Very atmospheric! I’m starting to enjoy unreliable narrators more now thanks to this book. I love Alex’s writing style! This isn’t my favorite of his but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Award-winning author Alex Michaelides returns with The Fury, set largely on Aura, a private Greek Island gifted years ago to Lana Farrar, a retired actress, by her first husband, producer Otto Krantz. In part, writing a variation on the locked-room mystery, Michaelides has placed only seven people on the island: Lana, her teenage son Leo, her second husband Jason, the island’s caretaker Nikos, Lana’s housekeeper Agathi, and two of Lana’s friends, actress Kate and playwright Elliott. The prologue establishes the fact that Elliott, the first-person narrator, is conscientiously writing a story and has been read advice never to start with the weather, yet he does exactly that, establishing the scene for the murder—the wild winds hitting the island the night Leo hears three gunshots, races in their direction, and reaches the scene shortly before the others—a scene “like the climactic scene in a Greek tragedy.” However, as Elliott tells readers, this “was just the beginning.”

In the first chapter, Elliott debates whether the story he is about to tell is a murder mystery or a love story, adding that readers have probably read newspaper accounts of “Murder Island.” Elliott briefly introduces himself and reveals that he is telling the story well after the fact, basing it on one of the many notebooks he has kept over the years to record his thoughts, dreams, overheard conversations, and observations. The story he is about to tell, he explains, is a true story about real people, more a whydunit than a whodunit—”a character study, and examination of who we are; and why we do the things we do.” Indeed, the book’s epigraph, taken from Heracleitus, states, “Character is destiny.”

Organized into five dramatic acts with frequent references to drama theory as well as to Greek tragedies and mythology, The Fury offers much to readers other than a captivating, suspense-filled plot. As a former literature teacher, I enjoyed the literary allusions and occasionally found myself researching an unfamiliar detail. However, the book is an easy read, and readers need not understand the allusions or pause for research to become caught up in Elliott’s account of events. Granted, readers must accept Elliott’s roundabout narrative, which slowly but surely reveals the truth of the murder. Elliott, himself, explains his circuitous path as the normal way we communicate, jumping back and forth, skipping ahead, editing as we go along. He does all that, and the process makes the story, one full of twists and surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance reader copy of this captivating new novel by Alex Michaelides. Having read the book, I look forward to listening to the audio version--to hearing the reader bring Elliott to life.

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(3.5 stars) A murder on a private Greek island cut off from the mainland by a crazy windstorm? The concept sounded too juicy to ignore. We are led through this story by Elliot Chase, an author, who is recounting the events of the Easter weekend trip to us, the readers. The owner of the island is Lana Farrar, an ex-actress who continues to be a well-known face across the world. She invites her friend Elliot, along with her friend and fellow actress, Kate. Also there are her second husband, Jason, and her son, Leo, as well as her two faithful employees, Agathi and Nikos.

I always enjoy stories where you are told early on that there is going to be a murder and then spend the book working through not only who dies, but how it happens and who killed them. We find out about halfway through who the victim is and then spend the rest of the book answering the two other questions. The first part of the book felt repetitive to me and dragged, but the last 100 pages made up for that. I do wish the pacing could have been a little more even though. The chapters are short though which makes it a quick read.

I do have to say that I didn’t necessarily see one of the major twists coming which is always a pleasant surprise in thrillers. Where this book lost some ground with me was the narration by Elliot. He is constantly addressing the reader and acknowledging that he might not be a great narrator. I also felt like he knew things at times that he couldn’t possibly know. If you enjoy books with unreliable narrators that you can fly through in a weekend, The Fury will be for you. Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Elliot Chase, the narrator of this story, is without a doubt a Narcissist.

He succeeds in pulling on your heartstrings by describing an early childhood of emotional and physical neglect or abuse that bordered on the criminal.

