This is a very tantalizing book, the answer seems just at the corner of our vision. It eludes us the same way it eludes the protagonist(s) of the tale. I have seen a lot of reviews comparing it to groundhog day but it is more complicated than that. I felt like I was trapped in a game of clue with no way out.

We are not given the entire picture of what it is to happen in the story and I think I will try to avoid it as well to provide maximum effect(in case you intend to read it, which I think you should).There is to be a death (or more) and the past is valid too. To be as vague as possible, there is one hero but he may not be the person we think he is. He has a task and to see it through he needs to draw on all parts of himself. The entire setup is a loop, and it will take all possible smarts to outsmart the game itself. It is a study of human characters and without the lurking mystery in the background, the whole ensemble is fascinating to dissect. Despite feeling like a big book it was a reasonably easy read. I just got a bit restless towards the end, and that is about the only negative (for me) in this big jigsaw puzzle.

British murder mystery, amnesia, and a mysterious woman that no one knows. What could be better? For a fun, exciting, and mysterious dream like read check out the 71/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

intriguing and interesting book. I was quite frustrated with it at times, on the verge of giving up half way through, but the last 25% of the book was much more captivating.

It felt like there were significant inconsistencies throughout the story, but the explanation at the end justified most of these in hindsight.

The overall premise is certainly interesting and more than makes up for any faults.


Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Interestingly, my version says the 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, not 7. Not sure if the title was changed before final publication?

When I picked up this book, I thought this would be a simple "whodunnit" story, with the main question being: who killed Evelyn Hardcastle? At it's very core, this was the story, but there was also so much more to it that I didn't see coming.
The concept of this book was very clever. Aiden Bishop has the task to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder. He has to do so by reliving the same day over and over again until he gets it right. There are rules he has to keep in mind and he soon finds out there is something not quite right with the place he is staying at. I can't give away much more without spoiling it, but be prepared for a lot of plot twists and expect the unexpected.
There are a lot of characters that get introduced in this book, all of them with their own story and reason for being there. I thought this was great, but it also means the story can get a bit confusing at times because there are a lot of names to remember. I didn't mind, but it did mean that it took me a little while to get through this book.
I loved the story and the writing style. The final part of the book explains most of the things that happened throughout the book that led to the conclusion. It also gave me hope that there will be more similar stories coming after this. Before picking this book up it might help to know that yes, this is a mystery/thriller, but there are also some fantasy elements to it (reliving the same day over and over again isn't something you are normally able to do ;)) and for me, these fantasy elements are what made me give this book all of the 5 stars.

This book, despite what is in this review, I gave five stars simply because this is the first book in a while where I have been disappointed that it's over. There are many books where I enjoy the journey of the reading, where I finish the book and I'm sad it's over because it's an enjoyable book and I liked that enjoyment of it, but this was different. I remember listening to it (because I got it on audiobook before I received an ARC from NetGalley) and being so enthralled by the mystery unfolding in front of my eyes. As Aiden went through the day as a new host, you received more and more clues about what had happened previously in the book. It is one of those books where I wished it had been a physical book so I could flip back and forth. The problem is with these kinds of books is that you are never really able to relive that experience again. If I go back and reread this book, or maybe I should say when I reread it, I will always know how it ended and that will colour my perception of the book, though I think physically reading it would be different to listening to it.

The plot and the characters of this book, because you really felt the characters were driving the plot rather than the other way around, were so layered and detailed, I found myself a little in awe at how Turton had managed to plot it. I think it would have driven me mad as a writer but as a reader, I loved the little details.

Then we come to the ending and that is where I veer a little on my view of this book. The problem is with a book like this is I felt like there was no possible ending which would live up to the rest of the book. As I was listening to it, I was thinking the ending was going to have to be something amazing in order to live up to this intricate plot and the complex characters. And while the ending was complex, I don't think it quite suited the rest of the book to me. I'm fine with unanswered questions at the end of my books, not everything is going to get neatly wrapped up in the end but there were so many with this book.

If this book was a series book where I was going to find out more about the world in the next book, I would have been happier with that ending I think, but unfortunately, I am left with all these unanswered questions and no chance of any of them being given answers.

So I'm going to give this book five stars but with caveats. This isn't a completely five star read for me in terms of actual content but the way it made me feel is five stars.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is an amazing novel. I had the best time reading it.

This book takes place in the estate of the Hardcastle family. We follow a man, Aidan, who keeps waking up on the day of Evelyn Hardcastle's death. Every time he wakes up he has a different body and the only way to make this stop is to solve her murder. Each of the bodies he inhabits are party guests of the Hardcastles and he has to collect clues living the day from their prospectives. The plot is more complicated than what I just explained but I don't want to give anything else away. You have to let the story go and follow it step by step, day by day.

It's a murder mistery with a syfy twist that made it different from everything I've ever read.
There are so many questions that need answers. Who is Aiden? Why is he stuck in this loop? What brought him here in the first place?
I had to to read about a hundred pages before starting to understand what was going on, but after that I felt like I was part of the story and I could't stop reading.

It's a very long book but we really need all the five hundred pages to understand and solve the mistery. I wish it was shorter because it took me a while to finish it, but I was completely satisfied at the end.

There are so many informations to keep in mind but the author did a great job of reminding things at the right time.
I have to admit that my mind is still trying to understand the paradox in which Aiden is trapped and I will probably be thinking about it for a while. I felt like I was there with him and this is, in my opinion, the main reason that makes this book great. We feel involved, the writer gave us clues together with the protagonist and we experience what he actually experience, this allows us to understand the world more and more and to solve all the misteries with Aiden.
It's almost impossible to predict everything and it took me out of guard many times, leaving me on the edge of my seat revelation after revelation.
This book is unique and intricate. It contains things we all love about mistery books but, at the same time, it adds something that makes it so original and amazing.

The suspence was preserved until the very end and I felt like I was trapped in the novel without being able to escape unless I solved the murder.
I will for sure read more of what this author will write, I can't believe that this was his debut novel.

This book is just as magnificent as everyone says it is.

I know it took me a while to finish it, but that's mainly because I had manuscripts I had to read for work. When I have any spare time to read, this is what I go to first. A lot reviewers said you have to read it in one sitting to comprehend the story, I don't think that's the case. I read it in fragments and still appreciate its magnificence.

This is just a beautiful concept executed expertly. It's built on an idea that's often used in science fictions. I can compare it to Altered Carbon and the movie Source Code. But at the same time, it's completely different from all those stories. It reads like an Agatha Christie murder case, particularly similar to Murder on the Orient Express, with an old case buried under the layers of a recent murder.

I don't think it's possible to relay any story points without spoiling the fun of reading this complex and entertaining murder mystery. But going in, you only really need to know what the blurb tells you.

So my conclusion is, read this, whether you're interested in period murder mysteries or not (I'm not). Several authors, some of them have written successful books that sold very well, said they were envious of Mr. Turton's talent or that they wished they wrote the book themselves. That's the highest praise an writer could give another, and I understand why they would say that.

**4.5 stars**
Aiden Bishop is reliving the same day over and over again without any signs of stopping. He is tasked with finding out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, and why. When he wakes up, he finds himself in someone else's body, something that is obviously disorienting. However, there are more things in motion than what he originally thought. What seemed like a simple task seems even harder now when he realizes he has rivals afoot. 
or me, the reason why this book didn't get 5/5 stars is really simple: There was a lot of front loading in the beginning chapters. There was a lot of information dumping that made me confused. Once I got past those first few chapters, I started reading this novel with a voracity that I haven't seen in awhile. This novel was so good guys. 

I loved that I was able to really experience each day with Aiden over and over and it never got dull. The level of detail that Turton put into this novel is absolutely incredible. 
I feel like this is a novel that would translate really well on the screen and I can only keep my fingers crossed that this turns into a movie or a TV show. That would be amazing. 
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this novel!!

