I started this book and got about halfway but really do not like it enough to continue. I don’t think it would be fair of me to post a review when my feelings are quite personal and not a reflection of the quality of the book—it’s just not for me.

When Aiden Bishop awakes each day, he is inhabiting a different body of a guest at the Hardcastle estate. Each day, he tries to solve the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle's death while keeping himself and his hosts alive. He will be released from these loops only when he solves the murder.

This was a tricky, addicting novel. The large cast of characters kept me on my toes as I tried to recall who was who throughout the book, even as Aiden changes hosts day to day. I found it difficult sometimes to remember all the characters and their different motivations. Eventually, I gave up trying to keep the timeline straight and just focused on the story, which at its heart is a Agatha Christie-esque tale of a hate filled family and their guests, all of whom have deeply held secrets. 

But there is another layer, which isn't revealed until the end, so  I won't be giving anything away. Suffice it to say, I found the hints as to what was really going on in this book fascinating and would have loved to know more. What a great book!

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is perfectly timed for the Halloween season, a Gothic Groundhog Day thriller with a twist as our hero starts each new day in a different one of the house guests attending a week-long country manor house party that ends with a big ball celebrating Evelyn Hardcastle’s birthday. A celebration cut short by Evelyn’s murder and our hero, Aiden, must solve her murder in order to escape this endless mystery.

It’s ingenious in a way. How better to solve a mystery than to inhabit different witnesses, seeing what they see, experiencing what they experience, and always acting to change the outcome. But it’s complicated because our hero is not the only one trying to solve the murder and escape, so collaborating is counter-productive. What then does it mean when someone collaborates. Do they really want to help or to sabotage? So much to ponder.


I think The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is ingenious. It’s far more original than “Gothic Groundhog Day” sounds. It’s so incredibly original that I found myself more caught up in the device than the plot. It also became so damn complicated–not so I couldn’t follow, but so that I thought it got tedious. It was a constant and then this happened and then this happened. I began not to care.

However, I am not much into the supernatural. For people who really are into Gothic thrills and complex skullduggery that will pull a new zombie rabbit of a hat (there are no zombies) then this book will be perfect for them.

I received a copy of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle from the publisher through NetGalley.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle at Sourcebooks
RAVE review from IndieBound
Stuart Turton author site

DNF at 27% 

Ultimately I found this really confusing and nowhere near as good as I'd built it up to be in my head (obviously this is partly my own fault). 

There is also a lot of fatphobic language used which was unnecessary and irritated me a lot. 

I put this one down about 2 months ago and haven't picked it back up, can't see myself finishing unfortunately.

This has to be one of the most original concepts for a book I've ever come across. Aidan Bishop wakes up at a house party, but he is not himself, literally. He's actually in the body of someone else, and he's been tasked with solving the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle before time runs out. Each day, he's reborn again to relive the same day in a different body. The writing was compulsively readable, and it's so easy to imagine this as a film or tv series. If you enjoy locked room mysteries, this one will keep you guessing until the end!

I really loved this book. I have some readers who like mysteries told in non-conventional formats. This fit the bill perfectly and I have been sharing it with patrons and staff alike.

DNF at 20%. 

Let me count the ways this is a sad, fatphobic excuse for a book. 
1. “I awake wheezing, crushed beneath the tremendous monument of my new host’s stomach.” 
2. “No doubt sensing my indecision, he abandons his vigil, slipping his hands under my armpits and tugging me into a sitting position. I pay for his assistance in shame.”
3. “The platter beneath is piled high with eggs and bacon, a side helping of pork chops, a pot of tea, and a jug of milk. Such a meal should be daunting, but I’m ravenous and tear into it like an animal.” (After which he “pauses for breath”)
4. “The valet returns to find me mopping grease from my lips with a napkin, panting with the effort of eating. He must be disgusted. I am disgusted. I feel like a pig in a trough.” (Are you KIDDING ME.)
5. “I have no doubt this is all part of the routine, but the shame’s too much to bear. Though this isn’t my body, I’m humiliated by it, appalled by the waves of flesh lapping against my hips, the way my legs rub together as I walk.”
6. Opening my eyes, I find myself reflected in a full-length mirror on the wall. I resemble some grotesque caricature of the human body, my skin jaundiced and swollen, a flaccid penis peeking out of an unkempt crop of pubic hair.” (This then causes him to sob, which the valet meets with delight.) 

