THE FURY

Thanks #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouse for my e-arc copy of #AlexMichaelides’ #TheFury in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve only read one book by Alex Michaelides before.
That was three years ago and well, I didn’t write a review :/ but I did give it two stars, unpopular opinion I know, but the world would be a boring place if we all thought the same.

So when I saw The Fury on Netgalley I thought I would try it; it had lots of positive reviews after all.

The premise was great and exciting, but I didn’t feel this whist I was reading.

I found it to be a very slow burn thriller and so I wasn’t pulled into the story because of this I also didn’t feel as though I could connect to a single character.
Leading me to another two star review.
I just wanted more, I wanted to be gripped and pulled along at speed, and I didn’t get this.

This is a thriller like no other; it’s got a bit of everything, Greek tragedy vibes, hints of Shakespeare and classic murder mystery traits.

It follows the narrator Elliot Chase as he is invited to a Greek island by an ex-movie star Lana Farrar. During their stay there is a murder and as the story unfolds you peel back the layers to uncover what happened on that fateful night, learning that appearances can be deceiving.

This story is split into acts and reads like a play. The narration style, which is slightly disconcerting and creepy at times, does a great job at building tension initially and I really enjoyed piecing the parts of the puzzle together as I learnt more. However, I felt that towards the end, the story went full pelt towards the finish line and the lack of effective pacing in the latter third of the book let it down ever so slightly. Having said that, I did keep turning the page and wanted to find out more.

Whilst partly unexpected, the twists and turns weren’t mind blowing, although admittedly, as I’d been blessed with the pure “WTAF” moments that The Silent Patient provided, my standards were pretty high.

For me, a thriller is rated from “well I saw that coming” to “I was just completely and utterly blindsided” and I’d say this sits somewhere in the middle. The journey was a pleasant one, I enjoyed the reading process and whilst it hasn’t topped The Silent Patient for me, I think lots of people will love this book.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the arc.

I loved Silent Patient, and its not surprise that I loved The Fury. This writer is so skilled at building suspense, while creating beautiful, flawed, real characters. I loved the satire and wit injected into this one, and was thoroughly entertained throughout. The story is unpredictable, the characters glamorous but so human, and the Greek setting captivating.

Its told in the first person, by a weasel of a man, who happens to have befriended a famous actress. Invited as a select group to her private Greek Island, nothing and no-one is what they seem. And someone will be murdered. The most fascinating part is the interplay of characters and the events that lead to this gruesome end. Its scandalous, dark and full of twists.

I loved The Silent Patient and really enjoyed The Maidens, so I went in with high hopes. I wasn’t sure I was feeling it at first but as soon as I got to know the characters I started to really enjoy it. It’s twisty and well-plotted with lots of misdirection.

Imagine your friend owns a small Greek island and has invited you and five other friends to stay with her. Sounds lovely, right?

Now imagine nobody is as they seem, you all harbour secrets, and one of you will end up dead. Are you still quite so eager to pack?

It’s an interesting style of narration with a character telling the story directly to us, the audience. It’s not told in the most linear timeline; I needed to concentrate a little to keep things right in my head. The more I read the more I enjoyed it. As back stories unfold, agendas and motives become more clear.

Lots of fascinating characters who showed different sides throughout. My alliances changed as often as my suspicions. Lots of misdirection and some great twists.

A huge thanks to the author, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random house and the author Alex Michaelides for an early copy of his book to read.


I absolutely loved reading this authors book The silent patient one of my favourite reads.for me this was okay but couldnt really connect with the characters as much as I liked to.This story is set in a Greek Island, A movie star and a group of friends go on a retreat,with many of them have secrets and grudges..Told by Elliott Chase,one of the guest ends up murdered. ..wasnt my favourite read...


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and waterstone's.

A twisty well plotted storyline with some unforgettable characters.w
Set on a private island a group of old friends come together but someone has murder on their mind.
But who and why?
A page burner of a book that is as addictive as it is unputadownable.
Alex Michaelides has done it yet again!

A twisty well plotted storyline with some unforgettable characters.w
Set on a private island a group of old friends come together but someone has murder on their mind.
But who and why?
A page burner of a book that is as addictive as it is unputadownable.
Alex Michaelides has done it yet again!

Very clever and filled with twists and turns. It has a retro feel, a bit like an Agatha Christie who dunnit, and she's mentioned several times by the grandiose and self obsessed narrator Elliot. I was getting frustrated with the slowness of the start but Elliot then switched to some action, and this was a device used throughout the book that ensured I read to the end. As I said, it was cleverly plotted, but I can't say it kept me gripped as it all seemed like a stage performance, which was perhaps the intention.

This a good thriller that will certainly keep you guessing.
Lana Farrar is a famous actress and wants to get away from it all, so invites her family and closest friends to spend Easter with her on her own private island in Greece.
Tensions are running high as Lana discovers her husband is having an affair with her best friend but when someone is shot, who is guilty?
There’s quite a lot of different aspects to the story and a bit of back and forth into the past.
The narrator is one of the people invited to the island and as the story progresses we learn more about him.
This is a good thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Fury details an Agatha Christie-esque island murder mystery with some twists and turns. The first half of the book details the events in, my opinion, an incredibly boring and simple way. I thought that even I could see where this was going and had already worked out the murderer. No, dear reader, have some faith in a good Michaelides twist! First, we have (much like A Silent Patient) a very unreliable narrator - who speaks in a fairly annoying, breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of tone. This adds one of our twists in the book.

