When I first picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I have to say I was underwhelmed. We come to as Sebastian Bell does, bereft of any memories or context, wondering who he is and what we’re all doing here. Plus, murder. It was hard to get in to, I have to admit, tagging along at Bell’s heels while he knew nothing and I as the reader knew less.

And then, Bell went to sleep and we woke up as the butler instead; the same day was begun anew.

Then, I was interested! From a slow beginning that belied the rest of the novel, 7 1/2 Deaths expanded into what I always wanted Clue to be when I was a kid playing the board game. We follow Aiden Bishop as he jumps from host to host, trying to solve the mystery of a murder before it happens, living the same day eight times. He finds friends, for however long, in Anna and Daniel, two others who share his predicament. They all are trying to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle so they can present the name of the murder to the Plague Doctor and earn their freedom, but they must unravel the lies and intrigues of a generation’s worth of secrets to win.

Also, there is a lot of incidental murder along the way, and I mean a lot. (Full disclosure: I loved every second of it!)

So anyway, if you want a massively compelling murder mystery where nothing turns out like you thought it would, please read this amazing novel by Stuart Turton.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Books for the (sort of) advance copy! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton, was published on February 8th, 2018.

This book is one of the best mystery book Ive ever read !

This was too clever by half. The narrative was very convoluted. Ultimately, I’m sure all the bits lined up, but somewhere along the line, I stopped caring. The ending revealed the frame which was more infuriating than satisfying for me. Interesting idea, but not one I would recommend.

Just read the synopsis and start reading the book. You do not need to know anymore.

This is the most original book I have read in a long time. It was very intriguing. The writing and pacing were perfect. When I finished the book I was left wondering how in the world did the author come up with such an intricate storyline??? This is book is truly amazing!

I highly recommend this book.

Mysteries and thrillers are some of my favorite books to read. I've read so many that I can almost always see where they are going, even when there is a "shocking" twist. I was delighted tho be completely baffled and bamboozled for nearly the entire book. I had no idea who the villain was, no idea who the main character should trust, and no clue where things were going. This book is creative and truly new and different.
Recommended for lovers of mysteries, adventurous readers, and those who want to read original works.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!
I've been waiting to read this book for a while and when I finally did - I didn't want to put it down. It's a book that shouldn't be put down until you finish. I loved the story. I loved/hated the characters. I loved the mystery, the twists, the unexpectedness of it all. This is definitely going to be a big hit this year. I will be recommending it to all my book friends!!

Typically I do not like whodunit mysteries. My first reaction to this book was "Prof. Plum in the ballroom with a candlestick". As much as I recognize the talent behind Agatha Christie and the likes, I avoid this type of novel with a passion. I simply didn't expect this book to take that style. There were several times in the beginning that I thought I would not be able to finish The 7-1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. The thing that kept me going was that the writing was actually quite good. There wasn't much superfluous information. This is a huge pet peeve of mine and everything written had a purpose. There were a lot of characters to follow and as the main character kept jumping from host to host it could have been quite confusing. The author was able to balance the story so that the reader could fairly easily keep track of the characters, Probably halfway through, I actually became vested in the story enough to forget that this wasn't the style I enjoy, After all this, I have to say that I didn't like the conclusion. It won't change my rating and there isn't a way to explain without spoilers.

I am giving the book 3 stars because I did end up liking it but I must admit that I wouldn't have chosen it had I the opportunity to do so again.. I think that those readers that enjoy the style of writers such as Agatha Christie will really enjoy this novel.

What a book! This was like the movie 'Ground Hog Day', the book 'One Day', the game of 'Clue' and the TV show 'Survivor' all rolled into one. The main character keeps reliving the same day until he is able to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. All the clues and investigating is done under the fear of 'the footman' who is trying to kill the different hosts and prevent the solving of the murder.
Whoever solves the murder first is able to escape and go free. How did the characters get into this situation? Who is controlling the happenings? How many times have the eight days played out? Who does one trust?

As the story unfolds we see the same events from several different 'host' perspectives and learn how the scenario came about, who are the good-guys and who are not. The multi-layered plot kept me paying attention and engaged in reading to figure out how this was all going to end. Turton did a great job of weaving multiple characters and clues and incidents into the book bringing events back and explaining happenings that I forgot about from earlier and keeping the story lines all tightly interwoven and sewn up by the end.

A smart, engaging crime novel with a touch of mystery and magic.

This is one of the best books that I've read in 2017. It's a smart, intriguing mystery, and I could not put this book down until I finished it.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. It was just so confusing to me. I felt I needed something to guide my reading and explain what was exactly happening. I do hope at another time I can get into it and understand it more; because I have heard such amazing things about this book, but for me, it was too confusing at this time.

My review was 80% done, I stopped to look something up, and it disappeared - aargh!

A man "awakes" in a forest with no memory of who or where he is, what he is doing there, or how he got there, and his only memory is a name, Anna. Hearing a woman being pursued, he tries to help, but is too late, and hears her being murdered, or was she...? Completely lost, he is helped by a stranger who gives his a compass and he finds his was back to Blackheath, a decaying stately home, owned by Lord and Lady Hardcastle, who have summoned a select group of aristocrats for a weekend party. Nineteen years earlier, their son was murdered, and, holding her partially responsible, they sent their daughter, Evelyn, away to Paris for the rest of her childhood as they couldn't bear to be around her. She has now returned, and the party is being held to celebrate this. Given clues by various of the guests and servants, as well as a Mysterious Masked Man, our protagonist learns that Evelyn will be murdered that night, and nothing he can do will prevent this, but if he can solve the mystery of her death, he will be returned to his normal life. Other actors are also in play, and will stop at nothing to get there before him, as only one may leave. Our hero has an advantage though - every time he falls asleep he will move in to a new "host" and relive the same day over and over, up to eight times, retaining any new knowledge but able the use the characteristics of his host to both find out more, and try and stay alive, but if he fails, he will go through the loop again and again.

