The 7½ Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Book Review)

I received a free copy of this book, thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, Edelweiss and NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinions on the book.

Oh, I’m just IN LOVE with this cover!

Book Blurb:

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…

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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…

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Tags: Mystery, Crime, Thriller

My Thoughts:

You’ve probably come across tons of reviews about The 7½ Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle, so I’m just going to keep this simple.

If you’re into mind-twisting stuff like the movies Inception and Coherence then hesitate no more, Turton’s debut novel will, without a doubt, fit that criterion snugly.

Each character was distinct, with their own unique quirks. Not everyone was likeable, hell, almost everyone had some not so desirable traits but they were tastefully incorporated into each character.

There was deceit, confusion, mystery, riddles and wondrously life-like characters. If I had to complain about anything, I’d say the repeated pulling of the rug beneath your feet whenever you thought something was the true explanation. You’re left unsure if everything’s over, kind of like there isn’t closure. However, this was a minor quip. The other issue depends on the reader, as in, it may be a little too complex to keep up at times.

What I took away from this book was how easy it is to fall back into engrained habits and that you have to repeatedly go against the current to break the spell.

I, honestly, do not know how Stuart Turton has written this or how many drafts had to be pulled up to get all the ends tied up. I can’t wait to see what other stuff he can come up with in the future!

If you’re still reading this, I’m utterly flattered but what are you still doing here?? Go get the book!
Parental Guidance: 15+
Violence – Gruesome murders, cold-blooded killers, blood
Sex – Some insinuation, nothing explicit
Religion – No
Profanity – Mild

Recommended for:

Those who enjoy a mind-boggling mystery, historical environment, Quantum Leap, Time-travel and Cluedo.

Grab this now on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository | Goodreads

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Meet the Author

Stuart is the author of a high-concept crime novel and lives in London with his amazing wife, and drinks lots of tea.
What else?
When he left university he went travelling for three months and stayed away for five years. Every time his parents asked when he’d be back he told them next week, and meant it.
Stuart is not to be trusted. In the nicest possible way.
He’s got a degree in English and Philosophy, which makes him excellent at arguing and terrible at choosing degrees. Having trained for no particular career, he has dabbled in most of them. He stocked shelves in a Darwin bookshop, taught English in Shanghai, worked for a technology magazine in London, wrote travel articles in Dubai, and now he’s a freelance journalist. None of this was planned, he just kept getting lost on his way to other places.
He likes a chat. He likes books. He likes people who write books and people who read books. He doesn’t know how to write a biography, so should probably stop before we start talking about his dreams or something. It was lovely to meet you, though.
Stuart’s debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was published in 2018 by Bloomsbury.