The Fury, narrated by a man named Elliot, explains what led to a murder that took place on Elliot’s best friend Lana’s private island in Greece.
I enjoyed The Fury much more than I expected to. Although Elliot is the narrator, Lana is the true centre of the story, and I thought she was a compelling character. I cared about everything that happened to her, enjoyed learning more about her, and wanted her to be happy. No matter how bad the rest of the book had been, I think I always would’ve wanted to finish it just to see where Lana’s story led.

On the other hand I thoroughly, passionately hated Elliot. And I didn’t just hate him as a character. Through him Alex Michaelides used a narration style that I always dislike. I don’t like when narrators constantly interrupt to say things like “this is where the story gets interesting” and “you won’t believe what happens in the story I’m about to tell you.” That’s the role Elliot is given in this story. With him also being an irritating character even outside of his narration I found him to be completely irredeemable aspect of the story. I also thought that the second big twist in this book was… a bit absurd. Thrillers don’t work if the reader won’t accept a little absurdity, but that twist went a little too far in my opinion.

I enjoyed it. I thought it was entertaining. It was a major improvement from The Maidens. And I think if Elliot hadn’t been the narrator I would’ve given it 4 stars.

The Fury is good for light and easy entertainment. It’s a fast read so it’s probably also good for reading slumps.

The Fury was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2024. On paper, this novel has the makings of something I would really like: murder, pretentious characters each with a motive to want the victim dead, the isolation trope, a closed circle mystery à la And Then There Were None, Rich People Problems™, the works.

I found the narrator Elliot difficult to like, and I’m still not sure if that was an intentional feature of his character. Elliot is a playwright, and Michaelides heavily relies on this and Elliott’s knowledge of playwriting structures to advance the plot and to create uncertainty about the plot. Maybe it’s because I read a lot from the genre, but attempts at twists using this plot device ended up feeling kind of cheap and predictable. The characters’ motivations seemed implausible and fuzzy at best. I kept waiting for this to get good, and was surprised to find myself halfway through it and still waiting.

I did enjoy the authors use of Greek mythology and the Greek island setting, as well as the little Easter egg nods to his other books.

I was gifted an ALC of the audio book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Elliot Chase asks you imagine that you’re sitting with him in a dark pub, listening to his story of murder. But it’s something more than that. His story, told acknowledging you as the listener, is all the more enjoyable as an audiobook. Alex Jennings gives a dynamic performance, providing so much depth to Elliot I was endeared to him and rooting for him the whole time.
“The characters are the plot.” And this is certainly true in The Fury where the complex characters grapple with the children they once were and the broken adults they’ve become. It’s a story of murder but not a simple who-done-it but why.

This book!!!!!!!! YES!! I loved this book!!

I have been a fan of Alex Michaelides since the Silent Patient. I actually just finished the Maidens as well and really enjoyed that one too. This, however. may in fact be his best yet! It was definitely unlike any other story I've read and I would have to HIGHLY recommend it!!

The narrator here was such a great addition to the book- although it took me a minute to get used to his vibe, it ended up being pure gold. There is only one narrator throughout and his voice reminded me of an old classic tale, as if he was commenting from off-stage in a play to reveal the story while also directing it. He is an actual narrator, not just someone who is reading the book to you, if that makes sense..... but he is also unreliable!

Seven people are stranded on an island and .... you guessed it, one gets murdered... but it is told unlike anything else and definitely a best book of 2024! I was unable to put this down. I was completely immersed in the story the entire time trying to figure out the mystery.

I was gifted an arc of the audio book through #Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NG & publishers, this one was fantastic!

To me, this book as a weird combination of Agatha Christie and Oscar Wilde. Elliot Chase is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and he lets us know it right off the bat. It's one of those books where you're analyzing the narrator throughout the book. The beginning of the book was confusing and not particular engaging, but I very much enjoyed the rest of the book. I liked how everything came together at the end.

Because of the concept of the book, the only character we really get to know is Elliot. The other characters are described only as they relate to him. In this context I didn't mind the lack of character development.

I absolutely loved the Silent Patient by this author but really disliked The Maidens so I was really excited to give this one a try. I am having a hard time rating this one. I feel like I loved it but I feel like I hated it. I really like how it started out and the narrator is addressing me, but after a while it started to get rather dull and long. I love the unreliable narrator but I think this was a little overdone. It did really pick up towards the end and I ended up loving the twists that I did not see coming! I think the narrator did a good job, but I think maybe at least a second narrator would have made this a little less confusing as there are a lot of characters and a lot of jumping around. I am going with 3.5 stars rounded up and look forward to more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Alex Michaelides for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book which releases January 16th, as well as an audiobook. Ever since I read 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, I look forward to Mr. Michaelides’ next book.

The story swirls around a famous movie star, Lana Farrar, who has invited some of her closest friends and family to spend the Easter holiday on a private island. There are fiery sunsets, cocktails, flirtations, secrets, and… murder.

What makes this intriguing is that it is narrated by one of Lana’s friends, Elliot. Elliot is unlikable, and the more you read, the more annoying and unreliable he seems to become. The plot is slow going for a while, but then you spin into this double, triple take (maybe quadruple) -I’m not sure anymore. Let me just say things are not what they appear.

If you like mind games, juicy secrets, and revenge, plus a beautiful, posh setting, you’ll love this one.

Thank you @celdadonbooks and @littlefreelibrary for the gifted copies and the invite to participate in the LFL drop.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook.

This book was a little confusing. It was a kind of a "whodunit". Parts of this story was very confusing. It was interesting, but really not something I usually read.
The narrator did a good job, he was what made me stick with the book.

The Fury was a fun mystery set on a Greek island. I liked the setting and the mirroring of Greek tragedy. It kept me guessing!

