For fans of murder mysteries, speculative fiction, and science fiction, try this one on for size: debut novel The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Our protagonist wakes up the middle of the woods on an estate called Blackheath, not remembering who he is or how he got there. It turns out that he isn’t even in his own body – he is reliving the same day over and over (á la Groundhog Day), except in different host bodies. His mission is to find out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, a wealthy heiress. Aiden must relive the day over and over in eight different people’s bodies, interrogating suspects, finding clues, and outwitting the mysterious, vicious Footman.
I have written in other reviews that I love books that take something normal and twist it so that you look at it from a different angle. Here, the subject is an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery. For a debut novel, Turton was supremely creative and ambitious in the execution of his mystery, which I greatly admire. The rules of the world are well-defined, and even with the time travel element, all of the plot threads make sense and tie up together neatly in the end. Unfortunately, due to the shifting nature of the plot and the viewpoint character (Aiden’s personality is affected by that of his hosts), you never get to really know any of the characters. But when you’re having this much fun navigating the mystery from so many different angles, it is hard to care. The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an astonishing debut with only a few missteps – those looking for a mystery that pushes boundaries and doesn’t play it safe should try this one out.
Review by Shannon Wood
Adult Services Librarian
Nordonia Hills Branch Library
