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 private Greek island. But as Lana and her friends are trapped overnight in the island cut off by a wind storm, a murder occurs, spurred on by old friendships, concealed hatred, and a desire for revenge. What follows is a game of cat and mouse―a battle of wits, full of twists and turns.

As always I am grateful to @netgalley for the ARC! I’m sad to report I was disappointed by this book; on its own it was a good mystery but compared to the author’s other two works I found this one lacking. I still enjoyed it, but for me it was missing the twists and literary devices of The Silent Patient and the suspense and dark academia smartness of The Maidens. The characters were all flawed in their own ways and many layers of secrets were revealed throughout, which kept the reader guessing who the killer and who the victim were throughout. The setting on the private Greek island with a haunted past in the middle of a wind storm was the perfect setting for a murder mystery to unfold. If I hadn’t read Michaelides’ other works first I probably would have rated this higher, but in knowing what the author is capable of this book fell flat for me.

Meet Elliot Chase, he has a thrilling story to tell you. There are movie stars and wannabes, lies and betrayal... oh, and a private island in Greece.
Elliot paints the scene for us, "This is. A tale of murder. Or maybe that's not true. At its heart it's a love story, isn't it?" Buckle up for a wild ride as the story unfolds dramatically in a five act play, with twists you won't see coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this ARC of The Fury with me. I was a huge fan of The Silent Patient and The Maidens, so I was pumped to get my hands on another thrilling book from Alex Michaelides.

Someone is killed on a private Greek island…but who? By whom? Why?

As Elliot Chase, the narrator, announces early on in this engrossing thriller, this is both a tale of murder and a (twisted) love story. A murder has indeed been committed, and it provided plenty of fodder to the tabloids when it occurred given where it took place and who was involved. Elliot is best described as an extremely unreliable narrator, and as he speaks to the reader he explains why the murder happened (but not, in fact, who the victim was). Over the ensuing chapters, the cast of characters is revealed: Lana Farrar, the Garboesque former film star who left the profession at the height of her career; her second husband Jason, a British businessman; her teenaged son Leo; her best friend Kate Crosby, a reknowned theatre actress; her personal assistant/houseskeeper Agathi; the island caretaker Nikos; and of course Elliot himself, a noted playwright and longtime confidant to Lana. Lana left California when she quit acting and moved to London; when that city gets too dreary, her favorite escape is the small Greek island bought for her by her first husband Otto, near the more famous island of Mykonos. On a rainy London day, she decides to invite her circle of friends for a break on the island and sets in motion the events leading up to the murder.

A thriller generally asks the reader to figure out who has committed an act and more often than not to ascertain why. In this twist on the genre, the reader must do those two things without actually knowing exactly what happened. Through the labyrinth of Elliot’s tale, we meet the different characters and get to know them….where they are in their lives, how they interact with one another, and the emotions that bind them to Lana and one another. It is clear that Lana is the center of everything….each character loves her in their own way. Has murder been committed because of that love on someone’s part? With jealousy, financial difficulties, frustrated ambitions, and more in the air, there is no shortage of motives for murder….the challenge is to sort through the obfuscations and determine what is true, and what in the end actually transpired. The Fury has a fascinating group of characters, a richly described setting, and a puzzle reminiscent of the “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion” movies by Rian Johnson. Fans of those films should definitely give The Fury a try, as should readers of authors like Lucy Foley and Stacy Willingham. Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon books for allowing me accesss to an advanced reader’s copy of this entertaining read.

I have a love-hate relationship with Alex Michaelides. I loved The Silent Patient, and then The Maidens left me in a confused state for quite a while. I kept pondering if The Silent Patient was a lucky fluke, and after reading The Fury, I finally got my answer. After meeting the sly, cunning, and slimy Elliot Chase, my faith has been restored in Michaelides's ability to craft a novel, a world, and characters that I love to hate.

The Fury takes place in the same world as The Silent Patient and The Maidens. As soon as I saw Mariana mentioned, I gleefully shrieked and scrambled to recall if Elliot had been slipped into any of Michaelide's previous books. I won't give any spoilers, but the Easter eggs in each novel are deliciously splendid.

The Fury begins with Elliot Chase inviting the reader to explore the "whydunit" of a recent, newsworthy murder. He doesn't mention who was killed but gives the reader a biased, unreliable narrative surrounding his friend, Lana, and her circle of confidantes. From Jason, the mooching husband, to Leo, her moody teenage son, Lana is surrounded by characters fit for any addictive drama. Personally, I did not like any of the characters, which made this novel even more interesting. Elliot has a complicated relationship with every character, so it is not outlandish to think this would influence the reader as well.

The pace was slow at the beginning, as I was constantly doubtful of anything Elliot was saying. There are a few different timelines to juggle as the narrative goes back and forth through a short period of time. Once you arrive at Act III, the pace goes into overdrive as the action climaxes and plot twists galore are unearthed. Michaelides certainly knows how to spin a story and create believable characters that thrive on revenge and drama.

