Wow, what a wild ride.  This book was longer than I was expecting and it was also way more intricate than I was expecting as well.  Not that that is a bad thing, but there were a few things that I didn't enjoy about this, hence the 3 star rating.  Probably closer to 3.5 really. 
Without giving away too much of the plot, think Groundhog Day, but with murder.  I think the less you know going into this, the more you will enjoy it. 
The most difficult part of this for me was the timeline and keeping all the characters straight.  I feel like this is a book that you have to keep notes on, because there were several points where I found myself confused and had to back track.  The timeline was also really strange.
I will also say that the way the book ended I didn't *love* and that's what took off the majority of the stars for me.  I just found that bit a little too unrealistic in a lot of ways.  But that's all I can really say without giving things away.  If you love murder mysteries and you don't mind long and complicated books, I would definitely recommend picking this one up.  There was a feeling of tension throughout, but nothing scary.  A decent thriller.  I would probably never reread this, but it wasn't a bad book, I enjoyed it for the most part, I just felt like it was a little too much.

This was definitely the most unique of all the books I’ve read recently, if not the most unique I’ve ever read! I feel like it’s hard to explain but as the publisher puts it, it’s kind of like Agatha Christie meets Quantam Leap – a manor house murder mystery with a sort of sci-fi aspect that structures the story. For me, for most of the book, it was that Agatha Christie aspect that was most in the forefront and that made me absolutely love the book. Actually, this is completely random and I’d be shocked and delighted if anyone knew what I was talking about, but it reminded me of a computer game I used to play when I was a kid called Laura Bow: The Colonel’s Bequest. I could go off on a real digression about how much I loved that game (which was/is so antiquated you had to type in commands), but I won’t bore you with that…suffice it to say it’s kind of like the game Clue, which is also similar to this book in a way. Anyway I totally recommend it – very gripping and I’ve never read anything like it. I don’t want to give anything away which is why I’m being a little vague but I’ll say too that if you’re a fan of Black Mirror I think you’ll like this!

Ambitious. Original. Complex. Entertaining. These words all describe this puzzle within a puzzle of a book. I had zero expectation of the book nor had I read any summaries or blurbs so all the twists really caught me off guard - in a good way. It starts out with a very Agatha Christie vibe...which remains, but then add in Memento, Inception, a little Matrix Revolution (in a very small way), and a whole lot of characters to keep track of. At times the story gets confusing simply because the author is doing SO much and there are so many characters. I also felt the ending, or more accurately, the big reveal regarding the narrator, didn't have quite enough detail. The murder mystery was so convoluted it bordered on the ridiculous. BUT, that all said, this is a unique mix of ideas and genres that makes for a satisfying and entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Holy. Long. Book. This was a MONSTER to get through, and a bit confusing. I love the concept that there’s a person who has to keep reliving a night Groundhog Day style until he figures out who the killer in the crowd is but the way the story is told caused major confusion and slight disinterest about 3 rounds through. However, after that, things picked up and I was hooked!

I absolutely loved this book. I read through it in a matter of two days, and it only took that long because I had to go to work both days. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and see the way they changed and grew and influenced Aiden. I liked going along with him and try to decide who was going to betray him and who was his true friend. The ending shocked me, as every time I thought I had figured out the secrets of the house, something new came along to surprise me. Each of Aiden's hosts contributed something new to him and it was good to see how once each of them came together, they were able to do great things. If it were possible, I'd give this book 6 stars, that's how much I enjoyed reading it.

I have only one thing to say about this book.... WOW!!!!  Reading this book took me a bit longer that  I had anticipated but it was well worth it.  Stuart Turton has created a book that really is a huge puzzle where the reader tries to put all the pieces into place.  I loved the time loops and how Aiden traveled from host to host.  It was sad watching him struggle to keep his own personality as he became more and more like his hosts.  Every time I thought I had a grasp on what was going on, I had to regroup and organize the details in my head.  This is definitely a book that I will re-read in order to find hints that I missed the first time through.

This review is based on an ARC of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Sourcebooks Landmark). 


How delightfully murderous! The 7 1/2 Deaths is the best modern mystery (i.e. not Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) I've yet read. Not only do I LOVE the plot and the changes of characters/POVs, I love the complexity of the mystery. Layers upon layers upon layers--this is an onion of a book! 

