I didn’t care for the Fury. For one, I’m tired of beginning chapters going on and on about unreliable narrators. I didn’t care for Michaelides book structure and I found all the characters without any redeeming characteristics. I know fans will enjoy the book but I found it to be a weak version of a suspense/mystery novel with an over abundance of cliches including movie stars, weird caretaker, and murder on an island. ,

3.5 rounded up. I've read & enjoyed the author's previous books, and while I don't think "the Fury" tops his "Silent Patient", I did enjoy it more than "the Maidens", so... This one has an unreliable narrator & is set over 7 acts with 7 murders... I felt this was a real slow burner, but it did keep me invested - it's also less of a who-did-it than a "WHY", which is different angle. I'm sure it will be very popular next year. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC, opinions my own...

The Fury
Alex Michaelides
Jan.16, 2024
Celadon
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
First of all let me say I read and loved The Silent Patient and recommended that one to many.
The Fury is a story of murder, glamour and psychological suspense. It will be a successful installment on every thriller Reader’s TBR. It is an immersive read broken into five acts. The Fury is slow paced and it just didn’t grab me like the first novel did. I was disappointed with the ending as well.
4 stars

A solid mystery title for all patrons. Strong characters and fast moving plot will appeal to everyone.

Wow, wow, wow!!! Another brilliant masterpiece by Alex Michaelides! This book was a slow burn, perhaps slower than his other books, but then the end has so many twists and turns it will blow your mind. Even down to the last sentence! I do not hesitate one bit to give The Fury 5/5*s!

I had a fun time following this continually unfolding plot and was entertained all the way through the end of the epilogue. The male narrator is a hoot and wildly unreliable, but that’s what holds your interest. I encourage readers who enjoy a twisting story to grab this one right away.

I liked this book, as I will, as I've mentioned before, consume literally any take on And Then They Were None. This book isn't that, exactly, but it has that feel in that the real story keeps changing. We suspect one person and then another, eliminating each from the list. In the end, though, this story was just missing something for me to make it truly stick the landing.

Retired movie star Lana has grown weary of the never ending dreariness of the London winter so she invites her best friends, actress Kate and playwright Elliot to join her, her husband and son Leo on a trip to her private Greek island. Also in residence are her longtime housekeeper/confidant and their caretaker. The group is there for two fractious days and evenings, then one member of the party is shot to death. Who dies? Who did the killing and why?

I was so looking forward to this book and I expected to love it. Instead I just liked it. There was a little too much that you see coming, but, still, enough unexpected that the book was still enjoyable. I would have found the book better without the totally expected subplot, but I still would recommend.

Holy crap, you guys. That was, like, really good.

The Fury isn't exactly what you'd call a fast-paced novel. It meanders back and forth in time and Elliot (the narrator) deviates from the main story over and over. There's a lot of backstory about the various characters and how they met each other, and also about the events that led to the fateful night on the island. But that's kind of what makes it so great, I think? You're getting little snippets of relevant information in each and every chapter, but you have no idea how it all fits together until the end. The action really happens in just a few chapters – and not necessarily consecutive chapters, because Elliot digresses quite a bit between the climatic bits.

Elliot is not exactly the most reliable narrator, either, so the significance of certain events and actions change as he reveals more and more of the truth with each chapter. Often you get one version of events as Elliot is narrating in the first person, and then a more complete version of events later on from another character's point of view. And he certainly withholds some very important details.

Oh, and if it's important to you, the chapters are short. This makes the story seem a bit more fast-paced than it actually is, in my opinion.

The twists at the end were fantastic and I totally did not see any of it coming. I thought I knew who the murderer was at the very beginning, and while it turns out that I was right, it was not at all in the way that I was expecting. I mean, perhaps it wasn't the most plausible sequence of events, but it was tremendously entertaining.

Overall, this was a twisty-turny, suspenseful, riveting novel with a delightfully unreliable narrator. This is the first novel I've read by Alex Michaelides, but if all of his writing is this good, it definitely won't be the last.

4.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This is the third book that I have read by Alex Michaelides and I think this is my absolute favorite of his. This was well written and you don't know who the actual bad guy is or what is going to happen. I absolutely enjoyed this book by him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of this book.

The Fury, Michaelides' 3rd book was an interesting exploration into the unreliable narrator, which seems to be his thing. This was an easy read, but fell a little flatter than his hit book The Silent Patient. While it wasn't quite as suspenseful and twisty as that book, I would still recommend this to readers looking for a fast and entertaining locked room mystery.

The Fury is another fabulous book from Michaelides, author of Silent Patient.
This book is basically a Greek tragedy told in five acts.
The narrator tells the story of the ex-movie star who owns the island and her invited guests. A murder takes place and killer is revealed but how and why did it come to that?

