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The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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Bonkers but brilliant. It's an Agatha Christie manor-house mystery – with a Black Mirror twist. Kept me engrossed and guessing throughout, and I still didn't figure it out.

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This was a good book with a really interesting, unique premise. A guy wakes up in the woods of an estate called Blackheath on the eve of a huge party one morning with a case of complete amnesia. As the day unfolds he receives various clues as to who he really is (which is not who everyone says he is). When he wakes up the next day in a completely different body, the plot thickens until he discovers he is at Nlackheath to solve a murder.

The idea behind this is really unique and interesting - kind of a cross between Groundhog Day and an Agatha Christie novel. The plot kept twisting and turning and I never really knew who to trust. The first and last third of the book were really action-packed and the last pages had my head spinning. There were loads of characters and it took a little while to get my head around them all, although this was probably a me thing rather than a book thing.

The only thing I found a problem was that this book was probably 150 pages too long and in the middle section the pace slowed down a bit. It did pick up in the last third again.

All in all though I thought this was a really decent, unique book. Deffo recommended.

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Nineteen years before the events in this novel, a young boy was killed by a groundskeeper at Blackheath House. Someone else was involved in the crime, but escaped detection. Now, Lord Peter and Lady Helena Hardcastle are opening up Blackheath House again and hosting a party for their daughter, Evelyn, on her return from Paris. However, all is not what it seems in this original, and ambitious, novel. For it was Evelyn’s young brother, Thomas, who was killed and all of the guests invited were at the house party when the tragedy occurred.

For those who imagine that this is a type of Golden Age mystery, you will find this is something rather different. The cast of characters may fit the casting – a Lord and Lady, family solicitors, a retired naval officer, a professional gambler, a banker and various other guests, most used to a life of leisure and weekends away… However, despite the many servants, it is obvious that this is not a usual house party. The house is in decline; unused, unopened until this weekend. It exudes an air of sadness, despair and neglect. Plus, as the novel continues, there is an atmosphere of a dream gone wrong and events cause one man in particular to tumble into a nightmare.

One guest finds himself caught up in this waking nightmare. For a murder will occur at the ball and he has to solve it, in order to escape. During this nightmarish week, he will continue to wake as a different character at the house and he needs to solve the murder in order to escape the cycle. This really is a dark novel, where events recur and our main character constantly has to relive the same day, while trying to discover what happened; not only at the ball, but all those years ago when the original murder occurred. This is an interesting read, which offers something different and has a really interesting idea at the core of the book. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

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The premise of this book caught my attention right away: someone repeats a day again and again in a different body each time, until he can solve a murder. And having read it over the past week, it's snuck in at the last minute to be one of my favourite books of the year. I'm already planning to buy copies for a couple of people when it comes out.

The tension kicks in on page one and barely lets up through the entire book. At first, Aidan has no idea what's going on. Gradually he's given instructions and starts trying to put everything together. Stuart Turton's fantastic plotting means that every little conversation you see has a significance, every detail or interaction is important. It's a long book, but it didn't feel like it dragged at any point - I was on the edge of my seat through the entire thing. There are so many twists and turns.

The story takes place at Blackheath House, a crumbling manor deep in the woods. It's the age where guests arrive in horse-drawn carriages, and when someone is offered the option of driving a car to the village, he's horrified at the idea of getting in the vehicle at first. It's a dark, atmospheric setting, and combined with the intricate murder investigation I was strongly reminded of Agatha Christie books.

I can't say much more about the plot without giving things away, but I don't think I need to: Aidan does his best to investigate the murder, talking to various characters and trying to piece together the puzzle of what's going on in the present day, and what happened nineteen years ago when Evelyn's younger brother was murdered. It's clear early on that there's a connection between them, and he hopes that by figuring out the truth of the first, he might untangle what's going to happen to Evelyn and why.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an incredible book. Stuart Turton has done a great job of keeping the tension high throughout the entire book. It's like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August crossed with your favourite Agatha Christie novel. If you love a good mystery novel, I one hundred percent recommend it. Ten out of ten.

