The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

I need to preface this recap with a warning that this was one of my all time favorite books of 2019, so I have a lot to say. Let's do this dance!

I have been begging every person (including Cook Nerd - first book he's ready since 2001) to read this since the moment I picked it up. I came across this when I was at one of my favorite bookstores in Boston with my mom (shoutout to @brooklinebooksmith and @bethbrooks314), as a staff pick which described it as a "wild ride" and "fun mystery". Wow - I did not know what kind of "fun, wild" ride I was in for.



Synopsis:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle takes place at an enormous and once glamorous estate called Blackheath. It starts when a man wakes up in the woods outside the property with no knowledge of who he is, but is in complete panic. He comes to find out that his name is Sebastian Bell, a "doctor" of sorts (drug dealer), who is at Blackheath Manor to attend a party thrown by the owners and hosts, the Hardcastle family. We quickly learn that the party is taking place on the 17th anniversary of the death of the youngest Hardcastle child, Thomas. If that doesn't sound dark enough, we also learn that the eldest daughter, Evelyn, is going to be murdered later in the evening. The story takes an even crazier turn as we realize that the narrator (later to be identified as Aiden Bishop...seriously, bear with me here), must solve Evelyn's murder before 11pm or else he will wake up the next day in another guest's body and start the whole day over.  (*Takes deep breath to decompress*) Aiden has eight days to take what he learns from each host to solve the mystery, after which he will start over with no memory of anything from the very beginning.

The whole story unravels in a "Ground Hog's Day"/Agatha Christie-style mystery, and starts off at a sprint from page one.

Overview:
I found this book while browsing at @BrooklineBooksmith because it was a staff pick, and to be honest, I loved the cover and purchased accordingly. Let's just say: it is an extremely gripping, thrilling, and unique book. It's a novel that has you on the edge of your seat 90% of the time, and also requires you to be on your toes regularly because attention to detail is extremely important if you want to understand what's going on. Luckily, the suspense is so consuming, that reading thoroughly is easy to do.

Without giving too much away, I need to bring one point to surface that the Cook Nerd brought up.  He mentioned (and I agree- just giving credit), that while we loved the twists and turns throughout the novel, we were underwhelmed with the premise that describes why the story actually takes place. The true brilliance of the book is the mystery and suspense surrounding Blackheath and the characters involved. It was amazing how the author managed to take on so many personalities and the bodies they possess. And of course, the murder mystery was just damn good.

Like I said, this was one of my absolute favorite books of the summer and for that I give it at least a 4.5/5 stars (rounded up on goodreads). If you or someone you know is interested in a riveting mystery that makes you think, this book is perfect. If Cook Nerd is any proof, even the least enthusiastic reader can get pulled in and really enjoy it.