A story that could be told in any comfy setting, the gifted story teller keeps the reader engaged from first page to last. Easy to read in one sitting.

The Fury deserves credit for its unique take on a murder mystery where nothing is as it seems. The ending took me by surprise, but the middle acts left me somewhat lost. While not reaching the brilliance of 'The Silent Patient,' it's still a book worth considering for fans of unconventional mysteries. I’ll definitely recommend this book. Kept me entertained and happpy to say the least.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
I just reviewed The Fury by Alex Michaelides. #TheFury #NetGalley

This was great! I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded through the (very) unreliable narrator, as well as the setting on a private Greek island. I think this is Alex Michaelides' best yet. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a uniquely written character-study/suspense. The author’s glimpse into the narrator’s thought processes were stellar and very similar to the Silent Patient. Lots of twist kept the plot interesting. This will appeal to many.

Elliot Chase sets out to tell the tale of murder. Set on a private, Greek island, Lana Farrar hides away from her life with those closest to her. Once a movie star at the top of the charts, she now lives a quiet life with her son, Leo, and husband #2. Arriving on their private island, Lana and her family are joined by her two closest friends, Elliot and Kate. When someone winds up dead, a game of whodunit ensues.

I feel that I'm going to have an unpopular opinion here. This book did not do it for me. I went in with high hopes having loved Alex Michaelides' previous books. I felt it started off okay but then slowly I lost interest. Someone's dead, someone murdered them, the gun keeps pointing as someone else. It felt like opening a door to find a smaller door, then it happening again. I will say, I absolutely loved the setting. If we could have talked about the island the whole book that would have been fine by me. Unfortunately, this one does not dethrone his previous work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon for the advanced copy. I'll still read any book he comes out with next!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for a ARC of Michaelides' newest novel. This one I have been anxiously awaiting for, and yet again, Michaelides delivered. The story opens where we meet the narrator, Eliot, and he lets us know he is about to tell us a crazy story and we should grab a drink and listen closely. He tells us about his friendship with a famous actress, Lana, who is starting to miss acting and to get out of her emotional slump, invites Eliot and her other best friend Kate, to spend Easter on her own Greek Island. Like MIchaelide's previous novels, just when you think you know what is about to happen, there is a twist you had no idea was coming and he throws you for another loop. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours and will continue to read anything this author puts out.

4.5 rounded up (It's hard to beat The Silent Patient, which was 5+)

I don't know where to start with The Fury. You know that feeling you get after reading a great book and then think, well crap, now I have to wait LITERAL YEARS before he writes another one. Yeah, that's me with Michaelides. I might be a little obsessed. But surely not as obsessed as Elliot Chase (the MC in The Fury) is with his movie star best friend Lana Farrar, right??? (Debatable...)

Anyway, Elliot is a playwright and the unreliable narrator of this brilliant, twisty tale.
Lana is the beautiful former Hollywood star who invites Elliot, among others, to her private Greek island Aura to escape rainy London. The Fury refers to the harsh winds that batter the small island. Also, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... And what follows is a tale of murder, love, resentment, and suspense.

Michaelides' writing is brilliant. Elliot narrates the story to you, the reader, in an intimate, captivating way. However, I found myself getting a little bored in Act III. And, what did Mr. M. do, but cleverly write: "I don't want to bore you, or lose your interest... Don't be boring...Do whatever it takes to keep the thing going." And he does....
Acts IV and V are where it's at!

Not quite as good as The Silent Patient, but better than The Maidens, The Fury is clever and twisty, with short chapters. I thought I knew what was going on, but then my, oh my, how the tables turned.
(Mariana and Theo make subtle appearances, too, which I just love.)

Excellent writing, excellent characters, excellent twists. Well done!

“There were seven of us in all, trapped on the island.
One of us was a murderer.” so begins this tale of friendship and retribution, stardom and fame, and the wounded child that hides in all of us. Playwright Elliot Chase, our unreliable narrator,spins this fantastical tale of seven people trapped on a private Greek island by the Fury , the harsh wind storms that batter the island. But who's dead and why?
Told over five acts, Elliott infuses his POV narrative with a history of the major players, including himself. Former Hollywood movie star Lana Farrar is his main focus, his best friend and the reason they were all invited to her private island. The rest of her group consist of her husband, son, best friend, housekeeper, and the creepy island caretaker.
Michaelides has continued his success with this newest novel. Using Elliott as his dubious storyteller is clever, keeping the reader engrossed in peeling back the layers. Moving from Hollywood, to London, to the Greek island Aura, we get a fairly thorough background leading us to the final moments. The tension, unrequited feelings, lies and resentment, friendship and jealousy that permeates this suspenseful page-turner will keep you guessing until the satisfying ending.