I loved Silent Patient and the concept of this book really grabbed me so I was excited and honored to receive a copy. Overally, the omnipresent narrator who wasn't necessarily this truly all-knowing voice but an actual character in the book who seemed to know things he would not have been privvy was distracting enough to make it difficult for me to enjoy the story.

So, I just finished "The Fury" by Alex Michaelides, and oh my, we need to talk about this book. It's like nothing I've read before. You know how we love a good mystery, right? Well, this one takes the cake. It's not your average whodunit—it flips the entire genre on its head, thanks to the way the story is told.

The narrative comes from Elliot Chase, and his take on the events is so biased it's like you're seeing everything through a kaleidoscope. He's recounting a trip to a Greek island, which turns into a murder mystery. But here's the kicker: it's not just a murder story. At its core, it's about love, with a hefty dose of revenge and obsession.

Lana, the ex-movie star, invites her circle, including her husband's mistress, to her island, and that's where things get really interesting. Elliot as a narrator is something else. He's a playwright, which makes every word he says suspect. Is he adding drama, or is it all real? And then there's that twist at the end—was that real, or just another layer of his storytelling?

Alex Michaelides' writing style hasn't lost its touch since "The Silent Patient." It's unique, intricate, and he masterfully uses an unreliable narrator to keep you on your toes. Honestly, I felt like Elliot was pulling my leg the whole time, but I couldn't help but get sucked into his story.

The strengths of this book are its unique storytelling and the way it makes you root for characters you shouldn't. However, it's not without its flaws. Some characters seemed a bit superfluous, and a few twists were on the predictable side.

What really got me thinking was the pacing. It felt slow to some, but (as others have noted) considering Elliot's narcissistic control over the narrative, it made perfect sense. It's like he's playing a game with the reader, revealing the story in his own time, which, in a way, is genius.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loved "The Silent Patient" or enjoys Agatha Christie's mysteries. It's a solid 4-star read for me. And if you were disappointed by "The Maidens," don't let that stop you from picking this one up. It's a whole different ball game.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC—this was a ride and a half!

Alex Michaelides’s newest murder mystery involves 4 main characters: a retired movie star, her husband, a London theater actress and a playwright who is also the narrator of the story. While I enjoyed the unusual structure of the book, it also irritated me or more accurately, made me anxious as I never knew what was coming. The unreliable narrator tells a story with an unreliable structure. The experience was akin to reading a “what if” book. The narrator would lead you down a path just to state a couple of chapters later: sorry, that is how it was supposed to go, now let me tell you what really happened.

More and more of the real picture - if such a thing is possible - was revealed with every unexpected turn or with a change of perspective. It is at its core a closed circle murder mystery, with the entire cast of characters secluded on a remote Greek island. However, once the murder actually happens (yes, there are a few intentional false starts), there is no mystery as to who committed it.

I am giving this book 3 stars because I really disliked the main character and narrator, Elliot. I did not even feel pity towards him, although I wanted to. The author calls him a psychopath a few times in the novel. However, (and I don't know how true this is since the narrator is unreliable), Elliot suffered a lot of abuse, parental neglect and bullying in his childhood and younger years. I certainly could not blame him for seizing the day when he met a famous female writer, who took him under her wing. I could not, however, understand a lot of his motivations. Perhaps that is how psychopaths are supposed to act. But also feel that humanity utterly failed with this lonely man if what he described about his past really happened. So while an exercise of writing an entire novel from a perspective of someone who could or could not be a psychopath is interesting, I just can't get a higher rating to the book where the entire narrative could be distorted because presented through the eyes of someone who is mentally ill.

A locked door (or island) mystery set in Greece should have been one of my favorite books of the year. I did enjoy reading this, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. It's definitely possible that I built it up too much in my mind because I was <i>very</i> excited to read it. My biggest issue was the likability of the narrator. I think it's fine to really dislike the narrator for being a horrible person, but this was more an issue of a character being the clingy friend that needs constant reassurance and overshares too early in the relationship. There are several other characters on the island, but the only one that left much of an impression for me was Agathi, the housekeeper. I didn't really care what happened to anyone else on the island.

I would still recommend this to most people who like mysteries with a twist. For me, it was a fun way to spend a few days and not a book that will stick with me forever.

This book was good but not as good as the author’s other two books. The ending was a little confusing for me. I would still recommend it to my friends though!

I’ve enjoyed the psychological twists in this author’s books. The Fury was no different. It didn’t go the way I anticipated which always makes me enjoy a story even more!

“This is a tale of murder.”

What a twisty bit of fiction this was.

There was lots to like: An unreliable narrator. An isolated (haunted?) island setting. A small cast of characters. Several points of view, and timelines.

