MYSTERY

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Sourcebooks Landmark. Sept. 2018. 432p. ISBN 9781492657965. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781492657972. THRILLER
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OrangeReviewStarTurton's first novel starts with narrator Aiden Bishop waking in the woods with no memory of how he got there or who he is. He hears a woman's yell for help and thinks he sees her shot to death. Making his way out of the forest, he comes upon Blackheath House, the country manor of the Hardcastle family. There he's identified as Dr. Sebastian Bell, and though his claims of the murder are met with some skepticism by the house party, a search does get underway. No woman is found. Aiden goes through his day confused and scared but finds no answers. The next morning, he discovers he is now in the body of someone else in the household and is reliving the same day as this new person. As he is reincarnated as different guests, he's told by a masked man that he must solve the murder (that will happen that night) of Evelyn Hardcastle, daughter of the house, before he can escape his current circumstances.
VERDICT Turton's debut is skillfully done. He expertly manages the many moving parts of the plot while taking readers ever deeper into the story. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 3/26/18.]
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