The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – Review

Published: September 18, 2018 (US)

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Series: Standalone

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 438 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

The Rules of Blackheath

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let’s begin…

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop 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. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others…

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

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If Edgar Allen Poe and Agatha Christie co-wrote Groundhog Day, this book would be the result. Alternatively, Stuart Turton wrote a book and this actually was the result, which is way cooler. I’ve been super stoked for this book since its UK release earlier this year, which was followed by tons of positive reviews. It’s definitely an odd book and one that takes a bit to wrap your head around, but it really takes off once you understand what’s happening.

Aiden Bishop is tasked with solving the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, in a single day that keeps repeating until he does. The catch is, Aiden will wake up in seven different bodies, each with their own advantages and disadvantages and he must solve the case soon because he has competition…

This is an incredible, mind-bending tale with SO, SO MANY LAYERS, LIKE AN ONION. Aiden doesn’t remember why he’s here, and at first can barely remember who he even is, so the whole story is a bit of a discovery in that regard. Even more interesting is finding out who Anna is – why does he remember her name when he first awakes? The whole book is basically a series of discoveries and revelations, capped off with a gruesome murder at the end of each body’s day. The best thing is, when you think you know who did it, when you’re sooo certain it has to be a certain person, you’re probably wrong. AND, there’s actually a reason for it instead of “just because”. Plus, there’s mystery inside of the mystery!

Because this is a book that should not be spoiled for potential readers, I’ll keep this short and sweet and vague on the details. What fun is the mystery if something is given away? I would highly recommend this book, and autumn is the perfect time for such mysteries. Grab some pumpkin spice everything and settle down for an engaging read. Trust me, if you can get over any initial confusion you may feel, it’ll be worth it!