I think that the last half of the book brings back the Alex Michaelides that we were all missing from The Maidens, However, the beginning of the book felt redundant due to all the action, twists, and turns happening at the end of the book. For me, this was a solid attempt, a quick and interesting read, but still not as good as The Silent Patient…. With a massive spoiler for this book in the epilogue…

A book about actors and writers. The plot is quite intricate and told mostly in first person by Elliot. Much of the book is set on a small Greek island where Lana, her son , friends and 2 Greek members of staff are spending Easter. Elliot tells the story in a conversational way, a style of writing which took some getting used to for me, especially as he is addressing the reader. I did quite enjoy the bitchy tone which documented the relationships between Lana, her husband , Kate and Elliot but the whole book was a little too mixed up for me. The plot started ok, the descriptions of the island were atmospheric but it lost momentum .
I did want to finish, but it has left me feeling a bit disatisfied, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC, I had expected more .

I really enjoyed The Silent patient so I was looking forward to read this. For me, it just didn’t hit the same spot.

I found the narrator to be a little too all over the place, and often found myself irritated by them going around the houses and loosing track of the story. I personally felt as though each chapter told too long to get to the point.

It’s a shame, as I loved The Silent patient and enjoyed The Maidens however this one just wasn’t for me

This book had me sitting on this review for a bit because I wasn't sure what to say while keeping it spoiler free.

The story follows a group of friends that go on a private Greek island for a break, the narrator is one of them and he inform us to the best of his knowledge what happened that led to one of them being murdered.

The getaway is organized by Lana a former Hollywood actress that is in need of some time away, her husband Jason and son follows along her housekeeper and two best friends Kate and Elliot.

Each character is hiding secrets and slowly one by one are coming out, making it apparent that each one could have a motive for the murder.

The story is full of twists and some of them I enjoyed more than others, the narration style was different than in the author's previous books and it wasn't so easy to follow at times.

I guessed part of the final reveal but not the whole mystery. I enjoyed this book but it wasn't my favourite, that title still belongs to The Silent Patient.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

When I was accepted for the arc via NetGalley i squealed so loud!!! I LOVED the Silent Patient and The Maidens giving both novels a 5 star rating!

It features an unreliable narrator who tells the story with five different acts, almost like a play which was something a little unique to many other thrillers I've read.

The idea of a murder taking place on a small island and a sort of whodunnit storyline really appealed to me as I love these kind of closed door mysteries.
Like his other books, I enjoyed the elements of Greek mythology that were cleverly entwined within the story. And the Greek culture that was brought into the story too!

The conversations he spoke about having with his therapist Marianne were very thought provoking - Quite philosophical writing with a lot of food for thought.

I did actually guess the twist to an extent, but not how it got to that point!

Like The Maidens, there was a small link to The Silent Patient which I thought was pretty cool!

Former Hollywood actress Lana Farrer invited her family and friends to her own private island near Mykonos, Greece like she does very Easter. The 6 includes her friends Kate and her husband Jason. Whose she recently finds out that they are having an affair. Lana then seems to go missing, and shots being fired, when they go looking for her, they find the body of Lana shot dead. Who would want Lana dead and why?
Thank you, Penguin Michael Joseph, for a copy of ‘The Fury’ by Alex Michaelides. I really enjoyed the author’s first book the ‘The Silent Patient’ but since then I just haven’t gelled with his books. Maybe they are not for me.
I was first drawn into this story of the friends on the island and maybe this is a turning point and started liking the author’s work. But when they found the body in the story did a 360 degree turn and this was more like a play then a story. And found the narrative quiet irritating and quite farfetched that everything was going to go to his plan. Unfortunately, lost interest after that and I started skimming the pages. 3 stars from me.

A taut, tense locker room mystery set on a Greek island. Alex Michaelides has done it again. This was such a pageturner with ode to Christie. The characters are from the elite, rich, upper echelon of English society - they are actors, some of movies and some of the theatre. A cast of characters go to an island for the summer when one person ends up murdered. But who and why? The narrative goes back and forth, giving twist after twist. The protagonist is an unreliable narrator and I was just curious to see where things would go. Atmospheric and gripping, Michaelides has done it again 👏👏

Exploring the novel that initially gripped me with its first-person narrative, delving into the entangled worlds of real and fictional actors, I anticipated a rollercoaster of emotions. However, as the story unfolded, my enthusiasm waned.

The promised illusions and twists failed to deliver the impact I had hoped for, and the characters, rather than drawing me in, left me wanting more. The narrative's unexpected turns led to a resolution that fell short of the anticipation built throughout the book.

In retrospect, I find myself searching for a more authentic exploration of the characters' lives, without the reliance on certain narrative devices. This novel, though not meeting my expectations, has ignited a quest for other stories that offer the depth and authenticity I crave in fiction.

WOW!!! I’ve read this writer’s other 2 books and this is different but just as good. A really clever story. Will keep you guessing from start to finish a HUGE 5 stars. Ps but his first two books

I think maybe I’m being too generous with the 3/5. Maybe more of a 2.5/5. I wanted to LOVE this book soooooo badly, I loved all Michaelide’s previous novels with the Madien being in my top 5 read of 2023. However, this was a massive let down….
The plot felt really messy, it was not a thriller of sorts but following the lives of the rich and the limelight and I felt that it was kind of guessed throughout. There was no shock element. Thank you for this ARC netgalley!

This is my first time reading this author, but having heard so many great things about his earlier books, I was excited to jump in.
I felt the book was incredibly slow, but it did pay off eventually. I do want to read the authors other books as I heard those are better, but this felt too slow to be a great thriller.