The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

1984 • 528 pages

Ratings514

Average rating3.9

15

This has got to be one of the most complex books I've ever read. When it comes to mystery/thriller novels, I'm usually able to figure everything out about halfway through, but with this? I can honestly say that with each chapter, I truly had no idea where the story was heading. However, I found that the biggest selling point of this novel (a twist of groundhog day in different bodies) and it's execution is ultimately what brought it down. With each timeline piling on top of one another, everything became convoluted where I had trouble keeping up with every single detail. I had to keep flipping back to previous pages repeatedly asking myself, “when did that happen?”. I also thought this was a lot longer than it should have been and a few chapters could have been left out. The story didn't really pick up until the last 150 pages or so, and prior to that everything was really dragging... So if you're more of a “get to the point” type of person, rather than in it for the journey, you probably won't like this book as much as everyone else. The ending was also pretty underwhelming and kind of a letdown considering how elaborate everything was.

With all that said, the plot was well-thought out, unique, and details incredibly intricate, but will I read again? Probably not.

March 3, 2019Report this review