Whew, what a ride! Stuart Turton’s debut novel is the kind of debut we all yearn for: explosive, energetic, engaging and truly something fresh and new on the scene. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a brilliant, high-concept murder mystery that had the cogs in my mind turning from the very start (imagine waking up in the forest with no memory of who you are and immediately seeing a young woman murdered!). This, in fact, was the first mystery narrative in a very long time that has made me feel like I was part of the story—immersed in the environment—and the first that pulled me in to such a degree that I felt compelled to actively try to unravel the whodunnit mystery right along with the characters.

Whodunnit and why!

Turton’s atmospheric world is so moody and immersive you’ll feel you should be smoking a pipe with a monocle as you devour it. It was so deliciously wrapped in a sort of British noir, complete with the “party at a country estate” of so many classic murder mysteries. Described by its publisher as “Gosford Park meets Inception by way of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” this book lived up to the hype and description in a big way!

Aiden Bishop is destined to relive the same day over and over again, in eight different bodies, until he can solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. If he does not succeed at the end of that time, the loop restarts and he loses all of his memories of the previous loop, forcing him to start over from scratch with even the basics – who am I? What am I doing here? He realizes that he is both the hunted and the hunter, an innocent and a deceiver, in this highbrow whodunnit.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was both intelligent and intellectual, well-paced and deserving of all 500 pages it took up. In a lot of ways, The Seven Deaths was unlike any novel I’ve read before. Skillfully woven together, it was the ultimate literary puzzle. The plot was complex in a baroque but fascinating sort of way, and all the threads Turton spun came together in the end—no stone left unturned, no end left loose. With so many plots converging at once, that was quite the high feat to pull off, but you’ll find it done here superbly in this debut novel. Stuart Turton offers veritable craft in the intricacy of his plotting, a kind of craft that I rarely see anymore. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mind-bender complete with time leaps and multiple murders seen from multiple angles all on this same day that keeps repeating itself over and over again.

The prose was lyrical—honestly, leaning toward flowery—but it is the intricacy of the plot and the atmosphere surrounding these characters that Turton allows to really shine here. Yes, there were moments when this novel graced the line between intricacy and confusion, but it all unraveled splendidly in the end. It was a puzzle of a read; there were moments when the pieces wouldn’t fit and you’d have to scrap it all and start over. For some, that may present as a frustrating experience, but this novel is a real treat to those who love mindbenders, murder mysteries, puzzles and logic games. If that’s you, I highly recommend this novel! Also, if the “Gosford Park/Inception/Agatha Christie" description got your heart racing, then this is the read for you! The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle grabbed me and held me from the very start, probably the most veritable page turner I’ve encountered so far this year, and that’s no easy feat. For such high praise and phenomenal plotting, I give Turton’s debut novel a very strong 4.5 stars. ****

This twisty-turning thriller is an excellent read! Readers looking for something with a lot of suspense that is different from the average thriller will love this winding tale. This was one of the best books I've read and reviewed all year, and I can't wait to start recommending this to my patrons!

THE 71/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by debut author Stuart Turton is fabulous and slightly crazy – a truly unique, adventuresome and challenging mystery which fans will definitely enjoy. Seriously, I started the ebook version and thought maybe the pages were somehow out of order. This is most certainly a twisty tale – think Gosford Park's house party mystery filled with time travel on steroids. Don’t believe me? Consider the review from best-selling author Sarah Pinborough: "If Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett had ever had LSD-fuelled sex, then THE 71/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE would be their acid trip book baby....this is a locked room mystery like no other."

I will not inadvertently give away any surprises because I am only about a third of the way through this intriguing debut mystery. I simply could not wait to alert readers to this mystery title, especially since Turton's work received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, is a LibraryReads selection for September and is also highly anticipated by publications like Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire – Enjoy!

A favorite quote: "Do you know how you can tell if a monster's fit to walk the world again, Mr. Bishop? If they're truly redeemed and not just telling you what you want to hear? You give them a day without​ consequences, and you watch to see what they do with it." ― Stuart Turton

First I'd like to say how thankful I am to have received the privilege to read this book. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Unfortunately I was not loving the pace of the story and DNF at 10%. I was not engrossed in the mystery enough to continue and I got bored. I'm so sorry! I may try to pick this up again or request a finished copy from my local library once it's released to give it another chance. Again, I appreciate the opportunity to review this ARC. Thank you!

