Martha G
Written on Jul 13, 2020
- ASIN B07CP8YXH3
- Publish Date 2019
- Publish Status Unknown
- Format eBook (Kindle)
- Pages 482
- Language English
Reviews
annieb123
Written on Jun 1, 2019
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a stunning debut novel from Stuart Turton. Released 18th Sept 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark, it's 448 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio formats.
I read a -lot- (roughly 300-400 books per year). I read carefully, but very very rarely re-read modern popular literature. This book has taken me months to review because I have re-read it twice since my first reading. That is unique in my experience.
My two favorite genres are murder mysteries (especially golden age country house murder mysteries) and science fiction. This book got right under my skin and blew me away. On a first read, I was struck by the intricacy of the plotting and the deftness of the dialogue and writing. The tone of the dialogue is simply pitch perfect. It really feels as if it could've been written by Christie, Armstrong, Brand, et. al.
The rules of engagement aren't really spelled out for the reader. I was dropped headlong into the plot and it took a while to get my bearings. There is no hand-holding or spoon fed plot elements. During my first re-reading I figured out what had subconsciously appealed to me the first time around. In some ways, it reminded me of Quantum Leap, one of my favorite TV series. As other reviewers have remarked, there's also an element of Groundhog Day. This book is not derivative of either, but enhanced by some similarities to both.
During my rereads I've noticed subtleties which had escaped me on my first read. I really love the meticulous detail and I'm sure I would notice more things which slipped by me the first time around. The really stunning part of the book is the craftsmanship. This is a very well written book and definitely the best book I read in 2018. I wonder how well it might translate to film, and I hope it's being considered.
Five stars. Beautifully written. I eagerly await the author's future work.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
readingwithwrin
Written on Feb 25, 2019
Aiden Bishop spends 8 days in 8 different bodies and must solve the mystery of who kills Evelyn Hardcastle. The 8 days are filled with a gala party, secrets, and lots of drama. One person dies every single night, and it is up to Aiden to not only figure out who kills her, but why, and how he can stop it.
The plot of this is extremely complex and I’m not going to lie a little confusing at times. Keeping all the characters straight and how they were connected took some rereading of certain pages in order for me to connect things.
“So many memories and secrets, so many burdens. Every life has such weight. I don’t know how anybody carries even one.”
Overall I did really enjoy this story. Aiden was a likable character and I loved how determined he was to not only get himself out of this situation but to also get someone out who he had started to care for. He was very smart in how he got information out of people and connecting the dots as time went on and kept it all straight in his mind for the most part. The last 100 pages are the best part of this book, in my opinion, the rest was all back story that was needed but got a bit tedious for me at times. This probably had a lot more to do with the fact that I kept getting things confused though and wasn’t the book’s fault.
I am interested to read something else by Turton in the future as I hadn’t read something this complex before.
maggiefan
Written on Aug 8, 2018