It’s kind of funny that the review that made me pull the trigger on this book was one I haven’t even fully read – This is all I saw of KimMiE‘s review until I went back and reviewed it:
“I decided to read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle for the “Cannonballer Says” BINGO square after reading Narfna’s review. Or rather, I should say, after skimming Narfna’s review, because as soon as I saw the basic premise and the spoiler alerts, I averted my eyes and decided to go no-contact on any reviews until after I had read it. I’m glad I did; yet here I am with the impossible task of describing a book I really enjoyed without giving anything away.”
So I bought the book, not wanting to learn anything more about it, especially after my eyes inadvertently landed on “Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day.” Groundhog Day is my favorite movie, and I quote it obsessively. I love it as a trope – any time there’s a Groundhog Day episode of a show, I’m there with popcorn in hand. And it sure lives up to that synopsis. Really well done, and intricately plotted, which had to have been REALLY difficult keeping track of timelines and who knew what when.
The one thing I didn’t really love ….
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS
Seriously, don’t deprive yourself of the joys of this book, don’t read this if you haven’t read the book.
… was the meta reasoning for the repeated day. One of the best parts about Groundhog Day was that Harold Ramis had the sense not to explain why Phil Connors was reliving the same day. That it was karmic was more or less implied. Making it explicit cheapens an otherwise perfect story. And the reveal that Aiden came to punish another who was so monstrous as to be worthy of reliving this day isn’t earned – we see the character, who seems at worst slightly salty, and are told they are worse than anyone involved in the murder mystery. It’s the only part of the book that we’re told, not shown, and as such it falls flat. Again, it’s a black spot on an otherwise perfect book, so I would definitely recommend it.