The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton

Reading a good book is sort of like being addicted, only with less bad consequences. From the first line, all I wanted to do was be in this story and finish this novel. When I wasn’t reading The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I was spending my entire day thinking about Evelyn Hardcastle and when I’d be able to read it again. I would sneak away to read a line or two if I could escape my family for half a second. And I happily ignored my own health as finishing this book was far more important than eating or sleeping.

This mystery novel is sort of a hybrid of Agatha Christie plus Quantum Leap.  We’re thrown in in the middle of the book, disoriented, with no knowledge or understanding of what’s happening, yelling someone’s name, and seeing a woman pursued through the woods. As the story develops we learn more about our situation, but there are still mysteries upon mysteries. We’re in a dilapidated and semi-refurbished house that has seen better days, and have been trapped in a loop—at the end of the night Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered. We will live this day through the perspective of different guests until we solve the murder. And, as is to be expected in a tale heavily influenced by the classics of British murder mysteries, every guest here has secrets upon secrets.

Along with the murder mystery, we find other stories that need to be unraveled, such as our own identity, how and why we became trapped in this tale, and what is outside of this day and this mystery. All of these answers are dripped out little by little, as the story unrolls and untangles with constant twists and turns. And while the final answer to the main mystery is one that might be a classic solution for a Christie novel, I never saw it coming. It might partly be because I inhaled this book so quickly I barely had time to think, but almost all of the twists and turns came as a surprise to me and the book thrilled me throughout.

This delightful novel was definitely one of the best books I read all year, and among the most creative. It appealed to all of my nerdy interests, from murder mysteries to time travel. It was a ton of fun all the way through.