The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Written by Stuart Turton
Narrated by James Cameron Stewart
4/5
()
- Deception 
- Mystery 
- Identity 
- Betrayal 
- Time Loop 
- Butler Did It 
- Dark & Stormy Night 
- Amnesiac Hero 
- Groundhog Day Loop 
- Chessmaster 
- Haunted House 
- Whodunit 
- Ticking Clock 
- Closed Circle 
- Amnesiac Protagonist 
- Survival 
- Revenge 
- Fear 
- Suspense 
- Power Dynamics 
About this audiobook
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
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 . . .
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .
The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.
Editor's Note
Costa Book Award winner…
Winner of the UK’s prestigious Costa First Novel Award in 2018. “Unputdownable” according to the judges, who called it an “ingenious, intriguing and highly original mindbender of a murder mystery.”
Stuart Turton
Stuart Turton's debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, won the Costa First Novel Award and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Novel, and was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards and the British Book Awards Debut of the Year. A Sunday Times bestseller, it has been translated into over thirty languages, and has sold over one million copies in the UK and US combined. The Devil and the Dark Water, his follow up, won the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Fiction and was selected for the BBC Two Book Club, Between the Covers, and the Radio 2 Jo Whiley Book Club. Stuart lives near London with his wife and daughters.
More audiobooks from Stuart Turton
- The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
- The Devil and the Dark Water Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
2,341 ratings159 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a thrilling and enjoyable murder mystery with well-developed characters and a clever plot. The writing style is incredible, with vibrant descriptions that bring the story to life. Some readers found the book hard to follow or felt that it dragged on, but overall, it is praised for its complexity and entertainment value. The ending is particularly satisfying and the twist adds an extra layer of excitement. While there are a few criticisms, the majority of reviews are positive, making this a highly recommended read for fans of mystery and intrigue.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Positively excellent!! The most fascinating "whodunnit" I've ever read before...4 people found this helpful 
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Just brilliant! I was hooked a couple of chapters in. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. I listened to the audio book on my commute to and from work every day and during these days, I didn’t mind there traffic. And even when I wasn’t listening to the book, I was thinking about it. Now I want to see if the author has written anything else I can get my hands on. Great narration too.4 people found this helpful 
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 25, 2023 What a fun and wild read. It's like Clue + Downton Abbey + Doctor Who. If you enjoy murder mystery game parties, you'll appreciate this book. (4.5 stars. The only reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars is because I wanted an explanation for one aspect of the story.)2 people found this helpful 
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 I really enjoyed the book and the reader’s performance was fantastic!1 person found this helpful 
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sep 25, 2023 Had to stop reading it, just couldn’t keep my attention. I love a good murder mystery, the premise of it seemed so interesting but it just couldn’t hold me. I kept thinking “move along already” and “stop explaining this again”. With that said I found it hard to follow half the time as well. I really wanted to like it but it wasn’t written in a way that kept the changing story moving at a good enough pace with the right amount of explanation.1 person found this helpful 
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Jun 6, 2025 This is a very interesting concept. The writing style is very dry though. The story moves too slowly to keep the concept fresh and exciting. The mystery is intriguing. Things fly along so slowly that by the time you get to the end, you don’t really care much anymore.
 There are also certain plot points that make no sense . So once you get to the end, you can’t pull the strings too hard or things will definitely fall apart.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feb 27, 2025 This book is long and packed with names to remember. Kind of reminds me of the board game Clue at first but the twist was nice and the lesson was beautiful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Jun 1, 2024 I have regrets and mostly it’s that I wasted SO MUCH TIME listening to this. Such an interesting concept and such a poor execution. I suppose if you love tedious, pretentious white men doling out savior complexes and judgment on every page, well, this is the book for you. Even the mystery wasn’t as mysterious as you might think. I’d guessed more than enough by the end and honestly, this book could have been cut in half and had twice the quality.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5May 7, 2024 This was a fantastic mystery and the audiobook reading was incredible!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mar 31, 2024 I loved the way the narrator read the novel. It kept me going through this tangle of the story. Otherwise, I would have given up. It was too weird and complex for my taste.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oct 14, 2023 I'm not quite sure how to feel about this one. It is very creative, but not all of the twists hit for me, and I feel like it cheated a little in hiding information from the audience. I might recommend reading this one instead of listening to it to make it easier to follow.
