The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of the most complicated and intriguing thriller books I’ve read in a long time, and it had me on the edge of my seat, constantly turning the pages.

The synopsis gives a great overall summary of the story in general terms, but it’s so much more than that, and to say any more is to spoil it. Aiden Bishop has been sent to the Hardcastle masquerade in an attempt to identify who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. Every time the day begins, Aiden wakes up in a different body, and each body he inhabits is a guest of the masquerade. The only way he can escape this loop is solve the murder, but if he can’t do it in 8 days, he has to start the loop over again, losing the memories of everything he’s learnt previously.

There’s a glorious Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day meets Black Mirror story within the pages of this book. It’s a thriller, but there’s definitely an element of speculative fiction woven through it, that becomes more pronounced the further into the story you get.

I loved how Turton switched between POVs of the different guests that Aiden inhabits - I thought it was really clever and well done, although I can understand how some people might become frustrated or confused by it. You definitely need to be paying attention. Each time Aiden switches body, his voice changes slightly, mirroring the guest body, and thus providing different perspectives on the events that take place during the day of the Hardcastle masquerade. I was thoroughly immersed in the characters and the world and the mystery.

I didn’t see the ending coming, and I loved the moral and ethical dilemmas that are evident as a result. (I wish I could say more on them, but then that would really spoil the book.)

This was a book I couldn’t put down and I highly recommend.

The man woke up thinking that he had lost his memory on finding himself on the ground. He saw a running woman and had no idea why he called her Anna. Later, he found out his name, Dr Sebastian Bell.

The next morning, the man woke up in his bedroom, seeing the Plague Doctor. He found that he had a different body of another man, who was the butler. His name was not Sebastian, but Aiden Bishop.

Aiden learned that a murder took place at Blackheath nineteen years previously and Evelyn was to be murdered at 11 pm. How to prevent her death? The Plague Doctor gave Aiden the rules of having different hosts over the different days.

There were many riddles that led to the truths behind the murders and opened the secrets inside the house in this mind-blowing, sinister story.

Agatha Christie is reincarnated as Stuart Turton who is her answer for the great crime stories. He writes brilliant science-fiction which makes my jaw drop and my eyes pop out!

Caesar 13

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

For me, this book was too complex for the reward of reading it. I can see that many readers will enjoy this book, but this was not the time for me. Thanks for letting me try it.

This is a murder mystery the likes of you’ll never have seen before. It’s difficult to review without giving away any spoilers, so instead I will offer some descriptors to set the scene: mind-bending, strange, mysterious, thrilling, original, impossible and frustratingly wonderful. All I could think about when I wasn’t reading the book was what was going to happen next. In short, ‘The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ is insane and everybody should read it.

Absolutely my book of the year.

This is a very special book and one that I recommend to lovers of all genre of literature, as it covers several bases, is written exceptionally well and is completely encapsulating as a story.

You could almost label this book a murder mystery but that would seem too simple a tag. A classic piece of literature? A historical piece? A supernatural story? Please oh please pick up this novel and treat yourself to the greatest, most twisting and enjoyable escape- one which will stay with you long after setting it back on the bookshelf.

Fabulous, original, sumptuous in character, spooky and truly the best book I've read in a while.

Even finishing this book, I'm not entirely sure I understood what was going on, but I loved it! It was unlike any book I've read before. I went in without reading the summary to remind me what it was about, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I preferred it that way. I felt more invested in the mystery and the story was so interestingly told. This was an easy 5 stars for me to give.
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy to review.*

4.5 stars

This has got to be one of the best premises for a book I've ever read. When (there is no 'if') you read this book, go into it with as little knowledge as possible and finish it as quick as you can to get the full picture, and remember the clues.
The story is super convoluted (perhaps too much) and the answers, clues and how those things are found can be a tad easily acquired.
The description is so great, especially when he gives inanimate objects a personality.
The atmosphere is perfect for a mystery: dark, rainy, and covered in cobwebs.
The characters are well-defined and full of quirks and flaws. But since it is in first-person, I didn't like that toward the end--when he's figuring out the answer--we don't know what he's thinking, even though we've known everything up until that point. I know it's to keep the reveal more of a surprise, but it's a little lame.
So why not five stars? Three quarters of it is my fault. I didn't read it fast enough to remember the details and things got muddled for me at times and that hindered my experience. The other quarter is because this isn't the final cut and some points could've been sharper and a couple questions I had slipped through the cracks. And when you find out the final answer, it fell a little flat because that element *cough* person *cough* wasn't developed enough to pack the intended punch. And sue me, I wanted the ending to be different.
One other thing. This is set in the future? All I got was early 1900s.