I really wanted to like this book...the concept was unique and interesting! But I just had such a hard time getting into it and getting invested in the characters at all. I was confused for awhile and reread a bunch but I think that was also because I just struggled to get through it. The second half was definitely more intriguing than the first, which helped make up for the slow start of the novel. Overall, it was an interesting concept and well-written, but just not for me. I'd rate it 3.5/5 stars.

Every now and then, I try to read a book that stretches me. A book that is out of my comfort zone. A book I would not usually pick up.

Sometimes these new-to-me genres get a round of applause and other times they get tossed aside. The novel, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was a definite stretch for me, but I am glad I read it. Even if I still do not understand it...
I put the blurb here because I am afraid I cannot put the plot into words adequately. The plot is very unique. Essentially, the novel weaves back and forth in time over the course of eight days with the main character waking in the body of various hosts.

Add in that this all takes place at a crumbling estate where the estate owners are celebrating the return of their daughter, Evelyn, on the anniversary of the murder of their son. Then, add in rivals who are also trying to solve the murder while being hosted in other party guests' bodies - and you have a whole lot going on.

For me, I found the plot and the idea very enjoyable. The characters were well developed and well nuanced. That was probably my favorite part of the novel.

However, I am not a true mystery reader. Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie are often difficult for me. Not because they aren't enjoyable but because I am not used to reading mysteries and paying attention to every single detail. In a book like Evelyn Hardcastle, I almost felt like I needed to keep my own detective's notepad. And, for some people, that sounds like a dream! For me, it was just a little hard to keep up with.

With that being said, I am glad I read it and believe there will be many (many) who will love the novel. Those who are fans of mysteries and time travel will especially enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this copy to read and review! This book will be released September 18th, 2018.

Wow! What a fun and unexpected novel. The best way to read this novel is with as little information about it as possible. That way, you can experience the characters and their actions right along with Aiden Bishop. I fell into the world of Blackheath and became as desperate to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder as the major players were. I was just as surprised as several of the characters when the murderer was uncovered and the truth was revealed. If you are a curious reader, the rules of Blackheath will draw you in, like they drew me in:
~Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 PM.
~There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
~We will only let you escape when you tell us the name of the killer.
~Understand? Then let's begin...
Enjoy the journey you are about to take with Aiden Bishop.

What a fun, twisty mystery! It’s hard to review without spoiling the aspects that make it such a unique mind-bender - I'd honestly recommend going in as blind as possible. Once you accept the rules of the universe it becomes a fast-paced thriller of frequently shifting perspectives and alternative reality worldbuilding. Basically what you'd get if the game of Clue were set in an episode of Black Mirror.

This is an interesting read, but, gosh you'd best be focused as it's really complicated! Bit too complicated for me, or, maybe (and this is a distinct possibility) my memory isn't what it needs to be to keep track.

The premise is an excellent one, with our protagonist, Aiden, changing shape / body daily as he attempts to solve a murder. It's also really well written, almost poetic in it's prose. It's just that I found it really, really hard to keep up and to remember who all the characters were. This resulted in my not being invested in any of them and spending most of the book going backwards and forwards whilst scratching my head.

Overall, it's definitely a good read but might be worth taking notes!

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS landmark and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5*

Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating.
*5/5*

What a brilliant, high-concept book.

I absolutely adored this book. I didn't do too much research before going in to it.. I loved the time loops, and waking up in a different body every day. I loved the rules of this world. I loved the setting. I loved the eccentric characters - and finding out the ties between them.

Aiden Bishop wakes up in a new body. The only thing he remember is a name. Anna. This name, and this girl, become his life line.
Aiden is in a loop. He has 8 days, and 8 hosts to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder. If he does this - he is free. However, there is a devious murdering footman after him. Can Aiden figure out this murder, before his last host dies?

I can't even imagine the notes and paperwork, and murder board that the author has to connect all these plots together. It was brilliant. I will sing the praises of this book for years to come. And this is his debut! I can't wait to read more for this author in the future.

Such a fun and interesting book. It was a fascinating concept and really twisty, but in a way that didn't feel contrived. It definitely left me wanting more at the end of the story, and I loved that I really haven't read anything like it. Stuck with me more than most books too. Well-written, gripping mystery.

What a brilliantly original read!!!!! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is not my typical read, but I am so glad I went ahead and read it anyway because simply put, I loved it! After I read the book’s description (posted below), I was completely intrigued and Stuart Turton did a fantastic job with keeping my attention throughout the entire book! The characters were fascinating, quirky and engrossing which added so much to the epic storyline! I loved trying to figure out “who did it” right along with Aiden Bishop! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a total 5 star novel, an absolute must read! I highly recommend this book to everyone—even if this isn’t your typical genre, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I was intrigued by this story and didn't want to put it down. It was clever and puzzling and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

The concept sounded great, but I gave up four chapters in because the writing was so stodgy. I kept looking for anything else to do but read this boring story; it couldn't keep my attention at all.

Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day sounds like an odd combination, but in The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, it works brilliantly.

A man awakens in a forest with no memory of who or where he is. Arriving at a nearby manor house, he learns his name is Dr. Sebastian Bell, yet upon awakening the following day he finds himself in the body of another man. Soon, the protagonist learns that he is trapped at the house until he solves the murder of the Evelyn Hardcastle who will die, every night, at 11 pm while he will awaken within a new host body for eight days—reliving the same day over and over again from a new perspective. If he can deliver the name of Evelyn’s killer to the mysterious Plague Doctor at 11 pm, he can go free, but there are others out to solve the puzzle first who will stop at nothing to beat him, and if no one can solve the murder by the end of the final night, the loop will reset as it has done for countless years.

This is a masterpiece of planning, with dozens of plots threads intricately woven through the many days and hosts. Each body the protagonist inhabits has its own quirks and limitations, along with its own advantages that allow him to see the day anew. Sophie wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about the ending, however. While the mystery of Evelyn’s murder is wrapped up carefully and doesn’t feel like a cop-out (as many of these intricately woven, clever stories can), the very end made her feel uncomfortable. Certainly, she didn’t feel as capable of forgiveness as the protagonist became, and the sense of shifting identity was something that didn’t sit well under her skin. It did prompt a conversation between her and her husband, though, and she could see this being a perfect book club title with infinite points for discussion.

Ahoy there mateys!  I received this murder mystery  eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

the 7 1/2 deaths of evelyn hardcastle (Stuart Turton)

Title: the 7 1/2 deaths of evelyn hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publication Date: TODAY! (U.S. hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1492657965

Source: NetGalley

I have been avenged and vindicated!  I finally, finally got me grubby mitts on this here correct book!

For those new to me crew, a while back I suffered immense confusion and shock when I picked up a book expecting to find a time-travel fantasy and there was no time travel to be had. What I had meant to read was this book, called the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle.  What I got instead was a book called the seven husbands of evelyn hugo - a wonderful historical fiction about the golden age of Hollywood with a LGBT twist!  Similar titles hence the confusion.

Side note:  Liz Laurin on Goodreads asked the author "Always been curious since I love both books, is the name any sort of homage to The Seven Hsubands of Evelyn Hugo, or just a weird coincidence? There wouldn't seem to be any sort of connection as they are very different books, but I LOVE both."  His glorious response, "Complete coincidence - that's why we had to change the US title to 7 1/2 Deaths."  Ha!

While I was delighted by the mischance, I did want to read the correct book.  It was described to me as Agatha Christie meets Groundhog's Day.  Fun stuff!  And goodness did this yarn deliver.  The main premise is that a man named Aiden Bishop has been doomed to repeat the same day over and over - the day that Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at a gala party thrown by her parents.  The only way he can escape this dastardly day is if he can solve who murdered Evelyn and how.  But after hundreds of repeats of the day in question, is Aiden really any closer to discovering who-dun-it?

Basically this work be a genius of craft and cunning.  The complexities were many and the puzzles fascinating.  And I loved it.  I am in awe of the planning and vision of this work.  Me noggin spun pleasantly in possibilities while readin' it and spun satisfactorily in circles upon finishing it.  It is a book that deserves a second readin' now that the puzzle pieces have been revealed to me.  Because now that I can see the pieces, I want to take another look at how the parts interlocked from the beginning.  I will certainly be readin' Mr. Turton's next book.

