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.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The Fury

With a unique literary spin and an unreliable narration, Alex Michaelides (The Silent Patient, The Maidens) imparts the compelling story of a murder on a Greek island.

We meet playwright Elliot Chase—the narrator—who at once shares there’s been a murder, but before we learn who died and who’s responsible, he unfurls the story in five acts—present and past, learning about each of the characters: movie star and best friend Lana Farrar; her friend and actress Kate Crosby; her husband, Jason Miller; her son, Leo; her housekeeper, and her caretaker . We also discern through brief mentions that Elliott struggles with his traumatic childhood, which led him to live with an older female writer for some time, and ultimately allowed him to cross paths with Lana.

Over Easter weekend, everyone gathers on Lana’s private Greek Island—the site of the murder—and an island rumored to be cursed, and battered by wild, raging windstorms.

As an omniscient (and unreliable) narrator, Elliott chooses what he shares and when, shaping what transpired to maximize dramatic impact. His perspective manifests his own shortcomings, and I think most readers (like me) will find that he isn’t a very likeable or trustworthy character. However, if you consider that Michaelides uses Elliott as a literary device to impart his story, I find it a very effective approach. I was riveted, clamoring to see how it all would happen (as I admittedly and rightly guessed the murder and murderer).

Even so, the climax is exciting, surprising, full of twists, and indeed, as Elliott suggested, brimming with drama. Part locked room mystery, part Greek tragedy, I really loved it overall and blew through the pages. Replete with betrayal, manipulation, toxic relationships, jealousy, and resentment, it was a unique, fun, and fast-paced novel easily devoured.

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