Stuart Turton’s The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, originally published earlier this year in Great Britain as The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, is an intricately plotted murder mystery, set in an isolated early 20th century English mansion, with a highly imaginative speculative element that is only gradually revealed, as our main character tries to figure out who he really is, and how to solve the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle’s pending death … or has her death already occurred?

**I've avoided spoilers BUT I do discuss a part of the basic concept of the book in this review, some of the things that are disclosed around the 12-15% mark, not to mention in the book's blurb. There's definitely something to be said, though, for going into this book completely cold, like I did. If you're interested in doing that, stop reading this review, don't look at anyone else's, and just go read this book! It's worth your time!**

The plot and setting are worthy of Agatha Christie: Lord and Lady Hardcastle have invited a number of guests to their British country mansion, Blackheath House, for a weekend party to celebrate the return of their daughter, Evelyn, from Paris. (The notable guests and household staff are conveniently listed in a copy of the party invitation at the beginning of the book.) One of the guests, Dr. Sebastian Bell, suddenly comes to himself while running through the forest surrounding Blackheath. The name “Anna” was on his lips, but he has no idea who Anna is or who he himself is. His memory is completely blank. Bell is horrified to see a man chasing a woman through the forest, and then a scream and a pistol shot.

Eventually Bell, with a little mysterious help, makes his way back to the mansion, where he tries to convince the other guests to search for the woman he is certain was murdered in the forest. But nobody at Blackheath knows (or in any case admits to knowing) a woman named Anna, and they’re dubious about Bell’s improbably story, particularly in light of his amnesia. Bell meets several of the other guests, including Evelyn Hardcastle, a blonde woman in her late twenties who quickly strikes up a friendship with him (“I loathe getting to know people, so whenever I meet somebody I like, I just assume a friendship immediately. It saves a great deal of time in the long run.”) In the late evening Bell sees something that frightens him so much he faints. He wakes up in another person’s body ― the butler, Mr. Collins ― in the morning of the same day that he just lived through as Sebastian Bell. His day as Collins is even more hellish than it was the first time around. And then he wakes up again, early in the morning of that same day, in another person’s body. Is there a way out of this nightmare?

I went into The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle without knowing anything about its plot; I had conveniently forgotten the blurb by the time I began reading the book. Normally I hate not having context in a novel, and being confused about what the book I’m reading is generally about. But in this case going in blind was highly appropriate, because our main character (who does find out his real name eventually) initially has no idea who he actually is or what is going on around him. The light sheds very gradually, but it all comes together in the end with an awesome set of twists and turns that Dame Christie herself certainly would have admired. Characters often aren’t who they seem, and events that seemed to signify one thing frequently turn out to have an entirely different meaning.

The plot of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is so layered, with a tremendously tight timeline and so many interwoven elements and characters, that I can’t help but picture Turton writing this novel in a room filled with vast numbers of Post-it notes and crisscrossing strings tying everything together, like in the old Heroes TV show.

(Turton has, in fact, stated that he used a massive spreadsheet, a notepad for each character, and a map of the setting ― as well as the aforementioned Post-it notes ― in the process of writing this book.) The speculative element is fascinating, if slightly far-fetched, but undeniably creative. When the main character realizes that the personalities of his host bodies are leaking through, affecting his thoughts and reactions, it deepens the plot.

On top of this, Turton adds insightful writing that’s a pleasure to read. I highlighted some sixty passages in the book; some of them were to help me keep track of the plot and characters, but others were simply for the beauty of Turton’s writing.

She’s trying to anchor me with words … but I’m impervious to reason, consumed by my hatred for the man I was. His flaws I could accept, perhaps even overcome, but this is a betrayal. He made his mistakes and fled, leaving me holding the tatters of his scorched life.

This compelling murder mystery, wrapped in a soft science fiction enigma, is a truly impressive debut novel. Its combination of classic British mystery, Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap blew my mind! I enthusiastically recommend it, and I seriously can’t wait to see what Stuart Turton comes up with next.

ETA: So here’s my theory about the book’s title. DO NOT open this spoiler unless you’ve read the book. (view spoiler)[ Seriously, this ruins the plot! (view spoiler)[ The real Evelyn killed the following people: Thomas, Michael, Peter, and Helena Hardcastle (her whole family, though Michael’s death was accidental), Millicent Derby, and the stable boy Keith Parker years ago. Plus indirectly Charlie Carver, who was hanged for Thomas’ murder that she committed, and she attempted to murder Felicity Maddox and half-killed her. That’s 7 1/2! Coincidence? I think not.

