By: Alex Michaelides
Narrator: Alex Jennings
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 9781250329523
Publisher: Celadon Books
Publication Date: 01/16/2024
Format: Audiobook
My Rating: 4 Stars
This program is read by Alex Jennings, who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. He is also known for his role as Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, in the Netflix series The Crown, along with his roles in The Queen, Lady in the Van, and The Wings of the Dove. He is a three-time Olivier Award winner and has been nominated for a BAFTA.
A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder — from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
This is a tale of murder.
Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.
I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.
We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.
My Review
Alex Michaelides returns with his third novel, THE FURY —An intelligent, dark, glamorous thriller, a love story, a psychological mystery, and a riveting tale of murder when a reclusive ex-movie star and friends vacation to a private Greek Island in this gripping thriller by the author of The Silent Patient.
A locked room thriller —Agatha Christie-style mystery, told in five acts with an unreliable narrator.
Lana Farrar, a famous woman and ex-movie star, invites her closest friends for an escape to a secluded, idyllic, private Greek Island over the Easter holidays.
Joining her for the trip are her son, Leo; her husband, Jason; her two best friends, Kate and Elliott; and her faithful employees, Nikos and Agathi.
The narrator of The Fury is Elliot Chase, and he will tell readers a story. He will provide you with the facts and let you decide. Think Nick Caraway with a flair for the dramatic.
They were trapped; there were old friendships, desire, and revenge. Dark and sinister, a wicked game of cat and mouse with multiple twists and MURDER.
THE FURY is atmospheric, classic, and clever, with unreliable narrators and a cast of unlikeable characters. It is compelling and unique, with a Shakespearean theatrical drama vibe. A whydunit character study. A reconstruction of the events that lead up to the murder.
Where the book shines is the author's prose, which is lyrical and psychologically rich, the execution, and nonlinear timelines while exploring complex relationships and emotions with mental health themes.
The audiobook was well done and narrated by Alex Jennings, the award-winning English actor on the stage and screen.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Jan 16, 2024
Praise
"Gloriously atmospheric and utterly riveting, this is my favourite Alex Michaelides yet. Readers you are in for a treat! But then what else would you expect from the undisputed master of the twist?"
―Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List
“Alex Michaelides hits the trifecta with his third novel, The Fury. The highly original story presents the reader with the king of all unreliable narrators, enough twists and turns to power two novels, and a host of characters that bleed right on the page. For fans of erudite, locked room mysteries told with style and theatrical panache, The Fury delivers, on all counts.”
―David Baldacci
“A classic, twisting, brilliant murder mystery. A wonderfully drawn cast of characters with a motive to kill for, in a location to die for, keep you guessing until the shocking finale. Clever, and fiendishly fun.”
―Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End
“The Fury, like its beguiling narrator, is endlessly evolving, wildly entertaining, and like the very best fiction, impossible to pin down. Just when you think you have it cornered, it moves, impossibly and with stunning flourish, toward a devastating finale. The Talented Mr. Ripley for our time.”
―Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter
"Audacious, twisty, compelling, and full of the joyous verve that one only finds in the very best storytelling, this is the best novel yet from Alex Michaelides."
―Sophie Hannah
“You’ll think you know where it’s going and you couldn’t be more wrong.”
―Linwood Barclay
"A very sophisticated book which takes the format of a classic murder mystery and elevates it to something very devious and clever indeed. The narrator is fabulous -- I was thoroughly gripped by his voice and it seems to have been written with great glee. There's such a tremendous complicity to it even though the reader has no idea how much of what he's telling is true, even down to the final pages. The way it reveals itself through the layers of the narrative is very well done indeed."
―Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
"Alex Michaelides is the grand master of the modern mystery. The Fury reads like Hitchcock with a heart, or Agatha Christie running amok on a wind-whipped Greek island. A tale of old friends and buried emotions ready to explode, all set on an idyllic island rendered so perfectly you can smell the jasmine, the ouzo and the Aegean Sea. The Fury will, quite literally, blow you away. Totally brilliant."
―Tony Parsons, author of Who She Was
“The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a proper, grown-up thriller that exudes class from every page. So much more than a murder mystery, every twist and turn is simultaneously a total surprise and completely inevitable. The writing is perfectly sparse, yet cloaks a narrative of rare complexity. So many contradictions, yet all unite in a devastating whole. The Fury is a very special book and highly recommended.”
―Janice Hallett, author of international bestseller The Appeal
"Glamorous, sinister, and endlessly surprising, The Fury reads like Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith took a Greek vacation together and decided to write a book while there. It's twisty, twisted entertainment."
―Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Only One Left
“A glorious triumph―just brilliant.”
―Stephen Fry
"This is a masterclass in suspense. A unique and captivating narrator takes you on a journey filled with twists and finely drawn characters you will treasure. This is probably his best book. Not to be missed."
―Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen and Kill for Me, Kill for You
“One of those rare books where really nothing is as it seems. As usual, Alex Michaelides does not disappoint.”
―Ragnar Jonasson
"The Fury is a masterfully woven story of Shakespearean twists and Machiavellian turns. A Greek Tragedy in the guise of a postmodern thriller. Do not miss this one."
―Holly Jackson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
"Mesmerising―a beguiling labyrinth of twists and surprises, even better than The Silent Patient. The Fury is The Magus meets The Secret History on a Greek island paradise where nothing is as it seems, and Alex Michaelides is a master magician, skillfully misdirecting the reader at every turn." ―JP Delaney
“Shades of Agatha Christie and Sunset Boulevard color this outstanding psychological thriller …Michaelides keeps readers on deliciously unsteady ground throughout, ratcheting up the tension until he arrives at the final series of reveals. The result is a character-driven, atmospheric delight.”
―Publishers Weekly
“From the author of The Silent Patient comes another perfectly-paced thriller that will have you looking at your friends with a hint of suspicion… It unfolds so satisfyingly well, you just might want to block off a weekend to read it all in one.”
―Good Housekeeping | 12 Most Anticipated Books of 2024
"Michaelides again creates an almost tangible blend of tension,
manipulation, and obsession. Even readers will fall prey to Michaelides' craft, nudged into
shifting, sympathetic allegiances to the damaged, unlikable characters in this pitch-perfect,
classic crime set-up and modern psychological thriller."
―Booklist
“Alex Michaelides is a master…Intriguing and page-turning, The Fury is Michaelides at his best, which is saying a lot after the success of The Silent Patient.”
―GMA.com | 15 New Books to Read for the New Year
About the Author
Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide. The rights have been sold in a record-breaking 51 countries, and the book has been optioned for film by Plan B. His second novel, The Maidens, was an instant New York Times bestseller and has been optioned for television by Miramax Television and Stone Village. WEBSITE
