Alex Michaelides delivers another great story with The Fury but barely missed being near perfect like The Silent Patient. From the Greek island setting to the narration to the characters, Michaelides crafts a fascinating and nail biting thriller that is a must read!!

The Fury still has me reeling and thinking about the ending. It is a mix of a mystery and Greek tragedy. I also felt like the narrator in this book was very similar to Joe in the You book and series. I enjoyed this book and the twist. I think this book will resonate with You fans and fans of whodunit books. Thank you to Alex Michaelides and Celadon books for allowing me to read this ARC.

Elliot Chase is a successful playwright: he takes his life experiences and makes it into art. So, when he witnesses a murder, what better way to cope than to make a play leading up to this pièce-de-résistance?

Told in five acts, THE FURY unravels what happens when celebrities behave badly. Unputdownable, mysterious, and fast-paced, this might be Alex Michaelides' best work yet. That being said, there are some things to know before I would encourage you to pick up this book.

The Fury is written as if the narrator has sat the reader down in a bar and is regaling you with a story over some drinks. Thus, Elliot's story does not unravel seamlessly but rather as if someone is telling you a story and they have to keep reminding themselves to stay on track.

Although entertaining and to the likes of something I've never seen before, this method of exposition/storytelling was a double-edged sword. While I can appreciate this bold choice of writing style and even acknowledge that it accomplishes what it seeks to do, there were times when --had I actually been sitting down with Elliot-- I would have rushed along his story or threatened to leave if he didn't get back on track.

In other words: the story dragged at times.

Act I was by far my least favorite and the most bogged down in introducing the reader to its set of characters. The plot truly starts to pick up by ACT III, but then I felt lost in the weeds by Act IV. Mind you, however, that I read this book in one sitting. So even though Act I was "meh", it nevertheless kept me hooked enough to refuse to put the book down.

The only other issue I had with Elliot's narration is how, when the twist is finally revealed, parts of his story collapses in on itself and onto the plotholes it was sitting on top of. Once again, had this story been told to me over drinks, this is when I would have stopped Elliot and been like, "but you said 'x, y, z' earlier, and this entirely contradicts what you're saying now. Plus, how would you feasibly know this?"

Even though you know Elliot is an unreliable narrator within pages of Act I, you have to keep in mind that this "play" is entirely limited to his perspective and what he sees/thinks happens. So, to put simply, as strong and unpredictable as the ending is (and even despite Elliot's story-telling), it doesn't make sense.

Keeping in mind all that I just told you, you've probably figured out that this is a play cast with entirely unlikeable players.

There are four major characters to know, but a bunch of side characters that can get confusing to keep track of, only because they're there for the clear purpose of adding mystery to the plot.

Because I wish I had known before starting the book, of the four main characters, there are:
⋆｡°✩ Lana: a famous, retired actress, whom everyone appears to be in love with.
⋆｡°✩ Kate: a less-famous theater-star, who might be bitter about having lived in Lana's shadow for the past 10 years.
⋆｡°✩ Jason, Lana's second husband, who has a bit of a temper and perhaps too-eager eyes for Kate.
⋆｡°✩ Elliot, who is the friend to all, standing by watching (and transcribing) as this all happens.

Then, the side characters are:
⋆｡°✩ Nikos: the reclusive groundskeeper of the island, who might just be in love with Lana.
⋆｡°✩ Agathi: Lana's housemaid/chef/confidante, who refuses to leave her side.
⋆｡°✩ Bibos(?): a Greek man who helps usher the celebrities to and from the island.
⋆｡°✩ Leo: Lana's 17-year-old kid.

With these characters, Elliot repeatedly tells you the first lesson to know when writing a play, which is that characters are "plot" and are supposed to have motivation (or something along those lines). However, it alarmed me how little characterization/motivation was given to the characters, despite this "rule" being repeated over and over again. Something, of course, I found somewhat frustrating as the novel went on.

That all being said, I still truly enjoyed this novel and I extend my deepest thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would encourage the average reader to pick this up, particularly one looking to get out of a reading slump or for someone who is a fan of If We Were Villains.

In Alex Michaelides's book, The Fury, the narrator's sketchy vibes make you second-guess what's real. It doesn't quite match The Silent Patient- not even close in the skilled writing. The plot's alright—murder on a Greek island, suspects in the mix. This book could have been so much more. None of the characters are likeable. Starts strong, but the middle drags. This book feels amateurish compared to the "Silent Patient".

I loved The Silent Patient so I couldn't wait to read The Fury. While the plot was interesting (I love a secluded setting slow burn with an unreliable narrator) and the characters were engaging (cunning, naïve, mercenary), the pacing and writing style felt odd to me and kept me from fully enjoying the book. The back and forth timelines and way key details were given to the reader were confusing and at times clunky.