I was ultimately too occupied to take notes for my review, but I can assure readers that this novel is a whirlwind of intrigue, deep characters, and oh yeah! murder! All tied together with wrappings of elegant prose. 

The only down side to The 7 1/2 Deaths was that, in being complex, sometimes I got lost in the layers. This is time travel after all, not an easy storyline to follow along. There area also a lot of characters to remember, along with this being a biggish book. Although these things made the book confusing at times, I nonetheless enjoyed every page of this story! I am definitely a Stuart Turton fan from here on out.

I'm between a 3 and a 4 here; I'm giving the book a 4 for the plot structure.

There are books I remember because they did something special, more than the usual reader's pleasure. "The Night Circus" is one, as it is a masterclass in setting and description. "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" is in this category, because it delivers on an ingenious plot structure. The best I can sum it up is that it is a Who Done It? in a circle hall of mirrors, a plot that is shaped as more box and levels than forward motion to a narrative end. (That's why a large portion of the reviews will say "mind blown" or some variation of the same.) 

The book is very transparent in its premise, so there's no spoiler here--we're on an estate which is set up for a party and every night, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered. It is our narrator, who enters the story with no memories, who must solve the riddle of her death. When I first started the book, I mentioned to my mom that it felt like Clue-meets-Agatha-Christie, and I was delighted to see the author acknowledged that (along with another reference I didn't get at first, but in hindsight is obvious) at the conclusion.

What's good: That plot structure, which takes us through the same day through a cycle of different perspectives, feels very novel to me. Maybe others have done something similar, but I have never read it. The amount of thought put into this by the author--I know this is a book that would be a great re-read and re-re-read, because I suspect there are all sorts of clues I walked right by.

What's iffier: The ending and explanation came a bit out of the blue. It felt as if we were teetering on the edge of breaking the assumed internal rules of the story--something felt off in the author's ultimate explanation. I suspect that will be grounds for debate. Also, the characters--some tended to melt together, although I can tell the author or editor attempted to stop that with the cast of characters at the front of the book (for easy reference). 

Overall, bravo to the author for a fun, interesting, original story--this is one I'll remember.

Although an entirely unique premise, this book just wasn’t for me at the this time. I have a very difficult time suspending disbelief and it was honestly too much work for me to keep track of what was going on. I will give it another go at some point. 

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Stuart Turton for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is so creatively twisted and awesome! It's like Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day. Aiden Bishop has to solve a murder. Evelyn Hardcastle will die over and over again.....and Aiden will witness the event repeatedly, each time living it as a different eye-witness. His only escape from the loop will be to solve the case. Who killed Evelyn Hardcastle...and why?

At first I had a bit of a confusing time settling into this story....but once I figured out what was going on, I couldn't stop reading. While the basic plot idea -- reliving an event over and over -- isn't anything new, I love how it's applied here. The concept of investigating a murder by re-living the event within the consciousness of different people who were there.....just awesome! Very creative. Very twisty. A bit confusing here and there....but it was meant to be that way. 

Very well-written. I really enjoyed this story! Looking forward to more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Sourcebooks via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I received a digital copy of "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" from NetGalley and SourceBooks, the publisher, in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

The novel is set at Blackheath House, an isolated country manor surrounded by a forest, the nearest village miles away. Lord Peter and Lady Helena Hardcastle, the owners of the mansion, planned a birthday party/reunion gala for their daughter, Evelyn, returning after 19 long years of being away. At precisely 11:00PM, she is to be murdered but it doesn't look like a murder, so it's up to Aiden Bishop to discover who the real killer is. The plot twist to this novel is that each and every night, Aiden Bishop wakes up in a different body of a guest who'd attended the gala, the whole thing on loop until the mystery is solved. He has until day 8 to solve the impending crime, otherwise he's forced to live on day 8 indefinitely.

Though the premise of the novel sounded intriguing, I was on the fence about this novel. Finally, after seeing the rave reviews nearly everywhere, I caved and was able to obtain an advanced reader's copy. I wish I could say I had a fantastic time reading it but I didn't. Ultimately, the book dragged on for me and I had a hard time getting invested in the characters or the plot. I credit the author for devising an intricate mystery and a unique premise but I think that at a certain point, it just became confusing to follow along every thread. At about the halfway mark, I shelved it, knowing I wasn't enjoying it.