If you don't mind the back-and-forth juggling act of navigating different timelines and an unreliable narrator, The Fury is for you. Step into Michaelides' world as you arrive on a private Greek island where tensions are high and the drama is unavoidable.

If you liked Glass Onion, you will like this book. Quick read and engaging.

I love an unreliable narrator, especially when they admit it right from the start! You don't really know what's real and not until the last ~10% of the book.

I thought the perspective of this book was interesting. The narrator is talking to the reader but also a part of the story. The plot reminded me a lot of The Guest List by Lucy Foley, where they are in a remote island and you know that there has been a murder so now you are basically trying to find out who did it. The little cameo of the Silent Patient was my favorite part.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Fury is written through the POV of an extremely unreliable narrator, which you catch on to pretty quickly. While the story as a whole is intriguing and very well written, I thought it fell short compared to Michaelides’ other books. I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters and the ending felt abrupt. However, the plot is entertaining and its twists are fun. One of my favorite things Michaelides does is connect all of his books together in subtle ways and this is no exception. Overall, this is a fun read if you enjoy a classic thriller, unreliable narrator, and tons of twists, just don’t go into it ready to compare to The Silent Patient and The Maidens. Setting that aside, it is still absolutely worth the read. (4.25/5)

I couldn’t put this down. I love this author’s writing style. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Having thrilled to The Silent Patient, I was excited to receive an ARC of The Fury by Alex Michaelides.

Sadly, the Fury did not live up to my expectations. It was slow. It was repetitive. It was convoluted. I don’t know how many times the narrator told the reader that we were going to have a murder, but it was a lot. Each time I read that I thought to myself, “well, let’s have it! I’m tired of reading over and over again that it’s coming.”

When nothing had happened after 1/3 of the book, I had to close it and move on.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this opportunity to read and review this work. All opinions are mine alone.

Well, well, well … welcome back, Alex Michaelides! This book had The Silent Patient vibes for me. Finally! A book that isn’t completely predictable. Though a bit predictable, the book played out better than expected. I enjoyed the different perspective of this story … the narrator telling you about a murder on a private island. The narrator makes it feel like you are bellied up to the bar with him to hear his tale. This alone made the book that much more interesting to me. Something different and unique amongst the same old, same old of the thrillers out there lately!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

This one went from giving Knives Out/Glass Onion to idk what!! But I enjoyed it nonetheless!

What was most interesting about this book was that the narrator is speaking directly to the reader, which threw me for a loop a few times. It felt like I was being told a story by an old coot sitting next to me in a bar.

Also. Elliot = British Joe Goldberg if he were a playwright. I won’t be convinced otherwise. Being able to see his internal monologue shows that he is just 🤏🏼 this much less crazy than Joe. I knew he was an unreliable narrator from the start, but only because I read the Silent Patient. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time. I knew it was coming, and I was still left shocked.

To be so fr, this book was full of unredeemable characters (except bby Leo). Like they all did something horrible at one point or another, however they also had a human side to counter all of their bad qualities/actions. I could go from hating them in one act to loving them in the next.

Overall, the story was full of twists and turns. It was a bit slow at times (reading about the murder a million times was not fun). I will say, the ending was unexpected, and for that I loved it. Spoiler alert tho if you haven’t already read the Silent Patient!! In the epilogue specifically.

Thank u NetGalley for the ARC! Now I need a physical copy for the bookshelf 🧿

4.5 stars, rounded up. Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for the ARC. This was my most anticipated book of 2024, so I was stoked to get a copy.

As I was reading, I was finding it hard to get pulled into the story. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I couldn't get through more than a few pages before I'd get distracted by something else. Finally around the 45% mark it started to get interesting and it ramped up so quickly. By the end, I absolutely loved the story and writing style. Once you finish the book, the pacing makes so much more sense and felt perfect for the kind of story it was.

I loved that this was a drama first, thriller second. The characters felt authentic and their reactions and decisions felt as real as fiction can. The book was immersive and by the end, I felt the panic of the characters and was truly able to picture myself in the setting of the Greek island with the wind whipping.

This book was a testament to Michaelides' love of storytelling, with each plot point well thought out and executed. It was one of the most entertaining books I've read and felt taken straight off the big screen to the pages.

