DNFed. I felt like it was trying to be “Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone”, but more literary. My co-worker and I both attempted to read it and couldn’t get through it.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I have read other books by this author and was excited to get to read this one. However, for me this book fell flat. I just had a hard time getting into it; it seemed to ramble on. I know some loved it but this one was just not for me, which is a bummer; I so looked forward to it.

I enjoyed his previous books but this one fell short for me.
Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

So many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc to review. I absolutely enjoy Michaelides work and jumped at the chance to read his most recent novel. As always. I enjoyed the Easter eggs that popped up along the journey, and hope this continues in future novels.

I had never read an Alex Michaelides book before, but had heard great things from friends who had read "The Silent Patient." So, I was very excited to read a new mystery/thriller by this acclaimed author.

"The Fury" begins in a most intriguing manner. "This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At it's heart, it's a love story, isn't it?"

The narrator, Elliot Chase, promises us a story "unlike any you've ever heard."

Elliot is one of a handful of people spending the Easter holiday on a remote island in Greece. The island is owned by Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Also on hand are Lana's second husband Jason; her son, Leo; actress and friend, Kate; Agathi, Lara's assistant/housekeeper; and Nicola, the island's live-in caretaker.

Elliot, a playwright, is old friends with Lara and Kate, but appears to be on the outs with Kate. Kate seems to have something going on between the sheets with Jason. Jason appears to be trying to siphon money from his wife's lavish estate. Lara is trying to prevent Leo from becoming an actor.

The book takes inspiration from Agatha Christie's "And There Were None," while following the structure of a Greek tragedy. I wish the author had focused more on the plot and characters than the structure. He would have had a better book.

Elliot is a terrible narrator. He's obviously unreliable from the start. And, sometimes, his narration offers too much information, slipping into an omnipresent voice, sharing information he couldn't have known. There was so much potential in this story, but I didn't like any of the characters so I didn't care who was going to end up dead. Nor did I find any of the motives for murder, compelling.

And then, the plot twists began. And kept coming. And not in a good way.

As a lover of this genre, I'm sorry to say this book fell flat for me.

*I received an ARC from Netgalley.

I wasn't a fan. I tried and I tried, but I don't think anything he writes will live up to The Silent Patient for me.

betrayal, friendship, unrequited love, and ambition are all driving factors that lead us toward the eventual murder. Tension runs high throughout the novel.

Alex Michaelides, known for his mastery of psychological thrillers, returns with The Fury, a novel set against the picturesque backdrop of the Greek Islands. The story revolves around a group of family and friends who congregate at their cherished vacation home, each grappling with their own personal demons. As the narrative unfolds, the serenity of the setting is shattered by the appearance of dead bodies, turning the maid and the groundskeeper into prime suspects.

While Michaelides' signature fast-paced storytelling and immersive environment are present, The Fury did not quite live up to my expectations. The use of an unreliable narrator, a trope often employed to great effect in psychological thrillers, seemed to fall flat here. The narrator's overt admission of their unreliability detracted from the suspense and intrigue that typically characterize Michaelides' work, making the plot less engaging than anticipated.

Despite this, Michaelides' skill in creating a gripping atmosphere cannot be overlooked. The lush descriptions of the Greek Islands and the intricate dynamics among the characters keep the reader hooked. While The Fury may not be Michaelides' strongest work, it remains a quick and engaging read for fans of the genre.

The Fury is the latest release by Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient, a psychological thriller/mystery I thoroughly enjoyed. I had high hopes and expectations for The Fury.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I love any good thriller or mystery set on an island, but this one simply did not distiguish itself. It was mostly predictable, like most locked-room mysteries. The back-and-forth between past and present was awkward and the writing felt rushed. It was difficult to tell what was real and what was fake, although this was intended by the (very) unreliable narrator.

If you do want to pick up a quick read, with short chapters and a relatively fast pace, this isn't a bad choice, but I was expecting much more from Michaelides.

Read if you like:
🏝 Remote island setting
🔒 Locked-room mysteries
🤯 Unhinged characters
🤔 Unreliable narrator

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Fury is my third read by Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens. His newest release is set on a private island in Greece and follows the illustrious actress Lana, her second husband Jason, her 17-year-old son Leo, and her friends Kate (fellow actress) and Elliot (dramatist and narrator of the story).

While Elliot informs the reader that he will attempt to be a reliable narrator, the story is relayed as though it is being told to a friend over drinks, with multiple revisions and additions of information later. It takes a while to learn who has died, and even longer to figure out how and why.

There were some things I really enjoyed about this. I loved the setting - it was perfect for a May mystery read. The references to theater were interesting and the characters were multidimensional. Ultimately, though, The Fury was just a little too unbelievable for my tastes. The "twists" just felt a little unhinged and difficult to to imagine happening. It made the story feel less compelling and "real" to me.

