The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

I heard about The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle because Stuart Turton has another mystery coming out this year that is on my book wishlist, and I thought I'd pick up an earlier book by him in the meantime.

The setup to this book is that Evelyn Hardcastle has been (and will be) murdered at 11pm, and the protagonist is living through the perspectives of various people at the manor house where it happens, and is tasked to figure out who is behind the murder. Oh, and there's also somebody trying to kill all of the various hosts he is seeing the world through.

It took me a little bit to get into this, as it's (understandably) a little bit disorienting with a lot of details. There were a number of "how did this weird thing happen" that got answered by "oh that was just ~time loop protagonist shenanigans", but in the end these felt like red herring decorations around other deeper, layered mysteries.

I had to suspend my disbelief a little bit about the meta plot here. Structurally, having the protagonist jump from person to person is a fascinating way tell a story, particularly a mystery. However, the mechanics behind and around this were not quite as satisfying to me as I wanted them to be. These feelings I don't think ruined the book, but in comparison everything else felt so intricately plotted that this didn't quite fit as neatly as I wanted.

Overall, a quite satisfying mystery with a novel hook.

Well this is one of the more fascinating books I've read in a while.

A man wakes up alone in a forest with no memories of who he is, where he is or how he got there. All he can remember is the name "Anna" and the certainty that he just witnessed her murder. Suddenly a menacing figure drops a compass in his pocket and mutters just one word: "East". Not knowing whether to trust this man, after all he is most likely the killer, but with no other information to go on, the man follows instructions and eventually comes upon a large, rundown country estate owned by the Hardcastle family. Knocking on the door he finds that the Hardcastles are throwing a party and he is one of the invited guests. Everyone seems to know him but no one has heard of anyone named Anna. With nothing to go on but a name and an unexpected new friend, he sets about trying to piece together who he is and find out what happened in the woods all while being thwarted by a mysterious enemy known only as The Footman. And then... well then things get interesting.

If you haven't read the synopsis, don't, because they give away a twist that really caught me by surprise in the beginning. Although if you have been spoiled by the summary, don't worry too much, because that is only the very start of an epic murder mystery. There are more twists and turns in this story than I think I've ever seen in the genre. The plot is so intricate, I'm blown away by how Stuart Turton could have possibly crafted it.

And now I'm off to immediately read this one again.

Excuse the comparisons for a moment, but I think they might be the only way to describe this book. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a cross between Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day if they were set during a murder mystery party, only it's not a game. Intrigued yet?

Aidan wakes up with no knowledge of who or where he is. He is in the woods outside Blackheath House, a place he will soon come to loathe. He assumes his memory loss is medical, but the very next day he awakes in a different body, and the day has been reset.

I think perhaps the joy of this book is not knowing too much about it before you start, so I won't go into too much detail. However Aidan learns he has eight hosts and eight days to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. I loved the puzzle and how it slowly fits into place. The footman adds an edge of fear to the proceedings. Just as you think you've got everything worked out, you see it from a different angle.

The characters are lacking a little depth, though arguably to keep it in the style of older murder mysteries. You've got all the stereotypes present, the butler, the artist, the detective, lord of the manor... the list goes on. Not many of them are particularly likeable either, but it doesn't get in the way of enjoying this book.

I did form a theory on what Blackheath was all about and I was happy to be right about that. I was worried it would never be explained (although, of course I am curious about what the world outside Blackheath is like). If you're looking for something a bit different from a murder mystery, you will certainly find it here.