On a private Greek island near Mykonos, one of the most famous actresses in the world, Lana Farrar, gathers with her closest companions: her husband Jason, her son Leo, her assistant Agathi, her close friend (and narrator of the novel) Elliot, her best friend Kate, and the island's caretaker, Nikos. By the end of the second page, we know that a murder takes place. We know that Elliot survives (since he's narrating), as well as Leo (since he finds the body); the rest, as they say, shall be revealed in due time.

From that point forward, our narrator Elliot takes the reader on a journey, gradually revealing bits of the story to help us understand what really happened on the island. Elliot strikes a conversational and conspiratorial tone, with frequent tangents and side commentary separate from the rehashing of the story. Despite his alleged efforts to the contrary, Elliot can't help but make this story about him, and so much of your enjoyment of the novel, I think, hinges on how you feel about Elliot as a character and the conversational style employed by Michaelides.

I, for one, was not a fan. While Michaelides does an admirable job of giving Elliot a distinct voice that is consistent and "in character" until the bitter end, the schtick grew tiresome for me. Elliot is like your cattiest, most insecure friend, always anxious to spill the tea on the latest gossip. Fans of The Silent Patient also know that Michaelides loves to employ an unreliable narrator. While Elliot repeatedly assures the reader that what he is rehashing is the truth, he also acknowledges there could be some gaps in the retelling. To give you a sense of the pattern of narration, here's a quick excerpt on that topic:

"I stress all this so that, if at any point during this narrative I mislead you, you will understand that it is by accident, not design -- because I am clumsily skewing the events too much from my own point of view. An occupational hazard, perhaps, when one narrates a story in which one happens to play a minor role.

Nonetheless, I'll do my best not to hijack the narrative too often, Even so, I hope you'll indulge me the odd digression, here and there. And before you accuse me of telling my story in a labyrinthine manner, let me remind you that this is a true story -- and in real life, that's how we communicate, isn't it? We're all over the place: we jump back and forth in time; slow down and expand on some moments; fast-forward through others; editing as we go, minimizing flaws and maximizing assets. We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives."

If you enjoy the above conversational approach to narration and storytelling in a novel, The Fury might be a great fit for you! Michaelides provides at least a minor motive for each character on the island to turn to murder. It is effectively a whodunit (although Elliot says it's really a "whydunit"), and whether it's Michaelides' skill as an author or Elliot's "labyrinthine manner" of storytelling, most everyone remains in play as a suspect until the end. It's a quick read -- the conversational style speeds the story along, and while there are the previously advertised divergences from the plot, in most cases those are minor. The story follows a pretty linear recounting of the path from the conception of the trip to the dead body at the end, with the occasional divergence to fill in some expository backstory.

I was one of the rare few who didn't love Michaelides' debut novel The Silent Patient, and so I wondered if perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind while reading that one. As such, I was excited to give The Fury (and Michaelides) another try. While I was generally satisfied with the novel, I think his style is probably just not for me, so take my middling opinion of this novel with a large grain of salt. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient (like so many did), you may find The Fury more to your liking than I did, but be sure you're ready to spend 300+ pages with Elliot and his narrative style.

I kicked off 2024 with one of my most anticipated reads, and The Fury delivered!

The Fury admittedly has a bit of a slow start; but once I hit Act III, I could not put this book down. With short chapters, it’s easy to read this book quickly.

I loved Michaelides’ presentation of this tale as a Greek tragedy with five acts. The first person narration was fascinating, and the twists were stellar.

Character is plot! And Michaelides is a master.

A perfect book for readers who enjoy:
🧿 nonlinear timelines
🧿 character-driven storytelling
🧿 murder mysteries
🧿 atmospheric settings
🧿 nods to other books and writers

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for my gifted copy of The Fury.

What to expect in this book:

-Greek island setting
-Second person POV
-Unreliable narrator
-Short chapters
-Slow burn thriller
-Play-like structure

Thoughts

From the author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens comes the slow-burn and intriguing thriller set on an island off the coast of Greece. There is a full cast of characters on this island and a murder. In what seems like an Agatha Christie style story, this is more than a "whodunit" but a "why" did they do it? This is truly the most unique thriller that I have seen in a long time--both in the structure of the story as well as the overall plot and ending. I have seen in many people's reviews, both positive and negative, reasons for loving and applauding this book and can also see why other's would not love it. Personally, I really enjoyed it.

