The Fury

Audiobook, again while packing. Got 68% through and I wanted to quit. However, I just kept listening and it got good. When the narrator reveals how he was bullied as a child, the story turns and it feels like the real story emerges. The first half of it felt like just characters setting up for the second half. Elliot loves Lana the movie star, but of course she married somebody else, and her best friend has an affair with her husband… Murder and pretend murder, at the very end. Giving it a five because if it had been a book book, I would not have continued.

I've read all of Alex's books in the order they've come out and I've really enjoyed the Easter egg references throughout them.

This book was better than The Maidens but not as good as The Silent Patient in my opinion. The Silent Patient was intricately woven and masterfully delivered. This narrative was a bit clumsier, but still enjoyable. It was very difficult to get into the novel as the narrator is incredibly off-putting without any character context. Technically, a great achievement as he's supposed to be a grating off-putting personality, but still an issue when trying to get motivation to keep reading past the first few chapters. I also don't love the ending. I think it could've ended multiple times multiple chapters prior and made for a less clumsy story. Or perhaps a characterization that expounds upon his psychopathic treatment of others, rather than a snap "crime of passion" after being "bullied". Given his treatment of Barbara West following her death and that reveal, a snap decision seems incredibly out of character. I think a decision based off of "regaining control of the narrative" would've been more rewarding to the story.

Overall, 3.5 stars because it really is better than good but not amazing.

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and every year, she invites her closest friends to escape to spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. Trapped overnight, the guests discover a murder! Elliot Chase is one of those guests, and he narrates what happened that night.

⭐️ 3.25

I picked this book up on a recommendation. I didn't know what the plot was about or that it was a mystery/thriller, so I walked in with zero expectations. After having read [a:Freida McFadden|7244758|Freida McFadden|https:images.gr-assets.com/authors/1701487498p2/7244758.jpg] and [a:Lisa Jewell|93504|Lisa Jewell|https:images.gr-assets.com/authors/1657723367p2/93504.jpg], I think this book had very big shoes to fill in regards of constructing a good mystery that keeps me guessing. What I enjoyed about this book was the set-up. I thought having the book take place as a playwright was a very clever idea, reminiscing of how Jewell wrote [b:None of This Is True|62334530|None of This Is True|Lisa Jewell|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686092508l/62334530._SY75_.jpg|98147299] as a podcast/news story bit. However, I just wasn't hooked.

I thought the main narrator was extremely annoying. I immediately got a white-knight savior complex from him. And he was definitely creepy! Especially more so as he explained how he had stalked Lana for years until he finally made his way into her circle.

I wasn't invested in the characters really. I didn't get enough information to even want to keep up with them. I even forgot what Jason was to Lana. For a bit, I thought he was his eldest son lol. I immediately figured out that Elliot was the one that would kill Lana, that Jason and Kate were having an affair, and that Nikos was in love with Lana. What I didn't understand is why Agathi was so willing to go along with the plan to scare Elliot, even going so far as letting Jason break Elliot's jaw. I don't know. I just didn't get to know her character enough to justify that.

Overall, this was an ok read. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it to others? Maybe if you need a mindless read in between books.

The Fury Alex Michaelides For the last few months my ‘reading’ has been limited to audio books only. I wonder if I might have felt differently about this book had I read the hard copy. The story is told from the perspective of the narrator, the actor, Elliot who is also one of the characters. I found the writing style dragged on slowly, possibly enhanced by the ‘droning’ tone of the reader of the audio book. A review I read claimed that the Thriller was a ”masterclass in psychological suspense, that keeps the readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.” That was NOT my experience! With that said, once I was into the story, I found myself caught up with the characters and was intrigued to find out how the plot was going to pan out, and where the truth lay. A group of friends are invited to spend an ill-fated holiday together on the small Greek Island, owed by one of them, the well known actress, Lana Farrar. All of the characters seem to be flawed in one way or another, with history and grievances that make them less than good friends. One of them ends up dead, but who it was and who was the murderer is anybody’s guess, as each act reveals different outcomes. In the end I did enjoy the book, however I did not think it was a great read.