This book has become one of my favorites in the murder-mystery genre. I will admit it was a little hard to get into at first as it moves kind of slow for about the first 50 pages or so, but after it gets going it does not stop. It was a wild ride, but well worth it.
The only thing we know about the main character going in is that his name is Aiden Bishop and he must solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, the lady of Blackheath Manor. He has, I believe, 8 days to figure it out, and the catch is Aiden will be waking up in the body of a different guest every single day.
This plot summary immediately grabbed my attention as I love a good time loop mystery, and this was no exception, I loved the blend of genres in this book, from mystery to fantasy to historical fiction, I honestly felt like I was playing a very clever game of clue. My reading experience overall with The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was highly entertaining and fun.

Very fun - I think my favorite part was Aiden's interaction with the guests of the party. Lots of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff which is very entertaining

What an absolutely stunning book - Stuart Turton has written something so special here.

Beginning, as the best mysteries do, in a dark and stormy woods, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle wastes no time, and drops the reader straight into the mind of a man who's lost his memory. He begins where we do, and it's through those eyes that we first see the inklings of the mystery; but when we move on to someone else's eyes, that's when the true magic of this story reveals itself.

You see, every day we - and our narrator - see the day's events unfold from a new perspective, and it's that slow bringing together of the various viewpoints that absolutely makes this book the stunner it is. We're able to pull some threads together ourselves, but others can only be seen when viewed from an alternate angle - it's the most satisfying feeling to read this book, and I'm incredibly excited to see what Mr Turton writes next.

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

Have you ever been confused but in the best way possible? Because wow, this book!! If there's anything that is so clever, gripping, and so original -- this is it! This completely blew my mind and at the same time, I'm so mesmerized at how clever and brilliant this book is. I can't believe it's a debut novel! There are so many puzzle pieces, characters, perspectives, and the events are intricately woven together all of which have great importance towards uncovering a murder.

In the course of eight days, Aiden Bishop is going to solve a murder, but each time he fails to solve it, the events will have to start all over again (think Groundhog Day) and he wakes up to a different host (or body).

I really enjoyed this read and I'm already planning to reread it. The atmospheric and immersive setting makes it for a unique read with so many witty characters.

I've heard so many good things about this book, but I can't seem to get into it. I've picked it up and put it down so many times that I've just given up and decided that this book is not for me. The initial premise is intriguing and the first few pages gripped me, but there was something about it as it went on that just didn't hold my interest. Disappointing.

I had started this book 2 years ago, got to page 2 and put it down. I did not come back to the book till I was cleaning out my kindle list.
Ok the good....I thought that this was really original. The main character moving from different players every single day to solve a game. Reminded me of Quantum leap. At the end of the book there was an authors interview and he said he loved the old TV show Quantum Leap, so I was very spot on.
I loved that you got to see different aspects of the murder.
The bad.....there was WAY TOO MANY characters. I could NOT keep track and half way through the book, I lost complete interest.
For instance, there was more then one plague doctor, why was the footman killing hosts? The maids, the footmen, the stable men, etc. Too many characters.
With that many characters, I began to hate the book and by the end, I just wanted it over. I finished the book but was left with a "meh" feeling.
Yes it was original, but too long, too many characters, and a nonsense story line.

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to get this ARC for this honest review.

Awaking, alone, scared, with one name on his lips, "Anna", this man proceeded to try to find his home only to witness a murder. But nothing is at it seems. Not his memory of, wait, who is he? He doesn't know. Who's Anna? Did she just die, wasn't that what he saw? Nothing feels right, nothing is right and then it gets more complicated. Aiden Bishop is inside someone else's body and his task, to catch a killer. Each day he wakes up in someone new, but he has to solve the crime in an 8-day time frame, or... Start over at the front of it all with no memory and it would seem he's been caught in this hell-like loop for a while! Who could do that to him? Why would they do that to him? Who killed Anna? Let's add to this that the main setting starts off as a party, at a castle. It's hosted by the Lady and Lord Hardcastle. The event? Well, 19 years back their son was killed. Will they now lose their daughter as well? Frankly, I'm a sucker for completed characters and plots and this author nailed it. I will be looking for more books by this author. I was a little sad about the ending, but that will not prevent me from having enjoyed such a fun and well-written read.
Bravo!

Thank you, Net Galley, for my copy of this book!

It's an interesting and weird book and took me so loong to read, I don't even know why. It's a bit slow and it takes a b it of time to get used to the way the author narrates the book. Once you get the gits of it, the book goes really fast. The revelation at the end?? I didn't expect it at all! I will definetely read his other books.

This was such a refreshing and inventive mystery thriller.

The atmosphere of a secluded mansion full of people you can't trust (plus an obvious and highly dangerous enemy - get away from me, footman) was definitely one of the strongest aspects of this book. I also enjoyed the writing and thought that the unexpected kind of (non)linear narration added a lot of flavor and excitement to the story.

It wasn't a book to tear through for me but I quite enjoyed savoring the experience of being totally immersed in the world (and also being confused a lot of the time). It got me the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in strangers' bodies and partially minds, too. It was really thought-provoking in the sense of where someone's identity begins and ends.

