The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Tedious.

3.5
I was intrigued and a little intimidated by the premise of this book, but the intimidation wasn't needed. The author does a good job of dropping the reader into the story and having the POV character figure things out along the way. This book feels like a mystery-thriller, and leans more one way or the other depending on which body the main character is inhabiting and how that host's mind works. I did sometimes get annoyed by the footman popping up to be a malicious murderous nuisance in scenes where there was already danger and tension, so he felt like overkill. The descriptions of people are mostly grotesque and include mentions of being fleshy, wrinkled, or gaunt. If it's a maid, they are almost universally described like "[hair color] spilling out of her cap" on introduction. Minor complaint aside, the descriptions across the book in general are very immersive and quickly get you a mental picture of the scene. I was very absorbed in trying to put the pieces of the mystery together, but didn't solve it for myself before the reveal. I don't love when a murderer's motivation is basically just that they're a psychopath, that feels lame. There was so much to the mystery that there should have been enough for a more compelling motivation. I also don't know how I feel about the explanations offered for the premise I remember feeling a little taken out of the story when the plague doctors spoke to each other. I never got a good sense of what time period this was. It seemed like an afterlife thing, like maybe they were in purgatory, but then it sounded like this was the normal prison system for living people?

Content Warnings:
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Classism, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

By far one of the best mystery/thrillers I've read. The twists and turns kept me constantly guessing what was happening, and a TON of "oh that's why that happened!" moments. It's like a combination of the movie "Triangle", the movie "Groundhogs Day", and a really clever Agatha Christie plot.

I would pay money to see how the time loop prison system got set up. It’s such an interesting sci-fi concept and I’d love to see how the world got to the point where the system was necessary.

As an Agatha Christie enthusiast this book did not disappoint. Twists, turns, and a story that kept you guessing. Definitely a must read!