Alex Michaelides does it again. I’ve only read The Silent Patient by this author and while I predicted the twist I thought it was a good ride and well written. This book though, I had no idea what was going to happen next. It had me flipping to the next page so fast.

5 reasons you should read this book:

1.) You like the Knives Out movies
2.) You like when the fourth wall is broken.
3.) You like your tea piping hot.
4.) You like reading about delicious detailed meals.
5.) You like rooting for the underdog.

This book is an ode to that wonderful saying, “play stupid games, win stupid prizes”.

Travel with me if you will, to the picturesque islands of Greece where we will meet our colorful cast of characters. There is the scheming 2nd husband, the too attached son, the frenemie, the island’s lonesome groundskeeper, the all seeing helper, the star, and of course, our faithful narrator.

This story is told from the POV of one of our characters. He tells us his whole sordid affair through his writing, because that’s what he is, a writer. I felt like we were great friends, gossiping in a pub over a warm drink. He is the most honest, unreliable narrator that I have ever read. His account was so much fun because he would ramble and embellish, before backtracking and giving you the truth.

Another part I really liked is when the narrator told us about his childhood. He tells us how one of his favorite authors only referred to himself as “the kid” when writing about his boyhood. In doing that he gave himself room to emphasize with his younger self, because it’s so much easier to be kind to others than to ourselves. Our narrator goes on to employ this same method and gives us an honest and at times heartbreaking account of his own childhood. It gives us yet another opportunity to feel more of a kinship and closeness with him.

Love is also a very strong theme in this book. The ugly and the beautiful sides of relationships. How far people are willing to go to try to find love, to hold on to it.

I listened to the audiobook and I believe that they picked the perfect person to narrate it. He really fit the character he was voicing to a T.

I’ve read some of the other reviews for this book, which were less favorable and I think it may be because they read and didn’t listen to the book. I feel that listening to this book really added a whole other element to the main character and to the story. This is now my favorite book by Alex Michaelides, but I don’t know that I’d say the same had just read it.

I finished this audiobook a few days ago, and I'm still conflicted about how I feel.
I'll do my spoiler free pros and cons first:
PROS - This is a short read - under 300 pages and only 8 hours on audio, so if you are on the fence, you aren't spending too much time giving it a try. The chapters are super short, which also helps me fly through books. The narrator is a famous English actor, Alex Jennings, and he was lovely. I enjoyed his reading of the book, especially since it was written in first person. I appreciate that Michaelides is playing around with the thriller genre format and organization (but I'm not sure it worked for me - more on that later). I've been loving the "rich people behaving badly" micro-genre lately, and this falls squarely in there. As the first chapter indicates, this is more of a Why-Done-It. The author spends the majority of the book going into the motivations and relationships between the characters.

CONS - My expectations going into this book based on the blurb were completely not what the book ended up being about. I think I may have liked it more if the pre-information I got was different. This is not a traditional locked room mystery although it does take place on an isolated Greek island with only 7 people (more information on that in the spoiler section). This was also told in non-chronological order, so it was a mystery where the narrator/author reveals information when they want you to know it. It's not a drop clues and they were there the whole time kind of book. Although this was listed as a thriller - I would not consider it a thriller. It is slow-burn suspense - and I mean SLOW BURN. And it is more of a character study, like I said earlier.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!
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Playing around with Genre Expectations: Like I said, I appreciate that he is trying something new. I haven't read a book quite like this before. The narrator breaks the fourth wall often and talks directly to the reader. He is an aspiring playwrite and the book is set up into 5 Acts (parts) much like a play would be. Michaelides also tells the story several times. The first time, he flies through the surface parts. Then he goes back and adds some more specific details to fill in some of the backstory. Then he goes back even further in time to detail some other parts and add even more "reveals" and then, you guessed it, he goes back AGAIN and adds the final twisty details to finish the book. Its almost like "here's the story. But actually, here's the story. But wait, this next reveal will change what you thought about the story. But wait there's even more you didn't know the first time." Again, I found it intriguing, but I'm not sure if it worked for me or not. The biggest, spoileriest divergence from genre expectations is that the murder doesn't happen until literally the last sentence of the book (minus the epilogue - which IMO was a bit unnecessary overall). This part I did find fascinating - but it is what, imo, makes this NOT a locked room mystery (everyone of the characters know who did it as soon as it happens) and also not a fast-paced thriller.