At no point did I know where this book was going and how or when it was going to end, in the best way possible. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting because I just had to know where this story was going.
Michaelideas has a way of letting readers think they know everything and nothing at the same time. His twists and turns never disappoint.
The narrative style in this novel is not like anything I have read before. The narrator is the narrator, a character, and omniscient all at the same time, which I found to be a fascinating read.
Michaelides has proved himself to have a specific writing style and he's sticking to it because it works so well for him. Definitely a must read for thriller fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Holy unreliable narrator. So good! Going to probably piss a lot o lot readers off. But I’m a good way if that makes sense haha. Audiobook was well done and narration was perfect.

One word… MESSY! And I loved every second!

Just like other Alex Michaelides books, this one had so many twists and turns. This book felt like I was sitting down with another person listening to them spill the tea on something that happened.

I literally couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. I devoured it in less than 3 days (and this was while reading two other books). Although I connected the dots when it came to some things, I definitely didn’t see a lot of the end twists coming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Publication Date: 1/16/24

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

THE FURY is another spin on the classic locked room mystery with a twist of Greek tragedy. Actor Elliot Chase narrates the events that led to the death of his dear friend, ex-movie star Lana Farrar, on a private Greek island. While there is a mystery to solve, this story is undoubtedly a slow-burn character study rather than a typical thriller.

Elliot breaks the 4th wall and speaks directly to readers as he conveys the tragic events from his perspective. Throughout his monologue, our snarky narrator makes remarks about the traditional conventions of the classic mystery genre and weaves in Agatha Christie references.

The audiobook narration by Alex Jennings was fantastic. He captured the devious nature of the characters well and kept me engaged in this slow-burn story.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-Are not expecting a psychological thriller like Michaelides’ The Silent Patient
-Enjoy being in one character’s mind throughout the story
-Appreciate characters who believe revenge is a dish best served cold

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: January 16, 2024

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager to read The Fury by Alex Michaelides. It is getting lots of buzz on Instagram, and I thoroughly enjoyed his previous book, The Silent Patient. I was a little unsure going into this one, because his other past novel, The Maidens, was not a good fit for me. The Fury surprised me with a unique storytelling style and lots of nods to characters and events from his past books. That said, you can read this as a standalone that would only minorly spoil those earlier titles.

Told by an unreliable narrator, this is a story about close friends with secrets on an isolated Greek island. I loved the setting and Michaelides' descriptions of it. The characters are relatively intriguing, if a bit one note. We have two famous actresses (one more self-centered than the other), spouses, a maid, an island caretaker, and the side kick friend that is our narrator. As the story progresses, there are narrative shifts that give some insight into other characters thoughts and motivations. This one moves at a good clip, so I don't want to say much about the plot other than that there is a murder and the police won't be able to arrive for quiet some time due to weather.

This book landed solidly between The Silent Patient and The Maidens for me. I had fun and I recommend it for a quick, fun read that moves at a good clip. Just don't think too hard about it or you'll end up with some potentially angsty questions about a few dubious plot decisions. I was fortunate to have both the ARC and ALC of this one and I preferred the e-book. Many folks are enjoying this narrator, but his voice wasn't my cup of tea.

I won't remember much about this one as time goes on, but I will remember the unique way that Michaelides divided up the story, turned traditional thriller plot narrative style around, and that I didn't want to stop reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and MacMillan Audio for the audiobook ARC of The Fury. This was my first book by Alex Michaelides, and I think I'll go on to read more. I enjoyed this one and am glad I experienced it as an audiobook; I also enjoyed the narrator (Alex Jennings). As far as audiobooks go, this was a short one (8 hours) and has a slower pace (especially the first half), but I do think it went by faster via audio than if I had read the physical book. I don't know that I'd consider this one a thriller, more a modern character study on the cast and a "who-done-it." Overall, I'm thankful I got to experience it, and I'll be thinking about it for a while. I also think this could make a good book club book, as there is much to discuss once you get to the end!

I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did, but for most of the book it reminded me too much of other things. Unlike in Michalides other works, I found this ending to be more predictable. I like how the narrator used the story as a device (that will make more sense once you've read it). Overall, a good read, but not the most jawdropping of his books.

A twisty locked door thriller by one of the masters of the genre. A famous actress invites her friends to join her on a private Greek Island for Easter, included in this friend group is the narrator of the tale, Elliot Chase. From page one it is evident that this book isn't going to be like other books with Elliott's spin on the weekend catastrophe. As the story goes on the twists and turns of misdirection leave the reader feeling a little whiplashed but still entertained. The narrator does a good job of pulling off the frequent misdirections. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook for an honest review.

I will start by saying that I did not finish this book. I did not enjoy the audio narrator, nor did I like the story’s narrator. I have a problem with the story’s narrator admitting to be unreliable, making it fruitless to believe a word he says! Also, he is annoying and disrupts the storyline. Perhaps it gets better, but I read enough to know that structurally, I did not like this book. I do appreciate the opportunity to receive an advanced audio galley in exchange for my honest review. I do plan to read the ebook when I can to see if it gets any better.

I will admit that I was nervous about this one. I really didn’t like The Maidens so I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a similar experience. I’m happy to say I liked it! It took a minute to get used to the way the book was being narrated, but in the end, I really liked how Elliot relayed the story to the reader. The narrator was perfect for this audiobook! There were lots of twists and turns to keep me guessing since I didn’t know whether Elliot was a reliable narrator or not. I think readers who like thrillers about friends behaving badly behind one another’s backs will definitely enjoy this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook!

"This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?"

A story about a group of friends on an island alone and one is murdered. Sounds like a story we've all read a million times but this one is completely different. The story telling is quirky and fun for a whodunnit and the narrator is fantastic. I loved the vibes from this one. Unrealistic, but it really worked well here.