Going into this story, if you have read either of his previous works, just go ahead and throw whatever you are thinking about out this window. This is not The Silent Patient, this is completely different. Written like a play, this book is split into various Acts and has short chapters which keeps the story flowing. The first 30% felt very slow to me and leaned much more mystery than thriller. While there is a murder discussed, the heartbeat of the story is about the characters and the narrator in particular, Elliot Chase. Elliot details much of his own life, so much so that the fourth wall is knocked down to talk directly to readers or "the audience." Readers may find this different or strange, I found it to be interesting and reminded me of stories I read as a child.

I have seen several readers describe this as a thriller for intellectual readers and I would agree with that statement. The twists that occur are not sweeping and shocking but smooth and seamless, so much so that you might have to flip back some pages to fully grasp the meaning. I really enjoy books that make me think and question character-arcs. If you love theatre and have been a part of productions, this may prove to be especially interesting to you. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see how it is received by others.

Thank you to Celadon Books and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book publishes on January 16.

Same author as The Silent Patient (which I LOVED) and The Maidens

Pull up a barstool, pour yourself a drink, and settle on in as narrator Elliot Chase tells you about the murder that took place on a beautiful Greek Island over Easter weekend.

Seven people start on this island, and one ends up murdered. Elliot tells the story in his POV. While I liked this concept and thought it was unique, some parts didn’t make sense. Like he couldn’t have been in this particular place watching this unfold, while also being some place else.

While Elliot wasn’t all that relatable, I did like how we gave background on all the people on the island. It made the characters more likable and full of secrets.

The short chapters make this book a quick-easy read! I was dying to know who the “killer” was. The ending also has a big twist that I did NOT see coming!!

If you like murder mystery’s with unreliable narrators, this book is for you!!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Pub date: January 16th, 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book was a thrilling ride that I could not put down. I loved every minute. I never knew who was lying and what would happen next.

I was super excited for this book, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I absolutely loved The Silent Patient, but The Maidens and now The Fury just aren’t on the same level. I found the storyline to be extremely slow and to be honest I had no interest in finding out what happened. I rarely DNF a book, but unfortunately I had to call it quits about 20% through. Maybe I’ll revisit this again in the future, but for now this was unfortunately a disappointment. 😞

So interesting, a quick read too! Lana retired young from Hollywood and moved to London. A murder occurs during a trip to her Greek island while there with her family and two friends. I loved the tone of the narrator, Elliot. The twists were great, very suspenseful. I especially loved the brief appearance of two characters from previous books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Fury by Alex Michaelides, set to released on January 16. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

I was super excited to read this book! I read The Silent Patient by the same author last year, and it was a hit for me! I hoped this would be similar and it delivered!! The short chapters made this book fly by, seriously, I could not put it down.

This is a murder mystery set on an island in Greece. It follows a group of friends/frenemies as they navigate there complicated relarionships. Michaelides does a great job at both making you love and hate each of the characters, and at one point during the book, I personally could see any of them being the main suspect
Overall, I enjoyed this book! I had some aspects of this plot figured out, but I was still shocked at the end.

Thank you so much to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for this ARC of The Fury. This is my third read of Michaelides and might be my favorite! The short chapters had me flying through this book and I couldn’t put it down. I had some of the plot figured out but in the end I was fairly surprised by the outcome. I love the small references to Greek mythology.

Elliott is such an unlovable, lovable narrator. In fact, there’s something to be said for how you’re able to dislike all of the characters.

This is such a twisty, psychological thriller. 4/5 stars and a really great read!

“This is a tale of murder.” These are the first words in the book, so no spoiler here. It is told in first-person by Elliot Chase, who is writing this story to explain what happens when five people go to a Greek island over Easter weekend, and a murder occurs. A real “whodunit,” in his words, though unlike any murder mysteries you have read before, such as in Agatha Christie’s books. He wants to assure the reader, this story is not like those stories. But as you go along, you may begin to wonder about Elliot himself: is he telling the truth? Is he telling the whole story? What is really happening here? So -- you must keep reading and reading until you get to the very end -- you will not want to put this book down until you find out! It is quite the fast-paced page-turner, and will hold you captive until you know: who was murdered, who was the murderer, and more importantly why?

This is a good one!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, and Celadon Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I loved The Silent Patient and thought The Maidens was just okay. I am happy to say that The Fury lands somewhere in the middle! This book hooks you in from the first chapter and keeps you until the very end.