All in all, I liked this one! But it definitely won't be taking the spot from The Silent Patient for my favorite thriller by Alex Michaelides.

✅ Thriller set on a Greek island
✅ Locked-room mystery
✅ Unreliable narrator

⭐⭐⭐ - I liked it

📅 - Available now!

🙏 - Thanks so much to Alex Michaelides and Celadon Books for this ARC through NetGalley!

After taking the best parts of The Silent Patient and The Maidens, Alex Michaelides gives us The Fury. If you were not the biggest fan of The Maidens (especially the ending) I would still recommend giving this one a try! You know all those parts of The Maidens that felt promising? This one delivers.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC! By the time I got to it it had already been out for a few months but I was still so excited to get approved and finally start it! I’m a big fan of the silent patient so I was thrilled to start this. I the story telling was so different from most things I’ve read before. It was exciting and kept me intrigued the whole time. 10/10!

SYNOPSIS
- A group of people are on a private island in Greece, and someone is murdered. Who was killed? Why were they killed? Who murdered them?

MY THOUGHTS
- This is my least favorite so far of the three books by this author.
- I really hated the narration style, where often times, the narrator is addressing the readers directly.
- The flow & pacing was uneven.
- Lots of unlikable characters.
- Atmospheric setting.
- Felt like a soap opera.
- Ending was mehhh.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️atmospheric read, but overall, just meh. Odd narration style.

Thanks to Celadon Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

This was so underwhelming. After reading and enjoying this authors past two novels I was very eager to read this one and it fell flat. The characters were unlikeable, the story wasn’t intriguing, and overall it felt like a portrait of mental illness and shady friendships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This book was so different than any I had read in a while and I LOVED it. It was so unique and enjoyable to read. I loved every moment of it and the plot was unpredictable to the end.

This is the weakest book I've read of Alex Michaelides and am so disappointed. I loved “The Silent Patient.” I thought it was one of my all-time favorite books. The time jumps were distracting. Basically, I had to force myself to finish this book and there was really nothing outstanding that I can say. I am so disappointed because I usually like his books. #netgalley #thefury

I have been a big fan of Alex Michaelides’s writing style since I read The Silent Patient, so I was very excited to get an advanced copy of The Fury. I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator and our protagonist, Elliot, is a self-admitted, textbook example of one. He keeps readers guessing as he peels back each layer of the events that happened on the island. Elliot’s analysis adds depth to both the plot and the supporting characters, but it will be difficult for readers to figure out what details are fact or fiction. The novel’s pacing is quite slow, so reader’s don’t reach the big twist until three fourths of the way through. This definitely adds to the satisfaction of correctly guessing the murderer at the end of the novel, however, only devoted fans of slow burn thrillers will make it that far. I enjoyed the book, but I struggled with the pacing of the novel which is why I rated it a bit lower than his other novels.

Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Pacing: 2
Writing style: 4

Read-a-like authors: If you are a fan of Michael Connelly, Robert Ludlum, or John Grisham, then you will probably enjoy the cerebral, slow build style of the novel and Alex Michaelides in general.

This doesnt beat 'The Silent Patient' in my list of favorites by this author, but this was a fun and thrilling ride. "The Fury" by Alex Michaelides is a riveting psychological thriller that centers around Mariana Andros, a forensic psychologist haunted by her own traumatic past, who is drawn into a high-profile case involving a young woman named Susie. Susie appears to have brutally murdered her husband in a fit of rage, but as Mariana delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of lies, manipulation, and hidden motives that challenge everything she thought she knew. There is good building of tension and very atmospheric.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

I felt that this was a fairly good read. This is actually the best one I have read from this author yet. The book unfolds as a story being told from a narrator. It basically addresses that there was a crime, however then backtracks into how this all came to happen. I felt that this was a really smart way to tell this story as there was a lot going on with it. There were so many different agendas and relationships going on between the island guests. There were actions that coincided and were an important part of the event, but meaningless by itself. I felt that this book was written with a lot of thought about the part each character would play and actually drew into the intent and what each character had to gain from the crime. The downside on this book for me was the main character Elliott. I felt that he just did not fit into the book for me and was overly dramatic. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC!

Rating 3/5 Stars

Okay so, I was a HUGE fan of the silent patient and was SO excited to read more by Alex...While the story was kind of fun, I had a hard time with this one just a bit. I loved the unreliable and messy characters / narrator, I loved the format, this book is so different than most of what I've read and that was awesome. However, the story went from being super slow and hard to get into, to way way too fast and it just felt very strange? I don't think it was for me, but I do recommend people try it! And in the meantime, I'll be counting down to his next novel!