I badly wanted to like this novel. I have heard such great reviews of “The Silent Patient,” (which I have not read) but sadly, I was not thrilled by this story. It was a slow burn thriller, with a predictable plot. I was entertained during the first few chapters, and enjoyed the telling of the story through our main character Elliot, but I was left less than impressed. The story jumped around a lot and there were promises of wild twists, told in the structure of a 5 act Greek tragedy. It just didn’t excite me. I wasn’t shocked or hooked. It felt that the changing POV was meant to keep you interested, but really, I was just annoyed.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a gripping murder mystery/thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Michaelides‘ skillful character development adds depth to the narrative, making the story truly engaging. The fast-paced plot is peppered with several unexpected twists, keeping readers guessing until the very end. A must-read for anyone who loves a suspenseful and well-crafted thriller!
•••
I want to express my sincere gratitude to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance reader copy (ARC) of ‘The Fury’ by Alex Michaelides ahead of its release date.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides was made available to me and I couldn’t wait to unwrap my next Michaelides novel to lose myself in. So I started it that same day. Our narrator is Elliot, a friend of acting great Lana,who is invited to go to Lana’s private Greek island, Aura (just off the coast of Mykonos) for a weekend getaway. Along for the vacation are Lana’s husband, Jason, who in my opinion is the least liked person in the entourage, Lana’s son, Leo, and Lana’s best friend, Kate. Leo,at seventeen, is the least flawed of the group, but we can chalk that up to his age. The others are a rag tag group who would’ve made an entertaining Jerry Springer episode back in his heyday.

The much needed weekend is drama filled and you can immediately identify who hates whom and who each character is obsessed with. However, the turning point of the weekend is a murder, a murder that strikes each survivors differently. Who did it? Why? You can say the title of the novel deals with the emotions of the group, but the weather is mentioned as well from the get go, with reference to the wind coming up repeatedly. The island is cursed according to local legend and I found myself picturing the island wrapped in a tornado when the whipping winds were being described. There are character you will love and characters you will love to hate. Twist, turns, ups, and downs, this one is another masterpiece by Michaelides. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on January 16, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #AlexMichaelides #TheFury #celadonbooks

2.5* but I’m rounding up. Mostly because when I really sat down to read this, it has short chapters which makes it an easy page turner. Unfortunately this is my least favorite of the authors works so far, but it could definitely be a case of “it’s me not the book”.

This story starts pretty slow but relatively interesting.. then right when you get to the murder / mystery, the narrative changes focus and it really takes you out of the moment and causes the pacing to really slow down. I found myself skimming through paragraphs wondering how if it was even all relevant to the plot line. The final act is chaotic and dramatic, which could work for some people.

I like the island vibes & I liked the idea of the mystery. I also liked the little Easter egg for The Silent Patient, but the narrative style didn’t completely work for me. I appreciate what the author was going for, but I struggled with sections of the book due to pacing/timing.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy!

"This is a tale of murder."

A murder is just the beginning of this novel. There is so much more to it.

Lana is a retired movie star who is feeling anxious. She decides to go to Greece with her husband, son and friends to hopefully get some sunshine and relax. It's almost Easter and the weather is crappy. She thinks some sunshine will do her good.

Kate is her best friend and also actress currently starring in a play but struggling lately. She's ready to get away too.

Elliot is the narrator of this story, and he was invited to the island too. He's a playwright who got his fame from writing a popular play about his miserable life with author Barbara West. Kate doesn't like Elliot because he's close to Lana who is best friends with Kate. There is a lot of emotions involved with all of the characters on the island, including jealousy, rage, obsession, and even love. Leading up to the murder we discover that not everything is as it seems.

I found the way this story was written pretty interesting. It was written like a play with five acts, each with its own storytelling. It was like meeting someone and they were telling a story to you. Elliot wants to tell you what happens but he's also building it up and trying his hardest not to give anything away too soon.

You could tell from the very beginning that something was off with certain characters and I love the way the story was built up. Plus there were rumors everywhere that the island was haunted and cursed which made for an interesting build up as well. Some may think that this story is moving slowly which perhaps it is but don't worry about it. Keep going and you will find that it is supposed to for the story to make sense. The ending really threw me for a loop.

I love the character developments and how even though Elliot is the narrator, we see different perspectives from other characters as well. Ive read books in the past where there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of what was going on. However in this story, despite the number of characters and stories from different perspectives, it kept you guessing as to what happened. You know from the beginning that there was a murder but to keep reading and guessing what is going to happen before it happens was very intriguing. It kept me hooked!

I also loved how the weather was closely associated with the level of tension. The writing is very interesting in this one, the style one I haven't really read before. It was new and exciting for me as a reader and I found it really interesting. In fact I had a hard time putting this one down! And I always like the style of shorter chapters which is how this story was written. It was an excellent story overall!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Celadon Books for my Advanced Reader Copy of The Fury in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed it!

Check this book out when it is released on January 16, 2024!

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so addicting. It has short chapters so it’s easy to tell yourself, just one more and then before you know it you’ve read the whole thing.

This was a locked door type mystery but set on a Greek island. A group of friends goes for a weekend get away and ends in murder. This was full of twists and turns and kept me guessing the whole time.

I was excited when i saw that Alex Michaelides was coming out with a new book. I absolutely loved the Silent Patient but was disappointed in The Maidens. However I thoroughly enjoyed this third book of his. Immediately I hated the narrator and knew I couldn’t trust him, Which was a good sign in a book for me. I did think parts of the book were predictable but overall enjoyed this book thoroughly!

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Silent Patient, and was excited to read the free ARC of The Fury in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into this one. While I appreciate the free ARC, this was just not for me. 3 stars.