What a thought provoking twister is the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Each time I was sure I had it worked out, another clue emerged that told me I was on the wrong track. Right up to the end, I had no idea. The format of the book, the way the character emerged in a new identity each 24hrs, was an ingenious way to write this mystery. A thoroughly enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.

Ah yes! A breath of fresh air from the most recent 'best hits' this book really takes off and never slows down. I was shocked and my mind is still reeling from it all. I mean, talk about original! *Sighs* I couldn't figure out who the enemy was and I finally did, MIND BLOWN.

Looking at reviews, I'm certainly in the minority on this one. I started my Kindle copy shortly after receiving it from NetGalley, though I quit after about a handful of pages because I couldn't follow it despite reading them over and over. So I waited and borrowed the audio book from my library. I got much farther this time, almost 20%, and the narrator is excellent, but I still couldn't get into the story. I was perpetually confused, and maybe that's the point, but this one just isn't a good fit for me.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

2.25 stars

“Nothing like a mask to reveal somebody’s true nature.”

What would you do if you woke and couldn’t remember who you are, but you know that the body you’re in isn’t yours? Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight potential witnesses to the crime and that means eight hosts for you to inhabit. You are charged with identifying the killer by a mysterious man in a Plague Doctor costume and it will set you free of Blackheath, a hell of its own. The problem is that some hosts are smarter than others and some know more than others. Aiden has to use the hosts to his advantage while also battling a footman who wants him dead and allies who could be looking to murder him. I do want to comment Turton on capturing a very Agatha Christie-like mood. This is one of the view mysteries that I’ve read outside of Christie that I’ve felt that intense and dark mood enveloped with a light tongue-in-cheekiness. I did enjoy Turton’s ability to create scenes at times, but at others I felt so bored. I found the story and its transitions easy to put down. I didn’t hunger to come back to the story and I didn’t have an overwhelming desire to unearth who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. The story itself has captivating qualities, but Turton’s writing style did not capture me intently enough for me to speed through this suspense novel. It took me three months to read this and this novel is over 400-pages which in my opinion was far too long because there was so much exposition and setup as he is entering new hosts. I’m kind of salty to be honest. This was a novel I was anticipating and I was left feeling unsatisfied while reading. However, I will say that the ending did redeem my enjoyment overall, but the process was so unbearable that it overwhelmed my overall enjoyment of the novel.



Whimsical Writing Scale: 2.25

“None of them is your real face, or your real personality. Those were stripped from you when you entered Blackheath, and they won’t be returned until you leave.”

Aiden is not a very visceral main character. I don’t know who he is or why I should root for him to get free of the confines of Blackheath because he himself doesn’t know who he is. I found that this was both interesting to the development of the plot and overall revelations at the end about his past, but also, I didn’t care enough about him to care about who he was outside of this eternal hell. I’m just uninterested in his character.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 1.5
There are a lot of characters and to be honest, I don’t have one favorite. That’s disappointing because one would expect that at least one character would capture my heart and get my interest piqued. In reality, these characters were despicable and didn’t enhance my desire to know what was going on because I couldn’t buy that any of them were evil enough to leave their own selfish obsessions of sin and depravity to plot a murder that looks like a suicide. I guess the most interesting character was the Plague Doctor, especially towards the end because I have so many questions about how the justice system in this world works and how one becomes trapped in this kind of role as an observer.



Character Scale: 1.5

“Not all hells are created equal.”

The Villain- There were so many villains in this plot. Like I said the characters suck, but I did love this twist. What a ride and how dark. I actually bought it and was enthralled by the character’s callousness.



Villain Scale: 3.25

Overall, I was incredibly sad not to have loved this novel but I do think that many will find it to be a treat. It has a wonderful concept and while the execution fell short for me, I believe many will be pleased with this story. If it intrigues you, don’t let my negative saltiness turn you away from this novel because it may be one that blows you away. Especially if you are looking for an Agatha Christie with a Twilight Zone twist.



Plotastic Scale: 3.25

Cover Thoughts: This feels like an Agatha Christie novel in Gatsby font.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫.

This was an unexpectedly captivating and brilliant read, and one I nearly abandoned early on because I didn’t feel it going anywhere. This one took me a little while to get into, but combining the print copy with the audiobook was a wonderful combination for me. The narrator of the audiobook, James Cameron Stewart, injected so much personality and atmosphere into this, definitely one of the better audiobooks I’ve listened to recently!

On the surface this book is the magical realist love-child of Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie. We follow a man as he wakes up in a different body each day, tasked with solving the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. Seems straight forward, but there is so much intricately layered into this narrative, and so much working behind the scene that it was a pure delight to go into this without any expectations.

It was so well written, and Turton’s prose is excellent and atmospheric. His story-telling, though, is just pure genius! This was extremely clever and unexpected, and I was blown away by the twist!

I highly recommend this one, and want to thank all of you who reached out and encouraged me to persevere with this read! 🥰

I just finished this book, and already I feel like I need to read it. I have so many thoughts that are hard to articulate.

Firstly, wow. This book has so many moving parts, and what a masterpiece that everything is explained and comes together in a nice bow at the end. I was sure some detail would be left out; something would be unexplained. Thankfully, I was left shocked and satisfied by the ending.

I liked that this book takes place among 8 timelines. It kept the story interesting and it is crazy to see how a different perspective can change everything. I also really loved the reasoning behind why Aiden is even there to solve this mystery in the first place. I thought it was clever and inconvenient. I like that Turton didn't just take the easy way out, but took time to almost create a world at the end.

My only complaint about this book is also the one thing that I liked most (kind of like a relationship right? LOL). Because there were so many moving parts and the story was not told chronologically, it was a VERY slow read. It took me months to get through this book because I would start reading then put it down only to be confused and forget certain details when I went to pick it back up again. I think it would have still been intriguing, but perhaps easier to read if we had seen all of a host's perspective before moving onto a different day. Logistically, I don't know if that would have worked, but from the reader's perspective, it would have maybe helped me not get so lost when I had to stop reading for some reason or another.

Overall, this book is great. I think when I'm able to reread it, I'll even say fantastic. I highly recommend this to fans of old mysteries or things like Clue. If you can, try to read it fairly quickly so you don't forget any details along the way. Excellent debut. I can't wait to see what else he comes up with.

I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the premise, and it delivered. I feel like it was made for me, because it has everything I love in a mystery. Complex plot, interesting premise, and so many twists. I could not put this book down and I can't wait to see what else this author writes.

Fans of cozy mysteries and time travel, rejoice; The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is twisty, confusing, and so much fun. Imagine being trapped in a game of Clue, and you are all the players. I could no more put it down than I could thoroughly make sense of it. Thanks to author Stuart Turton for the great read and to Netgalley for the ARC.

As the story opens, a man is running through the forest yelling, "Anna." He is wearing someone else's dinner jacket and has another person's hands. He has no memory of who he is, how he made his way to the forest, or why he is inside another person's body. A silver compass drops from his pocket. A voice whispers one word: "East."

In his debut novel, author Stuart Turton asks, through an eclectic variety of characters, plot machinations, and a healthy dose of science fiction, "How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?"

In an inventive and unique story, the Hardcastle family is hosting a masquerade ball at their dilapidated English manor. Their daughter, Evelyn Hardcastle, will die every day until invited guest Aiden Bishop identifies her killer and breaks the cycle. It's like Groundhog Day. Every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in a different body, each one of the guests.

Aiden may be trapped for eternity if he can't solve Evelyn’s murder and satisfy the enemy he can't even identify conclusively or comprehend. On the bizarre Hardcastle estate, no one is who or what they seem, and no one can be trusted as they present themselves to be allies but quickly prove to anything but.

Turton himself describes the work as a mash-up of Agatha Christie, Groundhog Day, and Quantum Leap, and that's an apt summary. He infuses the story with characters of all ages, shapes, and sizes, making Aiden's daily challenge even more interesting. One of the bodies he inhabits is not just old, but extremely overweight, making it difficult for him to navigate the estate. Another has been severely beaten and is trying to recover from his injuries.

He also includes enough plot twists and surprising developments to keep readers guessing until the very end. The pace of the book is uneven. It slows significantly mid-way, then picks up again and races to the all-revealing climax. Why Aiden is there proves to be an elusive mystery that, when finally revealed, makes sense. Well, as much as anything in this unusual tale can make sense.

Elevator Pitch:

Agatha Christie as told by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof.

