The Fury by Alex Michaelides

THE FURY by Alex Michaelides (The Silent Patient) is a locked room mystery of sorts. Seven people are trapped on an island by a storm: former movie star Lana; her son, Leo; her current husband, Jason; her friends, actress Kate and playwright Elliott; plus, housekeeper Agathi and groundskeeper, Nikos. Elliot acts as a rather unreliable narrator and describes events on the Greek island as well as using flashbacks to provide background on the characters’ inter-relationships. There is a murder and readers may struggle to solve it, especially since about halfway through Elliott muses, “I'm aware of the conventions of this genre. I know what's meant to happen next. I know what you're expecting. A murder investigation, a dénouement, a twist." Readers may find multiple dénouements and certainly will deal with “several dark turns.” The story slows too much until about eighty percent of the way through when the action picks up again and jealousy, anger, and revenge all have an impact. THE FURY received a starred review from Library Journal and if readers wade through the slower sections they will likely concur that “the tension, unrequited feelings, lies and resentment, friendship and jealousy that permeate this suspenseful page-turner” kept them guessing.