I received a complimentary ARC copy of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton from NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark in order to read and give an honest review.

"Stuart Turton’s debut novel is genius, he has written a clever, unique and deeply psychological novel that will keep you guessing to the very end...."

This has got to be perhaps the most creative, clever and brilliant novels I have read this year.  Stuart Turton writes a novel that blends an Agatha Christie feel with the movie Groundhog Day or Memento, overflowing with atmosphere, complex characters, an intricate plot, psychological twists and turns all of which leading the reader to a completely unexpected ending.  Murder, mayhem and body swapping, who could ask for more?  

A brilliant cast of characters is attending a memorial party for Thomas Hardcastle who was murdered as a child years ago at Blackheath. Thomas’s sister Evelyn Hardcastle who was supposed to supervise him that day was blamed by her family and fled to Paris but after a long time estranged, she is invited to the party by her Mother. Poor Evelyn doesn’t visit for long, she is murdered at 11 pm the night of the party by one of the guests and guest Aiden Bishop feels driven to solve her murder. Aiden wakes up not knowing who he is, where he is from and every time he sleeps he wakes up in another person's body, reliving the day but not just from another’s perspective but with fuzzy vague memories of what secrets he learned through his previous host.  He is also visited by a man dressed in a plague doctor outfit and learns that he is not alone there are two others just like him and whoever solves the crime first is the only one to be freed from Blackheath.  There is also a murderous footman determined to murder his hosts so he can no longer jump. With each host, he battles their personalities', some good, some evil but all begin to bury his own personality.  During his jumps, he figures out who the other two “jumpers” are and they decide to work together, leaving clues and notebooks so they remember what they have learned the previous day, but will they betray him? 

Stuart Turton’s debut novel is genius, he has written a clever, unique and deeply psychological novel that will keep you guessing to the very end. Highly recommend it!

Thank You NetGalley for the free ARC.

This book is like a never ending puzzle. The day's events repeat and end with the same result - a murder. The protagonist seems to travel from body to body, watching the events unfold but never quite understanding what actually happens.

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.

I know there are many great reviews for this book, but I don't understand it. I mean it is a good book, but you have to like that type of book first. This book leaves your brain spinning because not only do you have an unknown person jumping into different bodies back and forth, but the book jumps back and forth in time as well. I personally am not a fan of books like that because you spend so much time trying to keep track of what character you are reading that you lose sight of the story. I just kept wondering if the author wrote mini stories for each of characters with scenes on separate little note pages and then threw them in the air, stacked them up and wrote the book. If the author's aim was to have you wondering what is going on through the entire book, then he did an excellent job. The book was a constant turmoil for Aiden Bishop (and the reader) trying to solve a murder that may or may not be murder or there may be two. He may have friends or enemies, you don't find out until nearly the end and just when he thinks he has it figured out, well, he didn't have all the information yet. It was well written but chaotic. One of the reasons I like mystery books is to figure out who the murderer is, but in a book like this, you can't because he keeps changing things to lead you through the book without any of way of figuring out until he tells you what happened. So, no fun for me.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle reads like a mash-up of Quantum Leap, Groundhog Day, and The Great Gatsby.

Our main character, Aiden, travels between different host bodies as he repeats the same day over and over, trying to solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. The setting is a 1920s high society party at Blackheath manor.

It reminds me of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, written between 1378 and 1400.

The Canterbury Tales is comprised almost entirely of its archetypes. The premise is simple: people are on a journey and compete for who can tell the best story. The individual stories are the interesting part, but even more so are the people who tell them. They represent and are defined by their different archetypes. The Wife of Bath, the Man of Law, the Clerk, the Cook, the Miller, the Merchant. The Friar. They are all representative of a character trait.

We see the same construct used in many other stories throughout history. Think of Murder on the Orient Express with the detective, the governess, the butler, and more. Or The Breakfast Club with the brain, the jock, the princess, the criminal, and the basket case.

And now with The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Turton uses the construct for the different archetypal hosts Aiden uses; the cop, the old widower, the corpulent man, the criminal, the shady doctor.

The benefit to this type of story is that the characters are almost instantly identifiable and relatable. We know in an instant who they are, they types of lives they lead, their economic situations, and much more.

The problem, one that’s explored in stories like The Breakfast Club, is that these archetypal roles can be confining. Characters are boxed in, trapped, and sometimes one-dimensional.

Turton solves this a bit by the very nature of Aiden’s hosts. He lives inside their brains and sees their longings and thought processes. At the same time, though, we barely get to know Aiden himself.

The main drawback to The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is that there’s just a bit too much wonderfulness. The guests overstay their welcome. The book could have been just as effective and much more tightly written had poor Evelyn suffered only 3 ½ deaths. By the surprising ending, I was exhausted and ready to just leave the party already.

Otherwise, the story is a lot of fun! It makes me want to dress up in my finest 1920s-era regalia and play a rousing game of Clue.

I have never struggled so much to write a review. This is beyond brilliant and I don’t know how it is even conceivable. Stuart Turton did not miss a beat in making the most insane connections and I’ll admit, I did not solve a single plot twist until being given the ending on a silver platter. The concept is hard to wrap your head around and I have to admit, I was often confused but that was my fault as I didn’t go into the book with full attention and the understanding of how complex this book would really be.

Turton does a remarkable job of writing characters as you feel like you really understand Aiden and the hosts. He also does a great job writing a unique mystery with even a moral concept of our own possible future of an important judicial system in which I can give no further detail without spoiling something.

This is a twisted tale that’s never been done in which I can’t wrap my head around ever being clever enough to write. For me, the confusion made me feel more like this was a 4 but that was strictly my fault. You must go into this book ready to think and give it your full attention. This makes it easily a five in which I feel obligated to give it. Bravo!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Raven Books, for a copy for my honest review!

This book was based on a very interesting concept. I like the fact that there seemed to be many variations of the possible outcome of murder. This goes to show how different things an event can turn out to be like. The writing style was mysterious and interesting. The plot line of the story flowed very well. This book will have found hooked throughout as you get to find out all of the different perspectives,

Summary:

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered.... again and again, and her killer is never caught. One man will relive that day eight times, as eight different men. If he can find out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, he escapes. No more days on loop, no more hosts, he can have his life back. If he fails.... it begins again. At a house party where everyone seems suspect can he really be expected to figure who the murderer is? Will that even be enough for him? Moving from one host to another, one clue to another, one ally to another.... what happens if he finds something at Blackheath worth saving?

My Thoughts:

This was a stunning debut novel with a lot of great characters and world building. I was constantly surprised by how engrossed I became with the plot, the drama.... the lives of the hosts and Aiden's struggles. I literally have 26 pages (one sided) of notes saved for this book. There were so many twists and turns, descriptions and phrases.... it was a masterpiece.

At the beginning, Aiden is scared, angry. As he moves along, though, he finds reasons to move forward and play the game. People he cares about, people that were kind, promises and friendships springing up in a hellish environment. The relationship he has with Anna is one that truly intrigued me. Unlike Aiden she only has one body, and one day. She relives this again and again, never free. When the two team up, it's amazing watching them move together.

I loved the flow of the book, from host to host and sometimes back. It's definitely an intense mystery and one that kept me guessing. I am so enamored of this book that I cannot wait to see what the author comes out with next. Turton is a definitely an author to watch out for. Five stars!

On the adult content scale, there is a lot of violence, language and substance abuse. I would say that this one if for older teens and adults. I give it a six.

I was lucky enough to receive and eARC of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

This must be the most clever book that I read so far in 2018. The story is so creative. Aiden receives the task of solving the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle murder. For that he will have to relive the same day 8 times, in 8 different hosts - each host was a different guest to the party where Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered by the end of the day. Mixing up mystery, murder investigation, and time travel, this book is very creatively constructed, and you get you wondering page after page who killed Evelyn Hardcastle after all.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Scott Turton is a mystery novel. Interesting that the book was originally titled The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but there was a conflict in the U.S. with another book, so we now have 7 ½ Deaths. Either way, poor Evelyn just keeps dying.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:
Evelyn Hardcastle is going to die tonight at the ball, and every night for the next 8 nights, unless Aiden Bishop can solve her murder.

Every day, Aiden wakes up in a different body (host), and gets to see the day unfold from different perspectives. He gets the opportunity to learn more about the other guests and servants at Blackheath Hall. In this way, he hopes to find the murderer before Evelyn dies for good. But every night at 11pm, Evelyn dies.

