The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

"I’m a man in purgatory, blind to the sins that chased me here."Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a massive book that will captivate you from the very first page, and then tease you with tidbits of revelations but will refuse to let go of its hold even in your frustration!"Somebody’s going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won’t appear to be a murder so the murderer won’t be caught. Rectify that injustice and I’ll show you the way out."Aiden Bishop is stuck in multiple bodies living the same day over and over again in Blackheath. His only escape is to solve a murder. And he precisely has 8 different days and 8 different hosts to do so. If he fails, the loop repeats. Taking away all his memory.The concept of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is fresh and unique. The story, complex and astonishing. This book has one cracker of a build-up and is one of the best I’ve ever come across. There’s always so much happening to keep you thrilled. The gothic setting and the hint of paranormal adds to the adrenaline rush! The plot is genius and engaging."How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?"Along with the broken pieces of the mystery I loved finding out the personal details, strengths and weaknesses of each of the hosts. Some of the personalities like that of Ravencourt, Rashton stood out while that of Dance and Davies got lost in the hustle.But the revelations are randomly thrown here and there. And to make sense of all the complexity and to connect all the threads is sometimes just overwhelming. Although, everything falls into place at the end and blows you away by the mastery of it all!I loved the book as a whole and will definitely recommend it to people looking for a good mystery or thriller.

As far as intriguing titles go, this one was right up there in this year’s top ten list for me. This book falls under the mystery / crime fiction / historical genre which is like a ‘having your cake and eating it too’ scenario for a reader like me. I am sure that the minimalist cover coupled by this strange name was enough to lure many an inquisitive reader to this book. (You see what I am doing there, inquisitive a.k.a curious! And whose curiosity got them killed? But who also have nine lives to indulge in this particular pass time?) One wondered whether the 'Seven deaths' were a metaphor like the nine lives of our favorite furry animals. As it turns out, the author meant the title literally – as in, the actual deaths of this one poor woman.Although the story is about the death(s) of Evelyn Hardcastle, the actual hero of the book is the poor soul who is trapped in the vicious cycle of living the same day over and over again until he solves her murder. One would think it can’t be that hard a task, until you realize that the memories of the wannabe detective are wiped out completely at the end of the day and he must begin from scratch the next morning i.e. figure out where he is, why he is there and how many hours he has in his hands, thus wasting precious time and opportunity.The plot of this book makes it a novelty in a market of where crime novels are flooded with much the same plot line in book after book. The idea of a day repeating itself and a murder occurring as its inevitable result again and again gives the plot very much like that of the quirky and very funny ‘Groundhog Day’ movie a much more macabre and deadly twist.It is difficult to categorize this book as an unequivocal success for me because of the very thing that makes this book unique. The constant to-ing and fro-ing (which is normally never a problem for me when it occurs over years or months or even weeks) between the characters made it very difficult to keep the timelines of the day in order. When a character makes a time table in the book to get some order out of this chaos, I sincerely wished that the author had printed one out for the readers as well.This may seem a major drawback for this book but, surprisingly, it was not. I thoroughly enjoyed the book with all its confusion and thought the story was really enjoyable. The main character of Aiden was the one most thoroughly rounded up and dissected to the bone and as he appears on almost every page of the book it is hardly a surprise as he is the one the we are most acquainted with. He is certainly a likable man and upright and honest in most of his dealings with others. The character of his partner in crime, Anna, is actually not so clear cut as we never really know for certain what she is thinking, while Aiden spends a lot of time and energy trying to do right by her. On the other hand the different characters attending the party are described in much detail and even when they make short appearances manage to create quite an impression.The ending of the book was slightly unsatisfactory for me and I failed to understand exactly what the author wanted the real world to look like or where the uncertain fates of Aiden and Anna would lead them. However, that may be a story for another day. A must read.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is the most unusual mystery I have read. I have finished it for a first time, but shall soon go back for a second go-around to take in some of the very unusual aspects of the novel. The death referred to is viewed from the perspective of several people, each who contributes to or obfuscates the advancement of the eight days in which the plot develops.It is a fascinating and far from simple telling and will best be read by people who are willing to accept that the basic premise is certainly not at all basic as the novel develops. I am enjoying it greatly but it is not a straightforward read, and it is far more complex than an 'Agatha Christie' novel.

Here is an adjective appropriate for this book: Odious. I hated the setting, every one of the characters, the histrionic tone of the narrative, the boring replay of the story. Picture Groundhog Day without the fun. The one thing the author got right: each chapter was like living in hell. Needless to say, after reading it for seemingly days and days, I was only 30% finished and I decided to seek my own freedom by jumping ahead to the last few chapters. It ends like any derivative Gothic novel and frankly, I couldn’t care less what happened to any of the characters of the story, whether villain, victim or putative hero. Just one question: Can I get my money back for the part I didn’t read?

When the book begins you do not understand anything however it is still gripping. The book is really great the more you get into it the more exiting it becomes. Then why 4 stars? The ending!! it is not awful it is just underwhelming. Good book to get started into mystery, easy enough read, entretaining.

It is not the repitition that got on my nerves, it's boredom that made me put down the book. I felt very much underentertained.

Bets Book I have read in a long time. It is super addictive and interesting a page turner. It took me only two days to finish. I cant really describe the book because doing so would give away to much of the plot. Imagine Agatha Christie murder mystery with a twist.