Third book I've read by this author and again, another corker! Loved the glamorous setting juxtaposed with the seedy happenings. Lots of twists that I did not see coming.
Will be recommending to my customers!

Pull up a barstool and settle in with a drink, suggests our narrator…Elliott Chase.

He has a story to tell you about seven people trapped on a beautiful isolated, private Greek Island called Aura. Our narrator is also quick to point out that it’s not an “Agatha Christie” style murder .His story begins with the beautiful Actress who owns the Island, Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star who is married to Jason, Joining them on the island is Leo, Lana’s son and her best friend Kate. They are all away on the island for Easter along with two of Lana’s staff, Nikos who lives and cares for the island, and Agathi, a long standing cook and housekeeper. Our story is full of intrigue, lies, half truths and murder, and that’s only the bits the narrator shares!

This was an excellent read with lots of twists, turns and half truths. Don’t assume your narrator is objective or honest, beware of what he’s chosen not to tell.

I was really looking forward to reading this as I really enjoyed the silent patient, but other books by this author since then just didn’t do it for me. I like the authors writing style, so I wanted to read this one to see if it was on par with SP. This was a great story, I really enjoyed it, I liked the setting for the story and the characters were great. Much better than the last book, but not quite as good as SP. God read though.

Thrillers are so popular with my students that this was a must read for me. Alex Michaelides has created another intense, heart stopping mystery here that will have you on the edge of your seat.

The Fury was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I just adored it.

I loved the structure and the way the whole story was narrated in a semi-meta style. Every time I was really getting into the murder mystery, the voice would flip back to the narrator in present day and snap you right back out. This constant meandering in and out of the ‘story’ of what happened on the island was so interesting and cleverly executed.

Because I read so much Crime Fiction sometimes I want something a bit different, I want to be challenged and The Fury was a wonderful mix of a complex storyline, with a non-linear narrative and multiple characters, but it was also a classic Golden Age murder mystery with it’s unusual Greek Island setting and theatrical Hitchcock vibes.

The ‘write what you know’ idea is really prominent in Alex Michaelides' novels. The Silent Patient was so successful because he drew upon his work in psychotherapy. The Maidens and The Fury both feature a lot of Greek philosophy and mythology, and being a successful crime author, The Fury is also littered with ideas about crime fiction and novel writing in general. It was almost like he was giving a heads up about all of the plot devices to look out for. Instead of hiding clues within the narrative for the reader to try and work them out he simply states them, laying the groundwork for us to think about as the next scene unfolds.

An intelligent and entertaining, deconstructed murder mystery where you learn as much from the omitted information as you do from the more obvious clues. The Fury is already a serious contender for my book of the year!

Elliott Chase

He is telling us a story.
Is he reliable or does he add bits and minus bits as he goes thus confusing and distracting even distorting the truth?

To me this was an undertone love story with murder mishap and mehem thrown into the mix.

Be aware that this book is very different from The Patient which a lot of us loved. Yet this……although seemingly slow in places still had that kick for me to go forward and continue to read.

I enjoyed his way of writing this, I love unreliable narrators!

Different, yet hooked me (eventually) so I’m glad I stayed with it.

Downside for me was…..Fury. To me I thought it was going to grip me by the throat and be full of …..well…..fury…..anger but it seemed too calm. Or maybe I misunderstood the word “fury”.
But I did enjoy my reading journey with this author.

There's unreliable narrators, and then there's narrators you think are unreliable, but actually, they're telling the truth. Maybe. Or maybe some of it is true....Welcome to The Fury, a modern-day Greek tragedy. There's movie stars, glamorous people, and locations. And there's murder. And, of course, our narrator Elliot. Clearly a born storyteller with a flair for the dramatic, but is it a dramatic license or downright lies?

I really enjoyed this. Elliot is somehow unlikeable in many ways but also easy to sympathise with despite his many faults.

4.5 stars, I'd recommend this for any thriller fan.

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 !