THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE

A book club favourite and Costa Book Awards Winner (2018), The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a quirky murder mystery that will provide you with an unexpected challenge. A Wild Card because it requires a forensic approach to reading and a novel that will ignite your imagination with its inventive twists. Also worth considering as a book-to-screen adaptation is out on Netflix in 2021.  

 

Set in post-war England circa 1920, a party is being thrown in a remote country estate for Evelyn Hardcastle who the reader will soon discover is killed – again and again. 

 

Evelyn has been murdered the same time each day and Aiden Bishop’s quest, along with the reader’s, is to interrogate the party guests, break this ‘ground-hog day’ of events and identify Evelyn’s killer to save her. But every time the day begins, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And someone is desperate to stop him escaping 'Blackheath' …

 

This novel is an addictive read in some respects, because you really want to solve the murder but don’t trust the guests including Aiden. There's not much light relief and you can’t help but feel trapped in this ‘escape room’ puzzle. The novel divided the Den’s opinion on its use of the ‘ground-hog day’ device and the deathly dark mood that lingers and feels relentless. But it is definitely a cracking read and a murder that has to solved! 

​

- for people who love books -