Can Alex Michaelides do wrong?? Here is another amazing story from this amazing author!

"This is a tale of murder.
Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard."

I loved the narration style of this book. It makes me feel like I'm actually part of the story, like I was really there to witness it all. Lots of suspense and twists. It's a story within a story somewhat. Like Michaelides previous books, this one has great characters and great story line. LOVED!!!

Thank you to Celadon for the gifted advanced copy of Alex Michaelades’ latest thriller - THE FURY (Jan 2024). I was so honored to receive a copy as I am a HUGE fan of his previous books THE SILENT PATIENT and THE MAIDENS.

Sadly, this one did not live up to the hype for me. It was an interesting concept and had a few twists and turns, but overall was really slow and did not have enough character development for me. There is a large cast of characters that had contradicting descriptions and also didn’t have great background/history to give context to readers. It was very similar to the movie GLASS ONIONS and the book THE SIREN. Overall, it was a quick read and interesting, but didn’t really live up to his previous works.

This is a tale of murder.


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


And that is how our story begins. As our narrator, Elliot, tells us. The only problem is that Elliot is the least reliable narrator I have ever read! Oh my, he changed his mind so often! But I did forgive him because he was just a perfectly imperfect character.


When he tells us that this is a story like you have never heard, he is correct.
Meet Lana, a former movie star, and still just as famous as she was in her heyday. Although she may seem to have it all, we know that is rarely true, and for Lana, it is a heartbreaking story.


You see, we only have Elliot’s descriptions to go on and he is just not reliable. Lana has invited her small circle of friends to her home on a Greek Island. One that she owns. And someone has an ulterior motive, but who?


A private island. One way off and on. A Furious wind and…a murder!


There were so many really good moments in this book. The author writes in a way that has you flipping the pages, wanting to know the end. But the journey is what is so sweet with this one!


NetGalley/ Celadon Books January 16, 2024

I almost gave up on this book because I did not care for the narration style. The narrator was kind of annoying, but it did get a bit better further into the book. Overall, it was an ok read, but I do not think I will be reading anything more from this author in the future. I did enjoy some of the twists and turns of the "who did it" plot, but it was not super surprising & kind of left me feeling blah.

Alex Michaelides “The Fury” struck me as a combination of cozy mystery and literary novel. There’s much to admire about it and I’m sure many will love it, especially fans of old mystery films like “Laura,” “All About Eve,” and “The Last of Sheila” (screenplay by Stephen Sondheim). While I enjoyed the first half to three-quarters of “The Fury,” ultimately, I found it disappointing.

It’s a murder mystery set in London and on a small, private Greek island. It involves some 7 or 8 characters and is told in the first person by a narrator who is also a major character. During an isolating storm, a murder occurs on the island. Who did it and why is the mystery to be solved by those on the island. To say more about the plot might spoil it, so I won’t.

On the plus side, the settings are well-described, especially the Greek island with its sugar-white beaches and aqua waters, not to mention an ancient ruin. The characters are deeply drawn, and initially interesting and believable. Ms. Michaelides includes a number of observations about life, love, and relationships that may strike chords with many readers.

However, no matter how well-drawn the characters may be, I found none of them likable, much less admirable. Some are objectively dislikable from the very beginning. Others begin the novel as potential “good guys,” but then disappoint. Mostly, they are actors or writers or businesspeople who have enjoyed much success, even glittering careers. All of them are in search of love (and for a variety of reasons, be it loneliness, desire, narcissism, etc.) But what they’ve done, or are doing, to get what they think they need is often appalling, if not downright evil.

And, while there are twists and turns to the story, especially in the final one-third, I found those surprises not very believable. Convoluted? Yes. Byzantine? Certainly. But rooted in actions that make a lot of logical sense? No, not really. That, more than once, the narrator describes an event, only to then immediately say that the event never really happened, further damaged the story’s credibility. If it never really happened, then why am I reading about it?

So, for me, “The Fury” was a mixed bag—some of it good, some of it not-so-good—which is why it’s getting a three-star rating.

My thanks to Net Galley, author Alex Michaelides, and publisher Celadon Books for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

This book was absolutely propelling from the very beginning! The narrator's voice just sucked you into the story. The twists and turns were plentiful and oh how justice did prevail in the end. This is quite different from his other books, but a stand out just the same. Unreliable narrator, murder mysterious on a private island, love triangle, questionable morals....it had all the things!!!! Will highly recommend this book to my friends!

I loved The Silent Patient. I wasn’t a big fan of The Maidens. Nevertheless, I decided to give the author another shot anyways.

The Fury takes place on a private Greek island and ultimately end in a murder. The whole story leaves you wondering whose murder is it?

The story is narrated in first person POV. I didn’t find myself loving the narrators personality. Quite the opposite, actually. I could’ve done without the first person POV altogether, so maybe it’s just my preference. The plot starts out very slowly. I didn’t find it really pick up until the last third of the book. At that point it was hard to put down with all the action finally taking place!

I loved the twist at the end! Talk about being extremely psychological. I don’t even know how authors can come up with some of these things! It really leaves you shocked and wondering.

Overall, if you’re hesitant to pick up this book because you didn’t love The Maidens like me, do it anyways. Was it as good as The Silent Patient? No. But The Fury does provide redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the digital reviewer’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Fury is a thriller full of twists and turns, an unreliable narrator, and a timeline that goes all over the place. But I was compelled to find out what happened and devoured the book in a few hours on an overseas flight.

A former movie star and a group of her friends visit her private Greek island to get some sunshine. There’s a murder. But in order to find out the murderer, The Fury’s narrator Elliot gives us the back story of how they all ended up on the island in the first place. Like a play, this story is told through five acts. The chapters are short, though the pacing ebbs and flows.

None of the characters are particularly likeable, and it’s interesting to have their stories told by Elliot. I had some suspicions right away about who committed the murder, but I certainly didn’t expect the last act to go the way that it did!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Michaelides does it again! Readers follow Elliot and Lana to a remote island in Greece for a weekend away but in typical Alex fashion all is not what it seems. As you journey through the friendship of these characters you begin to trust, distrust, sympathize and yet become so angry with both, you never can pinpoint a villain. If you've been waiting for this book as long as I have you will not be disappointed.

Loved, loved, loved this book. This story had all the things I love in it ...murder mystery, isolated island, deep dive character studies, twist after twist.. I absolutely loved this mystery. I didn't even mind the author breaking the fourth wall.

Alex Michaelides’s “The Silent Patient” kickstarted my love of psychological thrillers. It was a five star read for me, as was “The Maidens”.

As excited as I was, to get my hands on an early copy of “The Fury” it just didn’t deliver the same way his first two books did. In many ways, it felt like a completely different author wrote it.

I didn’t dislike it by any means. It was engaging and I liked how the narrator spoke directly to the reader.

What didn’t work for me was the cast of unlikeable characters, the way the plot meandered, and the fact that I’ve read dozens of thrillers set on an isolated island (many of them this year).

While the writing style was creative, and I usually love an unreliable narrator, this one just left me feeling “meh” by the end.

Still looking forward to his future books and kudos for trying something new, even if it didn’t work for me.

Thanks to NetGally and Celadon books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good read. Slow burn but once you get into it youre really into it. I loved this and am so thankful for the opportunity to read the arc.

I loved this book!! The writing was so different it held my interest all the way through. Is it a murder mystery or a love story, that is for you to decide! I felt like the narrator was talking to me the whole time and I could see the story playing out in my head as I read. Such a fun read!