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I loved this book. One of the best books I’ve read all year. Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap

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Wow, I can only imagine how much plotting went into the creation of this book. This is one hell of a psychological thriller. It is utterly unique with a cast of intriguing characters. This is going to be one of the most talked about books of 2018. Stuart Turton’s novel is a mind bending piece of work. It’s hard to believe that this is his debut!

As the novel opens, Dr Sebastian Bell finds himself in the grounds of Blackheath house with one word on his lips – Anna, he is screaming into the night. But he has no memory of what has befallen him before he arrived in this place. And as he becomes reacquainted with himself, he is presented with a task. Someone is going to be murdered in the house tonight the daughter of the owner, Evelyn Hardcastle. To escape the house and find out who he truly is our lead character must solve her murder, but he has eight rivals and only one of them will be freed. And until one of them can discover who kills her, the day will repeat itself over and over again.

Stuart opens the story with plenty of intrigue both for his main character and the reader; I found this a really interesting idea as his character is finding out information about himself the same time the reader is, it was fascinating to see his reactions to revelations about his own past. Our main character, Aiden Bishop, who has come to Blackheath to solve Evelyn’s murder, becomes attached to one particular character which proves tumultuous for his time at Blackheath.

When I first started reading this book I was worried that I was going to find the story hard to follow, particularly as the plot of the novel is so complex and Stuart packs a lot of information into this book about the characters and their murky pasts. But I really didn’t have any trouble at all in understanding the plot and I didn’t have any difficulty in keeping track with the character changes.

Stuart’s writing is utterly absorbing as he takes the reader into the heart of Blackheath. There is a race against the clock element to the story as Aiden races to solve the murder ahead of the others whom he is competing against; the difficulty here is that he does not know who he is up against so it isn’t a case where he can work out their weaknesses or even work out the strength of his own position.

The ending of this book has left me wondering if perhaps there is a sequel in the works. I would love to find out more about the characters and it would be fascinating to see how Stuart would choose to visit this world again if he decides to do so, I don’t think your mind will ever quite leave Blackheath once you have finished reading. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book to read.

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So if I was grading this on originality it would be a 5 star. The story was so complex and with so much detail that I have no idea how the author kept track of all the threads. While acknowledging the skill displayed I have to be honest and say that it was just too clever for me. I’m pretty sure I would have given up about half way through if this hadn’t been a review copy. I think this is a great book but that I just wasn’t the right reader for it.

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Are you looking for the perfect mystery? One so intricately woven that you will never see what’s coming? Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is just that. This work of art, when considered alongside the works of Laura Purcell and Eva Dolan is what will make Raven Books so successful; they clearly have a talent for spotting talent.

In this novel, a man wakes up in another man’s body with no memories. He discovers that he is there to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, who is to die at 11pm without fail. His job is not to save her, only to find out who did it. But this is no regular ‘whodunnit?’. The man must relive this same day eight times through the minds and eyes of eight different host bodies who all play a role in her death, however small it may appear. He discovers allies and enemies along the way, and must figure out which order his hosts must do things in for him to solve the mystery.

I only have one piece of criticism about this novel, and that is that it can be difficult to keep track of which day he’s living, and the many characters who form the novel. Basically, only read this story when you can give it one hundred per cent of your attention or you might find yourself lost. Other than that, Turton’s writing is mesmerising. He manages to capture the essence of Blackheath without any lengthy description, which adds to the ambiguity of where the characters really are. His story-telling is simply incredible; I was hooked from the first page, where the reader is put right at the start of the action. There is no backstory required, as the point of the book is that the backstory is revealed along the way, which means that the reader must dive into the middle of this intense plot and allow themselves to be taken along for the ride.

For the first time whilst reading a mystery novel, I did not care who had done it. I was not trying to figure it out; the writing was so good that I just wanted to follow the characters’ lives, and got more intrigued as I discovered more about each individual host and the other characters who shaped the plot. I felt that Turton’s narrative voice was not too overpowering, and enjoyed feeling as though the main character is telling the reader what happened in such a disconnected way. This relates to his becoming less of himself and more of his hosts along the way. When the hosts ‘take control’ of his natural instincts, I like how Turton presents the different personalities within him in a non-cheesy way, as I felt that they needed to be paid attention to considering the nature of the place that the main character and Anna really are.

