I thought I was going to enjoy this book from the blurb, but WOW little did I know what a treat I was in for! The writing is so exquisite and the plot is so intricate that I needed to take a day before I could write this review as I was mentally drained - like a great orgasm. How the author was able to keep all the plot lines going with such clarity has left me breathless. Just as I thought I’d worked it all out, the story moves in a different direction. I loved the different characters, who were so diverse but each had their own distinctive voice that I never found myself thinking ‘who is that?’ A triumph and a masterpiece.

I had mixed emotions the whole way through this book. Sometimes I loved it, couldn't put it down and just wanted to get to the end to solve the mystery. Sometimes, mainly in the middle of the novel, I found myself having to force myself to keep reading. I think I struggled to always keep up with Aiden's various different hosts and found the middle section slightly monotonous. However the final 10-15 chapters were full of suspense. I couldn't put it down and I love this book purely because I never managed to guess the ending. It really is a novel that keeps you thinking and guessing and is a real page turner.

Definitely one of my top 5 books I’ve read this year! What a mind bender. Seriously twisty and highly entertaining. Good luck putting this down, I recommend blocking off a day to finish it. I can see this being a popular book club book - all the mysterious are bound to make for great talks. Ooh. What about reenactments? Hello, murder mystery dinners! I know what my next theme party is going to be.

Big shout out to Net-Galley for the ARC!

Wow.

This might not be my favourite book of 2017 but it could become my favourite book of 2018 with a re-read, easily. I want to tell everyone about this book. I am indebted to you for the ARC

At 400 pages this isn't the longest book ever, but it's the heaviest. The blurb is spot on. Evelyn Hardcastle must die over & over as you relive her last day of life over & over until you solve her murder. You have 8 chances, as 8 different characters. Which sort of makes the title a spoiler, awkward.

This is an Escape Room in novel form. Cluedo even, if you want to be retro. The reader is solving all the clues at the same pace as the host of this noir Murder Mystery Party.

This has all my favourite elements. Intricacy, character depth (for days!), a real mystery with twists & surprises. It is rare that I find these things and enjoy them and I've been wrapped up in this story for what feels like weeks.

At some points hard going, as the many layers can give it an Inception-like mind bendy quality with some antitrust thrown in. Worth the hard work though

Will take a breather before my 2nd read. Already pre-ordered my hardback copy so I can pass it on to the next willing participant (or host!).

Read if you enjoy:
Escape Rooms
Cluedo
Noir mysteries
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, or similar

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton was so magical. By far the best book I’ve read this year. This book was unlike most murder/mystery/thrillers that I read. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on and even enjoyed being confused.

The start of the book a man wakes up confused in the woods, hears a gunshot and knows that this women Anna must be dead. He has no memory of who he is though. He arrives at the house he is staying at and finds out his name is Dr. Sebastian Bell but the twist is that is not who he really is His real name being Aiden Bishop and he has 8 days to solve the mystery of the death of Evelyn Hardcastle or else have his memories erased and go back through the same loop of days until he solves it. Oh did I mention he wakes up each day in different bodies??…. How friggen original and fun is that to read!
I must say that Stuart Turton is a genius. I enjoyed reading a book that that has a different plot than normal. This book kept me intrigued the whole way through.

Déjà vu is a weird experience, made even stranger when you experience the same event from a few different perspectives. Stuart Turton’s The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle seeks to solve a mysterious murder by having its investigator relive the same momentous day in eight different hosts.

At an English countryside estate, the parents of Evelyn Hardcastle are throwing a party to reintroduce her to society after years of living in Paris. But the party isn’t a happy occasion as there are plans afoot by party or parties unknown to kill Evelyn during the party her parents are hosting. Trying to save the life of Evelyn by solving her murder, Aiden Bishop repeats the same day over and over within the bodies of different people at the party, each of whom has different benefits and drawbacks to aid or hinder in his effort to escape this never-ending loop.

