Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC

I’ve read all of Michael’s books and was excited to receive this one,

This is a slow burn, but you must persevere.

I wasn’t sure this was going anywhere but eventually this was so hard to put down.

Twists, turns and just await the ending - unbelievable.

For me this fell slightly off a 5 so I’ve given 4 - would have done 4.5 if I could have.

Read this book !!!

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 so I was over the moon to receive this!

I really love Alex Michaelides writing. This one in particular had a very “Greek tragedy” feel to it in the sense that the narrator was speaking to you the reader and alluding to something terrible happening later in the story. The setting was picturesque and although the isolation didn’t really play into the thriller aspects of the novel I still found it upped the stakes. The characters are all rather unlikeable to be honest (apart from Leo, Agathi and Nikos) but that works to this books advantage rather than making you not want to read on. There is so much drama and betrayal between all of them and you can’t help but want to see how it plays out. I also loved the commentary on healing your inner child and how important it is to work through things that have happened to you in the past and how those things can affect your character.

This leads me however to the reason this book was only a 3.5 rather than a 4 star read. There was all this commentary on abusive childhoods, healing your inner child and not feeling guilty and ashamed of the person you are despite how you’ve been treated. The author then kind of negates all this (not going into detail because spoilers) and all of that discussion and commentary became a bit redundant. Also there is a major spoiler for The Silent Patient in the epilogue. At times as well I kind of just wanted the narrator to get to the point and it became kind of frustrating how he was talking in circles.

Overall though I had a great time reading this. I read it in one sitting so although slow at times it still kept me interested and invested in the ending. If you’re a fan of whodunnits and more importantly whydunnits then this is the book for you.

Do I recommend it? Yes!

In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one - and nothing - is what it seems. Former movie star Lana invites a select group of her friends to stay on her private Greek island. But one of them is a murderer. A delicately plotted slow-burner that will keep you enthralled.

Alex Michaelides’ third novel is perhaps his cleverest yet. A Greek tragedy imbued with drama plays out on an idyllic Greek island. The narrator speaks directly to the reader, drawing you into his compelling narrative – but can he be trusted? An intriguing blend of a dramatic Greek tragedy and a classic Agatha Christie-style locked room mystery.

Lana Farrar is a star. Even though she’s retired from the screen and relocated from Hollywood to London, she’s constantly recognised and universally adored by fans. She keeps a small, close group of friends; Kate – a fellow actress – and Elliot, a playwrite and the narrator of this twisted tale.

Lana invites her close friends and her family – husband Jason and son Leo – for a break to her own private island. To escape the English weather, or so the story goes. But what unfolds there takes many twists and turns, revealing relationships and tensions simmering beneath the surface.

At the heart of it all is our narrator, Elliot. His tendency for the overdramatic is clear – he confesses; “It is not unnatural that the best writers are liars”, but just how much is he embellishing, and what isn’t he telling us? He speaks directly to the reader, as if we’ve just met at a bar, gradually unravelling his story.

“What I seek – no, what I demand – is your understanding. Otherwise my story will never touch your heart. It will remain a two-a-penny thriller, that you might pick up at an airport only to devour on the beach – only to discard, forgotten, by the time you get home. I will not allow my life to reduced to pulp.”

As he gradually confides in the reader, a twisted, melodramatic psychological tale of suspense, romance and intrigue is revealed. Is this Elliot’s confession, or the greatest play he’s ever orchestrated?

I’ve seen mixed reviews for this one, but I think this third novel shows more depth and maturity than the author’s previous releases. This was an incredibly twisted, escapist, gripping story of murder, imbued with drama every step of the way. I thoroughly enjoyed the unreliable narrator, and would definitely recommend it.

I liked the set-up - a closed circle whodunit on a private island - and the descriptions of the beautiful island but I was less keen on the narrator and most of the characters. The ending had several twists and turns that I did not see coming but overall I was left underwhelmed by the journey,

**4.5**
I did struggle with the first 30% of this and wasn't sure it was going to be one for me but as I have loved previous books I kept going and I'm so glad I did once I got I to this I couldn't put it down ! Alex Michaelides can write a twist ! If it hadn't been for slightly rocky start would have been an easy 5 Stars I loved the format of this book Elliott telling us the story very well done I did listen to this on audio so that made this format even better !

Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Joseph, and Alex Michaelides for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

After reading The Silent Patient and The Maidens I could t wait for the author’s new release and The Fury did not disappoint.

I didn’t expect the twists and turns that book took and I’m already looking forward to the author’s next release.

Lana Farrar is a reclusive movie star. Being enormously wealthy she has a private Greek island & she decides that spending Easter there with close friends would be a wonderful idea- until they are cut off & someone dies. . Playwright Elliot Chase is amongst them & he is a narrator, with the rest of the story told in the traditional way. The descriptions of the setting are wonderful, however the rest did not do it for me. An unreliable narrator is not a bad thing. However Elliot was something else! Shock & twist followed shock & twist until it became beyond plausibility. I got to the end wishing I hadn't bothered. I know many people loved this but it was not for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It got two* because I did read it to the bitter end!!

I had incredibly high hopes for this one and it didn't disappoint!

While I did struggle at first with the "slow burn" story line, it was interesting enough to get me through which a lot of books fail at!

I loved the unreliable narrator and the "any of these people could be the murderer" plot as well!

Its not my fave book by this author but I really still enjoyed it!

Highlights
- Unreliable narrator
- The island setting

Things I struggled with
- The incredible slow burn
- Uneven pacing throughout going back and forth

My first Alex Michaelides and it certainly won’t be my last! I really loved the narrator and narration style, something I know definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it really intriguing.