This is definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time! I did not quite know what to expect when I started it...and by the end it completely blew my mind. I read a lot of mystery/thrillers and because of that, I am not surprised or caught off guard often. I loved the premise, the characters, the structure, and the ultimate resolution. My only negative (which is probably my fault) is that it was hard to keep all the different characters and guests straight. But I read this book in smaller spurts so I think I would forget who was who and which guest the protagonist was at that point. So I think this book is best read in bigger chunks so you don't lose track of people! In sum: fantastic.

cw: off-page sexual assault, unchallenged fatphobia/fatshaming

This was fine. It’s honestly a struggle for me to write a review because I have next-to-nothing to say about it. It’s a shame because the beginning of the book had me pulled right in. I really wanted to know what was going on and who our main character was. The whole thing just gets pulled in so many different directions that there are almost too many mysteries to solve and I kind of stopped being invested in any of them. The reveal about why Aiden is at Blackheath was a bit out of left field and not expanded on enough, I was left feeling like I had been given a cop out explanation with no context. The biggest problem with this novel was that too much time was spent on things that I didn’t care about and too little time was spent on things I did care about.

I also didn’t really like the hosts who Aiden inhabited. He had only male hosts (I’m almost positive? I read it over such a long period of time.) and I think it becomes pretty obvious that this was written by a man. Aside from the general vibe of the writing, there was the way Aiden reacted to his hosts. In the body of an overweight man, Aiden became horribly disgusted and I was honestly horrified at his reaction. All he can think about is how awful this man is and how ashamed he is to be in this body. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2140565637?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">As Hannah points out in her review</a>, this is then juxtaposed with a later host who is an actual rapist and who Aiden feels revulsion towards, but not nearly on the same level as he felt towards his fat host. This may be a controversial take, but only a man could think that being overweight is worse than sexually assaulting women on a regular basis.

I’ve honestly changed my rating several times already. Upon finishing, I figured 3 stars described how I felt about the book, but after a bit more thought, I decided that 2.5 would be closer. Writing this review, though, I need to bump it down to 2 stars. For me, 3 means “liked it” and 2 means “didn’t like it” and I just didn’t like this book. I didn’t feel satisfied with the answers I was given, I didn’t care much for the characters, and I immensely disliked the way Aiden’s different hosts were portrayed.

I may be alone on some of this and I think that if these items aren’t dealbreakers for you, you should give it a shot. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me.

I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie and Josephine Tey mysteries and since the back cover suggested that I would like this title (Agatha-like), I gave it a whirl. Extremely creative! Not only are you stuck in the same day, you experience it as a different person each time. How can you be a different person and yourself at the same time??
Slightly mind blowing. There were many twists and turns in the tale, but I stuck with it, and it was worth it. While this was considerably darker than my normal mystery choices I did enjoy this title immensely. .

I thought I had the mystery figured out at least 5 or 6 different times. I was wrong every single one of those times. I can guarantee you won't know what truly happened in Blackheath until the very end. Highly recommended.

Oh.My.Gosh! How to review this delightfully odd, somewhat insane and utterly beguiling piece of crime fiction…? *Pondering. I’m pondering here people, give me time to ponder*. Erm…..

Well, it was a wonderful read and you should definitely purchase a copy. Thank you for your time, and goodnight!

Okay, maybe not the most extensive book review you may read today but that’s pretty much all you need to know; that’s my ‘take home’ message’ for Seven Deaths. It is utterly mesmerising as a novel and I do have to wonder exactly how Stuart Turton’s brain works. No, let’s not go there.

Aiden Bishop is in his own living hell. He’s trapped in Blackheath, a dilapidated manor house owned by the Hardcastle family. Every night he falls asleep and wakes the next day in a brand new body. Every day is exactly the same for Aiden; the day Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at 11pm by the reflecting pool. He’s inhabiting ‘hosts’, strangers to him who have come to Blackheath for a rather macabre party. Aiden knows something isn’t quite right, he battles on a daily basis with his hosts. Their personalities sometimes pushing Bishop to the back, resulting in moments where he is not in control. Aiden is tasked by the Plague Doctor to solve the murder. He must report to the masked man at 11pm, tell him who killed Evelyn and he will finally be free. Will Aiden be able to solve the murder or will he be banished to a life of repetition. The same people, the same day, the same horrific murder, never able to remember who he is and, most importantly, what he’s left behind…

Honestly, I’m a little flummoxed about where to start. At no point whilst reading The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle did I ever, truly, feel like I knew what was going on. This is an incredibly clever piece of fiction which I imagine took a significant amount of time to write. I think it was my friend Joanne at My Chestnut Reading Tree who I first saw compare this book to Quantum Leap. I just want to jump to my feet here and now nodding enthusiastically at you, giving you a look that says ‘YES! Flipping YES!’. This book reminded me so much of Quantum Leap. Quantum Leap plus Groundhog Day with a hefty dose of the classic murder mystery. Time hopping, body leaping and I’m going to have to say it again, OH.MY.GOSH, what a mystery! If you’re a fan of historical crime, if you’re a fan of the mystery novel then you must experience this book. It’s so different, so deliciously complex, so….well, GENIUS! And in a mere 500+ pages as well.

I am fully aware that this is a very different type of review from me today but that’s because The Seven Deaths is unlike anything I have read before. This is such a brilliant tale, so intricate and devilish that I have to recommend it highly. Not only do we have the very likeable Aiden Bishop leaping from day to day and body to body we also have the evil Footman, lurking around every corner ready to slash Aiden’s throat (or rather, his host’s throat) as soon as look at him. I loved the tension the Footman brought to the story; he was also the bringer of gore (and I do love a bit of gore in my books!) which made him a firm favourite in my eyes.

Would I recommend this book? I would. Oh flipping heck, the pressure you have placed upon yourself Mr Turton with that tricky second novel. I think many of your readers will be waiting with baited breath to see what you pull out of the hat next time. What a bar you have set. What an incredible debut. Bravo!

Four and a half stars out of five.

WOAH! This is one of those books that I wished I had written. The characters and all of the hosts are so beautiful written and intertwined. It was a book that makes you think and really pay attention. It's not a quick read in the sense that it keeps you guessing and you are very invested in the mystery of what's going on. I have such high praise for this book and will definitely be telling everyone I know that they need to read it. Do yourself a favor and put this on your TBR list.

This is hands down one of the most creative books I've read in a long time. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is Groundhog Day meets Agatha Christie. Fans who love whodunnit books will enjoy this story with its twists. The main character, Aidan Bishop, relives the same day over and over in a mission to find who murders Evelyn Hardcastle.

This isn't your ordinary crime novel though. In this book, Aidan is able to 'jump' from one character to another, allowing him to live the same day through someone else's perspective. I found this part of the book particularly clever and plotting the book with all the time shifts Turton adds to the mix must have been a mission and a half. It worked incredibly well though and it was my favourite thing about the book.

One thing that didn't work well for me was the pacing. The book kicks off with a great start but after reading 20% of it, it stalled quite a bit as Aidan relived each day. The mini hints and clues kept me reading but it also got quite repetitive. The last 10-15% of the book then became very action packed as it tied everything together. The thing is, I loved the reveal and what came after it BUT since the book also introduced some new information at the end, I was left wanting more.  So yes, it's a solid standalone, but I also wished it was a series? I mean that's a good sign, right?

Overall, I would recommend this book for fans of mystery/crime/thriller books. It's a unique novel with a blend of genres and I'm always going to love it for that.

The 7 [½] Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, a body-switching whodunit by debut novelist Stuart Turton, has been described as an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery in a Groundhog Day time loop.