I received this book from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

So much to talk about, wherever to begin?

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a classic British Murder Mystery (complete with a butler, a tremendous moustache, and a veritable drawing room of hidden skeletons just waiting to be uncovered) – with the slightest fantasy twist that allows us to see this fateful day from eight different perspectives.

This is one of those books that you simply cannot explain in any amount of detail without many hand gestures, diagrams and spoilers – I’ve tried. It requires a decent amount of concentration and there are a lot of moving parts but the end product is nothing short of genius.

If you figure it out more than a second before the tell-all, you’re a greater detective than I could ever hope to be. Absolutely nothing and nobody in this house is what they appear to be and there is a surprise around every corner.

I did disagree / take issue with the forgiveness arc, simply because I feel there are crimes deserving of eternal punishment in retribution and this was one of them, for me at least. Otherwise, a very satisfying ending though I still have questions that may never be answered.

Overall, this is the first mystery novel that’s ever really engaged me and may have made me open to more books in the genre.

I have waited for some time to write a review of this book, because I honestly had to think about it for a while, as this is the kind of read that sticks with you. This was a very twisty-turny book for me. Throughout the first half, I found myself a little exasperated due to the large cast of characters and the timeline; I forgot about the character list at the beginning of the book, which would have been more than helpful. After I got the hang of everyone, however, it became a very intriguing read that I could not wait to figure out. There are layers of stories and conflict here, and the ending went beyond my expectations. Ultimately, I enjoyed the read, but I do think I will give it a higher rating on a second read of it. This was unlike any other book I have read, and I highly recommend it to someone who enjoys interwoven thrillers with unexpected endings.

What an intricately designed plot. This is not a book that you can read flippantly, you really do need to concentrate and read each word. You will want to draw yourself a map but I’m not even sure that would help. The sending blew me away.

This book was incredibly unique.  A historical psychological thriller, but with elements that lean toward the supernatural or maybe the sci-fi but without any futuristic things.  The main character wakes up in a different house guest's body every day until he can solve a murder.  He finds out he's in competition with other "guests" and that only one of them can make it out of the loop.  But he's determined to break the game.  I loved the writing, the pace of the story never slowed, and it kept me reading.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I think it would make an excellent movie.  The ending leaves quite a few questions unanswered, but only in a good way.

I have nothing else to say except that this book was absolutely phenomenal. If you are looking for a story that will keep you awake at night because you have to find out what happens next - then this is the book for you. The premise of this murder mystery has one of the most unique executions: the protagonist relives the same day over again, in a different body each time, in order to try and solve the case.

I could not recommend this book enough - I think it has a little something for everyone!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending this book my way in exchange for an honest review*

This one was a fabulous read. It might not suit everyone, but I enjoyed this book. 
Everything needed to make a mystery good - the atmosphere, the characters and a plot, were there in the book.

I received this e-book from NetGalley for my honest review. It took me a few extra days to work my way through this murder mystery. It was such a complex story, one in which I really had to commit to  because you can’t breeze right through this one. You definitely have to pay attention! I’m not the best at keeping these types of stories straight, but if you enjoy a fun mystery that will keep you on your toes, you will love this book!

It is a very original story yet at times reminding me of a “Clue” type mystery where some parts of the story are replayed from a completely different point of view.

Aiden Bishop finds himself at a party where a murder is about to take place. It will continue replay until the murder can be solved. There are several twists to this mystery but I’d rather leave it to be discovered.

Overall, this is a very compelling mystery! I enjoyed the twists, and each new day in the story! Thank you so much NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and the author, Stuart Turton! My opinions are my own. This book was released September 18, 2018, go check it out!

I've had this book in my TBR stack for several months and kept choosing stories from further down.  I can't believe I did that, this book was fantastic.  How can you keep track of 8 people in one body in one week?  I thought it would be confusing but it was a tight well written story that was easy to follow and had unexpected outcomes in just about every chapter.  This is a great who done it set in the late Victorian era in a broken down/ ramshackle estate that was once glorious.  Aiden Bishop must solve the murder or be stuck forever in this loop of 8 days.  Great read for fans of historic, cozy, suspense and murder mysteries.  Would be a perfect gift. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Very innovative and gripping. The writing style is beautiful. There is a classic vibe to it. loved the setting. The concept is new and engaging.