Despite not being my favorite of his novels, I did find The Fury IS to a fast paced, engaging thriller that kept me reading to the end.

I love how different all of these author’s books have been, I never know what to expect when going into one. This one falls in the middle for me after Silent Patient. Short chapters made it a quick read even though not a lot is happening the first half. The second half tho is a lot fun. 😈
3.5 rounding up for GR.

This book is entirely different from the authors other books. You can tell the author took a chance on thinking outside the box and doing something unique and different, and in the end it paid off.

The story is set on an isolated Greek Island, known to the locals as being haunted and “bad luck”.. to the point essentially everybody local refused to step foot on the island to work there.

A retired movie star owns the island and has invited a group of her theatre friends to join her on an island getaway. The story is narrated by Elliot, an incredibly unreliable narrator who consistently breaks the 4th wall and talks to the reader directly. He is entirely all over the place and goes back and forth from past to present, telling his tale of the murder that happens on the island. But in his words he is not looking to tell an Agatha Christie like “whodunnit”, he is more so looking to cover the how and the why.

It takes a while to get into the action of it all with lots of side notes and rambling from said narrator, but when we get to the juicy bits in the second part there is lots of drama and action as everything comes together in the end. If you like a slow start that finishes with a big bang you will enjoy the format of this book.

I would describe this book as being a unique experience that some readers will absolutely love and others may dislike giving great material for reading group discussions and debates.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for an opportunity to read and review this book!

Since I loved Alex’s last two books, I was so excited when I found this book in my mailbox! It definitely did not disappoint and is one of my favorite thrillers of the year. This story is unlike any other I’ve read; told by our narrator in a very conversational prose in five acts (since he is a playwright, of course), you really feel immersed into his world. It was super binge-able , and I never wanted to put it down! Definitely add this one to your 2024 TBR. A quick note on the audio: the narrator has the best voice omg 👌🏻

Read this if you like:
🧿 lifestyles of the rich and famous
🧿 unique storytelling
🧿 unreliable narrators
🧿 psychological thrillers
🧿 crazy twists

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Michaelides’ third novel was a study in character; multiple characters, but a character study, nonetheless. This book was a slow burn, whodunnit – even though it claims not to be a whodunnit. Elliot Chase, our narrator, details the events leading up to, and after, the murder of a famous movie star. Throughout the story, Elliot goes back and forth, sharing new pieces of information that eventually lead you to the finale of whodunnit.
I will say, the twist was not very “twisty” to me… I don’t read many thrillers and was expecting to have a shock at the end, when I really was just like, “Oh! Yeah, I could see it”. So, the thrill was not much there for me. However, what I do really like about this author, is that he does a good character study of all in the book; he considers their past experiences and how they shape the character’s thoughts and decisions. The narrator, an author, states that every character needs motivation to become three-dimensional. I will note that Micaelides does this well with his characters in this novel.
My only last thoughts are that I feel Michaelides had a crafty way of boosting own… ego… I guess is the right word… by using an author as his main narrator and boasting of his wits and charms through the character. It could also just be that is the character’s own personality… as I see that fitting with the ending.

Content Warning: death, guns violence, infidelity, discussion about, and current mental state portrayed, due to childhood trauma, mention of past childhood sexual abuse, mention of child exploitation, narcissism, emotional abuse, murder.


Would I Recommend: I would recommend to those who like a psychological character study.

2.5 Stars rounded up!

I squealed when this arrived on my NetGalley shelf! I stopped everything and read this in a day and wow it did not disappoint! I loved the way that the book is set up. It is delivered in 5 Acts and the chapters were short, the delivery is just fantastic! The characters are addictive, and I just wanted to keep reading. I love that the majority of the story is told in first person with an unreliable narrator. I won' t give away too much because I sure enjoyed going in blind. This is a MUST read! I will be adding a physical copy to my shelf! 5 star! Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Wow! Just wow!

There are those books that you read just to pass the time. And there are books like these - books that make you think about them, while you're at work, at the dry cleaners, doing your holiday shopping. This is one of the books from the second category. It got me from the first work. The way we are introduced to their worlds, the way we get to know these characters. It's like we are there with them! Alex Michaelides has outdone himself. I will not spoil anything but I will say one thing. This is a MUST Read.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC. The opinion stated is solely my own.