POV: This was told in first person POV in sort of a memoir. Meaning the events of the book have already happened and the narrator is telling the story after the fact. This works to a certain extent. However, there are some parts of the book that he describes when he is not actually present at the time those events take place. Is he speculating to make this a better story (he is an aspiring playwrite, like I said). Did this information come out after the events and he was privy to them? It was never really clear and it bothered me a little. How does he know what these characters were thinking or feeling or doing? Also, this is ANOTHER unreliable narrator trope. As soon as I see a thriller written in first person I don't trust a thing they are saying. Anyone else? This is absolutely the case here.

Characters: None of them, except maybe Leo and the Greek caretaker whose name I forget - Nikos?, are likable. I thought they were all caricatures of characters. Even Lana, who I think is supposed to be the sympathetic character, was a bit whiny and immature and pretentious. I honestly didn't really care which one was murdered, but it was interesting to see it unfold. I wasn't surprised by the ending, even though the characters were.

Overall - I'm probably going to be thinking about this one for a while and I obviously had a lot to say about it, so that is why it gets 3.75 (rounded up to 4 because Goodreads) from me. It was an interesting deviation from the normal novel structure. If you like Michaelides, you'll probably like this book (although it is very different from The Silent Patient).

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, and the publisher for allowing me to review this advanced copy of the audiobook.

Lana Farrah is an ex-movie star with serious magnetism. Despite having stepped away from the limelight to raise her son, people continue to be drawn to her. She invites a few close friends to her private Greek island for the Easter holiday weekend, and what happens feels like it was made for the movies, not real life.

Elliot Chase, our very unreliable narrator, tells gives us a little background on each person on the island and dishes gossip about each person’s connection the other. He slowly describes the weekend leading to the murder, often addressing the reader. At first it is a bit unnerving and adds to the spine-chilling mood of the weekend, but in the end becomes a bit annoying with the constant promise of “wait until I tell you what happened next”.

Overall, the book was interesting enough, but I found the pacing to be very slow for the first half of the book, which is surprising since Michaelides’ last two books were very tightly paced and hard to put down. The big twist also didn’t have the same effect as the one in The Silent Patient—speaking of—for some odd reason the epilogue gives away a big twist from that debut novel, which I found perplexing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author Alex Michaelides for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The Fury is out on January 16th. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited when @celadonbooks sent me the ARC of Alex Michelaelides' THE FURY!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I went into this story blind, which was a bit hard to do as I have been seeing people share about this book for months! I am glad I skipped any synopsis, and I don't want to say much about it here for those who are like me and just want to know the final thoughts.

I did end up listening with the physical copy close by. I absolutely love the narration by Alex Jennings. He has a perfect voice for Elliot. I thought he intoned all the attitude with insecurity that this story needed. It was also fantastic to have the physical book to make sure I was understanding the jumping time frames which did give me pause a time or two.

I enjoyed the way this story was written. It absolutely felt like I was having a drink in a pub and hearing it told. It felt very real in that sense of being less linear, and yet building to the crescendo of that final fury. I also felt like it lent a less dark tone, even though it had sinister characters and murder.

◇SPOILER ALERT◇(possibly-don't read if you want to be more surprised)

What I really loved is how the insight into deep childhood trauma made me feel almost sympathetic. I felt very much at the end of this like I do when watch or read Phantom of the Opera, which is an all-time favorite. (I tried to stay a bit vague for you who can't help but peek!)