I am all for more unreliable narrators in thrillers and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

The Fury felt like a breathe of fresh air for the thriller genre particularly thanks to its narrator Elliott Chase.

The conversational style in which the tale unfolds does slow the pace a little but in a really interesting way!

Another hit for Alex Michaelides!

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me, I couldn't gel with the characters and the narrator throughout caused my lack of enjoyment of the book.

I have however loved the silent patient so this will not put me off trying other books by the author just unfortunate that this wasn't to my liking.

Whilst I really enjoyed this book, I found it a little different from his other books. I found the format slightly odd, please go back to writing the thing you’re really good at and that a bloody good crime !

I was really looking forward to reading this as I'd loved The Silent Patient by this author.

I loved the original writing style of this book. The narrator, Elliot, talks to the reader as though you had met to have a drink. It makes it so readable!
The story starts with the opening line:
'There were seven of us on the island. One of us was a murderer.'

We get introduced to Lana, the actress and the focus of Elliott's story. We quickly meet her friend Kate, husband Jason, son Leo and the couple that live on the private Greek island where they all go to stay. I found the first half of the book a little slow as we get acquainted with each character. Although mostly unlikeable they were brilliantly written and very interesting.

I thought I knew where the story was going but there are several big twists and the story keeps changing direction. Elliot turns out to be a very unreliable narrator so it was very hard to predict what would happen! I could not put the second half of this book down. Such a clever and original thriller!

This was a story which drew the me in from the introduction into wanting to find out what had happened, to whom and why and the story that unfolded was incredibly nuanced and well paced to keep the interest level up!
The characters felt like they became friends with the way we were introduced to them and had gotten to know them all. The story that wound around them was in a lot of ways a bit of a heartbreaker in the way the story unfolded. The twists, when they came were both understandable and a little surprising and made the last quarter of the book especially unputdownable!
The story is told mostly from one point of view and our narrator does seem to try to be honest with us in their actions and the consequences of them. This worked really well for me with having just the one voice to listen to but the occasional bit of extra information supplied by another character for a chapter of two.
I really did enjoy this book and will look out for this author again in future!

I read Alex Michaelides first book - 'The Silent Patient'... I mean... who hasn't? (And loved it by the way!)
Haven't yet read his 2nd novel, but was super excited and intrigued by this one... his 3rd! There has been so much hype for this book, and it feels like the hype has been going on for months!!

Immediately I fell in love with Michaelides conversational relaxed writing style in this book. It was super easy to read, and I loved the 'unreliable narrator' aspect. The plot was super simple, but the narrator just made it for me. There were twists and turns, and you were always questioning what was real and what was not. I liked how it went back and forth in time too.
I heard an interview with Alex Michaelides in a podcast and he said that this book was a throwback and a tribute to Agatha Christie's mystery novels. He also drew inspiration from the classic hollywood era. I can really see that. If you had told me this book was written in the 1940's or 50's - I would have believed you. However, it's not dated! It just feels somewhat cosy. There is danger, and there is threat - but it doesn't feel tense.
I was really engrossed throughout and read this over a 24 hour period! There are multiple characters (usually something I hate, because I can't keep up) but at no point did I loose track, thanks to Michaelides clear characterisation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it would have been a five star review if the ending hadn't had felt so rushed!

Reclusive ex-movie star Lana Farrar invites her closest friends to her small, private Greek island for a weekend away. There are seven people there in total and within 48 hours one of them will be dead while an unpredictable wind known as The Fury prevents anyone from entering or leaving the island.

As you get to know the characters' back stories and the simmering resentments lurking between the surface of all their interactions, you'll think you know who committed the murder. But you'll probably be wrong because in the hands of its maddeningly unreliable narrator, Elliot Chase, the plot keeps chopping and changing.
Author Alex Michaelides describes writing this novel as “the most creative experience I’ve had”. He says the writing process he followed was very different from his first two bestselling novels, The Silent Patient and The Maidens.
“I plotted them for about a year before writing a word. And then with The Fury, I really wanted to have some fun. And I thought, I'm not going to plot this. I'm just going to write it. And as I wrote it, Elliot told me the story himself.”
Elliot is exasperating and not very likeable but boy can he spin a tale. This is one of those addictive reads that you can devour in a couple of sittings. – JANE VORSTER

3.5 stars

I flew through this book: it is fast-paced, extremely readable and has a host of characters which I mostly loathed (but in a good way?). I was very intrigued by the murder mystery and enjoyed the few twists and turns that the plot took along the way.

I really like an unreliable narrator and also enjoyed the relatively light-hearted way in which this book is narrated. It made it a breeze to read and had me questioning what exactly was going on.

It may not have blown my mind in a way I would have liked but it was definitely an enjoyable thriller!

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Alex Michaelides and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous novels and I love that each of them is very different and original.
The Fury is told by Elliot, an unreliable narrator who visits a private Greek island with his friend, movie star, Lana and her family and friends. The author creates a very intense atmosphere and I felt that I was watching a play. The writing style took some time to get used to and this was a fairly slow paced novel . However I’m glad I persevered as I became completely immersed in this original novel.
3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I don't know how to classify this book: there's element of mystery that are mixed with echoes of Sunset Boulevard and a pinch of Truman Capo
When I started reading I felt echoes of authors like Truman Capote mixed with Somerset Maugham.
I'm sure it's just a trick played by my mind as this books is a very good one, the one I prefer by this author.
I enjoyed and loved how the different layers brought us to the core of the story and the reason why someone had to die.
It's not a fast paced or action packed story but it kept my attention alive
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine