A murder mystery wrapped in dystopian fiction, I got a little lost in the specifics of the dystopia and how everything operated/came to be, but I liked the mystery, and thought it was thought provoking in a fun way without becoming heavy handed.

It's the end of the world. A man-eating fog lingers just on the edge of an island that holds the last shreds of humanity, a haven for a small village and the three scientists ("elders") who manage the place. The fog is kept at bay, the village is peaceful and runs smoothly thanks to the myriad of rules and curfews set by the elders, until...murder.

There was a ton of creative world building in this novel. And it was very difficult to follow. By design? Just like it was for the villagers? Despite the imagination and puzzle-ness I found the plot to be a mess. A lot didn't make sense, given the premise (I'll leave it at that, no spoilers here).

For the one villager investigating the murder: "But there's only chaos in her mind now. Facts, suspicions, and half-remembered things are swirling inside a crackling fog, clumsily trying to graft themselves to each other". That's how I felt reading it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

It always makes me sad to be reminded that even the best writers are not immune to the pitfalls of a bad plot.

Unfortunately that’s the case here with Murder at the End of the World. I really loved Turton’s first two books, so though the premise for this one sounded a bit rough and also not to my taste, I assumed I would enjoy it anyway. I’ll put a caveat on all this to say that if you like dystopias (I don’t) you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did, but the real problems with it are more about structure and trite themes.

Though I don’t love dystopia, I’m not totally opposed to trying one if the premise feels fresh and unique. I was hoping that would be the case here since Turton is so creative in his work, but this is actually very tropey and leans heavily on the same themes that show up over and over in dystopian fiction.

I probably could have lived with this had the mystery itself not also fallen victim to tropey, formula-driven stuff. To an extent you sign up for a certain amount of that with anything labeled a puzzle mystery, but some are better than others at both cutting down on the subgenre issue of convolutedness and avoiding the tendency to do something cutesy and contrived in an attempt to surprise with the solve. This book unfortunately fell victim to both of these pitfalls.

I also didn’t love the world building, though again I would place a caveat on this that if you like dystopias, this issue probably won’t affect your reader experience.

Turton’s writing is still very good, and it almost rescues the book with clever turns of phrase and solidly done tone and pacing. Almost. I’ll continue to read whatever Turton publishes in the future, but this one felt like a miss.

This book is so strange and disjointed. The plot was all over the place and I didn't feel like you got any character development at all. I know he is a popular author, and I was excited to try this, but the good cover and interesting title were the only things I liked about this book. Now I know Stuart Turton is not for me.

The premise of the story is interesting but the story is executed in a way that is all over the place and hard to follow at times. It made it incredibly hard to stay engaged and into the story. That being said I do admire the creativity that went into creating this world.

I wanted to love this so much more than i actually did…brilliant concept and Turton builds this post-apocalyptic world so well. but what brought this down for me sadly was the actual murder mystery - I honestly just didn’t find the whodunit that interesting because I never felt connected enough to these characters to really care about the culprit. it IS done in an interesting way, I just wish I cared a bit more to make this a more memorable read.

The Last Murder at the End of the World presents a world full of contradictions: far enough in the future that human lifespans can extend to hundreds of years, but the last three elders live among peaceful island villagers surviving in a crude society subsisting on fishing and farming. The only real sign of advanced technology is Abi, the artificial intelligence that speaks and listens directly within their minds. These villagers (unlike the comparatively ancient elders) all die peacefully and willingly at the age of 60 after having been born, seemingly at the advanced age of 8.

A deadly fog has covered most of the planet with the sole exception of this island, a last refuge for humanity with its small community. The fog is held at bay by an unseen barrier that ensures the villagers' continued survival. Until one of the three elders is murdered, and the deadly fog begins to advance on the island. Per Abi, only the revelation, confession, and execution of the murderer will stop the fog and save everyone.

Emory, the one apparent misfit among the villagers is tasked with solving the murder. At this point, the story turns into a murder mystery, and the stakes couldn't be higher: the very survival of the human race. Emory's work is cut out for her, because on the night of the murder, everyone on the island was subjected to a memory wipe by Abi, at the instruction of the murder victim herself.

If you're a fan of unreliable narrators, this is the book for you, because it is filled with them, either by way of the memory wipe or through the willful withholding of information. The ticking clock on the extinction of humanity is a cool suspense hook that could have been played up even more, though it factors heavily into the final moments of the story. When the ticking clock is most felt, the story is most effective.

At times it's hard to relate to the unusual behavior of the villagers. For instance, Emory's natural curiosity is anything but natural in the eyes of her docile peers. In general, they seem removed from the everyday expectations of human behavior. Meanwhile, the elders keep themselves at a distance, so the connection there is not as strong as it could have been either. Finally, everything seems filtered through Abi, along with Abi's motives, which aren't always clear, sometimes pointedly and purposefully so. But Turton sticks the landing in a startling and satisfying way, ending the tale on a simultaneously sober yet hopeful note.

