Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is like the old tv program Quantum Leap mixed with the movie Groundhog Day and an Agatha Christie novel. The author does mention Quantum Leap and Agatha Christie as influences at the end of the book.

For me, the book started out great, then slowed down for a while before picking up again. I had a really hard time during the slow part. In fact, I put it aside for a little while. But, once it picked up it really took off.

I thought the author did a great job with characterization. Aiden Bishop was jumping from body to body with a total of 8 possible hosts while trying repeatedly to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. The author managed to stay true to Aiden while dealing with the influences each host exerted on him - a growing influence with each jump.

Anna was another major character who was consistent in each of his jumps. She was interesting in that it was hard to determine if she was an ally or enemy. And while Aiden had one set of rules determining much of his efforts, Anna had a slightly different set. I would have liked to know Anna's rules sooner. The footman and the plague doctor are consistent like Anna but seem more aware of what's going on.

There were surprises and red herrings and twists to the plot. The 8 host characters were varied and not all nice. It was interesting to see how Aiden made each host's traits work for him. The ultimate ending was a surprise to me if a bit deus ex machina. It was still a satisfying ending.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's mostly well-plotted except for that pesky slow part. Characterization is great. And it's an original blend of mystery and science fiction. I would recommend it for lovers of both mystery and science fiction.



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