The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Mystery/Thriller
Rating:
Synopsis
Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.
For fans of Claire North, and Kate Atkinson, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.
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Review
I knew a little bit about The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle before reading it, but the twists and turns in this book still managed to surprise me. This is a book that I think would make a great movie.
In the beginning, you are just as lost as the main character, and he starts to learn the truth, so do you. He has no memories, so you are truly on the same footing as he is, and I found that to be a great way to tell this story.
I don’t want to give too much away of the story, but at its heart, it is a mystery, yes, of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, but also why the main character is there, to begin with. What is his purpose? One of my favorite things about the book is the little things that I hadn’t found in any other books like this I’ve read. For example, the main character takes on the person’s characteristics whose body he is in for the day. I found this extremely interesting, and I also liked that while each character had their strengths, they also had their weaknesses.
Overall, this was a fascinating read. It may have been a tad bit longer than I would have liked, and I would have liked a bit more closure from the ending, but it was extremely engaging!
Purchase Links
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I am glad you enjoyed this one Carolynn. I really enjoyed its complexity also, but I think with his second, and latest historical mystery novel, ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’, Stuart Turton has really raised the bar in terms of characterisation and pacing. It was one of my best books of 2020, so highly recommended.