Reviews with content warning for Rape - The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

A novel way of approaching a murder mystery. I liked some of the characters but I think I prefer to really adore the investigator in mysteries. At first I found myself frustrated by the characters that were not astute enough to pick up on clues I felt were obvious. I put together a lot of the big pieces on my own and then the middle of the book seemed to lag behind. I also struggled with the overt ableism and fatphobia and veiled homophobia in one section of the book and graphic imagining into the mind of a rapist in another section. I do appreciate a mystery story that you can solve from the information provided and that the final missing piece is slotted into place at the very end was satisfying. But the other elements plus some heavy handed soap-boxing made it feel simultaneously icky and trite for me overall. This is one of those books that upon completion I think, "Gee, I really wish this had been written by a woman."

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evangelinemurphy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I can’t tell if I loved this book or not

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lefthandlou's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

The book is overwrought. You can hear the machinery behind the plot, the gears and cogs, ticking loudly as they jolt the action and characters along. It’s contrived, pompous, and overlong. It’s clear Turton is deeply enamored of his own prose, a style which only gets in the way of his too-complicated storyline. He doesn’t have a firm handle on his own plot. Maybe if this book were half as long it could have been okay, but as it is, it is an overindulgent, convoluted, and boring mess. None of the characters are likable, and the entire section dedicated to fatphobia was cruel, unnecessary, and awful. I suspect Turton is not a very nice person, a fact which shows through in this book. I ended up just skimming the last 2/3 just to get it over with.

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jessiereads98's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Come for the cool concept. Leave because of the shoddy execution, fatphobia, half-baked commentary on the carceral system, and war criminal apologism.

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ect625's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Weird. Weird, weird, weird.

The concept of the plot is interesting but the execution was really confusing. It would have been better for me if the narrator explained what was going on instead of me stumbling along. There was also an unnecessary plot twist that changed the perspective on everything. If the same murder mystery story was told in a more traditional way, then I probably would have enjoyed it more. Can't wait to talk about it in my book club!

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records. This was the first book I read in 2021, and is what kick started my reading journey having put reading on the back burner whilst bringing up the children, previously being an avid reader. It's a fantastic read, with an interesting concept a group hog day with a murder mystery thrown in. It took a couple of chapters together into the book and understand it. But once ot clicked its great. Someone is murdered at a ball tonight but it won't appear to be a murder so the murderer won't get caught. Rectify that injustice will show you how to get out. Evelyn Hardcastle is killed at the party, she dies several times. Aiden one of the guests tries to solve her murder. The day is repeated over and over, identify the killer and the cycle is broken. A fantastic read.

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