This book was a thrill ride and I couldn’t get enough of it. I thought this book had a very unique premise that I haven’t read very much of so that really drew me in.

There were several times when I thought I knew what was going to happen and I was wrong. This was a great thriller and I enjoyed every page of it.

This is a page turning thriller about a ex-movie star and her friends who take a trip to a private Greek island and a murder. Initially it is a tale of murder, but maybe not? As you read you soon discover that at the core it may be a love story, which as it enfolds involves passion, resentments and from the very start knowing within 48hrs someone will be dead.
This is twisty, fast paced murder mystery that is so original and intriguing. It will keep you guessing until the final shocking end. The book is told from the perspective of one of the main characters, which I particularly enjoyed as a reader. Elliot Chase is captivating as the unreliable narrator.
This is one of those unique and rare books where nothing is where it seems, and Alex Michaelides does not disappoint. This book will take you on a ride that is exciting and entertaining.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read

What a unique well-written story. It almost feels like a throwback to the classics that you may have loved as a kid.

This book is a perfect example of how unpredictable and exciting murder mysteries can be. Just when you think you have solved the case, another twist is thrown in, keeping you turning page after page. Loved it!

I found this book a little slow at the start. By the middle of Act II though I couldn't put it down. At the end I was sure I had it all figured out, but was wrong. A great book overall.

I loved this book. I loved the narration style and being in Elliot's head. I loved the twists and the way that we got from the "murder" to the actual murder. The time flashes were well done and I enjoyed seeing how all the characters reacted to what was going on around them. Highly recommend.

i am a huge alex michaelides fan! silent patient was a book i read before it got extremely popular, which got me back into reading a few years ago! i cannot believe i received an ARC of his! so thank you so much to Alex Michaelides and Celadon Books for my copy of The Fury!
the writing is this book is wonderful. the main character was very interesting. i would say this is the best "unreliable narrator" story i may have ever read! elliot was brilliant and i felt as though i was reading a play! it was fun and unique. all the elects made sense and i appreciated the greek island setting. also the bits of psychology he adds in is always great for the nerd in me!
this book is character driven! i did find it to still be entertaining and it always pulled me back in. they were all very hard to trust though! so i didn't know who to believe.

“There were seven of us in all, trapped on the island. One of us was a murderer.”

With a unique literary spin and an unreliable narration, Alex Michaelides (The Silent Patient, The Maidens) imparts the compelling story of a murder on a Greek island.

We meet playwright Elliot Chase—the narrator—who at once shares there’s been a murder, but before we learn who died and who’s responsible, he unfurls the story in five acts—present and past, learning about each of the characters: movie star and best friend Lana Farrar; her friend and actress Kate Crosby; her husband, Jason Miller; her son, Leo; her housekeeper, and her caretaker . We also discern through brief mentions that Elliott struggles with his traumatic childhood, which led him to live with an older female writer for some time, and ultimately allowed him to cross paths with Lana.

Over Easter weekend, everyone gathers on Lana’s private Greek Island—the site of the murder—and an island rumored to be cursed, and battered by wild, raging windstorms.

As an omniscient (and unreliable) narrator, Elliott chooses what he shares and when, shaping what transpired to maximize dramatic impact. His perspective manifests his own shortcomings, and I think most readers (like me) will find that he isn’t a very likeable or trustworthy character. However, if you consider that Michaelides uses Elliott as a literary device to impart his story, I find it a very effective approach. I was riveted, clamoring to see how it all would happen (as I admittedly and rightly guessed the murder and murderer).

Even so, the climax is exciting, surprising, full of twists, and indeed, as Elliott suggested, brimming with drama. Part locked room mystery, part Greek tragedy, I really loved it overall and blew through the pages. Replete with betrayal, manipulation, toxic relationships, jealousy, and resentment, it was a unique, fun, and fast-paced novel easily devoured.

A private Greek island, 3 gunshots, 1 dead and 6 potential suspects. A narrator who walks you through the story as it unfolds while possibly holding back details until he absolutely has to deliver them to you. A timeline that unravel secrets and motives as you navigate the five acts.