Thank you so much to @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for sending me all the options! Be ready for this to publish January 16th. It will be one to chat about for sure!

The narrator took some getting used to; but it didn’t take long. His tone of voice fit the storytelling perfectly.

As for the story itself, UGH. I liked it, don’t get me wrong, but I kept getting so irritated with Elliot and his tricks. I love a book that brings (any) emotion out of me, so that was great. This is my favorite of the author’s work so far. The ending fell a little flat after SO much build up / back and forth. But that epilogue 👀

The Fury by Alex Michaelides
Narrator: Alex Jennings
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub date: 1/16

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a rollercoaster of a thriller that takes you on a suspenseful journey through the luxurious yet eerie setting of a private Greek island. The story starts when Lana Farrar, a former Hollywood star, invites her friends for an Easter weekend on the mysterious Aura island, not realizing that seven friends will attend but only six will leave the island.

Narrated by Lana’s friend, Elliot Chase, the story cleverly explores the complex dynamics, hidden resentments, and unspoken secrets among the characters. Chase is a unique storyteller, breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the audience like they’re old friends. He warns us that everyone is an unreliable narrator of their own life, but that still didn’t prepare me for how unreliable he actually was.

The writing plays out like a modern-day Agatha Christie mystery, complete with a secluded island, a diverse cast of characters, and a murder that sends shockwaves through their supposedly tight-knit group.

The atmospheric setting adds an extra layer of intrigue, with the island's reputation for bad luck and the relentless Fury of the winds creating a palpable sense of tension. Michaelides expertly blends elements of psychological suspense with the classic whodunit, which kept me on the edge of my seat with all the unexpected twists and turns.

This was incredible on audio. Alex Jennings had the perfect cadence and tone for this story, and his intonations kept me on the edge of my seat.

While the story was captivating, it was also slow at times, and all of the back and forth between timelines became tedious. There’s also a strange spoiler for The Silent Patient at the very end, and it’s unclear to me why that would be mentioned at all.

Overall, the twists, the locked room atmosphere, and the tension between the characters kept me guessing and made this book unputdownable. Thank you so much to Celadon for my advanced copy and Macmillan for my complimentary audiobook.

The Fury is a slow and twisted thriller by the narrator, Elliot Chase. Throughout the book, Elliot tries to connect with the reader. Instead, he created more chaos with this bizarre story. It was messy and disorganized. I kept listening because I wanted to know how it resolved everything. I had a tough time connecting or caring about Elliot. I know others loved this book. I don't understand the hype. I loved The Silent Patient so much that this book and The Maidens disappointed me. If you want to read The Silent Patient, please do not read this book first. It will alter your experience with that book since it gives away a crucial piece of that story.

My head is still currently spinning from all the twists and turns in this book!! Alex Michalides has done it again with a book that I could not put down! Absolutely amazing! The portrayal of obsession and love was so well done!

I really enjoyed the short chapters and how the book was broken into acts. At times it felt like playing a game of Clue and my mind kept trying to figure out what was really or fake! I'm still unsure of what actually happened. If you are a fan of The Retreat by Sarah Pearse this book is for you!!!

I listened to this audiobook and the narration was absolutely amazing and performed perfectly by Alex Jennings!

Loved this book. It was a campy, soap opera, unbelievable mess! I am a massive lifetime tv fan and this book was IT. I couldn’t get enough. The narrator was fantastic. Fame. Fortune. Greece. Murder. It was almost a parody. But it worked out so well. Start talking to Lifetime tv now. I am the audience for both of these. I listened to this book in 2 days. Highly reccomend.