If anybody who has read this book considers the fact that he managed to tell this story from eight different angles in 500 pages, they too will be amazed. I don’t think there were any plot-holes and each character is dark and intriguing. Even after the discovery of who the main character is, you find more out about him which makes you wonder where each character came from and what they reflect. This book, based on the plot and characters comes into my top 10 books I’ve ever read. I cannot wait for the release of it in February so I can buy it in hardback!

I would recommend this book to ANYBODY who loves a mystery or a thrill. There are some killing scenes and disturbing imagery, but you can forget about that once you fall in love with the plot. I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and Bloomsbury Raven in exchange for an honest review.

*SPOILERS FROM HERE*

I loved the symbolism from Turton throughout; the characters from Blackheath all appeared to represent a different kind of potential prisoner, with Sebastian Bell representing Aiden, and the ‘real’ Evelyn representing Anna. I thought that the dance between a few of the days and day two when he kept waking up in the butler’s body really enhanced the supernatural/fantastical feeling to this novel. I did like how smart Aiden could be; he attributed his skills to his other hosts, but proved that he could figure it out with his own mind when he wound up in Gold’s body.

I did think that the ending was sophisticated and the perfect mix of satisfaction on the reader’s part, yet also anticipation. There was reference to other places like Blackheath existing, which is where I think that I would love to travel to next, into the minds of more psychopaths.

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It is unique, innovative and certainly a compelling piece of fiction, with an almost dystopian like plot.

Think Fallen (1998 with Denzel Washington) with the psychedelic feel of Clockwork Orange and crime element of a 24/7 days a week ongoing Groundhog Day meets Christie mystery.

‘Nothing here is arbitrary’ and that is exactly what readers have to keep in mind whilst reading this.

Aiden has, as far as he is aware, been summoned to Blackheath to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, and until he can do that he has to relive the same day over and over again. Initially it all sounds like a rather complex murder mystery weekend. Then things start to get a wee bit more sinister and violent.

Aiden awakens each day in the body of a different guest, which gives him the advantage of seeing the crime and clues from a variety of angles. There are also disadvantages to inhabiting a new host every day though. When there are two conscious minds in the same body only one can be in control, which means that might not always be Aiden.

He finds himself struggling to maintain control and to differentiate between friend and foe. There seem to be other players in this nefarious game, the question is whether they are working with him or against him.

I liked the concept in its entirety, especially the retribution angle of the plot. In fact log this as a potential future method for so-called rehabilitation a la Dante’s nine circles of hell. I will gladly plan very specific scenarios for certain people, just saying.

I am certain we will be reading more by Turton in the future, and I do hope he manages to maintain his ability to think outside of the box, which in turn gets readers grey cells twisting like tiny tornadoes. I do so like the occasional unpredictable storm in my head.

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After reading all the praise for this book, I'm sorry to add a short review that isn't very good. When I saw this book on NG, I became interested because of the description. I love timetravel and such stuff. However, I just couldn't read the book past page 100 or so, and even reading some pages at the end didn't help. It is just so depressing all: the weather, the house, the state of the house, the people. The story...
It is very well written but even so, I don't want to become depressed by a book I'm reading.

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When The Grumpy Scotsman and I were first married we had a favourite tv series that we were addicted to and that we never missed. It was called Quantum Leap and was about a scientist called Dr Sam Beckett who travelled in time ending up in different bodies and righting the wrongs in their lives before "leaping" into the next person.  He ended each episode looking at his new face in the mirror and saying "Oh boy.." And that's how I felt when I finished this book except replace "Oh boy" with OMFG!!! Honestly, my mind was completely blown by the unique and quirky premise here and I think I would probably now have to describe this book as Quantum Leap meets Doctor Who via Groundhog Day with a shot of Agatha Christie! But whatever you see this book compared to, you really do need to read it yourself because you have to experience one of the most unusual but amazing books you will have ever read.

