"We reveal more of ourselves in the lies we tell than we do when we try to tell the truth."
~Dorothy Salisbury Davis
In "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle," Stuart Turton weaves an intricate plot, complete with characters and stories that are wrapped up in their own lies and tied with neat red bows that may or may not be blood-splattered.
Our narrator wakes up in the forest outside a mansion known as Blackheath. He has no recollection, other than a single word on his lips: "Anna." After chasing down a fleeing woman who he believes is Anna, only to hear a gunshot and lose track of her, he meets the first mysterious character; a man who drops a compass in our narrator's pocket with one word. "East."
The narrator follows the compass East and stumbles upon Blackheath, which offers little to none in helping him recall his memory, but does introduce him to the rest of the cast. Through talking with different characters, he realizes he is Sebastian Bell, but Bell houses a terrible secret, one that Blackheath will not allow him to escape with.
After waking up the next morning, our narrator is equally as confused. He is no longer Sebastian Bell, but is the butler who met him at the door the previous night, Roger Collins, who will be severely beaten when the two meet. We discover, along with the narrator, that he is reliving the same day in a different body, a different host. His real name? Aiden Bishop. Why is he here? Only he can answer that... well, only he and the Plague Doctor who seems to know more than anybody involved.
The Plague Doctor gives Aiden a mission. Find out who kills Evelyn Hardcastle at the ball tonight. He has eight days and eight hosts to find the killer and bring them to justice...or, to the Plague Doctor. Aiden, who is slowly losing himself with every new host he inhabits, works diligently to set up all the pieces in this odd game in order to win his freedom from Blackheath.
I have been eyeing this book ever since I read the synopsis, and with my first paycheck from a new job, I treated myself. I will never regret this purchase. I adore the movie "Clue" and this book has such the aesthetic of the movie, with a murder mystery to solve and nobody knowing who is telling the truth and who is lying to save their skin. I devoured it when I opened it and, with every turn of the page, I felt the mystery deepen more and more.
For Turton's debut novel, "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" is a fast-paced yet slow-burn of a story that will leave you gasping in suspense, jumping at every crack of thunder and wondering if you can truly even trust the narrator himself, despite everything you two go through together.
I found myself diving into a story with both feet and no bottom to the pool. I loved everything about this book. I ranted to my boyfriend about it upon finishing it, solely because I did not want to forget a single thing. Yet, I would give anything to be able to reread it for the first time already.
Definitely best read during a thunderstorm or a "dark and stormy night" with a cup of tea in front of a fire. Turton is going to give Christie and Conan Doyle a run for their money if he keeps it up.
Favorite Quotes
"A clock drums up its courage and ticks." (Pg. 25)
"These are pieces in a game neither of us knows how to play." (Pg. 65)
"Flip over the chessboard. Change this moment. Prove yourself unique." (Pg. 105)
"Life doesn't always leave you a choice in how you live it." (Pg. 129)
"Nothing like a mask to reveal somebody's true nature." (Pg. 140)
"Maybe the future isn't a promise we can break." (Pg. 161)
"Call it a healthy skepticism of any wisdom delivered through a mask." (Pg. 255)
"I can only imagine how it must feel to be so preoccupied by the future that you're blindsided by the present." (Pg. 278)
"These masks we wear betray us. They reveal us." (Pg. 294)
"We are never more ourselves than when we think people aren't watching." (Pg. 294)
"Don't measure me by how tightly I cling to my goodness, measure me by what I'm willing to sacrifice that you may cling to yours." (Pg. 295)
"If this isn't hell, the devil is surely taking notes." (Pg. 325)
"There's a wariness to him now, the sense of a man unpacking a trunk filled with sharp objects." (Pg. 331)
"I'm not going to let the truth stay buried any longer. It's done enough damage already." (Pg. 333)
"Too little information and you're blind, too much and you're blinded." (Pg. 402)
Check Out Next:
Looking for an old Hollywood meets generation-old secret? Check out "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Want a scary story that shows just want the human race is capable of when trapped together for days on end? Read Stephen King's "The Shining" and the sequel, "Doctor Sleep."
Would you sell your soul in order to live the life you want? What if there was a catch and nobody remembered you after looking away from you? Addie LaRue did just that at a magnificent price. Check out "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V. E. Schwab for a timeless love story involving a forgettable girl and the boy who never forgot.
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