I received this e-book from #netgalley and the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

**4.5 Stars**

I loved this book. There will be a murder. Such a cute murder mystery where the main character gets to relive the same day 8 times to try and solve it but every day he's in a different body.

It was also interesting to see how the different bodies/personalities affected the story and there were twists! I loved this story line. The author did a great job.

I would highly recommend this book.

I love a good mystery. I really do. I love trying to constantly figure out what happened. And this book starts out strong: we're in the mind of someone, lost in the woods, who's absolutely positive that he witnesses a murder. But no one believes him. Maybe it's because I've been watching too much Black Mirror lately, or I'm not quite in the right mindset for Edwardian drama. But it starts strong, but the amnesia was getting to be too much. Maybe I'll give it another go when I'm in the right place for it!

I really liked this, though I think I admired it as an architectural feat more than anything else. At the beginning I felt it was getting very bogged down in the concept, though the ending tied up everything very cleverly. [ Although, despite the brilliant twist, I didn't really believe Aidan would forgive Anna so quickly and easily at the end. Structurally the ending worked well, but it didn't really ring true for the characters. (hide spoiler)] The author can really write a sinister character, though. I was terrified of The Footman (and later, [Daniel.

So I've never read anything like this. In essence, it's an old-school murder mystery- all set at a mansion in disrepair out in nowhere-multiple people involved in a sinister plot--yet there was something more to this...something that kept me reading and finishing it within two days. As I've seen a few reviewers comment, I can completely agree-it's like a Groundhound day meets Agatha Christie.
The pacing was perfect-not to many people or clues all at once-just subtle clues throughout, that when I saw them again in a few chapters or so I was literally saying out loud-that's what that means! The characters were each fully fleshed out-and could imagine them each doing what they did and why.
The ending I did not see coming, and this book had kept me on the edge of my seat-not only to figure out all the clues and to figure out who is who and what is what, but to solve the biggest mystery these characters were hiding.
All in all, this was a fun book-gripping- and cleverly written. I went ahead and ordered a copy from Book Depository since I cannot wait till the book comes out in the US. Will be enjoyable to go back and reread this and see how many more clues I missed.
I would highly recommend this one to anyone.
My sincere thanks to Stuart Turton, Sourcebooks Landmark and to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So - if you're reading this in the UK it's 7½ deaths - but in America, where it's already been published, it's just 7.  I'm not sure why we get an extra half a death over this side of the Atlantic - but I am assured it's the same book.

Anyway - I was very kindly given an advance review copy (well, advance for the UK market) from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Here's the blurb:

"The Hardcastle family is hosting a masquerade at their home, and their daughter Evelyn Hardcastle will die. She will die everyday until Aiden Bishop is able identify her killer and break the cycle.

But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up each day in a different  body as one of the guests. 

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. 

Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that's an Agatha Christie mystery in a Groundhog Day Loop, with a bit of Quantum Leap to it. "

This really is an intriguing and very different book!  (Different in a much better way than when I described Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch' as different - before various friends get panicky!)

Each day Aiden Bishop wakes up in a different host's body.  He stays in that body for a day (during the host's waking hours) or until the host dies.  It therefore flips between hosts, days, hours of the same day, with alarming frequency.

I am very glad that I am on the wagon at the moment - as it was tricky enough to keep track of when stone cold sober - and definitely would not be a book to read when even mildly inebriated!! Even in my abstemious state, it was still tricky to keep a handle on entirely what was going on.......

Often with books I get cross with the author (and editor!) for not spotting loopholes in plots and inconsistencies - but it was pretty much impossible to even begin to dissect the plot with this one!  The interview with the author at the end says that he had a wall full of post it notes and a spreadsheet to ensure all of the characters and plot lines were consistent whilst writing the book - and unless I'd recreated this, I really don't think it was possible to keep up, you kind of just have to go with it (which for a control freak like me is a bit tricky!)

The hosts that Aiden uses each day are all very different - physically / emotionally / mentally - and that is very cleverly portrayed.  You're never quite sure who you're rooting for though.  The house where it's set - Blackheath - is also really well described and you can picture yourself inside it - and it's grounds. It is very atmospheric. 

Overall I enjoyed this - although I'm pretty exhausted having finished it - and am looking forward to something a bit lighter and less taxing for my next read!  Reading something with a new 'concept' is a refreshing change - and I'm already interested to see what the author writes next! 

Definitely put this on your list for when it's published in the Autumn.

Evelyn Hardcastle is set to die at 11pm unless Aiden Bishop can solve who will murder her. Each day will play out the same way, until the mystery is solved. Aiden wakes up in the body of someone else, a host body. There are eight other witnesses/host bodies that Aiden will experience, each with their own advantages/disadvantages. Aiden will not be released until he solves the mystery, he has eight days to do it or the loop will continue. The location is Blackheath, a mansion set amongst many acres of forrest. A Footman (like a prison guard) pops up every now and then he is the one that Aiden must give his answer to, to leave. Other hosts are trying to stop Aiden and strange caped people keep trying everything they can to kill him. It is set in a historical setting, but with a futuristic type prison that people go to who have committed a crime and are put through this mentally twisted and challenging puzzle that will test their conscious.

This book was quite enjoyable, however you really need to concentrate on it as there are a lot of things going on. You can quite easily miss what is happening if you get a bit distracted. This book was very well written, intriguing, clever, mysterious and entertaining. It really was like reading something from an Agatha Christie movie, with some science fiction thrown into it. Even though it is set in early times, the prison type setting is very futuristic which I found to be a fascinating concept.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Waking up in the woods with no memory of who or where he is, Aiden finds himself overhearing a woman’s murder with only an old compass and a ghostly whispered direction of “East” to guide him. Finding himself on the doorstep of Blackheath House, he is helped to his room with no memory of either his hosts or fellow guests. After being examined by the doctor, Aiden chalks his condition up to a bump on the head that should be rectified by sleep. However, upon waking up the next morning in the body of a different guest, he soon realizes his nightmare has just begun.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is an intricately woven tale of a man tasked with the seemingly impossible. This novel can be generally categorized as a time traveling Ground Hog’s Day, but there is so much more depth than that simple classification. With eight days to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, Aiden must utilize the eight hosts (fellow guests) to piece together the clues and solve the murder. Slowly unraveling the mystery and slotting together the puzzle pieces along with the narrator was quite entertaining.

One element that I thought well integrated was the effect of each host on Aiden. So many decisions and actions were influenced by the different personalities, and I thought this was a clever way to flesh out the secondary characters without a ton of lengthy explanation. Many readers will say this makes the characters one dimensional, but I feel like Turton’s story is in keeping with the stereotypical characterizations of classic murder mysteries in the early 20th Century. Definitely recommend for fans of Agatha Christie’s work and anyone looking for a slightly confusing yet page turning read.

Reviewed for Goodreads under The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as there was no option for 7 1/2.

Crackling with splendid dialogue, characters and conspiracies, this is a shoo-in for an audio book and a made for PBS Masterpiece Theatre on the order of Agatha Christie. How the author kept all the moving parts of this intricately tied plot strung together is beyond me. In all my reading, I don't think I have ever come across a novel such as this! Atmospheric in setting, the novel opens in England (time frame shifting between 1920's-30's)where the main character is set to attend a country estate party honoring Evelyn Hardcastle who has been in Paris for a long period of time. The party is dotted with a wide spectrum of upper class individuals as well as servants and laborers. What makes this story so unique is its "Groundhog Day" device whereby the central character embodies the life of a different individual in order to solve a 19 year old murder case of her youngest brother. However, because of so many characters and plot twists, it became very confusing at times. If I didn't read it straight through, I would imagine it would be even more baffling. It needs a chart with the characters and characteristics to help muddle through the morass. If you frustrate easily, this could indeed be a hindrance. However, I had such a keen appreciation for the author's skill, that this seemed a rather minor distraction.

I don't normally read mystery/thriller books, and while the premise of this book was very interesting and the main reason for wanting to read it, I struggled with staying interested.
I don't even watch Mystery/thriller movies.

The writing was very good, and the characters were great. I just kept getting a little bored. It's a case of "It's not you, it's me." I try so hard to read outside the Fantasy genre, but every time I do I am never able to stay interested in the book.

The 71/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle has a twist at every turn. From the very beginning it throws up questions to be answered and it doesn't let up until every last one has been answered. This is an absolute powerhouse of a book - defying genre and expectations both with its sweeping grandiosity. If I had but one problem with the storytelling it is that, towards the end, much of the plot gets explained away very simply in one exposition-heavy bunch. Apart from that however, I absolutely loved this novel and will be recommending it to all and sundry,

This book is weird and unusual but very memorable. The premise is unlike anything I’ve ever read and draws you in to read more. A great whodunnit that I’d definitely recommend.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of the most unusual and memorable mysteries that I’ve read.  It is easy to compare it to Groundhog Day where the protagonist repeats the same day until he gets it right and Quantum Leap, where the protagonist inhabits the bodies of different people trying to make things right.  Both give you an idea of what to expect, but neither wholly encompasses the unique nature of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. In this unusual murder mystery, you are trapped within a repeating scenario with one difference.  Each day you wake up as someone else. Your task is to uncover who killed Evelyn Hardcastle and how, but you are not alone - there are others also searching for the killer, competitors who do not have your best interests at heart.  The task is a dangerous one, your memories are fleeting and the lines between occupier and occupied are blurred as you seek out long hidden secrets and untangle the web of lies.


This novel is astounding, and if it was possible I would give it more than 5 stars.  It is definitely an unusual approach to the classic manor house mystery.


