From the Bookshelf of Drop Everything And Read…

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton

Start date: January 1, 2019

Finish date: January 31, 2019

Discussion: Read

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 182 topics — 2,008 comments total

Read

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Books Read
By Hallie , I'm all about the books · 63 posts · 754 views

last updated Mar 11, 2019 11:49PM

* Bookshelf
By Hallie , I'm all about the books · 28 posts · 39 views

last updated Dec 02, 2018 07:29AM

showing 3 of 3 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Apr 24, 2019 Paul Perry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: male-author, murder, murder-mystery, mystery, fiction, read-in-2019, body-swap, justice, punishment, redemption

I've decided to right a generally spoiler-free review, with individual redactions, rather than mark the whole piece as a spoiler. I hope I've got that balance right and I have piqued the interest of anyone yet to read it without giving much away.

I can definitely see why this won the award for Best First Novel. It is gripping, clever and, on the whole, well written and accomplished. The opening engages us immediately and the interest and tension ramp up from the fist twist of the plot. (view spoi I've decided to right a generally spoiler-free review, with individual redactions, rather than mark the whole piece as a spoiler. I hope I've got that balance right and I have piqued the interest of anyone yet to read it without giving much away.

I can definitely see why this won the award for Best First Novel. It is gripping, clever and, on the whole, well written and accomplished. The opening engages us immediately and the interest and tension ramp up from the fist twist of the plot. (view spoiler)

Turton generally writes the character viewpoint well (view spoiler) as well as the main supporting cast, although with such a large ensemble some are flatter than others. I'm probably giving nothing away if I say it is, to quote Blackadder, as twisty and turny as a twisty-turny thing, and the plotting is excellent; I have to assume the author had a large cork board with multi-hued push pins and threads crisscrossing like an obsessed detective, charting how the plot continues to blossom and tessellate back on itself, with timelines and relationships, clues and misconceptions and trust and betrayal.

I did find my interest flagging a little around the two-third point - and this may have been me, as I'd not been able to do much more than dip in, while it is clearly a book that rewards focus - although may also be a contrast to the Agatha Christie novels that Turton cites as an influence, both in that this is considerable longer than those books, and that ( perfectly reasonably for the story presented ) the tension is it such a high level throughout it does get a little wearing at this point. There's no room for a relaxing aside, or even a false denouement, that might give pause for breath. Again, if I'd been reading in steady hour-plus long sittings, I may have blown past this without it being an issue.

While Christie is the only influence specifically called out by the author in his afterword (or blamed, perhaps), I can see many others. Not just the influences within the British mystery genre - Ngaio Marsh and Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins - but a very specific, non-literary influence. There is a feel of the kind of creepy, imaginative and often disturbing TV I grew up with - partly Twilight Zone repeats, but more the very British versions we had in the seventies and eighties: Doctor Who, of course, but also Tales of the Unexpected and even, for true aficionados, Sapphire and Steel. A feature of these shows - and much other British TV, and speculative fiction, was fairly down-beat, high-tension, realist-but-not-quite drama shot through with a sense of inevitability or predestination. I may be wide of the mark - I quick google shows that Stuart Turton is almost a decade younger than I am - but I definitely got that as a not unwelcome element.

Highly recommended, especially if you like well-plotted mysteries that aren't what they seem. ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2023 Lorraine rated it it was amazing

Stuart Turton blew my mind away with his incredible mystery, ‘The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’. This is possibly the best locked room mystery I’ve ever read. The additional elements of fantasy, science fiction and time travel kept me page bound. I know I was late to the party in reading this phenomenal novel but if you too haven’t picked it up yet… get to it. :)

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2019 Anatl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, mystery, sci-fi

A sort of Cluedo groundhog day, this book had just the right amount of action, mystery and intrigue. The plot was very convoluted and I don't want to give anything away, so I will just conclude this review by stating how much I enjoyed the ride. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2019 Rosemary May rated it liked it

well, it's complicated and Will tie your brain in a knot!
What a Long Strange Trip. Need Paience to Read!
I thought the concept of the book was great but I had a real tough time keeping up with the multiple characters.
Aiden Bishop is tasked with preventing Evelyn Hardcastle from being murdered at 11:00 pm. However, if he fails the day will restart and Evelyn will die again. Aiden must race against the clock and name the killer if, he wishes to escape. As he wakes up in a body of a different guest ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2020 Connie Anne Kikta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-audio-book

I enjoyed the book and it kept my interest. The only problem was there was too many characters to keep track of. The main character was interesting and likable.

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2019 Tanya (Novel Paperbacks) rated it it was amazing

I really, really enjoyed this. I’m not one for a crime/mystery novel usually because it can feel a little bit like I am reading the same story over and over again. But this was one was beautifully written, with very well-developed and distinctive characters and a fascinating plot. It’s your classic Agatha Christie style murder mystery with a paranormal/magical aspect to it, interwoven with questions and pondering about morality, identity and human nature. This is one of the best, most unique sto ...more

Like · see review