The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Lord and Lady Hardcastle are hosting a gathering of friends at their large Georgian manor house to celebrate the return of their daughter Evelyn. At 11:00 p.m. that night, Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered. The day of the murder will repeat for eight days, in which Aiden Bishop has been tasked to discover the identity of the murderer. Each day he fails, he swaps into a new body with no memory of the previous events. Meanwhile, he is being hunted down by psychopathic footman who will stop at nothing to see Aiden fail. Aiden has already been through countless cycles and the next one might be his last.

Stuart Turton’s clever debut bears semblance to the classic murder mystery, but this story is truly unlike any other. With a complex web of characters, complicated more by the time loops in which they navigate, the novel’s plot can be difficult to follow. But careful readers will be unable to resist Turton’s thrilling inventiveness. While the storyline itself is enticing, thought provoking themes including identity and the power of choice pervade the novel. Unpredictable, riveting, and amazingly fun from beginning to end, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a must-read.