Elliott left home at seventeen and lived on the streets of London. He hints that he did whatever he had to to survive - right down to sex trade work. Elliott's escape mechanisms from this sordid life were alcohol, drugs - and the movies. It is there that he first saw and fell in love with Lana Farrar: flawlessly beautiful and larger than life on the massive movie theater screen.

When Elliott is taken up by a famous writer as her live in lover, Elliott eventually gets the opportunity to meet his idol. A strange friendship evolves. Alas, Elliott is totally obsessed by Lana, whereas Lana can only feel friendship for Elliott.

And therein lies the crux of the conflict. Elliott deludes himself time and again into believing that Lana does in fact love him. Even when she marries someone else, he still cannot shake the belief that they were meant to be together. You do feel a tad sorry for him, but he is so obviously the author of his own misfortune. The lies he tells everyone else and himself are keeping him locked in an unhealthy fantasy world.

I can't go into much more detail for fear of spoilers. I did suspect a major plot point half way through this story. (With all these actors and dramatists lurking about in this novel - who could resist the temptation to turn the tables on their tormentors in this way?!!) I'm sure many of you will suspect the truth as well, but the dramatic reveal was still gripping for me - regardless of the fact that I had already guessed what was afoot.

I did enjoy this well-written, character driven thriller by Alex Michaelides. <u>The Maidens</u> is my favourite of his novels thus far - and Mariana Andros makes an appearance in this story - as Elliott's therapist. (I always enjoy it when Michaelides links his other books in this subtle way!)

I'm rating this one 4.3 out of 5 stars because the imagery and storytelling were stellar, but the pitfalls of having an unreliable, emotionally disturbed narrator is that you weren't always sure what was wishful thinking on Elliot's part or actual fact. With this type of storyteller, there is a fair amount of backtracking and misdirection, so the reader can get a bit muddled, and I wasn't always sure if Elliott - or I, for that matter, were to blame for these muddles!
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" kept running through my head!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

i was excited to read this one because michaelides employs a similar technique as i’m trying (very much so attempting) to do in my WIP. however, his attempt at redefining the whodunnit with the murder of a beloved movie star was very much a lesson in what not to do. the plot jumped around far too much for this to be believable.

Absolutely loved this book! My first 5 star read of the year and a page turner that has me finishing this one in a few days. Each character was well developed and played an integral role in this island murder mystery. I appreciated the narration POV and the multi-twist ending. With so many murder mysteries out there, this one stands out and is one I’ll recommend to my fellow readers. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I'm certainly not alone in this, but the Silent Patient is one of my favorite thrillers. THAT TWIST, right? And so I almost feel badly for Alex Michaelides because how can anything else he writes for the rest of his career live up to the debut novel? Everything else will live in his own work's shadow.

So don't go into The Fury expecting The Silent Patient, because you'll be setting yourself up for heartbreak. The Fury is great on its own merit. It's a fantastic locked room mystery. With an unreliable narrator, a litany of flawed characters, and twist after twist, I couldn't put this story down. There are loads of theater references, which as a theater girlie myself, I enjoyed tremendously.

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

What begins as a meandering tale with a narrator (a man named Elliot) in no hurry, laying out details of this whydunit of a murder of the famous actress, Lana on a small island with a small group of suspects of friend, family, and employees. It jumps between the present to recent past and even further back to childhood. Which one of them could have done the dirty deed? Or was it more than one? Mayhap it was the friend having an affair with Lana's husband? Or was it Jason so that he can get the money to get out of his financial troubles. The suspects all have good reasons to want Lana gone.

It is an enjoyable meander as all the characters and their motives and secrets are laid bare. Then it does a twist and you think you might have figured it all out but then it goes and turns head over heels in another directions leaving the reader going what? what? what! It was so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I absolutely loved this book! It gave me Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie vibes while being a totally different, fresh plot. The narration kept me hooked from the very first page…Alex Michaelides writes the “potentially unreliable solo narrator” so well, and I love how all of his books are woven together in a small way. Such a wonderful, atmospheric mystery!