Why I liked it:


in 2009 ago J.J. Abrahams guest-edited a special issue of Wired, all about magic, mysteries, and puzzles, I urge you to read this essay he wrote especially for it, about the Age of immediacy and the longing for mystery. Trying to solve the puzzles put in that issue you could've make notes, or you could've get happily Lost in it.
I share J.J. Abrahams love of mystery, hate it when everything has to be explained and resolved. But a lot of people really hate the opposite. When you are exact and precise, you need mathematical precision in your intricate storytelling; I like to wander within it, like in life, and enjoy it.
Trying to figure things out is not the same as understanding. The first can stand in the way of the second.
So what has that to do with The 7.5 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? This book caters to both types of readers. You could keep a notebook next to the book, and follow along to see how everything plays out, *it's a lot. Try to anticipate how it will all match up will break your brain. How bewildering this book can be from the start, all the questions will be answered. They all get solved. Bar one, and that one is left for the likes of us, who love to use imagination to continue the story in our heads after the last page.
So this book a very well constructed puzzle and a post modernist mystery — a dismantled Agatha Christie-like plot, that will be slowly put together with an array of twist and turns.

What is it about:


A man wakes up without memory with only a name in his head: Anna. He soon learns he is in a manor, with servants, teatime, pretty maids, hunting parties, bitter old ladies, the Downtown Abbey-works.
He will also learn his purpose. Find out who will kill Evelyn Hardcastle at 11 pm. He has till midnight to come up with the answer; then he will switch body, and relive the same day. He has eight chances; eight body-swaps to go. Then his memory will be wiped, and he has to start all over again.
Stuart Turton is a fan of Quantum Leap, and of course, you could talk about Greyhound Day, many body swap movies and Black Mirror ( pay attention, the puzzles start here).

Comes down to:


An inventive, well plotted, mind-boggling ( you have to drink lots of caffeine to keep up) ride.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mystery within a lot of mysteries. The Hardcastle house in Blackheath is full of secrets. The people here hold grudges for longer than a lifetime, and everything about this house is dark and dangerous.

Aiden has been given 8 lives and 8 different set of hosts to solve the infamous murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. But each body has a mind that wants to take over Aiden’s sense of reasoning, and each body shares a different fate. The whole point is to solve the murder without losing one’s individuality.

I loved the concept. The world building was quite good too- dark and secretive. The characters are one of a kind and quite layered. Each character has been built from scratch and given a distinct past, present, and future. The problem arises with the twists. The twists are placed unevenly and a lot of details are unnecessary. The book could easily have been a 100 pages shorted and I would enjoy it more.

The story is overwhelming and quite slow most of the time. There are a lot of details and there’s a constant struggle to remember everything at a given point in time. The ending is quite good. Loved the big reveal but I was too exhausted at the end to actually enjoy such a thrilling ending.

I would recommend this book if you are okay with a lot of details, love epic plot twists and not get bothered by a slow paced book.

What a book!!!

Remember that old movie with Bill Murray, Groundhog Day? Well, this book is a bit like that. Aiden is forced to relive the same day over and over again. The only thing is, this isn't just a boring, ordinary day. At the end of it, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered. Aiden has eight chances (and eight widlly dissimilar hosts) to solve her murder.

There are so many questions. What's going on? Who else is playing this twisted game, and why are they there? I found the events confusing at first (which made complete sense, as Aiden was also thoroughly confused in the body of his first host, all memories wiped), but everything comes together in a brilliant, breathless way. How would I define this book? A mystery, naturally, but there are also elements of historical fiction and sci fi thrown in there too. I thought this was an amazing debut novel.

Thank you to Sourcebooks & NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

This is possibly the most unique, clever, tantalizing read of my entire year. I could not even begin to classify this book into a specific category, as it is like nothing else I've read.

Admittedly, it took me a couple of chapters to fully grasp what was happening in the story, but the minute it clicked, I was hooked. I loved that the story moves this mysterious character through 8 different host bodies, as he tries to work out who murders Evelyn Hardcastle, and tries to save her life. I have no idea at all how Stuart Turton managed to keep all the strings of this story straight enough to twist them into this plot, but I am beyond impressed. Chapter after chapter as little tidbits were revealed and I could connect them back to previous host bodies, I would get more and more excited.

I loved this story - this was like a murder mystery party brought to life. I was hooked on every word, and I could barely set this book down. It is amazing, and I had no way to guess the twists until they fell into my lap. I loved, loved, loved this book.

If you are a reader who likes a character drama, a mystery and a suspense, or a reader who is looking for something VERY unique, this is absolutely the book for you!

Welcome to Blackheath and to the dark and dangerous game called "The Murder of Evelyn Hardcastle".