“The Fury” by Alex Michaelides is an impossible to put down psychological thriller, and no one writes them better than Alex Michaelides! With many fascinating characters, the story is told by a quirky and unreliable narrator. We find ourselves on a privately owned Greek Island with an ex-movie star and her family and closest friends for a weekend gathering. Hidden secrets, resentments, love and a murder will have you speeding through every chapter. I read the book in 2 days and was surprised at some of the twists at the end. For fans of psychological thrillers that have glamour and mythological intrigue, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Alex Michaelides and when I read the synopsis for this book, I was already hooked. An ex-movie star with her friends on a haunted (according to the locals) Greek island during Easter weekend?? Sign me up.

The Fury starts at the very beginning, with the narrator explaining themselves and how they have collected the information about the murder in their journals. It starts off slower than I typically like, with chapter long introductions of the FMC Lana and her friends. It’s well worth the mini info-dump as it picks up and everyone meets on Lana’s private Greek island. Soon after their arrival is when we dive into the mystery of all the people who were invited and what truly unfolded during the storm.

We’re promised a story about love and tragedy by the narrator, and he delivers both. Keep a close eye on his foreshadowing - there is an intense amount. With multiple flashbacks it is easiest to follow along if you read each section at a time. The twists and turns of the story had me constantly second guessing myself as to what was the truth. Each flashback had me believing a new truth and assuring myself that it was the correct one. The biggest truth however is that Lana deserved better friends and a more peaceful retirement.




Thank you for the opportunity of receiving an ARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

It’s definitely a credit to Alex Michaelides’s writing that I spent the whole book in suspense… sure that I couldn’t trust his characters to tell me the truth, but unsure where the story was going to take me. However, there was never a moment where I really felt emotionally invested in any of the characters which lessened the impact of each twist and turn for me. That being said, The Fury is still an inventive, suspenseful read.

Loved! Found the story and characters addictive. The plot was engrossing and the perfect balance of past and present. Ending was a good twist. Overall, really enjoyed this fast paced, page turning thriller.

Hmm I really wanted to like this and I did I just didn’t like the writing style of breaking the fourth wall. I liked how it was in the authors first two books a bit more but this book wasn’t bad at all I just liked the silent patient a bit more. I will say the cover art is gorgeous btw I love it

This was an exciting read! I blazed through it needing to know what was around every turn. I loved the narrator. He was the best part about the book, and I caught myself enjoying the unreliability of it all, which normally I don’t. He slowly buried little kernels of fear and doubt in my mind while also making me feel like a dear confidant. An exciting who done it with a shocking twist I couldn’t see from a mile away. An expertly crafted mystery.

Perfect for Fans of She Started It by: Sian Gilbert, and The Guest List by: Lucy Foley

Thank you Celadon books for the ARC! (I received a hard copy of the book about a week ago and read it then.)

And NetGalley!

I started reading this almost immediately when I got approved for the ARC, but man I was disappointed. The tone of this story is so irritating, it's like it was written by that kid who used to ask the teacher complicated questions to sound smart and waste everybody's time. Every female character was a shell of a person while the men were complex.

Nope!

When the unreliable narrator tells you he’s unreliable and then keeps telling you, you start to question what parts of his story are true. And perhaps that’s exactly what Alex Michaelides had in mind when he wrote this book.

I don’t know how any author could follow a debut like The Silent Patient; one of the twistiest psychological thrillers and one that sets a standard for the genre. Unfortunately, The Fury doesn’t quite deliver on it’s potential. There’s lots of promise in the plot: the murder of a famous actress on an isolated Greek island with a handful of suspects. Told in five acts, the pace of the beginning is not sustained throughout the book and the middle drags a bit. It picks up again in the last act and epilogue resulting in an overload of reveals and redirections. Like Michaelides’s previous novels, I was questioning myself at the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Special thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy to read and review!

Easter weekend. A reclusive ex-movie star invites her dearest and closest to her private Greek island in the Mediterranean. As the winds howl and tempers flair, someone ends up dead. And now there’s a murderer on the loose.

In his third novel, Michaelides returns to his roots with Agatha Christie references, first person narrative (which I think will make for an excellent audiobook -- especially with Alex Jennings narrating!), and short propulsive chapters that hook you in and never let you go. As a result, I did have a high need to know which kept me turning pages. This novel fell somewhere between THE SILENT PATIENT (which I LOVED) and THE MAIDENS for me, which made for an enjoyable and fast read.

The best part of the novel (in my opinion), was the setting. I loved visiting a remote Greek island in the Mediterranean, and would highly recommend reading it outside on a windy night for a 10/10 atmospheric experience. I’m also now regularly checking flights to Athens with a huge desire to explore that part of the world.

I’d recommend this one if you enjoyed his previous novels, are a big Agatha Christie fan, or a lover of the unreliable narrator.

CW: gun violence, murder, addiction, alcoholism