I still don't know how I feel about the ending; I wasn't a big fan of it but strangely, I also didn't care that much about how the story would end because the journey of getting through the day(s) with the main character was satisfying enough.

I'd been quite intimidated by this book but I'm really glad I've finally tackled it because it was the perfect story to read during gloomy autumn evenings.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This advanced copy was archived before I was able to download it to my kindle. Without having read this book, I'm rating it at 3 out of 5 stars.

This book was one that I heard a lot about which definitely increased the urgency I felt to pick it up.

I am so happy to say that I found this book so incredibly compelling and interesting!

This book felt like a never ending run, I felt like I was just barely catching my breath and something new would happen to shock me.

If you're looking for a book that you never want to put down, definitely look into reading this. You won't regret it!

This mystery was so much fun! The concept was unique, the clues revealed only as the narrator discovers them such that you feel you’re solving it alongside him. The characters didn’t have a ton of depth, aside from the protagonist, and there were a couple red herrings that I honestly thought could’ve been left out and the story would’ve been just as good (and shorter!). A few of the details were a little too obvious, but I’ve found that to be true of most mysteries. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this little mystery and would highly recommend it to fans of traditional whodunnits.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

This book. It is trippy and crazy. There are so many twists and turns. It was freaking amazing. As soon as I got started reading there was no putting it down and I devoured it. I read this in November on a trip through Washington and Idaho with my boyfriend and my nose was absolutely glued to my Kindle for every plane ride and car trip. I couldn't stop babbling about it. I was absolutely obsessed.

First, I am beyond impressed with the author's ability to even functionally write this book. Aiden is experiencing the same day as eight different people. And it is not that one day ends and the next begins. He is being thrown from one to the next every single time a character loses consciousness AND he's meeting the other characters he will be in the future. They know things he doesn't and vise versa. As a reader this creates a heightened sense of urgency and propels the reading experience. As a writer? The level of planning this must have taken and outlining is genuinely impressive. What's even better is that it is presented so flawlessly and effortlessly.

Next point, I love mystery. Especially mysteries of the locked in variety. This one fits the bill perfectly. Aiden cannot leave the grounds of this estate where Evelyn Hardcastle meets her demise. Nor can he leave the day until it is concluded. Our murderer could be anyone at any time and there is no escape. It is a satisfying brainteaser as you try to pick out all the clues while also being just a touch scary.

Each character that Aiden must live as is totally different too. He's a butler, an aristocrat, a doctor, etc. This means that the world is pretty fleshed out as you are seeing it from different social classes and perspectives. Also, Turton doesn't make every single character a likeable or good person. There are some genuinely bad people that Aiden must live as and he has internal struggles with their personalities and impulses competing with his own.

Overall, this is a highly addictive book with a well fleshed out mystery that keeps you guessing until the end with hints of fantasy/science fiction and historical fiction thrown in.

This one is a totally fresh take on Agatha Christie's murder game combined with boardgame CLUE (and several other literary works), and the result is THE RIDE! Every mystery lover should read this - some might be discouraged by quite heavy psychological and moral consequences and choices, yet every adult recognizes these signs in their own soul, so - read this!

Main hero Aiden is an unvoluntary detective in the game he knows quite little about - there is a murder to come, there are foes (and maybe friends, too, but guess who is who!), there are specific rules (namely he wakes up every morning in different body, but every morning is of the same day). Enough to make one go crazy. And there is more going on on this manor. So Aiden goes on, guided by his pigheadedness and the quite voice in his head. There are lives at stake, including his own.

This is a high-octane driven concept and kudos to the author for making so many twists and plots and still the reading is not boring! It must have been hell just to keep all the details put together. The game is played precisely and interestingly and it makes a reader go further on and on (this is not a tiny book, so this is not a small accomplishment!). The characters are innovative, too, and author uses them well.
I also like the psychology, questions and values behind this work. The Scandi props of pieces of bodies work for me (no pun intended!), but I also like to think about all the whys, thens and hows behind the acts of the protagonists. Here we are given also a big portion of the fight between the good and the evil, and me likey. The machinery behind all the concept me likey not, but I appreciate the Kafka-esque logic.

All in all, since I long tie I have not read such a refreshingly interesting work in the mystery genre. Hands down, this is a triumph.

A beautifully written book about Evelyn Hardcastle as her plight for justice. Evelyn will be killed again, and again, and again....until Aiden can figure out who truly killed her. This reminded me of a mystery story meets groundhog's day. I couldn't put this book down because I just had to know what really happened. You'll get sucked into the story as well.

Feel the spirit of Agatha Christie coming through! I had to follow the e-galley up by listening to the audiobook, which was like experiencing a mashup of BBC Radio adaptations of classic Christie mysteries and Groundhog Day. Very enjoyable.

The The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a fascinating read, through and through. It is simultaneously everything and nothing like what I expected, and that is such a rare treat in a novel.

I'll confess that reading this book took me longer than expected. I just really enjoyed reading it bit by bit - stretching out the read into something more. I don't normally do that with books, but for some reason, it felt right this time around.

It's clever and highly entertaining, and everything you could ever hope for in a book that is mentally stimulating and fascinating.

Such a creative story line! I did have to pay attention and refer back to the character list to keep everyone straight, but I thought this was the most unique book I've ever read!