The Fury is the newest release by Alex Michaelides. This one is set on a tiny island off the coast of Greece and is a locked room style mystery. You get to know the cast of characters pretty well. This story is told through second person narration. During a fierce storm, a murder occurs on the island. Through reading you'll discover who the murderer is and the motive. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator pleasant to listen to. I was able to remain focused on the lot and maintain interest in the story. Read and enjoy!

i'll start by saying "The Silent Patient" by Michaelides is responsible for getting me back into reading. the way that book had my head SPINNING. so so good. With that being said, i was THRILLED to receive an early copy of The Fury.

I struggled getting through the physical. it felt SUPER slow and dragged and I felt like we were just scratching the surface of everything for so long. I never reached for it to pick it back up which isn't the best sign when reading a "thriller"....so I requested the audio hoping that would help me. Alas, i did finish, but it wasn't my favorite.

I think it took too long (with not enough plot to keep you engaged) for the twists to happen. I wasn't engaged until the final 15%.

Things I did enjoy: i love an unreliable narrator and that's definitely what we got here. I also loved the little "easter egg" from The Silent Patient :)

Not my favorite, but just a middle of the road book for me. Just okay in my opinion. But I'll definitely continue to read from this author! Thank you so much for the audio!!

As far as the audio, it was good!

I hesitate to write a review of this book but we readers get to read in return for an honest opinion. This is the third book that Mr. Michaelides has written. His first one took off like wildfire, was not great, but had believable characters. The second book was awful and there isn't a nice way to say that.

This book The Fury feels a bit as if he has taken his fame and allowed himself to write whatever no matter how outrageous. And it is outrageous.
There isn't one believable character in the book. When reading (or listening. I did listen to the audio), I found myself shaking my head over and over saying "no way. Not even an imbecile would do that."
It does fall under the genre of horror and psychological horror which we have enough of going on the world. And it is full of horror but not even interesting horror.

The narrator is a man who is so full of himself, belongs in an institution and the reader knows that from the beginning, and so very uninteresting that if I weren't a reader for Netgalley, I would have put it down early on.

One expects twists in this kind of book and there aren't any. There are just wanderings around and I think the ending was supposed to be a surprise but it wasn't.

I would like to say that the narrator for this audio book was terrific. He has a beautiful voice, articulated very well and adjusted for the different characters in a believable way. He is definitely one of the best narrators I've heard and I listen to a lot of audiobooks.

I don’t even know what to say about this one. The twists or whatever. They aren’t even twists. They’re more like some bratty kid saying, “ just kidding!” “Not!” There wasn’t anything redeemable or clever.

If you have read this author’s other works — expect a completely different style of writing in this book —

A reclusive ex-movie star and her famous friends take a trip to a private Greek island - full of twists and turns - truths and falsehoods — their time on the island ends in violence and death. Told from the POV of Elliot Chase who was on the island for the events as they unfolded.

A slow burn physiological thriller — written in the format of a 5-part Greek play — so the format of the writing is quite different from the author’s previous books — it is much like delving into a creative writer’s mind but maybe also someone’s mind who’s unstable. The writing also is reminiscent of the board game Clue — delving off in multiple directions with multiple outcomes — making you think any of the characters could’ve been the killer — showing that our narrator is completely unreliable and possibly unstable— or an extremely creative play writer — working on a play with multiple ideas. The epilogue of this book briefly ties it back to the other books and characters — in “The Silent Patient “ and “The Maidens “.

I preferred the writing style of the first two books by this author — but the further we get into the story the more the writing style grows on you — I got the audiobook and the narrator was quite good and having the book read to me helped me a lot to stick with the story or the first 3/4th as his voice and reading were captivating — the last 1/4 of the story was my favourite part and it eventually sticking with the story pays off.

I am giving this a closer to a 4 than a 3. I’ll go 3.75.

A murder mystery that keeps you guessing both who you can trust and who did what, this was a story that kept me searching for more details, page after page, trying to figure out what was real. I wanted that neat little bow at the end of the book.

I was a fan of both of Michaelides’ other books, but something about this one didn’t sit quite as high for me.

