The Fury is the newest book from Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient. Like others in the series, this title is a thriller, this time in the vein of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with our cast of characters traveling to a remote island for a vacation that ends in murder.

I have read both previous publications by this author and felt mildly uncomfortable with the representation of women in his previous works. This one continues the trend of sad, damaged women who need tortured, misunderstood men to run along and save them.

This book was paced very oddly. 50% of the way into the book still felt like the exposition while the ending felt rushed and confused. There is a lot of play with the reliability of the narrator, which I liked, but the multiple branching "gotcha"s became hard to keep track of after a point.

The characters, like in other books in this extended universe, were completely lacking in defining traits - except, maybe, "bitchy". Even Lana, the center of our narrator's world, seems shallow and vapid. The narrator, Elliot, was easily the most developed character and I actually did rather like him - as much as you can like him, that is. I enjoyed his tone and the repeated breaking of the fourth wall, pulling the reader in like a friend peeking backstage at a play. It makes you feel like you are a part of the story, and potentially in as much danger as the characters you meet on the island.

One thing I kept asking myself was, "Why is this book set in Greece?" The fact that the island and "help" are Greek is mentioned several times, but does not really factor into the story. The island could have been off the cost of Thailand, or Spain, and it wouldn't have made an ounce of different. Storms happen all over the world. If I book is going to lean that hard into a specific setting, it would be kind of nice if the culture played in a little more.

In general, I was not a fan of this book and will likely not be reading future publications from this author. I do hope those of you that are fans do find enjoyment in this title.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for a DRC of this book.

Twists aplenty! Alex Michaelides has a way of grabbing the reader's attention and holding on until the very last page!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this story was set up as play with the narrator being character and being the playwright. Elliot was such an unreliable narrator and I love how all the narrators in Alex Michaelides’ are like that. This book was so good at deception and I was so convinced that Lana had been murdered and that anyone on the island could have done it. The elaborate ruse in the book was great.

A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder.

The first few chapters were full of potential. I absolutely love the prospect of murder on an island, with a limited number of suspects and all that remote isolation to give it ominous vibes. It's very à la And Then There Were None. And Michaelides's tendency to include a fair bit of psychology in his stories adds a fascinating slant to the whole thing.

That being said, this is a very slow thriller. You have to really invest your time and not give up on this book because the last 100 or so pages will grip you. The use of different storytelling elements is a great way to keep the reader engaged, but I would've preferred the plot move faster.

This was my first Alex Michaelides book and it was a bit of a let down. The premise had me so excited - actors on an island with murder; it had all the makings of an amazing story, but I found it to be disjointed, rambling, and I wasn’t really surprised by any of the “twists”.

I found the narrator to be both boring and annoying and I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. I found myself struggling through the entire book pushing forward just to see if it would get any better.

I’m sorry to say, I wasn’t a fan of this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lana, our reclusive ex-movie star, and her entourage of friends, family, and hangers on head to her private Greek island for a little time away from the gloomy London weather.

But things on the island quickly go awry and we get a ‘locked room murder mystery’ set on this idyllic island.

I will say that I hate myself for picking up yet another book with an ‘unreliable narrator’ them. It’s not my favorite 🤷‍♀️ And I like Michaelides as an author (The Silent Patient was great, The Maidens was meh for me).

But this was worth it.

I found this book enjoyable. I had high hopes for this book going in, especially reading his last 2 books. This one hit different for me. I wouldn't say it was a bad different tho.

The story follows a group of friends on an island vacation. Lana, a former popular movie star, is the owner of the island who takes along 6 of her family/friends to get away from the England weather. Elliot, her best friend, takes us through what happened on island that ended in a murder and the events that led up to it.

It was slow starting at first but about 35 pages in I finally got into it. I understand why he wrote it the way he did. The anticipation to get to the end kept me reading thru the night. I'm glad I stayed with it because it was definitely worth it.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The narrator of The Fury is Elliot Chase, and he's going to tell us a story. It's a story about murder -- or maybe it's a love story? Well, he'll let you decide. He'll just give you the facts, as he sees them, about a murder on a secluded Greek island owned by a former movie star, who happens to be his best friend. It's a locked-room Agatha Christie-style mystery, told in five acts. Elliott Chase reminds me of the narrator from the great Gatsby.

The Fury is an ambitious undertaking, both in its structure and execution, as Michaelides balances a murder mystery, complex relationship dynamics, the intricacies of mental health, a nonlinear timeline, and an unreliable meta-narrator in the plot. Michaelides is so good at writing about psychological issues, at conveying how those issues can manifest in the behaviors of his characters.