5 / 5


I received a copy of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

Great whodunit book! Very Agatha Christie. I really enjoyed the twist and turns the book takes and I believe any one who reads this book will as well.

A twisty and unusual read with a compelling central dynamic--impossible to put down--The novel's premise reads like a free fall into time.

I am not quite sure what I just read. I wouldn't quite call it a mystery but yet it is one. A man wakes up every morning to find himself as a different person. Every night Evelyn Hardcastle commits suicide at 11pm. The only way this man can become untrapped from the revolving door of personalities is to figure out who murdered Evelyn Hardcastle. But wait, didn't she commit suicide? Someone made it look like a suicide? How many times has this man lived in these characters to come up short on an answer? I loved the concept and the story but felt some things may have been revealed too slowly.

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Summary:

This is a murder-mystery, with an excellent sci-fi angle to it. Set in shambling late-Victorian Blackheath House and its ill-kept grounds, deep and isolated in a forest, the narrator is charged with solving the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. He does this over the period of 8 days, through inhabiting 8 “hosts” and seeing things from their perspectives, and remembering all the clues and deductions he has made in previous hosts. If he solves it, he is allowed go free from the house.

However, if he does not solve it (and he is always a he), the clock resets, and the day repeats, with the narrator having to start at the beginning again, and re-solve the puzzle.

To add extra motivational spice, there are two others who are also tasked with the same goal, and whoever solves it first is allowed to go, the others doomed to be caught forever in the House.

Main Characters:

Aiden Bishop: He only learns his real name part-way through the day, and as he goes on he questions/wonders about the man he was. We also see how he feels/reacts to the various hosts he inhabits, and each host gets stronger and harder to suppress as the day progresses.

Anna: A femme fatale? A loyal friend? Her evolving story retains great interest as the novel/mystery unfolds.

The Plague Doctor: Appears when the narrator is at a crucial juncture. He never directly offers advice, but acts more as a puppet-master. We are never truly sure which side he is on.

Minor Characters:

The various hosts Aiden inhabits throughout the day. Their part in the story ends when they fall asleep at the end of the day (and sleep past midnight), or more abruptly if they die.

Cunningham: Lord Ravencourt’s trusty valet.

The Footman: Mysterious malignant presence, whose sole desire is to kill off all of Aiden’s hosts before he can solve the mystery.

Plot:

7 1/2 Deaths opens with a man (our protagonist) running through a dark forest, a man who doesn’t remember his name, his personal history, nor where he is. He has just one name – Anna – and believes he has heard her being killed.

He soon meets the Plague Doctor, a masked figure who outlines his task. The narrator is told he has 8 days, and 8 hosts, to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, which happens at 11pm every night in this continuous time-loop (a “Groundhog Day” crime mystery). A complicating factor, is that the murder does not in fact appear to be a murder. The narrator must deliver the correct name of the killer to the Plague Doctor before day 8 ends, or else the narrator is doomed to repeat the sequence. He has two rivals, who have the same goal, but only one can be released from the time-loop. The narrator also finds out he is being pursued by the Footman, who wants to kill all his hosts.

He inhabits the 8 people (chronologically from his timeview), but this causes confusion with characters he interacts with as his hosts may not be running in the same time (could be earlier or later in time then when he was last in that host).

As the mystery unravels, we learn the Hardcastles have fallen on hard times, due to the father’s knack for bad investments. Evelyn and Michael are his adult children. Evelyn has recently returned from Paris, where she had a good social circle and was free of the House. We also learn there was a third child, Thomas, who was murdered by Charlie Carver on this night nineteen years ago, and it seems Lady Hardcastle wanted a macabre party for Evelyn, coinciding as it does with the anniversary of her brother’s death.

The cast ranges across the social classes of the time (circa 1920’s England), from the nobility to the servants. There is even a sinister Johnny-come-lately in the person of Ted Stanwin, former groundsman now suspiciously well-to-do. Aiden is unsure of whom to trust, and is also hindered/helped by the unique characteristics of each host.

There are numerous layers within this book, and it is fascinating to see how the characters relate to each other, and the narrator’s relationship to them and himself. Aiden does introspection well, and the author plays excellently on the narrator’s sense of dislocation and insecurity. Who does he trust? Is he trusting his life to someone who will betray him? Is he able to betray others when it comes to it?

What I Liked:

The originality of the plot device, combining the classic whodunit with science fiction.
The characters – well-drawn and believable, especially given the time the narrator was in them, and his non-PC personal reaction to them.
The intricacy of the plot, and the weaving and sundering of relationships and motivations.
What I Didn’t Like:

The aftermath of the reveal was a little flat.
While viewing multiple characters is interesting, you don’t really get to “like” them, or get engaged by them.
Overall:

7 1/2 Deaths is a book I really liked. It seriously engaged the brain, it was complex, and some parts required re-reading just to ensure you kept up with the developments. As is said in the book, all the characters can be viewed as playing out roles on the stage – you just need to figure out who is the villain of the piece. It will keep you up at night, as the suspense draws you forward and deeper in.