Not sure if it was the unreliable narrator, or the overall writing style, but the story meandered too much for my liking. Having the story jump around from act to act, piling on different time frames, was not my favorite.

Still a cool premise and still worth the read, just not my favorite of his. I read about 1/3 of this hard copy and then listened to the audiobook for the remainder and I preferred the audiobook. I thought the voice they used was perfect for the main character.

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. To start off, I do NOT enjoy the unreliable narrator and find it to be incredibly frustrating to the point of wanting to DNF. The choice for the voice actor was good because he certainly captured the character of the narrator well but almost to a fault because he was so unlikable it was at times dry. It was a short audiobook but it all in all just seemed tedious to get through. I quite often found myself thinking “ok let’s just get to it already!” I grew frustrated that literally nothing seemed to happen until 50% in and it was overall just too all over the place and confusing for me. I’m sure that’s the point but it was just not for me.

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧. 𝙊𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚, 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙞𝙩? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.”

Well, that was a wild ride of a story! Talk about a whirlwind of 𝙁𝙪𝙧𝙮. Pun intended. This was a twisted murder mystery laid out like a Greek tragedy complete with five Acts. I enjoy books like that but this was a suuper slow burn thriller.

Lana Farrar is an ex movie star who invites some of her close friends/ family out to her private Greek island for a spontaneous trip when lies, revenge, betrayal, and murder ensues.

Initially I was pulled into the story with the narration. The narrator’s accent and experience with Shakespearen narratives was perfect, however, I often found myself having trouble paying attention and I feel this book would have been better to have a physical book to follow along with. Mostly because of how this book is paced. It’s super slow for the first 60%. The “murder” doesn’t even happen until this point and even then it’s a lot of back and forth in the timeline that’s not specified until you pick up on the dialogue. It was a bit confusing if you aren’t giving it your FULL attention.

This book is told from the perspective of one person, Elliot Chase, and boy was he a trip of a character. Your typical unreliable and unlikeable character although despite his in depth background, I did care to much for him and found his back ground to be less than interesting and not entirely necessary for the story. This book reminded me of the way If We Were Villains was laid out. IYKYK.

We have some references to Agatha Christie and a bit of a Clue moment, “this is what could’ve happened.” It’s not until about 80-85% when the twists start coming and they do not stop.

Overall, this was still an entertaining read! Just prepare for a really slow build up for a thriller but if you’ve read The Silent Patient or The Maidens you’ll appreciate the Easter eggs he drops in the epilogue.

THE FURY by Alex Michaelides unfolds as a gripping tale, seamlessly blending murder mystery with tragic love, reminiscent of a Greek tragedy. Narrated by the captivating Elliot Chase, the story becomes a theatrical masterpiece, luring readers into a world of deception and revenge on Lana Farrar's private Greek island. Michaelides crafts a narrative filled with twists, building towards an unforgettable climax. The isolated setting, brewing storm, and tangled pasts create a clever and immersive story. Elliot, the unreliable storyteller, skillfully guides us through a web of lies and betrayals. This murder mystery, intertwined with a tragic love story, resonates like a theatrical performance, leaving an indelible mark. I thoroughly enjoyed the unique narrative style and recommend THE FURY for its compelling storytelling and intriguing characters.

The Fury follows Lana Farrar as she takes a group of her friends and family to a small isle off of Greece to spend Easter weekend; the narrator of the story is one of said friends.  The story is told in five parts much like a Greek tragedy. We quickly learn that at least one person will not make it out alive from the trip. but given that the island is private there's really only a small pool of suspects to consider and they all know one another.

I absolutely loved The Silent Patient so I continue to check out books by Alex Michaelides. The short chapters helped to keep the pace moving along quickly. I questioned everything, from the reliability of the narrator to the possible murder victims and the murderer. Overall, I enjoyed the book and was entertained all the way until the ending which was a tad flat and done quickly.

Rating 4 stars.

Special thanks to @netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc of The Fury. All opinions are my own.