I loved the narrator- the voice kind of reminded me of the narrator in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Snarky and kind of meta. I found the setting so immersive and easy to fall into. I liked switching between POVs and finding out what each character was thinking. I also thought the Greek tragedy formation of it was very clever.

The Fury is a book every thriller fan should have on their TBRs for 2024.

whew okay I devoured this one yesterday on our plane ride home after the holidays.

I've had 'The Silent Patient' [also by Alex Michaelides] on my list for some time so when I recieved this advanced reader copy of 'The Fury' from @netgalley & @celadonbooks
I was stoked to read it.

set in London & on a private Greek island, Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star, invites her closest friends to her island for Easter, but their reunion turns dark as a storm traps them, and a murder unfolds.

the timeline is a non-linear, bouncing between present day and years past which makes for some fun as you try to work out the story.

the opening of the books sets the stage -- it's not a whodunit, it's a whydunit.

loved Elliott [the narrator] and thought the writing was brilliant all the way through. You love him, you hate him & you can't put the book down.

will definitely be picking up Michaelides other books.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on January 16, 2024.

This is my third Alex Michaelides books and my favorite since The Silent Patient.

Lana Farrar is a famous former movie star. When she decides she needs to get out of London for a few days, she invites her husband, son, and two best friends to her private Greek island. There will be bl👀d.

The novel is told in first person by one of Lana’s best friends, Elliot Chase. This is the second novel I’ve read recently where the narrator speaks directly to the reader. The other one was West Heart KiII by Dann McDorman. I enjoyed both novels very much. I’ve decided I like being a character in a book. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a really good one. Recommended.

Lana Farrar is a former Hollywood movie star now living in London with her husband and son. The English weather has her down and she invites her friends Kate and Elliot to her private Greek island along with her assistant and island caretaker that stays there all year round. Told from Elliot’s point of view, the friends are full of secrets and by the end of the weekend one of them is dead.

This was such an interesting read, not your normal locked room mystery. Told from an unreliable narrator, Elliot, who spins wild stories you don’t know are true or not. With quick, short chapters this book will have you devouring it quickly.

As a big Michaelides fan, I was so eager to get my hands on this early copy. Unfortunately, it fell so flat for me. The characters felt two dimensional. The pacing was either too slow or too fast. The twist was a flick of the wrist. It just wasn’t what I hoped sadly. Will eagerly await his next book though.

Alex Michaelides is an auto read author for me and I am a sucker for a locked room mystery. This was a fun one and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick popcorn read. Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

i have made this honest review in exchange for an e-arc from netgalley


now this is how you write a mystery novel people! holy shit I had so much fun with this! the unreliable narrator, the format of the story, the main characters and their issues. I love everything about this. each character was so unlikeable in their own ways and I think that really elevated the murder mystery plot because you truly could see any of them being the murderer AND would be okay with it.

Our murder suspect Lana is an old hollywood actress whom everyone seems to adore. The way she is described makes you want to fall in love with her as well. She is the star of the show but you also always have a bit of a nagging feeling that not everything is as it should be with her

Then we have the narrator and Lana’s good friend, Elliot. He does such a great job and winding the past and present in an almost poetic way. He takes civil liberties when explaining the events and actions of the story and you never know if you can truly trust him. Is he really Lana’s closest friend?


This book was amazing, as I have already said. It cemented Alex Michaelides as an auto buy author for me! Absolute perfection

Four friends decide to spend a few days on a private Greek island and one of them ends up dead. This is the third book by this author that I have read and my favorite. The book had so many twists and turns and I loved it. Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Michaelides third novel takes place on an isolated island off the coast of Greece. I personally love books that happen in isolated places.

Elliot is our narrator & he is as unreliable as they come. He writes the story in a first person who breaks that wall between reader & author. The execution was well done. Elliot is going back in forth through time as well telling the story about Lana— an actress and the love of his life.

I can see how some would think this moves slower, but I personally did not. About 15% in, I got fully vested and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I needed to know how it ended. And it ended perfectly for me.

I’m so sorry to say but I “DNF” this book. I loved his other book, The Silent Patient, so I had high hopes for this. I gave it a couple different tries, but just couldn’t push through.

The hardest part for me were all the characters and hearing from all their point of views. I couldn’t keep up and kept getting frustrated. Also, if I am reading a thriller, I want to be sucked in pretty quickly or it’s not worth my time.