“Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day . . . quite unlike anything I’ve ever read, and altogether triumphant.”—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he 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 at … Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.
For fans of Claire North, and Kate Atkinson, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.
This inventive debut twists together a thriller of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.
Costa First Novel Award 2018 Winner
One of Stylist Magazine’s 20 Must-Read Books of 2018
One of Harper’s Bazaar’s 10 Must-Read Books of 2018
One of Guardian’s Best Books of 2018
One of Buzzfeed’s 17 Mystery Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down
One of BookRiot’s 10 Mystery and Thriller Authors like Agatha Christie
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I did the audio book, I don’t recommend that for this book as a first reading. I found myself making a chart, which I’ve never done. Also going back to hear a few chapters before I’d move on. Get the ebook or a real book.
This is “Groundhog Day” in a book. Loads of people are invited to a party in a ramshackle mansion owned by a once prominent family now forced to sell their daughter in marriage to maintain their lifestyle. Someone is murdered and one man, not invited to the party, is charged with solving the murder by inhabiting, one at a time, several of the guests at the party, The same day keeps happening over and over and over until he solves the murder. Or does he?
You are dropped into the body of a series of seven strangers and told that unless you solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, you are doomed to relive this day, in these bodies, over and over until you or someone else answers that question. Interesting premise, right? As our hero inhabits each person we learn a little bit more about him, as well as the person he’s inhabiting and how all of the people in this book are connected. It’s a mystery within a mystery and whether our main character solves this mystery or loses his memories to start anew again keeps me reading until the end!
The first couple of characters our hero inhabits and the people he comes in contact with are really interesting. It took me a little while to catch on to what kind of mystery I was reading, but once I realized that every person was a clue, I started to pay more attention to the details of what was not only going on with our hero, but also the other characters in the book. As each person goes to sleep, he pops into another person starting another day seeing through their eyes. I thought one of the most interesting bits about how this mystery played out was that our hero had to dominate the personality of each person he inhabited. Over time, it became easier for the other personality to overcome him making his job of using that character to move forward to solve the mystery more challenging. As the day wore on and the approach of Evelyn’s death was closer, the characters became more demonic and terrifying in personality.
This was a very well thought out mystery! How did the author keep track of all of these characters timelines, intertwine them and still make it all cohesive? Truly, the skill involved was pretty amazing. I will admit a couple of the characters were duds for me, and I sped through their scenes a little quicker than I’d normally like in a mystery novel, I usually savor the details. However, the resolution of this mystery was satisfying, fascinating, and felt true to the characters I’d just spent days reading and getting to know. I’m willing to forgive a little slowness in the middle for that feeling of satisfaction and resolution at the end. I was given an ARC of this novel through NetGalley by the publisher for their honest review, and it was honest!
I couldn’t connect to any characters! The story moved very slowly. Just not my kind of book.
Well, this is certainly not like most other books.
The author’s mind must have been like the old time performers who ran around keeping plates spinning on top of poles!
The premise is that one man has eight days to solved the mystery of the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle.
But each day he inhabits the body of another guest, each with different skills and challenges, and each getting a bit harder for him to control mentally.
It is quite a tour de force.
Any additional explanation is hopeless.
Just read it.
Basically this is Grounhog Day meets Tales of the Unexpected meets classic country house mystery. And it is cleverly done but unfortunately it did not work for me…it is well written and the characters are well developed but it felt so chaotic, so forced. Of course, the fact that none of the characters were endearing is both an asset and a drawback.
No,sorry,it just didn’t work for me…
A unique whodonit. Smartly constructed and very entertaining.
It’s hard to imagine that a mystery book could also be very literary in tone but this one is. I was confused and delighted. This book is very odd. I will say that if the reader does not like the first two chapters then they should stop reading it because that approach runs throughout the story.
5 stars
Mind. Blown. What did I just read???
I have had this book on my shelf for quite some time, patiently waiting until September when I could read and review it. When I first saw it, I knew I had to have it and let me tell you, the wait was worth it.
I don’t even know where to begin or what to say because… Holy Mother of all mind melty, time twisty books. Not since Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter have I been so blown away by a reveal. I don’t want to go into any details, because seriously, they are best left unsaid. But let me tell you what you should know:
1- You should read this book. Period.
2- The beginning starts a little slow and you really don’t know what in the world is going on. Stick with it. It gets explained soon enough
3- It is not as confusing as I thought it might be. Based on other reviews I have read, I thought I would have a hard time following, but I didn’t. The author does a really good job of making sure you know the “rules” and what day it is and who the host is.
That’s it! I am not going to say anymore because I want you to fully experience Evelyn Hardcastle’s death in the same manner that I did. Blind.
One final word. This is not an “easy” read. You have to pay attention; the details matter. But it is a fast read. You will want to rip through the pages because you will need to know what happens next. Don’t start this book until you are good and ready to give it your undivided attention. Believe me, once you start, you won’t want to stop.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for my copy of this book via Edelweiss
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! It’s a work of sheer genius. An amazing, unique book that blew my mind.
I hereby declare Stuart Turton the Mad Hatter of Crime. The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is unique, energizing, and clever. So original, a brilliant read.
Gloriously inventive, playful and clever, this is a must for mystery fans. I wish I’d written it myself…
this book hooks you from the first pge. There are a lot of twists and turns. A must read
A riveting, complex, spellbinding novel! The story took you through so many twists, turns, roadblocks and characters that you never knew which way it would continue until it was happening! A very inventive mystery thriller that engages you from page one! Absolutely marvellous storytelling! * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
Think Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day with the body hopping of Quantum Leap and you have the gist of this one. The story has a Gothic feel and for every question our protagonist finds an answer to, there’s another question or predicament to deal with. We aren’t given much information about the main character in the beginning, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. His confusion is conveyed quite well, but since we don’t know any more than he does, it doesn’t give the reader much in the way of a connection with Aiden. I was curious about why he was stuck bouncing around and becoming other people, but without anything personal, it’s hard to find much empathy for him. The story is a little like being told about the events of one day from several points of view, but some characters were more distinctive than others so at times, the jumps from one person to another led to some confusion. For me, this one had its ups and downs, but it did keep me reading, trying to figure things out – sometimes trying to solve the puzzle and sometimes just trying to figure out what was going on. The author certainly has a way with words, and the book is loaded with some absolutely brilliant prose, so I would certainly read other works by him.
This is one of those books that keeps growing and getting better as you read, some people mistakenly compared the storyline with Groundhog Day, yes the day repeats itself for Aiden Bishop but is the only similarity you’ll find.
Every day that repeats has a new perspective of the story, a new discovery. It’s wonderful to see how the same scene can be experienced and viewed differently depending on where you where and what you stand for, and that’s how life works! Not two people live the same experience, even if both are present at the same time and moment. Every host is different, different lives, professions, bodies, intelligence and vices. Therefore, Aiden has to fight harder to not let himself lose on his host. He has one goal and that is to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle and left Blackheath.
In this book you’ll find redemption and new beginnings, loyalty and betrayal. At the end the book surprises us with a more futuristic twist and I wonder if that’s where we are going? I wholeheartedly believe someone can change but only if his nature is not corrupted. Anyone can make a terrible mistake and repent, but only if the person understand that there is another option, a less evil option a different choice to be made. Unfortunately there are individuals whose nature is corrupted beyond redemption and this book brilliantly pose that question.
If you love a good mystery that is unpredictable and keeps you reading and wondering until the very end, don’t hesitate to read this book.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, Stuart Turton and Netgalley for the opportunity.