 The narrator is good at differentiating the male characters, but almost all of the female characters sound the same. Fortunately, there are only a handful of female characters and there's only one scene with more than one in conversation.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 A great book! I picked up the book so i could read along and its definitely a page turner!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 One of the best books I've read I couldn't give it up so I listened. :)
 The way this has a twist. I wasn't even close to the mark, but I like that in a story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 25, 2023 The ending makes this book. I have to admit that there were times I wanted to give up on it earlier on bit I'm glad I didn't.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sep 25, 2023 Intriguing concept. Could wait to see what happens next but the ending was so disappointing that I feel like I just wasted 17 hours of my life. Not a great feeling!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 “What’s use of rearranging the furniture if you’re going to burn the house doing it. “
 What a story! I can’t say that enough. The Seven and half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton was a mind blown moment for me, and the characters in it! This book takes place on the Hardcastle Estate on the 19th anniversary of Evelyn’s brothers murder, in Masquerade theme. We are told that Evelyn will die, murdered at 11pm. 8 days and 8 witness that our main character will inhabit. The goal is to identify the killer,which will break our cycle. Each day our main character will end up in a different host. Can he do it? Break the cycle and leave this place? But is he the only one playing?
 
 I absolutely loved the clue mixed with groundhogs day feel, it was well done. As we start and continue we see the information come from different characters, not just our host. We watch as our main character goes from body to body, but at what cost?
 This book was will done and you stumble along with our main character trying to figure out the death, and much more.
 You learn what characters to like and root for, and what characters not, and of course who doesn’t like a good twist.
 I give the book a five out of five for sure! If want a good book that keeps you guessing, give this a go!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 25, 2023 More mentally engaging than emotionally which means I didn’t feel driven to read it (the first half was a bit of a slog). Picked up in the second half, I started to really get in to it around the last third, felt a little let down by the ending (but not the mystery reveal - that was enjoyable). My biggest issue was that I didn’t really care about any of the characters. What makes Evelyn so important to Bishop? Anna? There’s a lot that is sort of hand waved into being and the reader just has to roll with it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sep 25, 2023 It took me a long time to get through it. I love the idea but, whew, it’s long & slow
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Holy moly! Every time I thought that this story was getting long and a little repetitive, something would happen and I'd like "whoa, this is amazing!" This story is really well written. It's incredibly imaginative and clever. I'm in awe of the author's talent.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Sep 25, 2023 I don't know how this has such a high rating. The voice actor reads like a robot. There's no inflection or emotion at all. It's horrible. I feel like the publisher could have done better. I'll be reading this one to myself.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 25, 2023 It’s long and winding story, but it’s a good one. Reminds me a lot of the way Agatha Christie’s novel made me feel. I look forward to his next books.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Surely the most complex whodunnit I've ever encountered....Clever and entertaining.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 I was hooked and couldn’t put it down! Intriguing story, with many twists and turns.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 FANTASTIC!! At first I thought I was going to be confused with so many different characters, however there is a wonderful flow from one character to another. The story line is well thought out and super enjoyable! I recommend this book to everyone who likes mystery, intrigue, and who done its!
 The writing style is incredible! I could see every little thing that was being written with such a vibrant description....I Love this book!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 This was truly an intriguing read. You follow your narrator as they inhabit 7 different bodies. All able to provide vital information to who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. It is your responsibility to tell the mysterious figure who you are not sure if they are friend or foe, whodunit. I must say this had some surprising twists but thorugh it all it ended as it should have. It is a great look into motivation and the changing of humanity.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 thrilling book until the end...love it's twists and turns and a really clever idea.... definitely recommend!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Great writing - complex but very fun way to experience a murder mystery! Thank you to the author (and audiobook reader). I’ll probably pick this up in book form and give it another go.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 25, 2023 great reader!
 the characters are trapper in some kind of a hell (for which the mechanism is never explained)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 25, 2023 Very well written and very well read! Gripping from beginning to end!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sep 25, 2023 This book was convoluted, and had a lot of characters. I failed to understand the basic premise of the story. It just wasn’t entertaining for me though I did finish it.