All of his hosts have some strange quirks, and some are outright nasty, but he is determined to use what they know to solve this murder. Unfortunately, there are other “rivals” trying to do the same thing. There are also two unknown characters, known as the Plague Doctor, and the footman. When he meets Anna, he agrees to work with her so that they can both leave together. Aiden is not sure who to trust. All he knows is that whoever solves Evelyn’s murder gets to leave Blackheath. Aiden really wants to leave, but he is starting to wonder how many times this cycle has been repeated?

My Opinions:
Well, this was really different….really good. I think that the atmosphere that Turton created at Blackheath made you feel like you were in an Agatha Christie mystery, and the plot was a little like Groundhog Day. Overall, it was great!

I admit to being a trifle confused at the beginning, and then I “got it”. (Sometimes it pays to read the blurb about the book just a little closer.)

For a debut novel, I was really impressed. The organizational skills required by the author to produce this book must have been monumental. (I’m picturing wall after wall of charts). It was deep, well-thought out, and the twists kept coming. It was great how you got to put things together as Aiden did, and occasionally I was ahead, but often behind.

Highly recommend this book, but go in with your thinking cap on, and pay attention!

I always love a different concept and this book certainly has that.
Did struggle at t know times remembering which character was which, but did find this book highly enjoyable.
It is well written, with plenty of unforeseeable twists and turns and an ending you just won't GUESS........

Thank you netgalley, Stuart Turton and sourcebooks for allowing me to read and review this book.

I'm still somewhat not sure what rating I'm going to give this book. It's sitting somewhere at a 3 or 4 for me right this moment just after finishing the book.

The mystery of the story is very intriguing but also a bit confusing and almost so convoluted that I had trouble motivating myself to actually pick up the book after I'd set it down. The concept of having to solve this murder but switching bodies every time you fall asleep was so fascinating. But on the other hand, there were so many characters - not only including those that our main character embodied - that it was a struggle to keep up with the who's who as the mystery is coming unraveled.

Although it was very cool that I didn't see some of the twist coming, I also just didn't find it believable or realistic especially considering the aspect of the world system that I don't want to spoil you for but that was eventually vaguely explained.

Further going into that, I would have loved some more information on this world and why we're getting this weird almost magical place where Aidan is stuck experiencing multiple bodies to solve a murder. There is some explanation like I mentioned but it wasn't enough for me to fully grasp what the heck was going on.

There was a lot that I liked and a lot that I didn't so again, not quite decided on this star rating.

This book. WOW. Not quite what I was expecting, but quite a ride. How Turton keeps all of his characters straight as they overlap the way they do (just really can't say too much without ruining it) is brilliant. His writing is highly descriptive and almost lyrical with a sort of old-fashioned feel, but still highly readable. (Clearly, I am not a writer - I cannot describe his writing at all.) The plot is just so much PLOT, an absolute page turner, and yet he still fills the novel with insanely detailed character studies and all of these big themes without seeming to bat an eyelid. It is seamless, nearly flawless, one of the best books of the year and absolutely astounding for a debut. I only kept with 4 rather than 5 stars because I didn't love the ending, but details! I cannot WAIT for Turton's next book. He is brilliant.

Agatha Christie meets time travel meets thriller meets speculative fiction. Super compelling, though a little long. I had no idea where most of it was going until it unravelled at the end, which to me, is the sign of a good mystery. I wanted desperately to learn more about the world outside of Blackheath, but the few glimpses that I got were intriguing. The ending was satisfying-- and the plot itself so intricate and cleverly done I'm not surprised it took 3 years for the author to finish. On a purely aesthetic note, the front and back cover is gorgeous. Would recommend to those who like mystery, thrillers, and a little bit of the unexplainable.

Innovative plotting and world building fill the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

What would make the replay of a day over and over immeasurably worse? How about also waking up as different people each time you fell asleep?

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a clever blend of fantasy and Agatha Christie. Not only does our first person narrator have to figure out how and why he keeps jumping from one person to another repeating the same day. He also must solve a murder that appears to be a suicide, while also racing against several other jumpers to win his freedom from the endless repetition. There are also mysterious players outside the action who may be friend or foe.

The mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle is relatively easy for armchair detectives to solve. However, the mystery of how and why the actions replay is more of a puzzler. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is recommended for amateur detective fans jaded by reading too many similar books. It is stunningly original though the middle dragged for me a bit. Still 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5!

Thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for an advance copy.

What an original and unique story! It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did I was hooked. It's been a while since I've read a thriller/mystery this good.

Review for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This book was nothing like I’ve ever read before. It had the feel of a classic mystery with a fun and interesting sci-fi twist. The premise is that Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11 pm each night and Aiden Bishop has to figure out the identity of the murderer. He has 8 days to do so but will wake up in a different host each morning. Each host has their own personality, with assets and limitations.

The beginning was initially confusing; which makes sense because Aiden wakes up with total memory loss and the reader learns alongside him what is going on. The characters we meet all have secrets, which makes them all suspects.

The intrigue of this book made it so hard to put down. The author kept revealing so many twists and turns, I felt I was on a roller coaster. I already want to re-read this book, just to fully understand all the secrets and motives. I loved this story immensely and while the ending was quite shocking, I wish the very last part of the book had ended differently. Aiden’s choice at the very end was less satisfying than I had wished for, and it’s the only part I would change. Therefore, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.


This book is available in the U.S. on September 18th so if this sounds like a book you'd like, you won't have to wait much longer.

I can't be the only one who started this and 25 percent through abandoned it because, well, I couldn't figure out what was going on or why I should care. I'm not even sure who the main character is. I went back to the blurb to see what the plot is meant to be and even with that and all the positive reviews as incentive, I DNF. This is nicely written, to be sure, and it's intricate but it left me cold. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book is definitely different from any other book I've read so far. It was a bit confusing at first, the reader is thrown in the middle of the action from page one without any information, which makes it easy to relate to the main character, who is as lost as we are.
The story reveals itself in layers and can be puzzling at times. Whenever you think you know something, it turns out you don't. The characters are interesting and the story develops at a really good pace, keeping your interest all along.
I was very pleasantly surprised not only by the story itself, but also by the innovative way in which it was written and how it moved forward. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a good original thriller. Amazing debut by Stuart Turton, can't wait to read the next one.

This is a very unique book, unlike any I've read. I nearly gave up on reading this at 50% because the nature of the story overwhelmed me in its complexity. This is a story of a gentleman named Aiden Bishop who finds himself caught in a nightmare loop of sorts where he has to solve a murder in order to get out. It takes place in an English country manor named Blackheath tucked away in a forest, its former grandeur a thing long past. You see, a child named Thomas Hardcastle was murdered 19 years ago, and for some twisted, distasteful and sick reason the same people who were there on that day have been invited once again. Aiden Bishop has the opportunity to occupy the body of 8 different "hosts" on his pathway to potentially solving the murder. As the book begins, he has no distinct memory of who he really is as he occupies the body of his first host, stumbling frightfully through the forest surrounding Blackheath.

However, the murder to be solved this time around is that of Thomas Hardcastle's older sister, Evelyn. One thing is sure, at eleven each night Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Whoever solves the mystery of her murder will be freed from Blackheath. You see, the same day is relived over and over again in a loop. Little things can be changed to effect different outcomes and glean more information, utilizing the intellectual and physical gifts of each host. Each time the day is relived Aiden is occupying a different body, and occasionally even does so in multiple bodies during a singular day. Each host gets a 24-hour duration, but depending on what happens to them, they might not last a full 24 hours. So, this requires going back into different hosts at different times. Sometimes the facts of a day change depending on what the people do and as more information unfolds or changes a little, it gets quite mind boggling to keep track of it all. Since I read in short spurts during the day, I would pick up the book again and find myself lost for a bit. Not wanting to give up on this book (having already invested reading 50% worth), I recently made a concerted effort to stick with it during most of my evening. I would recommend this, as it reached a momentous conclusion whilst I rode it like a storm.

This was a gothic mystery, a whodunnit, and a purgatory of sorts. 50% into this I was grudgingly going to award the book three stars, but ultimately upgraded my rating to four stars- because of its high quality writing, sheer originality of plot and rich conclusion. You will experience mental somersaults keeping track of the recurring day, but I recommend persevering for the payoff of a good read.