Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What I liked: 

The characters the story the plot everything.  I love everything about the premise and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.  It's no wonder there was such a back log for it on Libby.

What I loved:

The setting, the changing points of view, the beginning, middle and the end! Everything!  I love me a run down old house in the middle of no where.  I love me a room of full of people who know each other and hate each other but having to work together.  I love a story where a character is reliving the same day at different angles.  I played Shadow of Destiny and enjoyed every bleeding minute of it.

What I would have changed?

Well there are some very specific places I would have changed what happened.  For one, I know they needed to save The Butler (who is never named) from the footman, but couldn't he figure out a way to do that without beating the man half to death and rendering two of hosts helpless until the end of the day?  

I grant that it was helpful for The Butler to be in the right place to save Anna at the end of story.  But I can't help but think that the Butler could have been put to much better use moving around the house, and talking to the people behind the scenes.  As demonstrated in the Blanch White series, the help has their pulse on everything going on in the house.  Who knows how much faster Aiden and Lucy could have reached a conclusion had the Butler not been so violently incapacitated.  

Second, leaving Derby just standing out in a field after everything that happened until footman found him?  That was a little off to me.  It was already established that the boy was ADD and the best should have smoking.  But why leave him just dumb struck a field to be murdered by surprise?  Even if he was in shock, later the detective could have called him as back up.  He'd have come eagerly.  Then when the footman got the jump on them Derby would have been there and he would have had a fighting chance.

But other than those two situations I am perfectly happy with this book.  I read in twice already, back to back.  Not just a good read, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a GREAT read!

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