Filled with misdirection and intrigue, the narrative uses a basic mystery format to explore a more creative science fiction element to the premise with time manipulation. The story, while interesting in its delivery, was frustrating at times with how much overlapping information was presented as if it were new – though it was a way to establish a scene or situation, it could have been a bit more concise. While there was a lot of characterization and build up to the ending, the ending rushed through its explanation of why, and as a result it short-changed a satisfying resolution as the why was incredibly intriguing. With the intricacies of the story, this could easily lend itself to the screen, reminiscent as it was of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with its vibe relating to time travel loops and the effect certain actions have on the future.

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

An ingeniously plotted and fast-paced mystery unlike anything I've ever read before. It was like Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap is playing Clue with a dungeon master from Dungeons & Dragons pulling all the strings. This book is a puzzle in prose form, and I think it would only benefit from repeated reads. The author went to great pains to ensure the book holds up and everything makes sense. The end fills in the blanks beautifully. Some books, like Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" are just so well crafted that you have to wonder what kind of beautiful mind was able to put it together. I'm definitely going to re-read this one just to pick up on all the clues I missed the first time around.

This was a really original murder mystery novel with some interesting twists. I really enjoyed the plot and how there were enough hints to figure out at least part of the mystery without the protagonist spoon feeding it to me.

The protagonist was one of the main strength of the novel because he was shown to inhabit different characters and taking on their traits in a variety of situations. This allowed the novel to develop its protagonist in a very unique way.

The only thing I did not like was the ending, it just seemed a little to neat to me but that's the only critique I have.

Overall, this is a great mystery novel with a unique plot and interesting twists.

I really enjoyed this book! It took me a couple of chapters to get engrossed in it but once I figured out the gist of it I got swept away.

While, initially, this may just seem like a complicated and cleverly executed “Clue” like story it’s really a study of humanity, and our ability to choose a path of good or evil. There were so many colorful and corrupt characters at times I had a hard time keeping up with everybody; however, I think that’s to be expected when you wake up 8 days in a row as a different person!

Aiden is such an endearing character. He is constantly waking up as different people and has been for quite some time, but you see how he’s been growing as a person all that time. I loved that a value is placed on forgiveness and trustworthiness.

It was fun to get caught up in the scandal and then suddenly find a moment of light as Aiden’s humanity fights its way to the surface. The web of mystery, the big question of who did it, is so well executed and complete with an unexpected twist. Really wonderful writing! So happy to have read this!

Whew, this book was quite a ride. 4.5 stars.

Even disregarding the actual structure of the book - our main character experiencing the same day over and over, in eight different bodies, all in hopes of solving a murder that happens that night - there is a LOT of story going on here. So many characters, so many relationships, SO MANY secrets. I LOVED it. My ARC included a short Q&A with the author, who mentioned a wall of post-it notes and a very involved spreadsheet, and I almost felt like *I* wanted to create one of those for myself to keep track of everything. While in some places I thought the writing could be a little tighter, this story was exquisitely plotted.

I did find it a bit slow to get into - the "first day" takes its time, introducing our players and setting the scene. And then I hit chapter 9, and the pace went pedal-to-the-floor the entire rest of the way. I liked that we knew just about every fact our main character knew, so we could attempt to solve the case along with him. Every revelation made sense (even if it was surprising!) and I found the ending to have a very satisfying wrap up.

I'm thrilled to have gotten this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review. I highly recommend this mind-bending murder mystery when it's released next year.

3.5 stars A suspenseful and timeless murder mystery with a modern day twist. I enjoyed being taken to Blackheath and meeting the dysfunctional yet eclectic cast of characters. Superbly written with an intricate murder mystery that was beyond my ability to predict. Also had some sci fi components that included non linear time leaps and the same day being lived over and over again like Groundhog Day. Was a tad long and could have used some editing to cut out the unnecessary bits to keep the plot moving along. Overall an enjoyable read.

Writing style was quite good, although it is written in present tense narrative which I don't care for much. I couldn't finish the story as it was quite convoluted and I simply didn't have the concentration after about half-way through to continue. Maybe someone else will have better luck with it. In the end notes, the author mentions it was a difficult book to write and keep track of all the various threads. That definitely is how it feels to read as well.