Overall I can't wait for it to be released so I can read it again in its final form.

I enjoyed this book immensely - I've never read anything that comes close to the level of complexity and intrigue that this story holds - but the way that Lord Ravencourt was described left me feeling uncomfortable. His fatness was continuously used to demonstrate what an awful person he was - on the same level as the rapists and murderers in the books. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that there were multiple mentions of him being in very poor health and being unable to control his appetite and other characters felt incredible revulsion towards him based on his weight alone. Overall I felt that the writing of this character was extremely lazy, resorting to fatphobic tropes to move the story along. I loved this book otherwise and I've wanted to recommend it to so many people, but this part makes me very hesitant to do so.

2.5 very disjointed and disappointing stars.

When reading this book, I felt like I needed a road map or a gps system to navigate through the various occurrences happening. It was one of the most confusing books I have ever read and because of this confusion, the message which I think the author was trying to relate got lost.

Having someone or in this case someones change identity and become someone else on a daily basis made one feel as if they never really got to know exactly who the characters were as one tried to figure out what clues each one of them had to reveal what exactly happened to Evelyn Hardcastle.

As the novel continues, it poured more and more bewilderment onto the reader. For as many pages as this novel had with its twists and turns, it ended with a less than stellar conclusion. I kept hoping there would be an "ah ha" moment when all would be revealed and ultimately make sense of what was constantly muddled and meandering.

So, in essence I do not recommend this book. It had an interesting concept, but its delivery left much to be desired.

Thanks to the sisters who muddled their way through this one with me.
Thanks also to the author, the publisher and netgalley for providing an advanced copy for an unbiased review.

Aiden Bishop is caught in a time loop where he relives the same day over again, but as someone different each time. The only way he can escape is to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, but with so many suspects and a rapidly approaching deadline, Aiden doesn't know if he can trust anyone.....including himself.

Redolent of the whodunnit of Cluedo within a strategically plotted game of chess, with a time loop twist, it was an absolute joy to read. I'm always impressed with books that manage to keep me guessing until the end, and although I worked out some details, others eluded me until the end. Deftly plotted, with red herrings galore, its a whirlwind of suspects and you're never quite sure who is telling the truth. If you like Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle, then give this a try. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the opportunity to review an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

The story begins with a man, waking up in the middle of nowhere, with no memory of who he is, where he is and what is he doing there. He just remembers screaming a name, Anna.
The he proceeds to witness, what he believes is a murder, and the murderer leads him out of the wilderness, by giving him a compass, with directions to head East - and he finds himself in a house, where he finds himself to be Dr Sebastian Bell.
You would think its simple - but it is not.
This man has no memory of being Dr Bell. Nothing makes sense to him.
When he goes to sleep, he wakes up in another body with another name, another life and another view of that same day. He keeps living the same day over again and again, in a different body.
In the 16th chapter, it revealed that name of this man is Aiden Bishop. However, he has no memories of being Aiden. He continues living in a bewildered manner with only one piece of information:
He is in Blackheath. Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11pm.. There are eight days, and eight witnesses/hosts for him to inhabit. He will only be allowed to escape if he finds the killer.

And so starts the cat-and-mouse game. With information he collects and collates from his eight varying hosts, Aiden not only intends to find out the killer; he intends to change history by stopping the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. In the process, he also has to help Anna (his only friend) escape, as well as protect himself from "the footman: who is adamant to ensure that Aiden doesn't succeed.
With tips and clues from the Plague Doctor, Aiden sets about in his mission.

Does he find the killer?
Can he thwart the murder?
Can he save himself and Anna, before they fall victim to the footman?

The plot is full of mysteries and questions and just when you thought you had an idea where it was going, there would be another twist which would throw you off track.
A brilliant concept, and a totally unpredictable plot are the highlights of the book.

Do give it a read.