This was such a fun read! I particularly loved the narration style that was delivered via the character of Elliot. I loved the “luxury” murder-mystery style and the intricate game of cat and mouse that unfolded. The many sides to the story keeps you guessing until the very end. Couldn’t put this one down!

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

If you are looking for the silent patient part two this novel is not it.

Elliot is the narrator in this tale of murder and intrigue. Lana is a movie star who has been out of the line light for ages. She finds out her husband is cheating on her with one of her best friends. Not to worry! Elliot is here to save the day.

Elliot comes up with an idea for Lana and her husband and friend to go to her island for a vacation and to confront the two cheaters. Chaos ensues with a plan to pretend Lana has been murdered.

Let me say that I didn't mind the jumping timelines, or the fact the characters are all terrible people. I was on board with this book the entire time, until I got to the plot twist. The ending fell flat and it didn't hit at all for me. I felt like it took forever to get to the end just to be disappointed. Maybe you'll enjoy the twist more than I did but I felt it was quite lack luster.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Another great novel from Alex Michaelides! The Fury was a nice balance of thriller, mystery and and the development of friendship that takes a deadly and twisted turn. When friends gather at a remote island in Greece to celebrate Easter the mood goes from relaxing to murder when one friend is killed, Thanks to#CeladonBooks # Netgalley

"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides is a tale shrouded in intrigue and deception. The novel's strength lies in its atmospheric setting—a private Greek island owned by the enigmatic Lana Farrar. The allure of the isolated island, coupled with the backdrop of a reclusive ex-movie star'sgathering, sets the stage for a story that promises both opulence and suspense.

Michaelides skillfully constructs the narrative through the voice of Elliot Chase, adding a layer of mystery to the storytelling. Elliot's perspective provides readers with a unique lens through which to view the events that transpire on the island, drawing them into the intricacies of the characters' relationships and the undercurrents of tension that simmer beneath the surface.

"The Fury" is a novel that tantalizes with its promise of an unconventional narrative and a murder mystery set in a glamorous and secluded locale. While the pacing and structure might pose challenges for some readers, those who enjoy psychological thrillers with intricate character dynamics will likely find themselves engrossed in the world crafted by Michaelides.

Thank you NetGallet and Celadon Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When you read an Alex Michaelides book, you know to expect the unexpected, for better or for worse. The five act “play” concept was an interesting spin that kept the intrigue high, though some plot points fell a bit flat for me, and the ending (unfortunately) felt a bit clunky. Thank you to Celadon and #NetGalley for my ARC.

The Silent Patient is one of my favorite psychological thrillers, so I was overly excited to check out this new one by Alex Michaelides.

Opening on a small island in Greece, we are initially told that there has been a murder, are quickly introduced to the characters, but it's a bit before it's revealed who the narrator is and who has been murdered.

I really feel like the less you know about this book, the better -- as anything you read about it might spoil some of the twists and turns it takes.

The pacing of this book felt a little off to me -- the first half felt pretty slow but then I couldn't put it down for the second half and enjoyed the ending. The whole thing is very unsettling and it is hard to know what to believe.

I enjoyed the characters, and getting to see multiple sides of them - they aren't the most likable people but you can understand their motivations.

I loved the descriptions of the island, the book had such a good sense of place. I could so vividly picture it all.

I will definitely be checking out whatever Alex Michaelides puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I hate writing this review because I wanted to like this book, I really did. I enjoyed The Silent Patient and was disappointed by The Maidens, so the author may be a one-hit wonder for me. Will I still read his next book, though? Probably.

We start this one off with a classic unreliable narrator, Elliott Chase, who turns out to be not just unreliable but also unlikeable and annoying. The way he told the story, breaking the fourth wall, also felt affected and really didn’t work for me. I rolled my eyes several times.

The other characters were flat and undeveloped, characterized almost solely by their major flaws (seemingly purposefully since “character is fate” is a phrase repeated several times) and wholly unredeemable otherwise. Maybe less time could have been spent on the overbearing narration and more on humanizing some of the characters so I would actually care what happened to them.

The final twist was also a bridge too far in terms of believability. I think it would have been more satisfying for the book to end at around 86%. There are also spoilers for The Silent Patient in the epilogue, so be mindful if you haven’t read it yet and plan to.