Inspired by the author’s love for time travel and the eighties TV series Quantum Leap, the book is set in an isolated, crumbling 1930-ish British country house at some point in a dystopian future. The events of a single day will be repeated eight times, with the main character Aiden Bishop switching between eight host bodies, leaping at 24 hours or when the host falls asleep, accumulating hosts’ knowledge and new memories from each, as he races against several others to solve a murder.

Although it is more difficult to assess character development in a story that features body and identity switching, Aiden’s character develops in a linear fashion from his own very first reaction of distaste and disgust as he learns about himself in the guise of Dr. Bell.

The book twists and turns to an ending for Evelyn that surprised but did not disappoint me.

I encourage anyone who has not yet read this book to do so, slowly and carefully. I will need to reread it now it to fill in missing pieces of the puzzle: the footman’s identity, background and motivation; if and for how long the house party had been going on before page 1; if and why the day first described in the story was different those that came before; the extent to which Evelyn’s parents and brother were involved in various aspects of the plot. I also need better insight into Evelyn’s character, whether her behaviour as a child is inconsistent with her behaviour as an adult, the inital apparent fondness of her character for Dr. Bell, and more details on her time in Paris and friendship with the missing and mysterious Felicity. Not knowing whether I overlooked clues or they weren't there make the difference between a 4 and 5 star recommendation for me.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The plot and premise seemed really fascinating, but ultimately the book failed to draw me in. I struggled to get through the multitude of implausible plot twists in order to finish. Not my cup of tea.

What a unique, interesting thrill ride of a book. It's like Benjamin Button meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Inception, only with more death. This is compulsively readable and SUCH an interesting premise, I don't know how Stuart Turton came up with it, but I cannot wait to read more.

Wow, this book is so different to anything I have ever read! I’ve had to take a few days to try and get my head around it all and I’m still not 100% sure that I have! This is going to be one of those annoying reviews that appears quite vague as I don’t want to include any spoilers so I apologise right now!
The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a bit like an Agatha Christie novel crossed with Groundhog Day with a handful of steroids thrown into the mix.
We follow Aiden Bishop as he wakes up at Blackheath, a crumbling mansion in God knows where. However, he has woken up in another person’s body and will continue do so (constantly changing bodies) until he solves the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle who will be murdered at a ball that evening. The only way to escape this repeating nightmare is to provide the identity of Evelyn’s killer. Just to make things more interesting, there is also a sinister footman picking off the guests one by one. Each guest means an extra day for Aiden to find more clues so he needs to stay a step forward.
Stuart Turton has written a marvellous book, it is dark, creepy, clever and addictive. There were points where I felt so overwhelmed by everything going on but I could not stop reading. The characters are full bodied and fantastic and Stuart Turton is like a master puppeteer as he manoeuvres them around then stage of Blackheath.
The ending of the book took my breath away; maybe I didn’t follow the plot closely enough but the final twist was a total surprise to me.
I highly recommend The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, it’s a fantastic read.

Taken from the back of the book…

<b>THE RULES OF BLACKHEATH

<I>Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.

There are eight days, and
Eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape
Once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let’s begin…</i>

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others.

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity, it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.</b>


Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I thought so too, but it was not to be. Quite frankly, this book exhausted me. The energy I had to expend just trying to keep everything straight was monumental. I was 141 pages in, and still didn’t have a clue WHAT was happening or WHY it was happening or WHERE the story was going. Ultimately, I decided it just wasn’t worth it.

I was curious enough to read the last couple of chapters, but since I hadn't read the entire book, everything pretty much remained as clear as mud. Oh well, the premise of the story was wonderful but it just became too convoluted for me.

NOTE: Interestingly enough, the title of my NetGalley copy is “The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” and the Reader’s Group Guide asks the question<i>”What or who do you think are the deaths in “The 7 ½ deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle”? Where does the half death enter the narrative?</i> I wonder why the title was changed, and how the book changed to accommodate it. See, even the title is confusing!

<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511LlsDyjBL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg " width="200" height="400" alt="description"/> <img src="https://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/bj/9781408889572.jpg" width="200" height="400" alt="description"/>

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. My thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.