But unfortunately, I found these characters to be bland, uninteresting, and one-dimensional. I didn't feel connected to or care about any of them, probably because we only see them through Elliot's eyes, and he only really lets us know them in relation to him. And yes, I can see how in a way that is kind of a genius move on Michaelides' part and may have been exactly his intention -- but it made for a dry, humorless reading experience. Also, for a book set on and named for an island with gale-force winds, The Fury lacks a strong sense of place. I would have hoped the wind itself would become a character or at least factor in the plot, but it really doesn't.

As for the twists...I found them to be slightly ludicrous, yet fitting in the context of who the characters are, so I can't really fault them too much. The slow pacing and lack of atmosphere and characterization aren't quite as easy to forgive.

After a debut like The Silent Patient, anything and everything else Michaelides writes is inevitably going to be compared to that. That's not really fair to him, but it just is what it is. I have to wonder if that's why he set his two subsequent novels in the same universe (major spoiler for TSP in the epilogue of this book, by the way).

It's clear that Michaelides still has interesting stories to tell, and The Fury is undeniably compelling and unique, even with its flaws. And it's much better than The Maidens, so there's that. Thank you NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

Just finished reading “The Fury” by Alex Michaelides.

The Silent Patient was one of my favourite books so I went into this book with high expectations.

It starts off very slow. I was not sure how I felt about the narrator. As the book progresses I still find it slow and still not liking the narrator.

I found it to be very choppy. I don’t want to give away anything but there are some things that the narrator couldn’t have known but acts like he did.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as “The Silent Patient”

I've had mixed reactions to the author's previous books but was excited to get access to The Fury early! Sadly, this one fell flat for me. I absolutely loved the setting, as the island was so atmospheric, and the story was paced really well. I can't exactly put my finger on what went wrong, but I didn't really connect with any of the characters and kind of hated both the narrator and the narration. The last quarter of the book went completely off the rails and just got kind of messy. I slogged through it to find out what happened, but can't say I really enjoyed it! I will absolutely look forward to whatever the author does next, as I think he's really talented. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

First off thanks to netgalley for providing me an ARC!

So this book really bummed me out..it was boring.. Normally, Alex's books are fantastic.
This book is a group of "friends" who are doing a weekend on an island in Greece.
But it turns into a big show, with murderers, and actors, and an affair.
The narrator is incredibly unlikeable. If it wasn't for me getting this as an ARC, I would have DNF-ed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for this eARC. I really enjoyed this! A quick read and really unique story, The Fury is a fun read! I appreciated the short chapters and the twists were not at all predictable!

After reading The Silent Patient I looked forward to reading The Fury. While the setting on a Greek island was beautiful, it was often difficult to connect with Alex Michaelides’ characters. Elliott, the narrator, was a playwrite who fell in love with Lana Farrah when he first saw her on the big screen. Later introduced to her at a party he became a member of her inner circle. When she discovers a betrayal by her best friend Kate Elliott conspires with her to plan revenge. Inviting a small group to her Greek island for the Easter holiday, someone will not survive.

Elliott takes the reader through the events leading up to the murder with detours to periods of introspection, descriptions of his childhood and the advice he received from his therapist. After reading through events that occurred you learn that it was what Elliott imagined would happen if everything went to plan. This is followed by what really happened according to his observations. Even though he orchestrated the events on the island, Lana had a plan of her own, leading to some unexpected twists. The beginning of The Fury moves at a slow pace. As the wind sweeps across the island and events begin to unfold the tension increases until a murder occurs. While I still consider The Silent Patient my favorite, Michaelides still provides a level of suspense in The Fury that will have me looking forward to his future work. I would like to thank NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing this book or my review.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled to open my email & see I was granted a copy of Alex Michaelides latest book! His writing never disappoints & “The Fury” was no different!

Travel to a private island in Greece with one of the world’s biggest movie stars & see her world fall apart as murder, mystery & mayhem befall her group of friends like in a classic Greek tragedy. Questions will arise, bodies will appear & at times you will be questioning everyone in this cast of characters.

Michaelides’ style of writing is so refreshing to me. His ability to turn his ideas into page-turning thrillers never ceases to amaze me. Another favorite to add to my collection! Counting down until his fourth book hits shelves - I hope sooner rather than later!

Thank you Celadon Books for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: murder mystery, secluded island, unreliable narrator
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Alex Michaelides is one of the Kings of mystery/thrillers and this book didn't disappoint. We have a group of friends on a secluded Greek island and when one of them turns up dead, the group has to figure out who among them is a murderer.
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This kept me engaged on a road trip and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. I really loved all the twists and the unreliable narrator was done really well! An excellent mystery!

