The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: the million-copy global bestseller (Bloomsbury Publishing)

A man wakes up in a wood, having lost his memory, and witnesses a woman being chased and apparently shot. He finds his way to Blackheath, a stately home where a party with a dark purpose is being held. That evening, the daughter of the house, Evelyn, dies. The next day, he awakes in another body, at the beginning of the same day. A sinister stranger tells him he must solve the mystery of Evelyn's death, and has eight days to do so - the same day, eight times over, each time inhabiting a different guest. If he fails, his memory is wiped and he begins again. To make things more difficult, he has two rivals trying to solve the crime - and only one of them can succeed and escape Blackheath. If that sounds convoluted and strange, that's because it is. It takes a bit of mental effort to get your head around the concept and to follow all the many threads and characters through the different iterations of the day. It's a book that's better read in longer blocks, without too much time in between, otherwise you forget who's who and what's what. It's a compelling book, once you've got into it, so it's not difficult to sit with it for a couple of hours as long as you can spare them. The characters are interesting, although most of the guests are unpleasant (there's a reason for this). It's a dark story, although not entirely bleak. The narrator - eventually revealed to be named Aiden - is likeable and fascinating, even though that grows gradually over time. You want him to solve the mystery and succeed. Although the underlying concept is a complicated, it's also very original and allows for lots of twists and unexpected directions. I couldn't guess the final outcome and the 'murder mystery' itself is fiendishly complicated. All in all, this is an ambitious and original novel that is a cut above the regular crime novel. Whilst the era and setting are classic Agatha Christie, the fantastical element sets it apart and enables some mind bending set pieces. It's absorbing, unexpected and well written. A great book to settle down with when you've got a bit of time and want to get lost in a story!

This fascinating, time travelling, Victorian era murder mystery had me perplexed, intrigued, exhausted and somewhat satisfied. Did I enjoy it? I think I would have to say yes. All the pieces did seem to fall into place in the end, like a good murder mystery should but there were so many pieces, and threads, that I honestly wouldn’t have remembered if many of them had not been addressed by the end. The story revolves around a central character who inhabits the body of 8 different hosts, each reliving the same day, in a Groundhogs Day style type of scenario. He needs to solve a murder that keeps happening each night but other lives are at stake too, including his own. The novel starts in shadow, but as it progresses more and more is revealed, and even the hosts come to understand things with more clarity as time passes on. The story is a very impressive feat and I dread to think the amount of time that would have went into making sure all the pieces fell just right. However, my downfall was that I did not consume this book quick enough. To be fully appreciated I believe it needs to be read over the course of a few days, when all the intricate details are still fresh in the mind. I read it casually, over a number of weeks and kept forgetting bits and pieces so that it would have been impossible for me to have come close to solving the riddles posed by the author (and isn’t that the whole fun with these types of books?). Obviously that is no fault of Turtons and I can fully appreciate the praise that’s been lauded on this novel but I just didn’t get the full value out of it.

Evelyn Hardcastle is going to die tonight. And she'll continue to die seven more times. If you solve the murder you will be freed from the never-ending loop. If you don't solve the murder by the seventh day, if you can't save her, your memory is wiped and you start the day all over again. The catch: You're not always going to be you. Actually, you're you in another body, multiple bodies in fact, at random throughout the day. Don't bother trying to kill one of them to escape, you'll only start again. That's what Aiden's life looks like right now. He has no idea how the day is managing to repeat, how he finds himself inhabiting other bodies and, most importantly, why this is happening to him. All he knows is that he wants to get out of the cycle, so he needs to start piecing the day together using his hosts the best he can. There were a lot of interesting ideas in this book. Aiden isn't a likeable character, he's quite boring actually, but this makes for a unique read because he's heavily influenced by the personality traits or usual pattern of behaviour of the various hosts he inhabits. I really liked this; I also enjoyed how the hosts therefore had the potential to fight back a little - is Aiden really making active decisions, his own choices and piecing together the day or are these involuntary moments destined to play out this way regardless of how he behaves? The concept is incredible, really messes with your head and ultimately was the main reason I continued reading. Despite this, the novel is quite flawed at its core. There is absolutely no point in having a murder mystery novel with one dimensional characters, because you just don't care if they die or not. Not a single one of the characters was compelling to me. Aiden as a protagonist is generally observant which is handy, but, truthfully is a bit of an arse for part of the novel- his constant commentary on aesthetics, particularly his description of one hosts weight is distasteful because it's mentioned so frequently as to become uncomfortable for the reader. Nevertheless, the plot is extremely complex and the author has clearly spent an unfathomable amount of time planning this out; he would have to in order to create something as complicated and intricate as this set up. This results in a steady and complex story line that you really have to pay close attention to. If I'm completely honest, I think you would be hard pressed to actually pick up any bread crumbs Turton is putting down though - this is such a dense narrative that even the slightest mention of something could hold significance, which in reality means that there is far too much to retain to ever have a chance of figuring out "whodunnit". I guess it's personal preference from here as to whether that would be problematic for you. Does the twist actually pay off? Is it worth the multiple hours of your life to reach the finish line? Kind of. I did like the twist, and I had no hope of having guessed it would unfold this way, but I've definitely seen it before (anyone who watches a certain popular Netflix series will also likely find themselves disappointed). Equally, whilst we do find out WHY this loop is happening we never determine HOW the repeating day actually works which was a frustrating way to close the novel. The Seven (or Seven and a Half) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle certainly doesn't fit the usual structure of a mystery thriller and you are quite likely to find yourself surprised by the gradual unfolding of twists. But the bigger question really is: does it even matter if, by the end, you don't care who did it anyway?

Maravillosamente escrito, es un puzzle que hay que ir resolviendo conforme avanza el relato. A veces es algo lioso pero el autor hace breves recapitulaciones de vez en cuando que ayudan a seguir el hilo de la historia. Totalmente inesperado y con unos giros en la trama absolutamente asombrosos. Recomiendo muchísimo su lectura, sobre todo si te gusta el misterio y las distopías.

This was a Christmas gift for my grandson, he was happy to get it, so I guess it is a good book.

This book is one of the best books I ever read. I came upon it by pure chance and I’m so happy I did. From the first page to the last this story is unbelievable and I couldn’t put the book down. It’s so cleverly written and it’s so unpredictable it keeps you on the edge of the seat. I highly recommend reading it.

**no spoilers** What a brilliant concept - whoever called it "Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day" was spot on. You start off without an ounce of understanding of what's going on, just like the hero of the novel, and gradually work your way through a highly complex mystery. Warning: the plot twists might keep you up all night! Kudos to the writer.

Amazing book! It's got the classic feeling of an Agatha Christie's whodunnit, but with an amazingly clever twist. It will leave you at the edge of your seat trying to figure things out. One of the best reads I've had in the last years. 10/10.