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

 

When I imagine Stuart Turton writing this book I picture him consulting a complicated flowchart with arrows pointing in all directions - so he can stay on track with this complex, inventive story.

The premise: Lord and Lady Hardcastle are hosting an extended house party at their crumbling estate, Blackheath House.



There's plenty of food and liquor, nighttime revelry, a men's hunting party, and - the pièce de résistance - a glamorous costume ball. On the night of the gala, the daughter of the house, twentysomething Evelyn Hardcastle, is shot dead at 11:00 P.M., just when the fireworks go off. Aiden Bishop, a guest at the house party, has to discover the identity of the murderer. Sounds simple....but it's not.

*****

As the story opens, Aiden Bishop 'wakes up' in a woodland with no memory of who he is, and the name Anna on his lips. Bishop has seen a woman named Anna being chased by a man intent on killing her, but he isn't able to catch up with them. When Bishop makes his way back to Blackheath House to get help, people address him as 'Sebastian Bell'.....which is very puzzling.

Bishop is soon brought up to speed by a mysterious figure dressed as a plague doctor.



The plague doctor informs Bishop that Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed during the costume party that night, and Bishop has to identify the killer. Bishop will be forced to relive the day of the murder up to eight times, in the bodies of eight different people, unless he fingers the wrongdoer. If Bishop doesn't name the killer by the eighth day the cycle will repeat again and again and again.....ad infinitum.

Moreover, other people are also trying to find the killer, and ONLY one 'sleuth' can 'win.' The first person to name the killer will be permitted to leave Blackheath. The others will be trapped there forever, in a sort of purgatory. Bishop has no memories of himself - or his life - outside Blackheath, but he knows he wants out.

As the story ambles along, Bishop occupies various bodies, including:

A drug-dealing doctor;  



An obese banker; 



A wealthy dilettante; 



A lascivious playboy; 



A disfigured butler;



A dissolute artist; and more.



The story gets even more complicated because Aiden has to spend the equivalent of a full day in each body, and 'jumps hosts' every time he falls asleep. So Bishop might be the banker for few hours, then doze off and become the butler, then zonk out and become the banker again, and so on.....until he's spent the correct amount of time in each body. To add to the drama, there's a murderous footman skulking around, bent on killing each and every host.



As Bishop advances through the eight-day-cycle, minute by minute.....hour by hour.....and day by day, he accumulates clues to the identity of the killer and even tries to change the course of events. Along the way Bishop makes 'allies' - some of whom are true friends and some of whom are dirty backstabbers.

Bishop eventually learns that the current situation at Blackheath has a connection to events that occurred nineteen years ago; that Lord Hardcastle has squandered the family fortune; that there's a vile blackmailer at work; and that things aren't always as they seem.

The plot is cleverly constructed and I enjoyed the book, though the ending is a bit too drawn out (IMO). A few other things bothered me as well:

- It's hard to believe that uppity aristocrats like the Hardcastles would have a house party in a decaying estate that's literally falling apart - with threadbare furnishings; peeling wallpaper; dirt and cobwebs everywhere; a crummy stable; a falling down boathouse; and so on. The snobby British upper-class gossipers would rip them apart.

- Bishop's growing obsession to be the 'hero' to a 'damsel in distress' - no matter her flaws - strikes a wrong note.

- It would have been interesting to see Bishop have at least one female host (just for fun). 😊

These are minor criticisms though, and I strongly recommend the book to mystery fans.



Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Stuart Turton) and the publisher (Sourcebooks Landmark) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars