The Fury

I loved the author’s The Silent Patient and had high expectations for The Fury. Thus, I selected The Fury for this month's entry in the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. The book was published in January 2024. 

The publisher's summary: 

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.

I did not enjoy the book. I picked up a copy of it because I loved The Silent Patient. My expectation for this book was high but it just never grabbed my attention. There was too much narration and I had to continually think about who the narrator was. During my read, I couldn't figure out why this person was the narrator. After reading one third of the story, the murder finally happened. At the midway point of the story there was still no investigation of the crime. Why? This is supposed to be a psychological thriller.

There wasn't any character development. None of the characters were likable and I think that's due to all the narration. The characters were flat. They did not communicate with each other because the narrator couldn't shut up. He was always promising a new twist but they didn't materialize. I can't help but feel disappointed with the book. While I read it until the end, it never grabbed my attention.

1 out of 5 stars.

2025 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge

Bev at the My Reader's Block blog will be hosting the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge once again in 2025. I love reading mysteries so I simply have to rejoin the challenge next year. The challenge allows readers to include any mystery regardless of publication date. If it falls in a mystery category (crime fiction/detective novel/police procedural/suspense/thriller/spy & espionage/hard-boiled/cozy/etc.), then it counts and it does not matter if it was published in 1895 or 2025. 

 

The Rules

• Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2025. All books should be read during this time period.

• Sign up at any time. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge. Then sign up via the form at the challenge post and please make the url link to your challenge post and not your home page. If you don't have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are acceptable OR you may skip that question.

• All books must be mysteries. Humor, romance, supernatural elements (etc.) are all welcome, but the books must be mysteries/crime/detective novels first.

• Twelve books, one representing each month, are required for a complete challenge. You may find the spreadsheet with monthly categories HERE. We will be using the 2024 version again this year.

• To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas figure in some in the plot. Did someone poison the plum pudding? Did Great-Uncle Whozit invite all the family home for Christmas so he could tell them he plans to change his will?

• The "wild card" book is exactly that. If July is your birth month (as mine is), then for category #9 you may read any mystery book you want. It does not have to connect with July in any way--other than a July baby chose it. The other eleven months, you must do the alternate category #9 if you want to fulfill that slot.

• Chinese Zodiac: Animal must be important to the book in some way. Examples: animal name appears in title (stand-alone, not part of another word); animal itself is important to the story; animal appears on cover; important character is associated with the animal (nickname--for instance, owns one as a pet, etc.) OR book may have been published in a year that corresponds to the Zodiac year.

• Books may only count for one month and one category, but they may count for other challenges (such as my Vintage Scavenger Hunt Challenge). If it could fulfill more than one category or month, then you are welcome to change it at any time prior to the final wrap-up.

• Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. So--if you're feeling like a little "Christmas in July" (or May or...), then feel free to read your book for December whenever the mood strikes.

• A wrap-up post/comment/email will be requested that should include a list of books read and what category they fulfilled. [Example: January: The House of Sudden Sleep by John Hawk (original pub date January 1930)]

• The headquarters link in the left-hand sidebar of the My Reader's Block blog will be updated in January for 2025 for easy access to this original challenge post, monthly review link-ups, and the final wrap-up. The final wrap-up link will not go live until the end of 2025, so please save your notification until that time.

• If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #CalendarOfCrime2025.