P.S. It turns out this actually is one of the questions on Turton's GR author page, and I’m beyond tickled to find out that my theory is right!! (hide spoiler)]

The very first paragraph hit me unpleasantly. It was as if a movie had started with the hero walking away from a gigantic explosion that he barely notices. This is like a supercomputer that can beat anyone at chess yet cannot play tic tac toe.

It's not literature in any way shape or form. I hope the author never writes another book, as he has struck gold on his first attempt. But however precious gold is, you cannot eat it if you're strung in the wilderness. I felt revolted reading through the pages of this fucking garbage.

Whew, what a ride! Stuart Turton’s debut novel is the kind of debut we all yearn for: explosive, energetic, engaging and truly something fresh and new on the scene. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a brilliant, high-concept murder mystery that had the cogs in my mind turning from the very start (imagine waking up in the forest with no memory of who you are and immediately seeing a young woman murdered!). This, in fact, was the first mystery narrative in a very long time that has made me feel like I was part of the story—immersed in the environment—and the first that pulled me in to such a degree that I felt compelled to actively try to unravel the whodunnit mystery right along with the characters.

Whodunnit and why!

Turton’s atmospheric world is so moody and immersive you’ll feel you should be smoking a pipe with a monocle as you devour it. It was so deliciously wrapped in a sort of British noir, complete with the “party at a country estate” of so many classic murder mysteries. Described by its publisher as “Gosford Park meets Inception by way of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” this book lived up to the hype and description in a big way!

Aiden Bishop is destined to relive the same day over and over again, in eight different bodies, until he can solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. If he does not succeed at the end of that time, the loop restarts and he loses all of his memories of the previous loop, forcing him to start over from scratch with even the basics – who am I? What am I doing here? He realizes that he is both the hunted and the hunter, an innocent and a deceiver, in this highbrow whodunnit.

Until now, I’d only witnessed my fellow guests in their handfuls, their spite spread thin across the house. To be ensnared among them all, as I am now, is something else entirely, and the further I descend into the uproar, the thicker their malice seems to become. Most of the men look to have spent the afternoon soaking in their cups and are staggering instead of dancing, snarling and starting, their conduct savage. Young women throw their heads back and laugh, their makeup running and hair coming loose as they’re passed from body to body, goading a small group of wives who’ve grouped together for safety, wary of these panting, wild-eyed creatures. Nothing like a mask to reveal somebody’s true nature…All of this is wrong. The celebration is too desperate. This is the last party before Gomorrah fell…

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was both intelligent and intellectual, well-paced and deserving of all 500 pages it took up. In a lot of ways, The Seven Deaths was unlike any novel I’ve read before. Skillfully woven together, it was the ultimate literary puzzle. The plot was complex in a baroque but fascinating sort of way, and all the threads Turton spun came together in the end—no stone left unturned, no end left loose. With so many plots converging at once, that was quite the high feat to pull off, but you’ll find it done here superbly in this debut novel. Stuart Turton offers veritable craft in the intricacy of his plotting, a kind of craft that I rarely see anymore. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mind-bender complete with time leaps and multiple murders seen from multiple angles all on this same day that keeps repeating itself over and over again.

The prose was lyrical—honestly, leaning toward flowery—but it is the intricacy of the plot and the atmosphere surrounding these characters that Turton allows to really shine here. Yes, there were moments when this novel graced the line between intricacy and confusion, but it all unraveled splendidly in the end. It was a puzzle of a read; there were moments when the pieces wouldn’t fit and you’d have to scrap it all and start over. For some, that may present as a frustrating experience, but this novel is a real treat to those who love mindbenders, murder mysteries, puzzles and logic games. If that’s you, I highly recommend this novel! Also, if the “Gosford Park/Inception/Agatha Christie" description got your heart racing, then this is the read for you! The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle grabbed me and held me from the very start, probably the most veritable page turner I’ve encountered so far this year, and that’s no easy feat. For such high praise and phenomenal plotting, I give Turton’s debut novel a very strong 4.5 stars. ****

*I received an advance-read copy of the book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I have no idea how I actually feel about this one!