The Fury tells the story of a famous actress and her tight-knit friend group and how it falls apart on an island in Greece, and I think my favorite part of this story is that it is told by an unreliable narrator who keeps rewriting the story, or at least rewriting parts to reveal truths to be true that we didn't previously know about. Every once in a while, a new part of the story is revealed that opens it up completely. I won't say that the twists and turns in this book truly shocked me, but the tension is enough to make this an enjoyable read. I found the writing style interesting, although a little grating at times, and had a good time reading about Lana and Elliott and what happened on the island. I would recommend this book to those who like slow-burn thrillers, because this one is certainly a slow burn.

Thank you so much Celadon books for the ARC!

I absolutely FLEW through this one! I did half on audio and half on the print copy and could not stop reading! The chapters are so short and bingeable!

I loved the writing style as it kept me on my toes the whole time!

I didn't see the ending coming a mile away and the more I think through the LAYERS AND LAYERS of the plot and twists, the more clever it becomes!

The audiobook's narration was also so well done and Alex Jennings was the perfect choice and exactly how Elliot Chase (the main character) would have sounded in my head.

I've read all three of Michaelides' thrillers now and this one is my favorite of the three! I just can't get over how clever it was!

This will be available for purchase on January 16th!

4.5 rounded up!

Delving into this book was a slow burn, but once I was immersed, the storyline had a magnetic quality. The twists and turns added a thrilling dimension, though the ending, while decent, left me yearning for a tad more excitement. Overall, a good read that captivates despite its measured pace.

I really enjoyed THE FURY. The POV was really interesting and unique--I loved how the perspective kept being rewritten. My favorite part was the intro/prologue -- it was well-done and set the tone for the whole book.

I suppose I was a bit disappointed, as Michaelides' THE SILENT PATIENT is one of my favorite thrillers, so I kept waiting for a huge twist or surprise. There *were* twists but nothing much beyond what I had imagined. So, it's hard to evaluate THE FURY, to separate the book from my expectations. For a thriller, it was strong. I suppose my expectations were just really high.

I do think there were some lovely moments of prose, and I appreciated what he did with the mutating POVs. He also does a fantastic job of creating a unique mood for the book. But I wish there had been a further twist.

Highly recommended, though. Well done and enjoyable.

The Fury is Alex Michaelides third novel in which a cast of characters retreat to a private Greek island where someone is murdered. The Fury is The Glass Onion meets Gone Girl meets And Then There Were None.

The Fury is narrated by Elliot Chase. He speaks directly to the reader as he recounts this twisted tale of murder and, more importantly, deceit. Michealides hits the nail on the head with Elliot as the narrator. I felt empathy, pity, and irritation towards him throughout the novel. As he peels back the layers of the mystery, readers quickly realize there’s more to the story than he’s telling.

Almost every character on the island is a genuine suspect, which created an eerie atmosphere of distrust. The island itself and the weather feel like characters as the island isolates them and the volatile weather ramps up tension.

The Fury’s plot is truly an onion as Elliot peels back the layers of the story slowly. Just when I thought I had a handle on the events of the story, Elliot would reveal something previously held back that changed the entire narrative. It was fascinating watching the story unfold.

Overall, The Fury was a fascinating mystery that kept me turning the pages until the wild ending I did not see coming.

Alex Michaelides has done it again, writing another unexpected murder story with another unexpected twisty ending. The Fury reminded me of Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone. The narrator, Elliot, is speaking directly to the reading audience, saying he is going for complete honesty, all the while misleading or omitting key points to the plot. The story is a puzzle that you can only get the entire clear picture of when the last piece has been put in place.

The Fury has a more playful vibe than his previous two novels, but it is not a comedy. There are psychological mind games going on and since the story is told from Elliot's perspective, you have no choice but to follow where his narrative takes you. I found this novel quite inventive but thoroughly enjoyable and I'm curious to see how others receive this last book from Alex Michaelides.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked from the first page and I was shocked by the ending.
I never expected it.

I will now look into reading more books by Alex Michaelides.

Thanks Net Galley for introducing me to a new author.