Wow! Just wow!
This book was completely mind-blowing! Seriously..it was slap you in the face, kick you in the crotch good!

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and those who love a game of Clue.

What a cleverly written, brilliant book. Completely original and totally unique. With an Agatha Christie feel and a Groundhog Day application, we journey alongside Aiden Bishop as each new day he inhabits a different guest to find out the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. With a bleak, dreary and crumbling country estate as the setting, and a cast of eccentric characters, this book is fiendishly good!

This is one of the most creatively plotted books I have read in years...Agatha Christie meets Stephen King on an Alfred Hitchcock set. The premise is unique: the main character has eight days, in eight different bodies, to find out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, a young privileged woman newly returned to the family estate in England. The consequences of failure are severe - being stuck in the loop of time forever. Be forewarned that this book takes a little time to quash the frustration and confusion, but be patient. By page 50, you will be beyond hooked, unable to put down this clever, well-written book until you know all the "whodunnits." This is the perfect book for a stormy day, nestled in a cozy chair with a cup of tea. In a word, it is brilliant.

I finished this book several days ago, but I needed time to let it simmer. There were parts that I found amazing and some parts that confused me and some that overwhelmed me because I needed to think too much. But that is going to be the case when you have one person inhabiting the bodies or hosts of eight characters. So essentially you have nine characters for your one protagonist. And then there are five more key characters and then three other support characters that will play a big role in the ending. The premise of the story is fantastic. Adrian Bishop has 8 days to discover who murdered Evelyn Hardcastle. Each day is observed and lived through a host that will interact with Evelyn and the witnesses. But if it is not solved at the end of the eight days, all memory will be erased and he will start again. It really is very, very good.

While the title initially confused me, I was immediately hooked by this book. The protagonist awakes in a stupor and has the name Anna on his mind; he has no idea who he is or what is doing in the woods. After stumbling through a storm, he manages to find the Hardcastle mansion and is greeted by a man who knows our protagonist's identity. After some rest, the protagonist wanders the halls to find a group preparing for a dinner party. He meets the lovely twenty-something daughter of Lord Hardcastle, Evelyn, and discovers the party is in her honor. Before he can grow too close to her, though, he wakes up in a new body and has a new name.

Same party, same people, different body each day. The protagonist is told by a mysterious masked figure that he must solve the death of Evelyn Hardcastle - each day will be repeated until he does so, but he has a limited number of opportunities. Each day he will have a new "host" and will have access to their thoughts, insight, and personality. He must fight the clock (and a mysterious competitor who is also trying to solve the murder in order to escape the endless loop of the same day over and over again).

The book had a rather unexpected ending and although it sounds a little like a science fiction novel, read like a historical mystery with bits of the supernatural. It is unlike any novel that I have read and I grew rather attached to Aiden (the true person behind the multiple party guests) as he feverishly worked to solve the mystery. Well worth diving into!

Whew, what a ride! Stuart Turton’s debut novel is the kind of debut we all yearn for: explosive, energetic, engaging and truly something fresh and new on the scene. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a brilliant, high-concept murder mystery that had the cogs in my mind turning from the very start (imagine waking up in the forest with no memory of who you are and immediately seeing a young woman murdered!). This, in fact, was the first mystery narrative in a very long time that has made me feel like I was part of the story—immersed in the environment—and the first that pulled me in to such a degree that I felt compelled to actively try to unravel the whodunnit mystery right along with the characters.

Whodunnit and why!

Turton’s atmospheric world is so moody and immersive you’ll feel you should be smoking a pipe with a monocle as you devour it. It was so deliciously wrapped in a sort of British noir, complete with the “party at a country estate” of so many classic murder mysteries. Described by its publisher as “Gosford Park meets Inception by way of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” this book lived up to the hype and description in a big way!

Aiden Bishop is destined to relive the same day over and over again, in eight different bodies, until he can solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. If he does not succeed at the end of that time, the loop restarts and he loses all of his memories of the previous loop, forcing him to start over from scratch with even the basics – who am I? What am I doing here? He realizes that he is both the hunted and the hunter, an innocent and a deceiver, in this highbrow whodunnit.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was both intelligent and intellectual, well-paced and deserving of all 500 pages it took up. In a lot of ways, The Seven Deaths was unlike any novel I’ve read before. Skillfully woven together, it was the ultimate literary puzzle. The plot was complex in a baroque but fascinating sort of way, and all the threads Turton spun came together in the end—no stone left unturned, no end left loose. With so many plots converging at once, that was quite the high feat to pull off, but you’ll find it done here superbly in this debut novel. Stuart Turton offers veritable craft in the intricacy of his plotting, a kind of craft that I rarely see anymore. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mind-bender complete with time leaps and multiple murders seen from multiple angles all on this same day that keeps repeating itself over and over again.