📖: The Fury⁣
✍️: Alex Michaelides⁣
⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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I would first like to thank #netgalley @netgalley for letting me read The Fury before its release date which was January 16, 2024

𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱: ⁣
I thought the story flowed well through out the different acts/scenes. The characters- I felt like I really connected with how they were feeling and their emotions when something new happened. And of course I loved the imagery of Greece and the island! Seeing as though I knew from the description there was going to be a murder I was wondering who could possibly be the killer the whole time. So to me it was a fun who done it kind of read! ⁣
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𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀:⁣
I feel like the ending just was just ok. I was hoping for me of something like a jaw dropping ending but when I turned the last page I was left asking if that was it? Not trying to compare his other stories but I loved 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 so much so that’s probably why I was expecting so much. ⁣
⁣
All in all the story was fun to follow along but it won’t be on my top for 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰

While I enjoyed Michaelides' other two books, this one was a miss for me. The narrator is pretty irritating, which isn't necessarily a dealbreaker for me, but I simply did not care for or about him and therefore was not invested in the outcome of the book. The setting was beautiful, and the writing was almost there for me, but overall the characters fell flat and annoyed me more than drew me in.

Everything got really repetitive and heavyhanded, and by the end I was just looking forward to being done. This book was exhausting.

Thank you as always to Netgalley and Caledon Books for an ARC of this book, all thoughts and views are my own.

★★★★★/★★★★★

From the author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens: A Novel, Alex Michaelides ventures into a tale of a modern greek tragedy starring a beloved movie star, Lana Farrar.

We meet a barrage of characters who may or may not be conspiring to murder someone while on a trip to Greece. Could it be Lana's teenage son Leo, her new husband Jason, her longest friend Kate, her personal assistant Agathi, the island's caretaker Nikos, or maybe it is the narrator, Elliott, or perhaps it is Lana herself.

The story is told from Elliott's point of view. He is a self-proclaimed unreliable narrator who identifies himself as Lana's best friend and is hopelessly in love with her. He writes his account as if the story was a play with five distinct acts. He goes back and forth from England where Lana and Elliott now live, to the place of great tragedy, Aura, a cursed greek island, that Lana's first husband bought for her.

The book was fast paced and almost like a romanticized account of a murder. It was not just another murder mystery. I loved how the story was told as if it was a classic greek tragedy. It was perfectly paced with just the right amount of suspense and twists. Super enjoyable read.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5567614713?book_show_action=false

I really enjoyed this book. I liked that Elliot was a narrator and interjected with his own thoughts. I was not expecting the ending so was happy to be surprised with the plot twist. I enjoyed learning about all of the characters and seeing their development, as Elliot gave readers more information.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Title: The Fury

Author: Alex Michaelides

Genre: Thriller

Setting: London, England / Greece

Month Read: January 2024

Book Type: E-Arc

Publication: January 2024

Publisher: Celadon Books

Pages: 320

*Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon books for this E-Arc. It has in no way shaped my review nor have I received compensation or anything else in exchange for my reviews- all views are my own.

TRIGGER WARNING-

Death / Guns / Sex / Language / Drugs / Locked Room Thriller /

"That’s why, these days, I repeatedly force myself to return to my own experience: not are they enjoying themselves? But am I? Not do they like me? But do I like them?"

No Spoiler Summary:

A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder ― from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

Review:

I loved the Silent Patient and I hated The Maidens, and I made a promise to myself that I would give The Fury an honest shot. What could be more in my wheelhouse- Hollywood Stars, a private island in Greece, a "locked-room" thriller, and what should be a shocking, unforseen twist! Sign me up!!!

Well, I told myself if I hated this book I'd probably never read Michaelides again, and I'm saddened to say our short relationship is over.

Our novel is narrated by Elliot Chase, a narcissist, an unreliable narrator, and grade A horrible person. I don't think everyone in the novel is horrible, but I wasn't feeling anything but disdain for this man, and it made his thoughts so hard to get through and I kept hoping the book would end soon so I could escape his constant babbling.

You follow Elliot & friends to a private island in Greece, where you're there to figure out an affair- and between the heightened tensions of the visitors to the island, and the weather (The Fury, itself) you're thrown right in the middle of storms both inside and outside of the estate.

What I've come to find out, to my sadness, is this man (Michaelides) just rips off Agatha Christie, and makes piles of money, and gives us worse endings. The twists aren't twisting, you don't care about anyone the way you do with Christies writing, and it's just watered down and boring. I'm not an Agatha Christie purist or anything either (I LOVED Daisy Darker!), but there's really only so much Agatha Christie fanfiction I can read, and I'm realizing Michaelides' books are exactly that.

Overall, plenty of people like him, and if he's your thing that is wonderful, but it didn't hit for me. If you liked or loved this book I would love to chat!