“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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So I picked this book up because of the title. I was not let down.
Aiden and Anna are in for one hell of a ride. Between the Footman, the Plague Master, the lies and decides, murder, betrayal, and everything else that Aidsn live theough for the 8 days hes in the Blackheath, he solves 5 murders, catches the Footmaster, sees the poor kid in the lake, and frees his love.
This book will have you guessing until the very end.
Moved quickly, but didn’t make much sense.
Great story, page turner to the end
I deleted before finishing. I found it boring and meandering.
I listened to this–and found it very confusing and tedious at times. Maybe if I had read it, but listening to it was not a great experience.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton may be one of the most confusing books I have ever read, but I absolutely loved it and its uniqueness!
This book is confusing as heck, there are so many moving pieces and different people that I am actually amazed the author was even able to make sense of it. But it was also completely brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read in my life. I had initially started the book back when it first came out, but I couldn’t get into it, so I eventually set it aside thinking I’d pick it up later. Well now I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to get back to it! I decided to do the audio this time and I think that is something that really helped me. I really enjoyed the narrator, James Cameron Stewart, and the way he read the book really got me in the mood for it, so to speak.
If you are not into books that might confuse you, you may not like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I highly encourage anyone who thinks this sounds interesting to pick it up. It was witty, clever, and completely surprising. There are a few revels that I didn’t see coming, and I loved the experience this book offered me. The fact that this is a debut novel also blew me away, and if you read it you will see why. I’m very excited to see Turton has a new book coming out in 2020 and I will certainly not wait as long to read it this time!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
Amazing and imaginative story
This book was chosen by my book club so I tried to listen to it on audio books. There were an extensive number of character’s to keep track of and there was a lot of difficulty keeping things straight. If fact, I can tell you I did not. The characters are not likable or very well developed. On top of that, one of the main character’s inhabited other’s bodies over a weeks period while everyone is attending a party held at a mansion. There were some surprising events in the plot but not enough to hold my interest. I did complete the book but is was just “not my cup of tea”. To be fair, it would probably have been better if I read it instead. I am unable to recommend this book.
Unlike any mystery I ever read and I really enjoyed it from beginning to end.
I was absolutely blown away by this book. As a mystery/thriller author myself, I am always on the lookout for more imaginative, creative takes on thrillers, and Stuart Turton has absolutely nailed it in his debut novel, THE 7 1/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE.
Our hero, Aiden Bishop, has somehow landed himself in a Groundhog-Day-like loop where he must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle – the star of the party who dies at the end of each repeating day. The twist (well, one of the twists, as there are many!) is that Aiden wakes up in a new host body each day, and with all of the limitations of each particular body, he must try to figure out how he got there and more importantly, who kills Evelyn each night. Solving the mystery is his only way out of the loop.
What I was most amazed by was the author’s ability to keep track of the details of this never-ending day from each character’s perspective, and keep them all straight each time Aiden jumps into a new body. Writing a book in just two or three different points of view can be extremely consuming and complicated for an author, but Turton takes this to a whole new level in this surprising, intelligent Agatha-Christie-esque novel. If you want a book that will make you pay attention and keep you guessing, pick this one up. You will not regret it!
It was very confusing at first. I enjoyed figuring out what was going on little by little. It definitely calls for a re-read.I appreciated the twisting nature of the story.
Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day via an Agatha Christie-style mystery. Yeah, it really is all of that. Fantastic execution of a wild idea. Loved it.
Absolutely loved this one! So twisty and original.
The way this book is structured is what sets it apart from your typical mystery.
I really enjoyed this book. Novel and very interesting wY to describe the events.
I can’t remember why I decided to read this book, but I saw it someplace and the title intrigued me. As is my M.O., I didn’t read the blurb, I just picked it up so I had no idea what to expect.
Wow. I can’t help but wonder how this author pitched this story to publishers — the complexity of the plot is mind boggling enough, but I LOVED the details he put into each character. This book really is a fantastic example of why each character must view the world differently and how to write it well. The creativity of a book like this simply astounds me — I don’t have the type of mind to create a simple mystery, much less a complex one like this.
It did take me a bit to get into it (3 or 4 chapters), but once I got into it, I was hooked. One of the most intriguing and unique books I’ve read in a very long time.
PG-13/R for some language and genre-appropriate violence.
Story too convoluted.
Some books are a joy to read; this is one of them. I should not be surprised as it was recommended to me by a dear friend who seems to know what books I would enjoy even more than I do.
While reading THE 7 ½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE, I was impressed with the writing. Stuart Turton is quite adept at painting a picture with words, which, in this book, is most important with regard to keeping the cast of characters straight in one’s mind. Here is a book to take your mind off of whatever is going on in the world, or even in your life. It demands your full attention. If you don’t pay attention, you might miss some ever so subtle point that makes all the difference as the tale expands.
THE 7 ½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE would be ruined by spoilers. It is a mystery you must read for yourself, and you need to go in cold. Don’t even read the blurb!
Frankly, I was really glad to be done with this book! When I started listening I didn’t get a good impression of the book. Then I was intrigued by the premise and decided to continue. It was very confusing, but held my interest. Then I got to what seemed to be the conclusion and I thought, okay, now I really know what the whole point of this was about and was quite satisfied. If it had ended there, I’d have given it at least another star. But it didn’t. Granted there was a real twist when it was about over, which was interesting, but by then I just wanted it OVER.
All the stars. Clever and heart pounding right up to the last page. Loved every twisted second of it.