I'm not even going to attempt to explain the plot here! There is no way I could convey in a few sentences what the author has obviously spent months planning with his complex timelines and interwoven plot threads. You just need to know that a murder is going to be committed and one of the houseguests at a countryhouse party is going to have to live each day again as one of the other guests until he solves the crime. So each evening he will watch Evelyn Hardcastle die and be unable to prevent her death. The only way to stop his nightmare is to work out who is responsible and why!

I would recommend reading this in huge chunks like I did as there is just so much information to take in initially that you really do need to get your head around the unique concept at the heart of this mystery. And it doesn't necessarily follow through in chronological order either so you need to keep your eye on the ball. But although it is a long book it never seems to drag as you quite quickly become immersed in the plot as you try to work out what is happening at the same time as the poor unsuspecting soul who has discovered that his role within the confines of his society is not what he was expecting. Much as this book was not what I expected either! It's a sumptuous tapestry, intricately woven so that up close it looks simple and one dimensional but as you draw your eyes away, the full picture starts to become clear. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a vibrant and exciting debut that will surprise and delight it's readers with both its originality and its classy delivery. Well worth checking out!

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I absolutely ADORED this Escher painting of a novel. I spent the whole of Sunday totally engrossed in its tangled world. It is a fabulous escape from reality that is crafted with love, ambition and a twist of mayhem. I have already decided who I'll be gifting it to as I know so many people who'll delight in its quixotic charm. I loved the suspense as I waited to see who'd be waking up each day.Seeing the house refracted through the perception of each successive character was fascinating and felt freshly inventive and a fab twist on a classic whodunnit - more like a who-is-it :) Stu Turton is definitely one to watch and is as engaging on social media as his novel is original and darkly inventive. Five stars and can't wait to see where Stu takes me next!

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I don't want to spoil this, so I won't say much about this book. This was a complex and interesting murder mystery with an unusual approach. I liked the body-hopping protagonist even when it got a bit confusing, because there are so many people and names involved. You have to keep track of the protagonists hosts and also of the days he uses them while he investigates a murder that repeats itself every day. It's a bit like "Groundhog Day" but with a crime story instead of the humour.
I had two small problems though. The first has to do with unnecessary lengths. Sometimes the story could use tighter editing to get to the core of things. The second is due to a lot of unanswered questions and a rushed ending - at least when it comes to Annas secrets. But overall it is a very good read and I would recommend it to readers who like interlaced plots.

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Such a fantastic idea, which in the wrong hands could have been over-complicated and confusing, but Stuart Turton has created a gem. Gripping from the outset, with well drawn characters, this is a mind-boggling, intelligent mystery and one which deserves to be a great success.

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I'm doing a little victory dance at the moment on Stu Turton's behalf. He's written a work of genius.
It's Agatha Christie from a man's perspective and its brilliant!
The premise of the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is unique and impressive. I can't sing its praises enough,
So to a brief synopsis?
Go on then . . .
A man finds himself caught on a loop, repeating a single day of a murder every day for seven days until the murder is solved.
Nothing new there, right?
it's a typical structure of a murder mystery, right?
Wrong!
The unique premise of this book is this. The character who is to solve the crime before time runs out, must complete each day as a different character. So what I mean by that is, they wake up each day as someone else.
I know, genius right? Particularly seeing as though the author writes point of view so cleverly, giving each character a distinctive voice and therefore making them believable, real, likeable and sometimes downright annoying!
However, before you pour yourself a gin and tonic and settle down to read this, make time for it.
Devour it, savour it.
This isn't a quick read. The detail the author has included and the intricacies of the plot — although impressive — take some getting through (but in a good way!) and takes a certain level of concentration and commitment.
I took me a whole weekend to read this pretty much full time, but oh was it worth it!
I mentioned Agatha Christie earlier because this book definitely has a 'whodunnit' feel. There's a cast of suspicious characters, any one of which, could have committed the crime. The mystery unravels slowly and for the most part, I was compelled to keep reading.
Well, I wanted to know who did it!
Did I guess? Nope!
What else?
Oh yes the characterisation was a masterclass . I loved the notion of the different 'hosts' and how their complex personalities affected the protagonist's decisions and actions; so cleverly done.
Was there a propensity to get confused? No not really, although at times, I did have to slow down my eager reading so I didn't miss clues.
So, let's nit pick: only because I'm a bit jealous and also because I have to find something!
The length of the book was loooooooong! It could have been a little shorter, perhaps. I also think the ending could have been a little sharper and tighter. The ending was a little off the wall and disappointing. I felt a bit grumpy when I'd finished the book. Probably, because I was sad to stop reading and leave this mad world of great characters but also because I wanted to know more and had unanswered questions. Why was information about the main character withheld at the end? Who knows? Ooh, unless of course, Stu's planning a sequel?I really hope so!
Overall, this was a fabulously compelling and engaging read.
As for plotting it all out - Stu, I salute you! What a huge and difficult task to map out a plot so complex and clever, but you pulled it off effortlessly. Now, go and throw yourself in a vat of wine! You deserve it. And next time you write a book, send me a proof!
Oh and readers? Buy this book. Now!
Well, pre-order it at least! You'll thank me for it later.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy.