There were also a few loose ends around Elliott and his past that bothered me.

The only redeeming quality of this book was the setting, but it would be hard for a private Greek island to be anything but interesting.

Ultimately, if I hadn’t gotten an ARC, I probably would have DNF’d around 60%, around the time when I stopped caring who died and at one point even thought “maybe they are all dead because I feel like I’m in hell.”

Pub Date: 1/16/24
Review Published: 1/14/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a (brutally) honest review.

In The Fury you are introduced to the mind of Elliot and what a place that is to be. There was definitely major unreliable narrator vibes and I was loving every single moment of it. The loops and turns of this novel reminded me majorly of The Silent Patient but not to the level where two years later I'm still figuring out the ending.

The characters and backstories that were built showed a big eye for detail which was extremely important in this novel and having all of the different POV added more suspense to the novel.

If you're a big psychological thriller fan this is a perfect read for you!

This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?
After The Silent Patient made such a buzz in the book world, Alex Michaelides has been an author to watch. He came out with the Maidens, which was sadly not for me. But I had to give him another try and I am so glad I did. The Fury was such a delight to read. I enjoyed the narrator and his bluntness, snark and how he addresses the reader. This is written in five acts like a Shakespeare play which worked for me. I love how different it felt, but the flow was spot on. Once the book was about over and the twists were revealed, they weren’t even close to being done! Alex takes the story to p[aces I never could have dreamed of! I also love finding characters from previous books sprinkled in. After the book was over I found myself sitting with it for a little while. Trying to figure out what I thought, it is such a twisty, deep book. I feel like some readers may not love the style or twists, but it was very well executed in my opinion.

Elliot Chase is good friends with Lana Farrah, a movie star who left movies at the peak of her career. She owns her own private island in Greece and likes to escape there when she needs some sunshine. So she invites her closest friends with her over Easter and it shockingly ends in a murder. This sounds like a classic whodunnit, but that couldn’t be further from the case. Elliot is the narrator and does an amazing job of introducing all of the characters. This book is very clever and unique and I am excited for what Alex releases next.

I thought this was excellent and I liked it almost as much as The Silent Patient. Interesting character's and setting, an unreliable narrator who keeps changing the narrative details just when you think you have it figured out, twist and turns in the story. Highly recommend and I expect will be one of my favs for 2024.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley. I also bought a copy via Book of the Month as well.

Absolutely LOVED THIS. I don’t think I have ever read a book by Michaelides that I didn’t enjoy. This book had so many twists that I definitely couldn’t tell what was coming next. I really hope that Leo gets to have his dream of becoming an actor one day. Elliot was a great narrator. I can’t wait to enjoy the next book by this author!

The Fury takes us to an isolated, private Greek island where Lana and her friends have gone to have a weekend getaway. The weekend holds different plans for the various friends of Lana. Some are trying to escape failing at a job, others are trying to expose liars and get the truth. But then, someone is murdered. And with the island being private, everyone is a suspect. But nothing is ever what it seems. Was it just a story, was it just a dream?

Just to put it out there, the narration of this novel is really not cool. At times, I think the author maybe forgot how that was working. We are being told the story by Elliott, Lana's self-proclaimed best friend. He gives the impression that he is the only one that loves and cares about her, but the audience gets the idea that he is an opportunist, a leach, a weasel, that just uses his friend and her status to get what he needs. For the most part Elliott is narrating and telling the reader the story, but then there are chapters from other points of view and then in the same chapter switches back to Elliott speaking to the reader in first person. This is why I say it seems the author forgot who the narrator was at times. This style will not be for everyone and I dare say a lot of readers will not like this style.

The story is also told in different times, present day then back to past events then back to present day. It's not confusing at all because the time changes are in big chunks, but almost makes me wonder if the flow could have been a better in a different way.

I absolutely loved the debut novel, The Silent Patient, by this author. But both books that have followed have been disappointing. I also thought after the first novel that Alex Michaelides would be an auto-buy author for me, but after these 2 past novels I might be reconsidering my stand on this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.