The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is the best book I’ve read in a long time. I truly believe the best way to experience this book is to know absolutely nothing about it. It will be absolutely worth it to process the events alongside the narrator. So, if you want the best experience with this story, stop reading this review and go read the book instead. For those of you that want some more information, I will attempt to elaborate on the book’s merits with minimal spoilers.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an intricate and masterfully crafted whodunit. The most common issue that I encounter in mystery novels is hand-holding. Often, the author seems to feel they need to re-iterate clues in increasingly explicit terms. There is no level of trust in the reader’s intelligence or ability to understand the significance of subtle hints. This book did not have that problem. While the plot is sophisticated, the author does not use the opportunity to beat the reader over the head with every significant moment. It is so refreshing to read a book where the author respects the reader’s ability to solve the mystery without the author needing to spell it out one letter at a time.
That being said, the mystery here is complex and not one that I was able to solve before the end. However, it was clear that I did have all of the clues I needed and that I should have been able to solve it. The resolution to the mystery was satisfying in so many different ways - it was a significantly complex but still solvable mystery, with neither a needlessly happy nor depressing ending.
Spoilers Below
THE RULES OF BLACKHEATH
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 pm.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let’s begin…
The excerpt above is from the back cover of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. The back cover also compares this book to a mix between Agatha Christie and Groundhog Day. The premise of a day that repeats could easily get repetitive and tedious, but because this book rotates perspective with each new day, the reader isn’t exhausted by the repetition of the same sequence of events.
The characters also have a surprising amount of depth given the fact that a significant number of them are inhabited by a singular narrator. The author does a phenomenal job in blending the individual personalities of the narrator and each individual host. In addition, the female characters have legitimate agency and function as more than set-dressing.
As the main narrative unfolds, the narrator uncovers a number of secondary mysteries, resulting in an increasingly compelling narrative. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a remarkable book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story, regardless of genre. However, this book will be especially appreciated by fans of the classic whodunit. Although, with the extensive cast of suspects, interwoven timelines, and additional mysteries, you’ll need to keep a notebook handy if you want to stand a chance of solving it yourself.
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