Wow, what a roller coaster ride of a read, and in a good way too! I loved how as a reader you were just thrown into the story, trying to figure out what was going on right along with ‘Aiden’. Even knowing the premise of the book you still felt li,e you were learning and figuring out everything right along with him. And the idea of so many different ‘hosts’ was done amazingly, especially as the story progresses and more is leanrned about how to make the most of each day. Just such a uniquely mysterious read! And I can honestly say I would have never guessed the mechanism behind the ‘loops’ either, which is always such a pleasure to me. I will definitely be recommending this one!

An extraordinarily unique mystery which follows one man as he inhabits 8 different "hosts," all 9f whom are witnesses to the murder of Evelyn. To be freed, he must solve the crime. Others are trying also and only one can be freed. These are the basic rules and the story expands from there. Beautifully intricate, we slowly unravel the interwoven observations and experiences in each host as the skills of each push the story forward. I highly recommend. The best mystery I've read in the last few years.

Full review to come when the book is published.

The premise is original and creative, and if you're not paying attention, you might get confused. There's so much happening in this book, and I commend the author for not only creating it, but articulately weaving all of it together. On the downside, there were a lot of unanswered questions and potential plot holes, and I felt frustrated for a majority of the book because there was a lot to be explained. And then when I got those answers, they weren't quite what I was expecting. I felt a little cheated by the ending.

I just finished this book this morning and I am impressed.

This book starts in the thick of the plot and makes you feel you are right there with our character, watching as the home of the Hardcastle’s gets prepared for a party to celebrate Evelyn’s return.

How the story unfolds and how Turton writes the scene and builds on them is amazing throughout this book. The characters building in their dimension as the investigation continues however the plot as it goes can be a little mind boggling, however it is truly worth it and so well worth working through.

This book is like Inception crashing an Agatha Christie and it makes for a wild ride of a read. I would highly recommend it.

This was a weirdly wonderful (wonderfully weird?) book. I don't even know how to describe it. The narrator, a guest at Blackheath, is given the task of finding out who is going to murder his host's daughter. Only he is not one guest but eight of them. Every morning he wakes as a different guest and has to re-experience the same day as a new person, while trying to solve a murder that has yet to happen but will happen by the end of the night, bumping into all of his other selves and leaving clues for his past selves, etc., along the way. It is confusing to try to explain! It was really captivating. At first, I did not think I was going to like it. The narrator wakes with no memory of who he is or where he is and goes bumbling about that day trying to figure out what is happening, and it's not until the second day when he unexpectedly wakes as a new individual that I really got into the book. What a concept. I was very much drawn in by the end. I don't know if I 100% loved the ending, but the whole thing was just so unlike anything I've ever read that I am giving it 5 stars anyway. Definitely one of my best books of the year.

This is one of the best books that I've read in 2017. It's a smart, intriguing mystery, and I could not put this book down until I finished it.

Aiden, the narrator, is first person, but Aiden is a completely inaccurate narrator through no fault of his own. Aiden and the reader will have to blame the clever author, Stuart Turton, for Aiden's unreliability. This is the author's debut novel, and I am over-the-moon happy to discover him because I'm sure that Mr. Turton's mind and writing skills are going to deliver many more interesting books.

There must be some sadism lurking in Mr. Turton as he tortures Aiden horribly by having Aiden jump from one "host" body to another over different days as Aiden works to solve the mystery of how Evelyn Hardcastle ends up dead in her family manor home in England. The reader gets to participate in Aiden's confusion and anger as well as beatings all thanks to Aiden experiencing the emotions and physical discomforts of his hosts.

It's fiendish that the motley crew of hosts features such unsavory characters as a rapist and a coward. I don't want to divulge too much about the hosts because a lot of the fun in the book is discovering the nuances of these reprobates while Aiden is learning about them. And since I consider this fun, I guess that my mind is just as twisted as Mr. Turton's!

In finishing this book I thought "what in the world have I just read" and "when do I get to read more." Please keep busy writing!

Can't wait to read this my book with my library discussion group!

Sometimes "high concept" can put you off, but don't let it in this case. It's a tricksy, twisty, novel that requires work, but pays out in a gripping plot. One of the most satisfying mystery novels I've read in a long time.