This all happens within the SAME. THREE. PAGES. 

This is just blatantly disgusting, problematic and fatphobic, and honestly I might have let it slid anyway if the plot was more interesting. 

The memory-loss aspect of the beginning is a very convenient way to start a book, and this “game” the character is thrust into doesn’t seem to have a purpose or reason to it. Perhaps that will be explained later in the book, but I’m not willing to read the rest of it to find out.

This took me forever to get through.  I probably should have given up, as I was so easily distracted by many other books that were more appealing to me, but I kept coming back to it eventually.  To the book's credit, I did want to know how it would end, and I felt an obligation to keep returning to it.  Unfortunately, my overall feeling upon finally finishing it is disappointment.  

The main character gets 8 days in 8 different bodies to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle at a house party in the English countryside.  It is interesting to see how the character picks up different clues each day, using the particular skills of his host of the day, and things gets understandably complicated as the same day replays over and over while being experienced from different perspectives.  But I was not satisfied with the explanation for why this whole thing was happening, and the establishment of the characters of Anna, the footman, and company did not work for me.  I found myself reading passages repeatedly to see if I could get a better understanding.  Then I finally would just give up and forge on, even though I was frustrated, hoping things would become clearer as I progressed.  Sometimes they would, sometimes they wouldn't.   

I had high hopes for this book after reading the first reviews, which led me to expect a mind-bending Agatha Christie.  I love puzzles, I love mysteries, I enjoy having my mind bent.  But this ... it was just too weird, and the framing device was not sufficiently developed, in my opinion, for me to fully buy into it.  (But maybe it would have worked better if I hadn't put the book down for weeks at time...?  Yeah, probably.)

This is the best book I’ve read this year (and I’ve read some really great books this year). Brilliantly written and uniquely spectacular, The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle will become a cult classic.  After a few chapters I was heavily immersed into the story.  Once I was hooked I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. This is a mystery for the ages with a roller coaster ride that will WOW you.  Go into it with an open mind and let Turton blow you away! I wish I could read it again for the first time!

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from Publisher/NetGalley.com
How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?
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.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton had an intriguing and complex premise, but for this reader, it was difficult to keep track of all of the characters and their storylines. I am clearly in the minority here, and I wanted to like this book more than I did, but reading this book was work. Events are unfolding around the death of Evelyn Hardcastle from the perspectives of eight different characters, each providing additional details. I am thoroughly impressed with how this author was able to write this novel and keep track of all the storylines in such a unique way, but after awhile my brain was on overload, and where initially it was interesting and compelling, this 500 page book quickly became tiresome.

3.5 stars

By now I must admit that 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was one of the most complex mysteries I ever read.

Time loops have always been fascinating to me. Ever since watching Groundhog Day, I loved the idea of having multiple days to get things right. But I never read a book that was plotted the way this novel was.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle felt like an intricate puzzle, a riddle that was solved little by little with each chapter. But instead of repeating each day in an identical way, the author decided to make his main character wake up in a different cast member's body each day. With each new morning a new main character was being introduced, each had an utterly distinctive voice, and some were more helpful than others.

I must admit it took me a LONG time to get into the book.

At the beginning fo the book the reader was literally thrust into a deadly chase through a dark forest without a second explanation. With each chapter tiny clues were being offered. At this point, the reader knew exactly the same as the main character did - zilch. But with each day, more puzzle pieces were unearthed and a bigger picture emerged.

Because it was such an original and complex story I would love to see it being made into  a movie. It would be just perfect on the big screen.

The book on its own was sometimes confusing, and like I mentioned it took me a long time to get into the story, but otherwise it was fantastically written and the plot was truly EXCEPTIONAL!!!!

I read 35% of this book and I just couldn’t get into it. I tried reading it and listening to the audiobook and it was a struggle to get through it. I kept hoping something exciting would happen since I had great reviews, but I just couldn’t keep reading it any longer.

(This review has also been posted to Goodreads, and to my blog: https://amagicalworldofwords.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle.html  )


At first I wasn't in love with Turton's writing because the sentence structure felt long-winded and awkward. But as the story continues, it definitely smooths out. Before long I was utterly enamoured with the prose - the vivid details, the excellent dialogue. To give you an example: "The evening meal is lit by candlelabra and beneath their flickering glow lies a graveyard of chicken bones, fish spines, lobster shells and pork fat. The curtains remain undrawn despite the darkness beyond, granting a view toward the forest being whipped by the storm."
It's all incredibly immersive and tangible.

