To say that The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an unusual novel is a pretty laughable understatement. This debut from Stuart Turton is how I imagine having a fever dream on a rollercoaster might feel; it leaves you breathless and sweaty in a crumpled heap on the floor, yet somehow still strangely compelled to go round again.
And go round you will, because this book is properly bonkers. It’s unnerving and intricate, and just when you think you’re beginning to see where it’s going it tricks you like a Covent Garden magician and leaves you howling with rage but completely addicted.
To distill the plot into a couple of lines is pretty darn tricky. Our man Aiden Bishop finds himself in the woods surrounding a crumbling mansion, the ominously named Blackheath House. Terrified and confused, he arrives at Blackheath to find a weekend ball in progress. To the other revellers, he is Sebastian Bell, a doctor and friend of the Hardcastles, Blackheath’s presiding family, but at this point Aiden has no idea who he is or why he’s there. What follows is a murder-mystery of epic proportions, with the added fun of body-swapping characters, knotty ethical battles and the revelation that Aiden must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in order leave the house. The trouble is, the murder hasn’t happened yet, and it’s also happened a thousand times already. I know! Bear with me. Aiden is trapped in a purgatorial morality tale, embodying a dizzying array of ever more hideous hosts whilst fighting to keep his own sanity, and he’s taking you along for the ride.
Source: Eurogamer The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a murder mystery built around a broken save system