"So," explains Stuart Turton with a deep breath. "It's an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, but set in a Groundhog Day loop, with a bit of Quantum Leap body-swapping thrown in. Our hero Aiden wakes up every day in the body of a different house guest… but it's the same day, so he sees the same event from very different perspectives."
As an elevator pitch for a debut novel, it is just about perfect – not least because trying to explain his brilliantly labyrinthine new book The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle is difficult enough, even if you've just read it.
“And it’s taken me a long time to get it down to two sentences,” Turton laughs.
The widely travelled English writer has spent some of his career in the UAE. "When the book was first signed, people would ask me what it was about, and I'd finish talking to them about two hours later. You could see the light going out of their eyes. So, yeah, I've got a bit better at explaining it."
A good job, too – it would be a real shame if anyone was put off by the high concept of Turton's book, given that it is such fun to read. Aiden, we soon learn, has eight chances to identify a murderer stalking the remote Blackheath House through the eight different "hosts" he inhabits – and if he doesn't, he will be stripped of his memories and trapped in this infernal loop forever. It makes for a really enjoyable twist on a Christie thriller, which is a genre that Turton clearly loves.
“Her mysteries were the ones I read as a kid, one after the other,” he says. “And they just stuck with me – there’s something about the form I’ve always loved. She puts all the suspects and clues in front of you, and you’re allowed to try and solve the mystery – you don’t know anything the sleuth doesn’t, most of the time. It’s almost presented as a game – and I love that about it. It feels fair – Agatha Christie saying: ‘Are you as clever as me?’ And 99 per cent of the time you’re not. Even before I knew I wanted to write a book, I wanted to write an Agatha Christie story. So I naturally gravitated towards
that genre.”
But there was an obvious problem with writing that kind of murder mystery: she has already written them all, mastering every plot and twist. When The National spoke to writer Andrew Wilson last year about his own take on a Christie novel, A Talent For Murder, he said that it had to appeal to modern sensibilities to succeed. Which it did. So for Turton, figuring out a way to fashion a book that wasn't just a pale imitation was something that has "taken me about a decade", he admits.
During that decade, he lived for three years in Dubai. It was only towards the end of his stint working as a travel writer for Etihad's in-flight magazine – "it was phenomenal, astonishingly fun; they were paying me to go on holiday once a month" – that he began to figure out how his novel might work.
"All these elements of being a 1980s kid, of watching Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap, congealed over the top of a murder mystery," he remembers. "And one day it just clicked, the book was there, waiting for me, as I was on a plane. I just started writing it – it was the weirdest thing."
Which makes the actual writing of The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle sound blissfully easy. Far from it. Turton jokes that he had so many Post-it notes on his walls, it would almost have been cheaper to buy stock in 3M, their manufacturer. "There were tonnes of rules I had to work out in a book like this," he says, "otherwise the whole concept falls down. All the things you see in your favourite time-travel books or movies, where a person leaves messages for his past self, I had to lock down whether they'd be allowed in this house. Stuff like whether, in the Groundhog Day loop, if Aiden did something as one character, could that affect what would happen in the next Groundhog Day."
For the book to have narrative momentum, Aiden does use the fact he knows he will wake up as a different character to build the picture to solve the crime. There is also a brilliantly enigmatic figure called the Plague Doctor, who arrives to explain the circumstances of Aiden's nightmarish situation just at the point most readers will probably start to wonder whether, as Aiden does himself, they're taking part in "a play in which everybody knows their lines except me".
In making the rules so clear, Turton achieves something rather impressive: he encourages a real connection between author, novel and reader. The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle has the air of an intriguing video game in the way in which Aidan "controls" different characters and has a set amount of lives to use up in his quest. Turton is delighted by the comparison.
“I grew up playing video games and I still do, so subconsciously they became part of the process,” he agrees. “We went for a publisher meeting where someone described the hosts as avatars, which I found really interesting. Video games are great at giving you a direct experience and putting you under pressure every moment, so it would be great if a book could do that too. ”
All of which does feed into the idea that The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle is a much brisker and more modern book than its art deco cover and talk of early motor cars might suggest. Even the country house setting, with its lords, ladies and household staff, is written from a decidedly 21st-century outlook.
“You know, it winds me up every time people decide this era – where people were doomed to be poor and the rich got to be better than everyone else – was somehow the greatest period in British history. It’s been fetishised as this brilliant time that we’ve lost, but I’m proud we got beyond that and we have social mobility.
“So pretty much all the upper-class people in the book are vile, old, grasping. I didn’t want it to overshadow the story at all, but the subtext is definitely that this was a decaying, crumbling period of history that we should be locking away, not aspiring to.”
So in the wake of Downton Abbey's success, it will be fascinating to see how the producers of a forthcoming television adaptation of The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle approach the book's quiet politics. In the meantime, Turton is busy putting up Post-It notes again, for a follow-up set in the 15th century, and hopes to make a return visit to Dubai – "I met my wife there, so Dubai for me is bound up with getting to know her. I really adore the place for that." More immediately, he is looking forward to the reaction to his novel.
“Publishing your debut is weird – nothing happens for a long time and then you’re shot out of a cannon,” he laughs. “But it’s really exciting: I’m being greedy, but I’d genuinely like people to want to read it more than once because it has been written in layers – there’s loads of clues and foreshadowing.
“It’s like a tapestry, the more you look into it, the more details you see.”
_________________
Read more:
[ 'A Long Way Home' is a grand tour through Australia's murderous history ]
[ Staunch Book Prize: a reward for the best thriller that doesn't use women as victims ]
[ ‘Frankenstein In Baghdad' to be released in English: we speak to Ahmed Saadawi ]
_________________
Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Company Profile
Company name: myZoi
Started: 2021
Founders: Syed Ali, Christian Buchholz, Shanawaz Rouf, Arsalan Siddiqui, Nabid Hassan
Based: UAE
Number of staff: 37
Investment: Initial undisclosed funding from SC Ventures; second round of funding totalling $14 million from a consortium of SBI, a Japanese VC firm, and SC Venture
Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization
Author: Kenneth W Harl
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Pages: 576
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
A Round of Applause
Director: Berkun Oya
Starring: Aslihan Gürbüz, Fatih Artman, Cihat Suvarioglu
Rating: 4/5
The Roundup : No Way Out
Director: Lee Sang-yong
Stars: Don Lee, Lee Jun-hyuk, Munetaka Aoki
Rating: 3/5
EA Sports FC 24
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, PC and Xbox One
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
The Killer
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Mascotte Health
Started: 2023
Based: Miami, US
Founder: Bora Hamamcioglu
Sector: Online veterinary service provider
Investment stage: $1.2 million raised in seed funding
Company profile
Company name: Hayvn
Started: 2018
Founders: Christopher Flinos, Ahmed Ismail
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Sector: financial
Initial investment: undisclosed
Size: 44 employees
Investment stage: series B in the second half of 2023
Investors: Hilbert Capital, Red Acre Ventures