I still recommend that the crew reads about evelyn hugo.  But I also recommend that me crew picks this one about evelyn hardcastle up too!  Savvy?

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

To visit the author’s twitter go to:

Stuart Turton - Author

To buy this novel visit:

the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

This is a simply fantastic debut showing from Stuart Turton. The plot manages to marry an Agatha Christie mystery with Groundhog Day, with a little dash of The Twilight Zone and Doctor Who thrown in for good measure. Such a story should be absurd in the extreme, but Turton manages to deliver a classically-toned mystery with new and original parts.

As the story begins, we are dropped into the classic brooding English manor house and grounds with our amnesiac protagonist. What at first appears to be a fairly typical turn-of-the-century mystery story swiftly shunts both reader and protagonist into strange and unexpected territory. As the threads of the story weave themselves into ever more complicated patterns, we find the tropes of the manor house murder mystery both revered and stood on their heads.

Turton’s debut novel is an incredibly original, carefully crafted story. By providing us with such a well-known and beloved literary setting, he lures the reader into a false sense of confidence that they know what is going on. It is only once deep into the story that we realize how far from the garden path we have been led.

Mystery lovers and any who are looking for a new and original read will enjoy this book.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do not have to words to describe how amazing this book is. It got to the point where I was dreaming in the style of the book! The whole idea that Aiden has only a set number of guests whose bodies he will jump into to solve the murder to Evelyn Hardcastle fascinated me, and the way it was executed was wonderful. I loved the reasoning behind why Aiden has to do this, there was such confidence to the reasoning behind this story that I bought into everything and loved every second.

There are a whole lot of characters in this book, and they’re not always being entirely truthful about who they might be, or what they’re doing. I found though that I could easily keep up with who was who and when a twist was revealed it filled easily into my understanding of the book. There are still a few moments that I have questions about but I really appreciate that not everything is tied up by the end of the book, and it really is only a couple of moments that are left unresolved.

I loved how the story jumped around in time, and that it wasn’t as simple as one day in one body then restart the day in another body. It made what could have been an almost dull, linear storyline into something that was a lot more complicated and interesting. It kept me on my toes the entire time!

This is a really wonderful book and I really, really suggest that you pick it up!

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton



Rating: ♥♥♥

Pages: 518

Publisher: Raven Books

Publishing Date: February 8th 2018

Synopsis:

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem. (Goodreads)

Mini - Review:

This book was quiet handful to read. I did not expect anything in peculiar and the idea was absolutely compelling, but in the end I struggled a lot with the book. Not because it was not good, but because it was a long breather. A little too slow pacing for my taste. The Cover is beyond beautiful and was what made me reading this book in the beginning :) I can't say no to an amazing cover design.

The story circles about several "hosts" that have to save the life of the young Evelyn Hardcastle and all the little secrets and crimes they have to discover. In the end no one and nothing was as it seemed and the second half of the book was a lot more exciting and fast pacing than the first one.

I adored the character of Aiden Bishop and was amazed by all the details and murder strings the author followed by. It was a lush described book with more secrets than words in it and it was absolutely amazing to detect all of that through a more than subjective speaker. The characters were well built and authentically and I hated most of them with all my heart :D But in the end it was not enough to love- love the book. I could not identify myself with any of the characters and some revelations were just a bit too far stretched in my opinion. The book could have been a lot shorter, because that would have made it much more exciting and therefore more authentic in my point of view. The labyrinth of secrets was so beautifully written and most of the changes I would never have expected, so that was a plus for a thriller lover like me, but some parts of the story were repeated quiet too often and weren't really important in the end. I guess that's criticism on high nouveau, so I just want you all to prepare for a slowly revealing secret around more than one death.

So enjoy the journey and trust no one, not even your own feelings! 

(September 1st 2018)

This book is unlike any I’ve ever read. Twists around every corner and a seemingly impossible task drive this mystery forward but the real meat of the book is what our protagonist discovers about himself and the people around him.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.