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Atmospheric, unusual and creative, however I found it difficult to follow in places. But I liked the fact that the mystery element holds up well even outside the context of the narrative structure.

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I loved this book. It was incredibly well crafted. It won't be for everyone, the beginning can be extremely confusing and I can see a lot of people turning away because of that. However, it's worth it. I loved the atmosphere surrounding the whole book, how you never quite know what's going on. I was a little disappointed with the reveal, but even still I'd give it 5 stars.

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My brain is melting!

Devilishly clever and a work of pure f****** genius.

I can't even begin to fathom how to review this one without any kind of spoilers so I'm not even going to try. For a start I'm still working through the puzzle that is this enigma - like a rubix cube in book form just when you are cheering yourself quietly for getting all the blue squares on one side you realise you still have yellow, red and green to go and any attempt to get all of those behaving properly naturally unravels the blue and puts you back where you started.

There are many things I loved about this one - Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day with a splash of Conan-Doyle type dastardly plotting, plus a hint of the Dr Sam Beckett all within an old school setting , with quirky, believable and engaging characters. As if that wasn't enough this twisted tale of murder and skulduggery doesn't end up all caught up in itself leaving the author floundering for a resolution that makes sense (hey we've all read THOSE books) but rather messes with your perception of things then turns it all around into an intelligent and thought provoking finish.

Like I said - a work of pure f****** genius.

That is all.

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I have just finished this book and I need to lie down! This is a wonderfully innovative and inventive mystery. One murder, eight days and eight hosts to work out whodunnit! Thrilling

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A hugely ambitious, intricately plotted book, with some confusing parts!

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of those books that has a premise so startling and impressive, that it just begs to be explored. A man finds himself caught on loop, repeating a single day of a murder - the only difference being, he must complete each day as a different person, and solve the mystery before time runs out.

Firstly, it's important to note that this is a significant tome - and takes a long time to get through. Small wonder really, as the author has an awful lot of information to get in there. So, what's good about it? Lots, actually. The book has an overall 'whodunnit' feel to it, with the mystery unravelling slowly throughout, and for the most part, I found myself compelled to keep reading... I wanted to know the outcome!

I also thought the characterisation was marvellous. I loved the notion of the different 'hosts' and how their personalities affected the protagonist's decisions and actions; that was very clever indeed. The jumping between them all got a little confusing in places, but I think I mostly managed to keep up with who was who.

The only minor niggles I have with this book are to do with length and the ending. I thought it could have done with tighter editing; getting to the crux of the plot rather than having such lengthly lead-ins - there were a few sections that I felt didn't really contribute to the overall narrative that much. Also, the ending was bizarre. I felt a little short-changed, because I wanted to know more about Anna, yet that information was largely withheld; instead we're only thrown a tantalising mini-carrot about who she really is - nothing more than a throwaway paragraph really, which was disappointing.

However, overall, this was a really compelling, engaging read - and as for plotting it all out - author, I salute you! It must have taken forever to map out a plot that complex.

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