Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Stuart Turton is an imaginative little turd. I might be a fan for life. #CBRBINGO – Reader’s Choice

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

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**30 Books in 30 Days** Book 28/30 This was one of the last books I read in my thirty day book binge, and I think it says something about how good it was that even though I had some book fatigue going on, I happily and quickly finished this in less than two days. It’s not a huge book, but it’s not small, either. Like Turton’s first book, this is a mystery at heart, and also like his first book, there are some complicating factors […]

Don’t you hate when a book starts out strong only to disappoint you?

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

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I so thoroughly enjoyed 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Stuart Turton’s latest novel, a mystery set aboard a 17th century East Indiaman trade ship sailing from Batavia (now Jakarta) to Amsterdam. Within pages of meeting Sammy Pipps, a detective or “thief-catcher” of Holmesian perception, and his bodyguard/Watson/Boswell Arent Hayes, I was hooked. That’s the difficulty of strong openings: The rest of the novel has to live up to them. Now I’m sadly in the position of […]

Well what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today! (CBR12Bingo: Cannonballer says)

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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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 […]

An unusual murder mystery

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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“Gosford Park” meets “Groundhog Day” by way of Agatha Christie – the most inventive story you’ll read this year.   Tonight, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed… again.   It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.   But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party – can solve her murder, the day will […]

“The future isn’t a warning my friend, it’s a promise.”

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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CBR12 BINGO: Cannonballer Says 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 […]

Loved this book except for one pretty big thing.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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Aside from one pretty big complaint, this is one of the most fun books I’ve read this year. I love Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries (a good house party mystery always gets me going). I love when books mess with time. And I love sf elements mashed with other genres. I was worried the ending wouldn’t be able to bring it all together, but it did, with an added element of human emotion that I wasn’t quite expecting. My advice to you on this one is […]



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