Groundhog Day meets Murder Mystery in The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Review)

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
By Stuart Turton
Adult Suspense
Hardcover & ebook, 438 Pages
September 18th 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Summary

The Rules of Blackheath:

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let's begin...

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

(Affiliate links included.)

My Review

THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE is an intriguing story of mystery, danger, and romance with a scifi twist. Recommended to mystery fans who are looking for something a little different.

It took me a few pages to figure out what was going on in this story. There are a couple of main characters, but the main one takes turns in different hosts as he tries to figure out the mystery and save a woman's life. It's a mystery he's spent years trying to solve, but doesn't realize that he's been on the same loop. It messes with your mind just a little. Some of the characters are more pleasant than the others, but the author did a fantastic job with these characters and writing the story in such a way that I felt everything the characters felt and tried to figured what was happening right along with him. The suspense is also well done, with a constant undertone of danger that intensifies towards the climatic end. A definite unique murder mystery and one that is not easy to forget.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was really well done. There was not a dull moment, and readers will find themselves flipping the pages as fast as they can towards the end. It's a mystery with some unique twists.

Content: Some crassness, innuendo, references to affairs, drug use, some swearing, and violence.
Source: I received a complimentary eARC from the publisher through NetGalley, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

We read this for my book club and it prompted an interesting discussion. Will you be reading it? Any thoughts on my review?

No comments

Post a Comment

I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.