I can't say any more than this without spoiling it, and if it sounds complicated, it's because it is - to use a cliche from the 1920s setting - fiendishly clever.
I loved Agatha Christie as a child, and from the age of about 8 to 12 read almost nothing but, hunting down as many second hand books as I could (and my parents liked antiques fairs, so that was a LOT!) Christie has become very trendy in recent years, between the TV and movie adaptations, and how often I'm seeing her books in my GR newsfeed. This takes the classic AC premise - collection of rich people trapped in a house, all hiding secrets, a dramatic murder, then people bring bumped off one at a time... and turns it upside down, with elements of Groundhog Day/Edge of Tomorrow, Black Mirror, and even Dr Who's River Song. This makes it sound derivative, but the whole is wholly original.

The writing is brilliant, he has some lovely turns of phrase, and the plot is a brain-melter, you really do have to concentrate, but it's worth it. Done right, this could make an excellent TV series (too much going on for a movie).
At the end there is a list of analytical type questions for book groups, about themes etc which reminded me why I failed my English lit O-level - am useless at these, I'm way too literal, so if anyone has the answers, please let me know.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an absolute belter! Just beware that if you start this book, you will become fully engrossed in it making it difficult to make time for essential everyday tasks such as feeding your cat and going to work. A real page turner and a very riveting book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
As has been well-documented, 7 deaths doffs its cap to Agatha Christie, Shutter Island and Groundhog Day whilst staying completely unique in nature.
Hats off to Mr Turton for planning and delivering such clever and intriguing book. 5 stars!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was confusing at first and there were probably too many characters to memorize, but overall, it was a great read with a good ending. I don't say great ending, because I would have loved to learn more about where the characters ended up and more about that world in general. I was very intrigued with the ending and did not figure it out until the last minute. Well done.

Wow! Just wow! What a phenomenal new book. I finished it a few hours ago and am still trying to get my thoughts together. I had so much fun reading 7 1/2 Deaths that I couldn’t wait to see where it would end, while at the same time wanting it to go on and on.

Very briefly, Aiden Bishop wakes up at Blackheath Manor inhabiting a stranger’s body and challenged to solve the murder today of one Evelyn Hardcastle, another stranger to him. He has eight chances to solve the mystery by inhabiting eight different “host” bodies and reliving the same day from each of his host’s perspective. Making things even more complicated, he is competing against two unknown characters and there’s someone at the Manor who will try to kill him each day. Complicated? The word “complicated” is a woefully inadequate descriptor. As a reader I was absolutely intrigued by how the author was able to keep track of all the action. I kept imagining an arena-sized room just covered with storyboards. I am in awe.

I was also intrigued by the depth of the author’s characterizations. As complex as the plot line was, I felt like I knew each and every character, which isn’t easy when each iteration of the day introduces a new protagonist-of-the-day. Somehow Stuart Tustin brought each character to life for me and I could clearly picture each. (My favorites were Ravencourt and Dance.)

All of that said, this book is not for everyone. It requires complete focus and concentration. If you are a reader who likes to multi-task while reading or you tend to skim rather than read each word and each sentence, you will not love 7 1/2 Deaths the way I did. Don’t read it when you’re too tired or have other things on your mind. This book requires your full attention or you will never be able to keep track of the many characters and all of the action.

So that’s it. I just loved 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and recommend it to anyone who loves smart mysteries but can also take a leap of faith into fantasy. Bravo, Mr. Turton! And thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book, I am quite upset that it ended...I need to know what happens now? Where will they go? Do they run forever? Why does Aiden think she has changed? I loved Aiden, so much he was lost, had no idea who he was or what type of man he was. Aiden is stuck reliving each day as a different person, trying to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle but after many disappointments Aiden returns in a new witness body, to try and solve the murder. Sometimes the bodies he takes over want to help, other times they fight for ownership of their bodies, so Aiden has to fight to stay in control, and try not get killed.. Catch that we learn is Aiden has tried before and failed every-time but will he finally solve the murder or be lost forever repeating the same mistakes over again...This book made me feel like, I was in a murder mystery, and I loved it.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was so unlike any books I’ve read lately. A really great concept for a book, although I was a little confused on a few occasions, I really enjoyed this book.

Like so many other readers, I was fascinated by the premise of this book: Gothic mystery meets Groundhog Day (the movie!) meets Quantum Leap (the TV show!). If you like those elements and have a few hours to lose yourself in a novel, then this is the book for you! However, if you only have a few minutes here and there to read, the intricate plot will leave you behind.

I would vote this as the best mystery genre, solely mystery as the whole book is one big one. I have read it in one setting, and I was glued to it until the end. With all the red herrings and killers lurking around, it was hard to guess who had dun it. I applaud this creative method and hope that this book hits the book running. If any one wants to make a game out of this, please let me know I want to play it.

What an interesting, innovative and confusing book. It was so different, a complete 180 from the normal books I tend to read. It has a mystery and a crazy cast of characters. I also think it would benefit from a second reading to try and pick up things that were missed early on.

I am not sure I agree with the ending, I dont think it was the choice I would have made. And I also think it may have ended a bit too quickly and cleanly. The last chapters do tend to just race by.

I am looking forward to future books by this author.

This book was absolutely brilliantly written. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to WRITE this. How complicated, how many threads there were that had to be connected and tied. It was truly a masterful writing accomplishment. The book could be difficult to follow at times because there are so many characters and so much going on, and i have to admit I wasn’t totally crazy about the ending...but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this book was really fascinating in both its idea and how it was carried out and written. Brilliant piece of work.