The Fury by Alex Michaelides
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub day: January 16th

My first tip is going to be a reminder that The Silent Patient and The Fury are two different books. Let’s keep them that way lol. I’ve noticed that reviewers keep referring to The Silent Patient when talking about The Fury. My opinion is I don’t think that’s fair. I will say that The Fury has a very small spoiler to the silent patient at the end. So if you plan on reading both read the silent patient first and then the fury.
I really liked this book! The rumors are true it’s giving Knives Out vibes lol. I was on the edge of my seat from the very first page. One of the main characters is talking directly to you which I loved. I felt seen and most importantly I felt I was a good listener to Elliot. When it comes to The Fury nothing is as it seems. I always thought I scratched the surface to the whole book. Then the next chapter would start and I’m like cool I actually know nothing. I love that for me lol. I felt like the ending was a tad bit underwhelming but with that being said there was a lot of shocking moments throughout the book. Honestly I had a great time and I think you will too !
I will like to thank NetGalley for giving me this arc so I could give you guys an honest review !

3/5 stars

Thank you Celadon books for the advanced reading copy!

Lana Farrar, a former movie star, is used to being in the tabloids, and so are her closest friends. Many people remember what happened on her idyllic private Greek island years ago, but almost no one remembers it correctly. That's where Elliot Chase comes in. As our narrator, Elliot walks us through the REAL story of those island days, the one the papers didn't tell you. Trapped on an island with Lana's closest friends, secret motives and epic hatred is sure to end in a murder... but who is responsible? And why? The world may never know... but Elliot does.

The whole time I was like 🤔🤨🧐

I really wanted to love this one, and in some ways, I did. I love an unreliable narrator like Elliot -- this book gave EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE vibes and I loved that. Especially on audio, it felt like Elliot was talking TO me, and that was really fun.

That being said, I actually think this would have been better NOT on audio. I didn't love the narrator at first (though, I grew to!) and I think that prevented me from getting invested right off the bat. Some of the information was hard to follow on audio, especially the time jumps, and there were times when I wasn't totally sure what was going on. To be honest, I think this book could have been 15% shorter and I would have gone from liking it to loving it.

The good news, though, was that this book was totally surprising. Like I said, I loved the point of view we were given into the murder and an unreliable narrator is *chef's kiss.* There were TONS of twists and I could not have possibly guessed where we ended up, or where we went along the way. Unique in style and plot, twisty, silly at times, atmospheric -- this book had it all. I really wish I had loved this one, but I absolutely LIKED it, and I'd still recommend everyone give it a read.

3.5 stars. I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was a really quick read and I absolutely loved the setting of a private Greek island. As stated in the book, it's very Agatha Christie-esque. On the other hand, I was really frustrated by the characters and found myself thinking that they could have been much more developed. I enjoyed the book, but I also felt like the structure (changing point of views - 1st person, 3rd person, in between characters no less) to be really messy and unnecessary. The outcome/twist was fun and I honestly didn't see it coming. Overall, would I recommend this book? Yes, but only because it was as quick of a read as it was.

In my personal opinion this is not one of Alex Michaelides best books. It drags on alot and the narrater Elliot is just unlikable. I'm sure other readers will enjoy this book but it was just not for me.

Set up as an isolated murder mystery, we are introduced to the characters and events through a wildly unreliable narrator who, with each new chapter, becomes more and more unhinged. This was a fun, fast-paced thriller and I really enjoyed the audio performance.

Review will be posted on Bookstagram on pub date: https://www.instagram.com/readinginstead/

3.5/5 stars!
I was so excited to pick this one up since I loved Silent Patient. This one is more of a whydoit than a whodunit and the pacing was a little slow for me. I am also not sure if I enjoyed the storytelling this time. It's formated as if we are watching a play and I am not sure if it was executed well. But the last two Acts definitely made me do a double take but in a way, I am not THAT surprised either. Haha my feelings are everywhere. Overall, a decent read, just not super thrilling for me.

