A bit confusing, but an interesting journey!
3.5 ⭐, rounded down from 4
Aiden has an unusual problem: he's trapped in the body of someone else. Well, 8 other alternating someones to be precise. He finds out he will be witnessing the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle...over and over again. As the cycle continues and Aiden jumps from one 'host' body to the other, he must pick up clues about each of the suspects at the scene (of course, this is a grand ball being thrown in Evelyn's honor) over the course of the day to determine who has the motive, the drive, and the cleverness required to pull off this crime. When Aiden finds he will be trapped at the manor, Blackheath, in this loop until he actually names the murderer, the pressure really sets in. Can he learn who to trust...and can he even trust his own memory?
The concept of this book is what sold me, and now having finished it, I can now say that the concept is the absolute strongest aspect of this book. A twisted version of Groundhog Day meets the murder mystery whodunit of Clue? Brilliant. As someone who very rarely strays from thrillers into mystery, this was a bit of a stretch for me in general, but it was certainly an interesting idea with lots of potential. I do feel a bit cheated having read this one in a digital format, however, because there is a great list of characters and a map at the beginning of the book and having to 'flip' digital pages constantly to look at it wasn't really worth the effort. Unfortunately, that made a book with an already difficult timeline and a plethora of characters that much harder to enjoy. Turton is a skilled writer, and the novel was definitely interesting and atmospheric, but I just wish things had progressed in a slightly less complicated fashion. Maybe having only 6 host bodies would have helped? This device became even more confusing as the book went on, since Aiden would change bodies after falling asleep and it became increasingly more difficult to figure out who he was at any given time. There are also touches of a love story thrown in here, but I didn't really know the purpose of this storyline other than to add some incentive for Aiden to get to the root of the murder. I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the ending, and felt like it left too many unanswered questions.
Turton is certainly a gifted writer, and he came up with a creative way to mashup several tropes, from time-travel to the classic whodunit, that felt fresh and original. Although this book wasn't a perfect fit for me, it was a fairly captivating read and despite my confusion, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the premise!
Aiden has an unusual problem: he's trapped in the body of someone else. Well, 8 other alternating someones to be precise. He finds out he will be witnessing the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle...over and over again. As the cycle continues and Aiden jumps from one 'host' body to the other, he must pick up clues about each of the suspects at the scene (of course, this is a grand ball being thrown in Evelyn's honor) over the course of the day to determine who has the motive, the drive, and the cleverness required to pull off this crime. When Aiden finds he will be trapped at the manor, Blackheath, in this loop until he actually names the murderer, the pressure really sets in. Can he learn who to trust...and can he even trust his own memory?
The concept of this book is what sold me, and now having finished it, I can now say that the concept is the absolute strongest aspect of this book. A twisted version of Groundhog Day meets the murder mystery whodunit of Clue? Brilliant. As someone who very rarely strays from thrillers into mystery, this was a bit of a stretch for me in general, but it was certainly an interesting idea with lots of potential. I do feel a bit cheated having read this one in a digital format, however, because there is a great list of characters and a map at the beginning of the book and having to 'flip' digital pages constantly to look at it wasn't really worth the effort. Unfortunately, that made a book with an already difficult timeline and a plethora of characters that much harder to enjoy. Turton is a skilled writer, and the novel was definitely interesting and atmospheric, but I just wish things had progressed in a slightly less complicated fashion. Maybe having only 6 host bodies would have helped? This device became even more confusing as the book went on, since Aiden would change bodies after falling asleep and it became increasingly more difficult to figure out who he was at any given time. There are also touches of a love story thrown in here, but I didn't really know the purpose of this storyline other than to add some incentive for Aiden to get to the root of the murder. I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the ending, and felt like it left too many unanswered questions.
Turton is certainly a gifted writer, and he came up with a creative way to mashup several tropes, from time-travel to the classic whodunit, that felt fresh and original. Although this book wasn't a perfect fit for me, it was a fairly captivating read and despite my confusion, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the premise!