I volunteered to read this one – thanks to the author via Netgalley for the opportunity.

3.5 maybe it is just me? But never the less confusing stars🌟🌟🌟

The concept of this book was really quite brilliant... A little reminiscent of both Life After Life and Ground Hog Day.... with the added little twist of the body swapping....

Admittedly it is holiday time and I was not as focused on this book as I needed to be.... so as far as me being confused throughout the majority of this book, it could very likely just be a me problem.... I kept needing to go back and reread parts because I really got lost as to what body Aidan was in at what time..... I was also a little bit overwhelmed keeping track of all the characters and what part they played in the story, but again it could have been me!

I liked the premise, I really was intrigued by the mystery, I just was not invested enough to probably grasp the full concept.... additionally I had a huge expectation of a fabulous ending that would make all of this make complete sense to me, and that sadly did not happen for me.....

So while I found this book very clever in concept, I found it a little or really a lot too confusing for me.... The good news is this book is not released until September, so I might give it another chance this summer when I can be a little more focused and give it the proper attention it probably deserves...

I have never read anything like this mind bending whodunnit. Agatha Christie meets Shirley Jackson in this over the top locked room mystery.

This was a really interesting concept. Usually, books that involve going against a time loop feel hopeless. Thankfully, the main character was smart enough to avoid traps and not make mistakes his predecessors had. The ending was a little weak and I felt like there was a moral about forgiveness tacked on in the end.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. At first I was intrigued and then I was just irritated by all the swapping of bodies and personalities, without really knowing what was going on. I wasn't emotionally involved at any point and found I really didn't care who the murderer was, I just wanted the book to finish!

This is a devilish mind creation.
Aiden bishop who found himself trapped in a loop, and couldn't escape until he solved the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle.

The story was unique and interesting, totally caught me on the hook, It is torture to imagine how it feels when you get up and found you in a new body, daily...

There are so many twists, layers, I was more than frustrated, I was trying hard to guess something but nothing, I was blank, there were more secrets than I imagined, In half of the book my jaw was literally open

Overall it was a perfect read for mystery lovers, My favorite character was Jim Rashton just loved him.

ADVICE - Don't ever trust any character while reading this one

This is perhaps one of the best mystery novels I've ever read. The concept of the plot is pure genius in that it was executed to be believable.The book starts off strong and each successive chapter adds a new twist to the story line. I know this book doesn't come out until 2018 but I've already started recommending it to people it's just that good. If you enjoy a good mystery I highly recommend reading.

I started it. Then had to stop reading so when I picked it up, I had to restart because I was confused. I think another reviewer said it best- you have to read this in one sitting to follow it. That said, it was still a good book.

The rules of Aiden Bishop’s incarceration are simple. Every night at 11.00pm Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed. You have eight hosts, from whose perspective you will see the day re-run, and eight days in which to solve the murder. Once you reveal the name of Evelyn’s murderer you’re free to leave Blackheath.
That is all you are told before starting, so there’s enough to pique your interest but you’re left alone to find out the extent to which Aiden is manipulated through the course of the day.
There was a wonderful cast of characters in this. As we follow Aiden through his time, and start to learn a little of what he is required to do, we really get under the skin of these people.
For me, the appeal was the twisting structure of this. I’ll admit it required focus on occasion to try and draw events together, and to keep track of the bodies into which Aiden was thrown. However, for a devoted fan of Quantum Leap this was like pulling on a cosy jumper and being let loose in a familiar setting.
I couldn’t trust anyone, and I even doubted Aiden’s sanity. The linking of this event to a murder many years previously was a master stroke, though it does make sense once we’re in possession of some key details.
Hugely entertaining, and an intriguing idea (which you’ll be desperate to talk about once someone’s read it) that deserves to become a book to be talked about.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

This was at once fascinating and frustrating. It's a great crime novel, well written and very atmospheric, but if you don't have the time to read it in one go, you will get terribly lost, because of the intricate plot and the multiple characters. I made the mistake to start it when I was too busy to read for long periods of time and almost didn't finish it because I kept forgetting what it was all about. Luckily I returned to it later, because it would have been my loss. I am not going to elaborate on the plot because it's been reviewed over and over, but if you can set aside a chunk of time and like this kind of classic detective story with a twist, this is a great read.