Thank you publisher, author and netgalley for the arc in exchange of my honest review.

“𝘚𝘰, 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳?”

Thanks Celadon books for the physical ARC and NetGalley for the e-copy and audiobook as well. Honestly, when my physical copy arrived I totally famgirled as there’s been much hyped about this one for months! And it still hasn’t released yet! Soon though - 1/16 - and the hype is fairly worth it. Has Death on the Nile and Glass Onion vibes for sure, but at the same time it’s quite different. It was theatrical, ominous, psychological, and intriguing.

I’ve actually never read Michaelides’ other books so this my introduction to this author and I liked it but at times it felt like it was shifting back/forth in perspective from first to third-person. Perhaps that’s intentional with our unreliable narrator. It’s told in 5 “acts”, some starting in the past leading up to the climax with different layers of the greater story so at times it felt a bit repetitive but each includes details or perspectives that weren’t disclosed before, and the chapters are short. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the audiobook as I didn’t care for the voice of the narrator (sorry!) Content and trigger warnings include murder, light profanity, some drug and alcohol use, infidelity, mentions of childhood abuse/bullying, and one character is alluded to being an escort for an older woman.

Overall, with the twists that eventually come as it played out in a way I had predicted, I give it 3.75, round up to 4.

Set on a beautiful Green island, owned by beautiful film star Lana Farrar, The Fury is part murder mystery, part twisted love story, and mostly madness.
The narrator, Elliot Chase, attends a getaway on the island, with his friend Lana, her son, her husband, their friend Kate and a couple of employees. We are promised a murder form the start... but who's murder? and why?
The twists and turns don't stop as Chase, the most unreliable of narrators, attempts to puppets the other guests on the island to dance their way through a script he has planned out for them in which he ends up with the girl.
But can he?
This was a lot of fun... but there was A LOT going on, so it really got a bit overwhelming towards the end, but overall enjoyable.

2.5 I (like a lot of people it seems, from reading reviews on Goodreads) have read Michaelide's first two books and really enjoyed The Silent Patient but kinda hated The Maidens. The Fury was going to be the one that decided if this author was a yay or nay for me and unfortunately I think it's a nay.

Let's start with the pro of this book: it's very readable. It's broken up into acts like a play and has very short chapters. The writing style is very quick to read, keeps those pages turning.

The major con for me however is while it is easy to keep those pages turning, it's a very slow burn. The narrator tells us at the beginning that this isn't so much a murder mystery, it's a character study and that is the most accurate way to describe this book.

The author has been marketed (from what I've seen) as writing thrillers though, so if you pick up The Fury thinking it's going to be a thriller, I think you will be disappointed. This is a slow burn, character study suspense in my opinion. For me, that didn't work because I didn't care about any of these characters. Especially our admittedly unreliable narrator who is taking us through the time leading up to and during a murder but who is also pulling us back and forth in time when I did not want to go back in time and hear so.much.back.story. on these characters. Every time the plot was back in the current time and getting interesting, back in time we went. While at first the time jumping worked, as it continued it began to feel very heavy on telling the reader what was happening versus showing. It just wasn't for me.

I did like this better than The Maidens, but not enough to put this author's books on my auto read list in the future.

I just reviewed The Fury by Alex Michaelides. Thank you to Netgalley for the ecopy of this book.
Once again Alex Michaelides does not disappoint in giving us several twists and turns in his story telling. Initially it did take me a while to get into the format of the book being told in the first person, but once I let go of that and just went with the flow of the story I really started to enjoy the dialogue and plot. No spoilers, all of the characters are flawed, naivety, self absorption, shallowness, envy and greed being a few of the least attractive qualities, despite these less than endearing traits they do meld together to support a decent narrative and engaging story line.

I got an Arc copy of this book and I had to read it immediately! Alex is one of my top authors and I have enjoyed each one of his books and I can confidently say that each books is so drastically different from another. I also love how he will mention other characters from other books briefly, its a really fun thing to find! Highly recommend picking up this book!