The prose was lyrical—honestly, leaning toward flowery—but it is the intricacy of the plot and the atmosphere surrounding these characters that Turton allows to really shine here. Yes, there were moments when this novel graced the line between intricacy and confusion, but it all unraveled splendidly in the end. It was a puzzle of a read; there were moments when the pieces wouldn’t fit and you’d have to scrap it all and start over. For some, that may present as a frustrating experience, but this novel is a real treat to those who love mindbenders, murder mysteries, puzzles and logic games. If that’s you, I highly recommend this novel! Also, if the “Gosford Park/Inception/Agatha Christie" description got your heart racing, then this is the read for you! The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle grabbed me and held me from the very start, probably the most veritable page turner I’ve encountered so far this year, and that’s no easy feat. For such high praise and phenomenal plotting, I give Turton’s debut novel a very strong 4.5 stars. ****

This twisty-turning thriller is an excellent read! Readers looking for something with a lot of suspense that is different from the average thriller will love this winding tale. This was one of the best books I've read and reviewed all year, and I can't wait to start recommending this to my patrons!

THE 71/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by debut author Stuart Turton is fabulous and slightly crazy – a truly unique, adventuresome and challenging mystery which fans will definitely enjoy. Seriously, I started the ebook version and thought maybe the pages were somehow out of order. This is most certainly a twisty tale – think Gosford Park's house party mystery filled with time travel on steroids. Don’t believe me? Consider the review from best-selling author Sarah Pinborough: "If Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett had ever had LSD-fuelled sex, then THE 71/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE would be their acid trip book baby....this is a locked room mystery like no other."

I will not inadvertently give away any surprises because I am only about a third of the way through this intriguing debut mystery. I simply could not wait to alert readers to this mystery title, especially since Turton's work received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, is a LibraryReads selection for September and is also highly anticipated by publications like Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire – Enjoy!

A favorite quote: "Do you know how you can tell if a monster's fit to walk the world again, Mr. Bishop? If they're truly redeemed and not just telling you what you want to hear? You give them a day without​ consequences, and you watch to see what they do with it." ― Stuart Turton

First I'd like to say how thankful I am to have received the privilege to read this book. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Unfortunately I was not loving the pace of the story and DNF at 10%. I was not engrossed in the mystery enough to continue and I got bored. I'm so sorry! I may try to pick this up again or request a finished copy from my local library once it's released to give it another chance. Again, I appreciate the opportunity to review this ARC. Thank you!

I really wanted to like this book...the concept was unique and interesting! But I just had such a hard time getting into it and getting invested in the characters at all. I was confused for awhile and reread a bunch but I think that was also because I just struggled to get through it. The second half was definitely more intriguing than the first, which helped make up for the slow start of the novel. Overall, it was an interesting concept and well-written, but just not for me. I'd rate it 3.5/5 stars.

Every now and then, I try to read a book that stretches me. A book that is out of my comfort zone. A book I would not usually pick up.

Sometimes these new-to-me genres get a round of applause and other times they get tossed aside. The novel, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was a definite stretch for me, but I am glad I read it. Even if I still do not understand it...
I put the blurb here because I am afraid I cannot put the plot into words adequately. The plot is very unique. Essentially, the novel weaves back and forth in time over the course of eight days with the main character waking in the body of various hosts.

Add in that this all takes place at a crumbling estate where the estate owners are celebrating the return of their daughter, Evelyn, on the anniversary of the murder of their son. Then, add in rivals who are also trying to solve the murder while being hosted in other party guests' bodies - and you have a whole lot going on.

For me, I found the plot and the idea very enjoyable. The characters were well developed and well nuanced. That was probably my favorite part of the novel.

However, I am not a true mystery reader. Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie are often difficult for me. Not because they aren't enjoyable but because I am not used to reading mysteries and paying attention to every single detail. In a book like Evelyn Hardcastle, I almost felt like I needed to keep my own detective's notepad. And, for some people, that sounds like a dream! For me, it was just a little hard to keep up with.

With that being said, I am glad I read it and believe there will be many (many) who will love the novel. Those who are fans of mysteries and time travel will especially enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this copy to read and review! This book will be released September 18th, 2018.

