The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton
A September day in Blackheath House, and Evelyn Hardcastle's parents are throwing a party. By the end of the night, Evelyn will be murdered - and it's up to Aiden Bishop to solve the case. But here's the twist: Aiden lives this one day over and over again. Every time Evelyn dies, he is too late, and every time midnight strikes, the fateful day begins again. And that's not all: each time the day restarts, Aiden wakes up inside the body of a different guest. The only way to break the loop and escape Blackheath is to solve the murder - can he do it, before he is killed himself?
The best thing about this book was its concept. The idea of a murder mystery being solved in a body-hopping time-loop was what enticed me to read the book in the first place, and is certainly what I will take away having finished it. This can't have been an easy concept to write, and I entered the novel expecting to have my mind mangled, but I have to say Turton did an admirable job of putting it all together. The crazy premise actually really worked, and with each successive loop of the day it got more and more thrilling to read.
The body-hopping element was fascinating. Over the course of the novel, Aiden lives inside the bodies of eight different people - and I loved the way Turton wrote this. His narration always carried an awareness of the character's physical body: there were often comments on how it felt to move, or how he occupied the space. One of Aiden's 'hosts' was a much older man; his bones felt frail, his energy waned quickly, and he was often surprised to notice his own wrinkled hands. Another host was a very large man; he was often hungry, he had a lumbering gait and noticeable bulk. Of course, every book transports its readers into the body of another person, but this really took 'seeing through another's eyes' to another level. Making the alien body a conscious feature of the narration was so interesting to read.
Aiden's hosts each had different minds too. Some were sharp and analytical, some scatty and distracted, others reckless and even vindictive. I've never read a murder mystery where half the detective's challenge is his own mind; it was devilishly tricksy. What made it work, though, was that with every new host, the essence of Aiden Bishop carried over. Each new character retained their memories from the days before, and despite the underlying inclinations of the hosts themselves, Aiden was always the one making the moves. As such, the fragmentary structure was held together by a continuity of character and motive. Very effective.
Then there was the time travel element. Aiden relives the same day eight times in a row - meaning that there are simultaneously eight Aidens in Blackheath House, who at various points encounter one another. Turton makes full use of this premise: he has past and future Aidens leave one another notes, warnings and instructions; he has them meet up and talk about the investigation. As a reader, keeping up with this requires very careful attention to chronology - which events have already happened, and which are yet to? Things Aiden did earlier in the loop are not always earlier in the day, which is fiendish but very fun.
For me, what let this book down was the mystery itself. It was just too complicated. Evelyn's wasn't the only murder (I'd go so far as to call the book a bit of a bloodbath, actually!), and the house was overrun with characters. It was hard keeping track of so many names and relationships, especially when they related differently to each of Aiden's hosts, and when they were lying about their identities - which many were. As a result of this unclarity, some of the twists fell a bit flat, and the logic behind people's actions wasn't always obvious. I'm not averse to a twisty mystery, but in my opinion this book had enough confusion inherent in its structure. Time travel is complex. Shifting the narrator's character eight times is complex too. These elements already fry the reader's brain, so I think Turton needed a tighter murder case. Complexity loses its effectiveness when it tips over into obscurity.
However, despite the unclearness of the plot, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a highly entertaining and thrilling read. The concept was intriguing and well-executed, and the pace was intense throughout. Overall, an exhilarating, chilling, and clever book, which only suffered from being a tad overloaded.