This was probably one of the most confusing and complex novels that I have ever read. I actually quite enjoyed the premise of this story as it definitely was quite clever and really made me think but in the end I was a little disappointed with the “what just happened?” ending which left me feeling a little unsatisfied. I felt a little bit cheated as I was so hoping the ending would have been just as complex and clever as the rest of the novel but for me it just seemed a little too easy.

This was a Traveling Sisters Read that I read along with Berit and Marialyce. We all ended up having pretty much the same thoughts and conclusions upon finishing this book.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss, Stuart Turton and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Review written and posted on our themed book blog Two Sisters Lost In A Coulee Reading.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com

Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley.

The Plot

Evelyn Hardcastle will die every night until her killer is identified. Aiden's challenge is that he has only eight attempts to succeed in solving the riddle, or the mission is handed to someone else. To further complicate matters, Aiden will wake up every morning in the body of a different guest, every day something changes, every day new evidence, and every day new stories and secrets are revealed. However, the killer is one of them but many have motive and opportunity. So who is going to kill Evelyn Hardcastle?

Now 7½ Reasons to love this book

1. A unique and exceptionally imaginative story and a definite must if you love crime / thrillers but want something different.

2. An intelligent and complex plot, that provides the thrill and suspense from start to finish that will keep the reader totally absorbed and guessing. A real page turner.

3. The reader can relax and enjoy the story and outcome. Alternatively, for puzzle lovers like me, you are invited to play your part and engage with this mind bender to solve the riddle, as the new, repetitive, and less obvious clues, are offered each day. Forget your sudoku or crosswords, this puzzle surpasses the lot and was the standout in the book. A brilliant mind bender. However, keep track of the days because I found myself having to go back until I worked out the structure of the book.

4. I do love a book that is multi-layered, with lots of side stories that come together over the course of the story.

5. Despite the time loop, the story never felt repetitive. I am not into time travel so much or ‘Groundhog Day’, but this was a much better version of this concept.

6. The writing style was perfect. Short and sharp which is just what’s needed because there was so much to keep track off with new clues presented each day.

7. The book was also appropriately themed with greed, love, lust, betrayal, alcoholism, infidelity playing into the plot and the characters. Perfect and relevant and finally ‘the half’ goes for the characterisation

7.5 We were presented with such a huge array of interesting but unlikeable characters. However, although they all added to the story, I never felt any deep connection to any of the characters. Hence the 7½ reasons

Highly recommended if you like crime / thriller and whodunnit novels with a twist, especially if you love mind benders and puzzles. Superb, ingenious, and intelligent but takes effort from the reader.

You won't need a ticket to get in, just get a copy of the book (the hard copy so you can enjoy the map of Blackheath, a cozy and quiet place to read (you won't want any distractions), time to ponder all the twists that are going to keep your brain busy!!

I loved it, but needed to pace myself and take my time to enjoy all the twisty turns that the narrator, Aiden Bishop, threw at me during his attempts to stop a murder that has already taken place!

So many times while reading this one, I would have to just pause and smile at the action that was taking place because I was just so amused!!

It was so atmospheric and the different players were all very intriguing and kept popping up throughout the story.  Some favorites were the footman, Anna, Evelyn, and the Plague Doctor!

I enjoyed my time at Blackheath House and this totally unique reading experience.  I would recommend if you enjoy complex layered mysteries with a large cast of witty characters. It is a book that had me pausing, thinking, and re-reading passages (all the while with a smile :0)

I borrowed this book from my library, listened on Hoopla (some chapters), and ended up buying the kindle version half-way through.

The early reviews I read of this book were mixed, but the last two months, I’ve watched so many high ratings come in, I succumbed to temptation and requested. This was one of the most challenging reviews I’ve had to write to ensure I didn’t give a speck of the fun away.

This book. Wow. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a book you have to give a chance, and if you do, the pay-off is immense if mysteries are your cuppa.

I’m offering a basic synopsis because it is best to go into this one with all doors of possibility wide open.

Evelyn has been murdered before, countless times. Her parents are throwing a gala, where she will be murdered again. Luckily, Aiden is tasked with solving her murder.

Evelyn’s story is detail-laden. Knowing that, it is on my short list of best mysteries because of its originality and refreshing storytelling.

As I mentioned above, ample patience is required. It is not a book you will be able to speed through, but if it clicks with you like it did with me, it will be a compulsive, addictive, and impossible to put down.

I spent most of the read analyzing and using my noggin trying to piece everything together, and I LOVED THAT. The writing is comforting and warm in its heaviness, and overall, I found The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle to be brilliantly plotted.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

First of all, take that rating rounding up or down with a grain of salt, this is a 3.5 stars book for me. As for the review, I honestly have no idea how to review this book, not only mystery/thriller is not my usual read or books that I review, I genuinely think that anything I say can be considered a spoiler for a book like this. I’ll keep this review brief, try to go into this one as blind as possible like I did, it will enrich your experience. I’m going to mention parts that work and didn’t work for me as spoiler-free as possible in the next two paragraphs but feel free to skip reading them if you’re already interested in this book.

Let’s start with the parts that work first. This is a debut and it’s a very smart book, consisting of a well-structured storyline with everything coming together in the last 20% of the book. The execution of the conclusion was superbly done and unpredictable. Just when you thought you had everything figured out, Turton keeps you surprised and engaged with revelations. It’s a slow burn but very engaging, I finished this book two days due to how unputdownable it was. I also think the side characters were well developed, especially considering the storytelling method. Prose-wise, this doesn’t feel like a debut at all, Turton’s prose is beautiful, sometimes it felt like reading a literature book.

“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?”

For the parts that didn’t work, I think the main character’s background should’ve come sooner in the story. It was too late for me to really care about his predicament, I have no idea if this is the usual case with mystery/thriller books though. I mostly enjoyed reading the way the story unfolds but It could've been a better experience if I cared more about the main character. Also, one of the decisions made by the main character near the end of the book need more exposition, it didn’t make sense and didn't sit well with me no matter how I look at it. Lastly, the book went on for a bit too long; there was one part in the middle section, specifically Day 6 chapters, where I was super bored and fell asleep.

That’s all. Believe me, this is shorter than my usual reviews and it’s for many good reasons. Bottom line is that if you’re a fan of mystery/thriller book, you really should give this debut a try.

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

The crime fiction element is broken down and then stitched together in a fiendishly clever way. There’s an Agatha Christie style cast and, at heart, you could certainly say that it is an old fashioned murder mystery. The setting too – that of a country estate, now in a significant state of disrepair – could certainly fit one of Christie’s novels. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. This tale is a deconstruction of a crime fiction novel, it’s mind bending and it’s amazing and it’s delivered with terrific aplomb.

After spending less than an hour with this book I was spellbound. The only thing that stopped me devouring the whole thing in one sitting was the fact that a good deal of detail is laid down in a short space of time and I needed a little time to assimilate it all (note: I tend to struggle to keep up with any book that has more than five main characters). But soon I’d gotten my head around how this story was to play out – but certainly not where it was eventually going to take me. And by then the cast of characters had become old friends.

It’s a fully satisfying twist on a murder mystery and I absolutely loved it. I’m full of admiration for the level of imagination needed to put this book together and to keep track of the many twists and turns. In some ways it reminds me of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler's Wife in that it’s a one-off way of telling a story that just nails it. I believe both books would benefit from a second reading, if for no other reason than to admire, again, the skill of the author and to spot all the little tricks, links and clues missed the first time around.

A wonderful first novel from this stunningly gifted writer. My sincere thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What else?

​When he left university he went travelling for three months and stayed away for five years. Every time his parents asked when he’d be back he told them next week, and meant it.

Stuart is not to be trusted. In the nicest possible way.

He’s got a degree in English and Philosophy, which makes him excellent at arguing and terrible at choosing degrees.

Having trained for no particular career, he has dabbled in most of them. He stocked shelves in a Darwin bookshop, taught English in Shanghai, worked for a technology magazine in London, wrote travel articles in Dubai, and now he’s a freelance journalist. None of this was planned, he just kept getting lost on his way to other places.

He likes a chat. He likes books. He likes people who write books and people who read books. He doesn’t know how to write a biography, so should probably stop before he tells you about his dreams or something. It was lovely to meet you, though.

Stuart's debut novel is called The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the UK and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the US. They're the same book. Don't fret.