There were also a few disappointments: Flat characters, a predictable ending (though I did enjoy the hat-tip to The Silent Patient), and A METRIC ISH TONNE OF EXPOSITION.

All tell and no show makes Angela a bored girl.

All said: While I didn’t love this book, I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

This was a slow one for me, similar to how I felt about the slient patient. The premise sounded so good but I wanted more and found my attention wandering. But I did enjoy the ending, once all the dust settled.

It is always difficult to review a whodunit novel because I don’t want to spoil any of the twists. And this novel is unlike anything you have ever read. It takes the typical whodunit novel format and flips it upside down.

A big reason for that is the narration. We are reading the accounts of Elliot Chase and his bias seeps into the narration right away. Elliot tells us that he got other people’s accounts of what happened but his personal feelings keep leaking onto the pages.

I am trying to think of another novel to compare this to but that might be impossible. Michaelides uses a writing technique that is seldomly used but it works because the narrator is who he is. And without spoiling it, I will say it makes this novel a fun read even if some of the twists are predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Even though the story mainly takes place on a private Greek island, what unfolds is a Greek tragedy. Movie stars, murder and mystery are at every turn of events when a group of actor "friends" descend upon the island, bringing with them love affairs and unrequited love. At different points I felt sorry for each of them and others, felt they were due what was coming to them. I especially enjoyed the unique way this was written from one character's point of view, it made for an engrossing read.

I was excited to receive a copy of this. The hype was HUGE. I really like The Silent Patient, have not tried Cloud due to really mixed reviews and really wanted to give this one a chance.

The Fury is a murder mystery told from the perspective of the narrator. It was tough to follow at first but eventually figured out who was who. The story did not 'grab' me - as in, I have to read this every waking moment - and the last 25% was a letdown. It was clear to me what was going on even though the narrator was trying to trip things up.

I am bummed it was not AMAZING but it wasn't horrible. I read it but won't necessarily recommend it to others.

I loved this book so much! I couldn't put it down! I read it in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book! Alex Michaelides did it again!!! Such a great book!

A twisted tale by Alex Michaelides, The Fury takes you on a story from the narrator, Elliot’s point of view. He shares a story of love, deceit, insanity, betrayal and fear. It left me feeling disturbed, but I think that is the purpose in some of these psychological thrillers. It was a good story that kept me reading, to work out the truth of the tragedy that the narrator introduced at the beginning.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: January 16, 2024

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for ARC of the book.

The Fury is a story about revenge, obsession and death that is told by an unreliable narrator.

This story had a lot of layers. With each layer I felt like the narrator turned my attention to a different angle or detail that I missed before. In my opinion it was enough layers/angles to keep the story interesting and not to make it too complicated for a reader.

If you were a fan of The Silent Patient but felt somewhat let down by The Maidens, I would urge you to give him another shot. The Fury is an excellently paced thriller - I don’t think this should be mistaken for fast paced, because while the plot may move slow, I was drawn in by the style which is both conversational and calculated. Ultimately this is much more of a character study than a whodunit, but I was still happy to be along for the ride and was not disappointed to have stuck with it.

i usually enjoy reading thrillers and murder mysteries but the fury absolutely dragged itself for eternity. not fast-paced at all. though the synopsis sounded trusting: lana farrar, a famous actress, invites her friends to her private island but someone ends up getting murdered.
i'm generally a huge fan of unreliable narrators bc they make the story much more interesting, but the mmc (elliot) and his exhausting narration felt soulless. the mmc forces the story to be so sterile and none of the main characters were particularly memorable for me. unfortunately the fury was a miss for me, the book falls flat and the ending sadly did not shock me.

Love this author. Was nervous to read this one and worried it would not live up to the standards of the others I read. I was not disappointed. This story was great. thank you for my gifted copy in exchange for a fair review.

The Fury-

I am most definitely not a murder-mystery genre reader but this book.. it got me! I have opened my eyes now to books I did not even consider a possibility to read. I was entirely enthralled from the first page. The way this book was written felt almost like an interview and you not only were told but you felt that the narrator was very biased. I was guessing every page what was going to happen and I was never correct. I both loved and despised the characters. I wanted to know everything about their lives and relationships. I have already started recommending it to everyone and bought the book to share it to everyone! I am sooo thankful Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for giving me the opportunity to read this arc from NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was murdered.

I had very high hopes for this book. I honestly couldn't stand the way that it was written. I didn't like feeling like the guy in the story was having a conversation with me. It made me not be able to concentrate on visualizing the story.

I'm sure it is a good book for others. Just not up my alley.

The Fury is a chilling story of love, revenge and murder or is it? Lara Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star who invites a small group of friends to her private island in Greece and then there is a murder. Told from many points of view, it's difficult to know whose story is the truth. Engaging and complex mystery.