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BOOK INFO
Title: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Author: Stuart Turton
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publish Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Series: na
My Rating: 3/5
BOOK BLURB
A murder mystery novel inspired by Agatha Christie with a dash of Groundhog Day and a hint of Quantum Leap and Downton Abbey.
Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he 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 at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

MY REVIEW
A repeating day. Aiden wakes up in a different body everyday, but the result is always the same… Evelyn Hardcastle dies. The only way for Aiden to get free of the repeating day is to solve the mystery behind Evelyn’s death.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a murder mystery, but with a dash of science fiction and a smidgen of historical fiction. The repeating day and body hopping is very sci-fi, the setting and characters read like a period piece, and the atmosphere has a very Gothic feel.
Aiden is in a different body each day, but the story isn’t told in a linear fashion. The body hopping combined with time hopping made for a confusing read. Some of the bodies Aiden inhabits are very similar to one another, and I had trouble keeping up with which guy he was each day. I realize the hopping around adds to the story and makes it more complex. After all, Aiden himself is confused about what is going on. In that respect, it is like you’re in the mind of Aiden and his perplexing situation.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is clever and complex, but confusing. A unique and imaginative debut novel.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Books by Stuart Turton:
- The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
- The Devil and the Dark Water
- The Last Murder at the End of the World
Terrific review, Darinda! I’m reading this soon. Looking forward to the clever and complex!
Thanks, Jennifer! Hope you enjoy it!