A group of people is invited to Blackheath for the nineteenth anniversary of a murder of Thomas Hardcastle. Creepy, right? And sadly, the visitors do not know the chain of murders this visit will bring.

In order to escape this dreadful place which is full of dark secrets and win the game, Aiden Bishop has eight days to solve the upcoming murder. The rules are simple, during eight days, Aiden wakes up in a body of a different visitor, all he has to do is to use his "hosts" and their knowledge to find the real murderer... and most importantly - avoid of being killed himself.

I had such a wonderful time reading this book. It seemed a bit confusing at the beginning, but once the story starts to roll, all chess figures fall into places. Thank you, NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark publisher and Stuart Turton for a free copy of this wonderful book!

An amazing novel! This is one of those books so out of the ordinary, so peculiar, so well written that they leave you a bit orphan when you finish, not knowing exactly what to do with yourself now.

It's such a unique tale I'll put this right up to the league of 14, by Peter Clines; something completely lonely in its own category. No competitors at all, just this absolutely innovative story standing there all by itself in that new genre, unfortunately not surrounded by its peers. Unfortunately because I would love to have another masterpiece like this to read now but I know that something so amazing can't come that often...

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

Honestly, I was loving this book up until the end. The mysterious atmosphere was outstanding and I truly couldn't get enough of it. I was kept guessing throughout the entire book, which is something that not many books can do. The plot, although not the most original, was amazing, too. Having to relive some events as different people until you reach a certain goal is one of my favorite "tropes".

The characters were another strong part of this book. All of them were flawed and had their own vices, and we witnessed some of them, mainly the main character, change throughout the course of this story to someone he doesn't think his of self would recognize. This was done in such an excellent way and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget about this story.

Now for the part that ruined this book for me. I honestly get that this story is meant to be about people changing for the better and so on, but the entire Anna situation was ridiculous, in my opinion. I mean, when the main character found out that the reason Anna was in that place was because she was a terrible human, and that she had kidnapped, humiliated and then tortured his sister before killing her and then proceeded to help her get out anyway because "she changed" and "she helped him too" was a no no. I was so closed to rating this a 5 stars, but this whole situation irked me so bad.

Generally, though, this was a great mystery novel. You don't know who to trust and you'll certainly be kept at the edge of your seat for this entire book. Also, it's filled with plot twists, on plot twists, on plot twists.

I did not expect to get lost in the book as quickly as I did. It really pulled me in right away. A mysterious crime novel, with that extra piece of excitement. I do feel the book is enjoyed more if you know little about the history of Evelyn Hardcastle though.

I really enjoyed that you are thrown into the middle of the story, unaware of what is happening. The reader is left learning as the story progresses, alongside Aiden. The idea that the events are shown from the perspective of different hosts...that really held my interest. It shows the differences we each see though we are all looking at the same thing.

A very good read!

Ok..Wow!
Trapped to relive the same day 8 times over to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, the narrator Aiden Bishop does this through 8 different characters with one chance to solve the the murder.
I enjoy complex mysteries but I really had a hard time with this one. I always try to go into books with an open mind but there was so much hype with this one I couldn't wait to read it. I was disappointed and frustrated. I felt like I was reading Groundhog Day. Several times I had to re-read sections or even set aside the book to clear my mind so that I could just finish it. I felt like I should have been taking notes. It is a very unique take on the murder mystery.
I have given this 3 1/2 stars due to my sadness that it did not meet the hype surrounding it, in my opinion. I DO recommend it if you enjoy complex multilayered reads. It is a true mystery and just because I had difficulty with it does not make it a bad book. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my honest review.

This book was a slow read for me. It read like a cross between Clue and Groundhog Day. It was basically a mystery so the audience gets a piece of the puzzle Evey once in a while, but the complete answers come out until the very end of the book and they didn't really wow me. It was a simple story with a huge cast of characters that after a while of reading I completely forgot what each character did and the characteristics of some of them so when Aiden recalls what someone did I had to go back and figure out which person he is talking about and what that person was like. It was a good book, but not really for me.

The concept of this book was brilliant, but unfortunately I don't think it was right for me. I found myself completely confused throughout the whole first few chapters and even started the book again 3 times. I just felt really overwhelmed the whole time and had to DNF it.

I am hugely in the minority with my opinion as this is a very popular book with great reviews from people who managed to stay connected the whole way through.