Wow! What a fun and unexpected novel. The best way to read this novel is with as little information about it as possible. That way, you can experience the characters and their actions right along with Aiden Bishop. I fell into the world of Blackheath and became as desperate to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder as the major players were. I was just as surprised as several of the characters when the murderer was uncovered and the truth was revealed. If you are a curious reader, the rules of Blackheath will draw you in, like they drew me in:
~Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 PM.
~There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
~We will only let you escape when you tell us the name of the killer.
~Understand? Then let's begin...
Enjoy the journey you are about to take with Aiden Bishop.

What a fun, twisty mystery! It’s hard to review without spoiling the aspects that make it such a unique mind-bender - I'd honestly recommend going in as blind as possible. Once you accept the rules of the universe it becomes a fast-paced thriller of frequently shifting perspectives and alternative reality worldbuilding. Basically what you'd get if the game of Clue were set in an episode of Black Mirror.

My favourite book of the month has to be The 7 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle. This book has been everywhere recently and with good reason although it is very difficult to describe and I don't want to spoilt anything as that's the beauty of this book so bear with me! Set in a decaying, once grand house (my favourite kind of setting), we are introduced to our narrator as Doctor Sebastian Bell who has been attacked and has lost his recollection of the attack as well as memories of his own life. The story unfolds slowly to reveal an incredibly interesting story, tangled web of lies, guilt, murder and time travel, of sorts. It is simultaneously a complicated, thought provoking and dynamic book but it doesn't become too confusing or convoluted.

The book itself is very entertaining, I absolutely adored the story line, timeline and characters within the book - it is the most unique and captivating books I've read this year. All I knew about this book before reading it was that it is quite long, it's based on numerous perspectives and there is a kind of murder mystery with Agatha Christie elements, all of which are true after finishing it but it's so much more. I loved uncovering all of the secrets, learning about all of our characters and I think it would make an amazing Agatha Christie style TV show or movie. I cannot recommend this book enough and I recommend that you go into it blind because the mysteries, secrets and unraveling of this book with all it's nuances is magical, intriguing and dark so go and read it now!

This is an interesting read, but, gosh you'd best be focused as it's really complicated! Bit too complicated for me, or, maybe (and this is a distinct possibility) my memory isn't what it needs to be to keep track.

The premise is an excellent one, with our protagonist, Aiden, changing shape / body daily as he attempts to solve a murder. It's also really well written, almost poetic in it's prose. It's just that I found it really, really hard to keep up and to remember who all the characters were. This resulted in my not being invested in any of them and spending most of the book going backwards and forwards whilst scratching my head.

Overall, it's definitely a good read but might be worth taking notes!

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS landmark and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5*

Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating.
*5/5*

What a brilliant, high-concept book.

I absolutely adored this book. I didn't do too much research before going in to it.. I loved the time loops, and waking up in a different body every day. I loved the rules of this world. I loved the setting. I loved the eccentric characters - and finding out the ties between them.

Aiden Bishop wakes up in a new body. The only thing he remember is a name. Anna. This name, and this girl, become his life line.
Aiden is in a loop. He has 8 days, and 8 hosts to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder. If he does this - he is free. However, there is a devious murdering footman after him. Can Aiden figure out this murder, before his last host dies?

I can't even imagine the notes and paperwork, and murder board that the author has to connect all these plots together. It was brilliant. I will sing the praises of this book for years to come. And this is his debut! I can't wait to read more for this author in the future.

Such a fun and interesting book. It was a fascinating concept and really twisty, but in a way that didn't feel contrived. It definitely left me wanting more at the end of the story, and I loved that I really haven't read anything like it. Stuck with me more than most books too. Well-written, gripping mystery.

What a brilliantly original read!!!!! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is not my typical read, but I am so glad I went ahead and read it anyway because simply put, I loved it! After I read the book’s description (posted below), I was completely intrigued and Stuart Turton did a fantastic job with keeping my attention throughout the entire book! The characters were fascinating, quirky and engrossing which added so much to the epic storyline! I loved trying to figure out “who did it” right along with Aiden Bishop! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a total 5 star novel, an absolute must read! I highly recommend this book to everyone—even if this isn’t your typical genre, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I was intrigued by this story and didn't want to put it down. It was clever and puzzling and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

The concept sounded great, but I gave up four chapters in because the writing was so stodgy. I kept looking for anything else to do but read this boring story; it couldn't keep my attention at all.