7 1/2 Deaths is a book you won’t read the same way again, because of the reveal - similar to how you won’t watch “The Sixth Sense” again - but that does not lessen how good this debut novel is.

You have to read it. The writing is compact and concise, the plot is complex and requires concentration to follow it, subtle clues and hints proliferate, yet the ending still comes as a big shock. It is original, cerebral and action-packed.

There are stories within stories (Aiden finding out about himself, about Anna, and about the various back-stories of his hosts, and the moral and ethical dilemmas he has to resolve when faced with a irrevocable decision (at least, in this particular day – Aiden thinks he has been re-enacting this day for nearly thirty years!)).

Aiden is also revisiting the murder of 19 years ago at the same time, showing up the effect it has had on each member of the Hardcastle family.

It can be confusing and complicated, and should not be read quickly as details/conversations/observations may be lost or overlooked, but is stunningly clever and extremely well thought-out and paced. The reveal is a thorough surprise (some of the “clues” mentioned above are red herrings, which most likely will throw you off the scent).

Acknowledgements:

My thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing a free copy of the book, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I’ll start by saying that this is unlike any other book I’ve read. I’m not even sure I can categorise it, as the normal genres just won’t do it justice. If I said crime fiction then it would really only touch the surface. There’s certainly a strong element of whodunnit about this novel, but it’s delivered with a very large helping of something else – something I’m not willing to delve into here for fear of ruining the experience for future readers.

The crime fiction element is broken down and then stitched together in a fiendishly clever way. There’s an Agatha Christie style cast and, at heart, you could certainly say that it is an old fashioned murder mystery. The setting too – that of a country estate, now in a significant state of disrepair – could certainly fit one of Christie’s novels. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. This tale is a deconstruction of a crime fiction novel, it’s mind bending and it’s amazing and it’s delivered with terrific aplomb.

After spending less than an hour with this book I was spellbound. The only thing that stopped me devouring the whole thing in one sitting was the fact that a good deal of detail is laid down in a short space of time and I needed a little time to assimilate it all (note: I tend to struggle to keep up with any book that has more than five main characters). But soon I’d gotten my head around how this story was to play out – but certainly not where it was eventually going to take me. And by then the cast of characters had become old friends.

It’s a fully satisfying twist on a murder mystery and I absolutely loved it. I’m full of admiration for the level of imagination needed to put book together and to keep track of the many twists. In some ways it reminds me of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler's Wife in that it’s a one-off way of telling a story that just nails it. I believe both books would benefit from a second reading, if for no other reason than to admire, again, the skill of the author and to spot all the little tricks, links and clues missed the first time around.

A wonderful first novel from this stunningly gifted writer.

My first thought after finishing this book was how well thought out and intricate the plot of Stuart Turton’s murder mystery is. I am fairly sure there will be someone out there reading this book noting down all the times events and putting them in the right order. That person will not be me, but I could imagine it!

This read was definitely a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I went into it knowing hardly anything about the book, deliberately not reading the synopsis, and it immediately started surprising me, and then a bit more, and a bit more! I really enjoyed that aspect of it and also the reason why I will not go into the plot. I think it is best to go in blind.

The characters were written well, but the simple star of the show is the puzzle that the pages create and the dark atmosphere that the author manages to create throughout.

I am not sure I was quite that fond of the ending and some of the decisions the main character made, but overall it was a really good read.

I would definitely recommend The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle to anyone who enjoys atmospheric writing or a murdery mystery set at a crumbling country house.

An excellent twisted whodunnit! The story style is innovative and makes the narrative go along at a pace whilst at the same time forcing the reader to make an effort to keep up. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It's a really clever idea and I felt fully immersed into the setting and atmosphere. I would have liked a little more information at the end, but overall it's a really great book.

Evelyn Hardcastle will die tonight - again. She is murdered at 11 PM every day, in an eternal look inside of Blackheath. Aiden must find out who her murderer if he wants to be set free, and for that he is given eight hosts, each of whom has different strengths and weaknesses to help him solve the murder. If he fails, the cycle will begin again and again, as it has hundreds of times already.

This book is fantastic, the mystery is so complex and well done and the writing so atmospheric! I flew through this story, and only stopped reading at some point because I had to go to work the next day. I loved seeing the events through the eyes of the different hosts, and all the twists and turns. I absolutely recommend this book for any mystery fan! It's not your typical cozy mystery novel, it's much more complex than that, and yet it feel a bit classic - a touch of Agatha Christie and decadence. This was a great read and I can't wait to re-read and pay attention to the details I missed in the first read!