Speaking of which, the story is also so atmospheric. It's Gothic, very dinner-party Agatha-Christie-esque. I wouldn't recommend reading the book in short sessions with many intervals between, because to really get into the story, you need to give yourself time to be immersed. Then you can truly appreciate the lush, haunting setting, and the beguiling sense of foreboding dripping from each scene. It'll totally absorb you if you give it a chance.

The plot is brilliant. There are a ton of twists, many layers to the story, and the author is a genius. However, it is confusing. You really have to concentrate and you can't afford to switch off - even for a second. I tried my best, but by the end I was still a bit bewildered by the actual mystery. It's a lot to take it and a lot to retain from start to finish. 


❝ What does a child who has everything want?" 
More, like everyone else. 

❝ Every man is in a cage of his own making."

❝ What kind of mind makes theatre of murder?


The cast is big, but everyone is vivid, colourful, and extremely compelling. They're all hiding something, and they're all anti-heroes and anti-heroines wearing metaphorical masks. It's sublime.

Initially, I was concerned that the protagonist changing persons every few chapters wouldn't work, but the author handles it so well by fleshing out each personality and making their point of views distinct. In the hands of someone else, it could have been a train wreck. But Turton handles it thoughtfully and carefully.


The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mesmerising Agatha Christie-type mystery. It might take you a while to get into it, but if you stick with it for long periods of time, you'll soon be drawn into the spellbinding world of these illusive characters.

I don’t know what to think about this book. It was super unique and original.. and props to the author for crafting such an intricate story.. but the weird sci fi aspects just had me thrown for a loop from the start and I couldn’t get my feet underneath me and get into the flow of things.. there were also a LOT of characters and I had trouble keeping them straight, especially since the POV kept changing.. I felt like I kept waiting for everything to make sense and it never really did.  Wasn’t really my kind of story..

This book is different from anything I've read before! In a good way, of course. 

First, imagine you wake up in a forest with no recollection of who or where you are. After the initial disorientation and confusion (and a few events), the main character learns that he must wake up  in a stranger's body everyday until he solves the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle.

When I first read the premise I thought this is the type of book I enjoy. Although it has supernatural elements to it, the novel still has a very classic-feel to it. It reminded me of the TV show Quantum Leap and also of the movie Groundhog Day.

Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend it to readers of mysteries, thrillers, and contemporary fiction. 

Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

I don't know where to start... That book is AMAZING. Even if Aiden has to relive the same day again and again and again, the story is original and I couldn't have predicted the many twists that come in the end. I LOVED IT!!! 

Many thanks to the publisher for my e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This definitely exceeded my expectations. First I thought it was a rather long book, but as I got into it I was surprised at its fast-pace. The plot twists were amazing and totally unexpected. I wasn’t sure if Aiden would ever make it out of there or what he’d do when he learned the truth about Anna. It kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. It read like an Agatha Christie novel, and it was phenomenally well written.

I honestly could not get interested in this story. The beginning is very intense and kind of jumbled around, you have to dig deep into the story to understand what is happening and I lost interest very fast. I could not connect with any of the characters and was disappointed that this was not one that I liked. I have seen that other readers have enjoyed it, so this book might be a good one to borrow or check at the library if you are not very sure at first.

This was an awesome read. The plot draws you in, making you not want to put the book down – resulting in a few late nights. The story is full of mystery and intrigued, you never quite know which of the characters to trust until you reach the end. Each character is unique, as the story flows you get a feel for each one. 
The ending was delightfully twisty, one that I was not expecting at all. 
I just loved everything about this E-ARC; when the novel came up on one of the book buying lists at the library I work at, I pounced at the chance to add it to the library's stock collection. 
I would definitely recommend this to those who love mystery and detective novels, especially those that are set in a historical setting.

I found this book to be clever, Perhaps a bit too clever, Too many layers, like the author might have been having problems trying to get all the timelines to add up, so he kept adding more and more layers of rules, characters, and motives.  I would only recommend this to people with patience and time.  Others will just become frustrated if they started the book and couldn't finish it.

Additional thoughts: Those who enjoyed this style of mystery, would probably also enjoy "The Manual of Detection" by Jedediah Berry.  I listened to audiobook of this story, and it has a similar style. I wondered if it was written by the same author under a different pen-name.