'The Last Murder at the End of the World’ by Stuart Turton
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication: May 21, 2024
Special thanks to Goodreads and Sourcebooks for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

This one is a hard one for me to rate because it was one of my most anticipated reads this year. However, it just felt like a very average book to me with nothing to push it into a 4 or 5 star read. It was more sci-fi than murder mystery which I did not expect and this could also be part of the disappointment for me.

At 'The End of the World' there is an island inhabited by both villagers and human scientists who are the only known survivors of a deadly fog that has taken over the world. The scientists are the presumptive leaders, but when one ends up dead it throws the entire way of life on the island into question. Emory, an islander always on the outskirts of life due to her never-ending curiosity, is put into the role of solving the murder and thus saving the entire island from demise.

Despite the descriptive writing there were several instances of items or situations I just COULD NOT picture and envision what they were describing. This was frustrating and I ended up glossing over these sections. In addition, the narrator of the story was Abi (an AI system) despite Emory being the main character. There were many instances I would be reading assuming it was Emory's thoughts and end up confused and having to re-read sections because the narrator was Abi.

Overall, not a horrible story, just not spectacular. If you are looking for more of a sci-fi or speculative thriller type book this may be the book for you!

I don't really know where to begin here. I am a Stuart Turton apologis, I've probably recommended The 7 1/2 Deaths of Eveyln Hardcastle more than any other book in the last 6-7 years. I also loved the Devil and the Dark Water which some found tedious. I was so excited to get a review copy of this new book. And it was such a disappointment for me. The premise was solid, but the execution was unconvincing. I had a hard time caring about anything that was happening to any characters. It also felt a little too long. I think this book has readers who will love it, but it wasn't right for me. I was not a fan of the audio narration at all and believe that could have changed the experience for me significantly. I may return to the book in print down the road.

I will still continue to recommend Turton and love his books - just maybe not this one so much.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

What if you were tasked with solving a murder just 2 days before a flesh-devouring fog took over your home?

We follow the inhabitants of the Island at the End of the World as they follow their daily routines, through both their point of view and the view of ABI, a conscientious software program that can detect the thoughts and feelings of the islanders and communicate with everyone. This island is located in a futuristic time, after the earth has been attacked by this fog that contains flesh-eating, electrical bugs that devour anything that gets caught in it. There are 122 islanders and 3 scientists. The scientists were on the island before the fog attacked and are considered the elders by the other inhabitants. They are older, taller, and basically God-like to the inhabitants. They created ABI before the world was fog-laden to protect the secrets of the research. The main scientist has even developed a barrier that keeps the fog away from the island.

The inhabitant's world literally comes crashing down when one of the elders is found murdered. The murder causes the barrier to come down and the fog is slowly taking over. The other elders task one of the villagers with solving the murder before the fog takes over the island. The biggest catch is that when the elder was dying, she told ABI to wipe the memories of everyone on the island, so the villager has to take in all aspects of everyone's night to find the killer. Will she be able to solve the murder or die trying?

This book had my full attention from the first chapter. This unique premise adds some Sci-Fi themes on top of the murder-mystery theme. The twists kept coming with each new revelation as we followed the villager on her investigation. This was a fresh new read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the advanced copy I received.

It must be wild inside Stuart Turton’s mind. His stories are such intricate puzzles and I cannot help but wonder how he manages to lasso the many ideas running through his brain, successfully taming them into one tale.

But let me tell you this: The Last Murder at the End of the World is a bit long winded. I’m beginning to think that’s Stuart Turton’s signature style. The synopsis’s promised murder takes quite some time to actually occur and the path to its resolution is a long and winding one.

Of course, the cleverness of this complicated tale makes the aforementioned aspect forgivable. Turton has a way of taking stale themes and making them seem fresh. Turton’s skill as a storyteller builds those themes into complex structures, making it all magnificently intriguing. So, yes, it’s a long, winding road, but the scenery is so vibrant, it’s easy to lose yourself in the journey.

What I especially loved about narrative, though, was the exploration of creation, control, and moral compasses. It’s its own sort of genesis, despite opening at the end of the world, and it all leads to a thought provoking mystery.

I did experience one issue, however. I had both the e-galley and advance audio copy of this. Having felt overwhelmed by my reading options, I chose to listen to this. Although James Cameron Stewart did a wonderful job bringing the story to life, I was baffled by the whimsical tone of the story, and couldn’t decide if this was because of how he read it or if I would have also interpreted it as such had I read it on my own. It just didn’t seem to mesh well with the dark content so it did hinder my immersion at times.

I am immensely grateful to Tantor Audio, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a journey I didn't know I was about to go on. I haven't read a story like this one before. I was immediately intrigued with the premise, the mystery behind the fog, and unraveling all of the details on the inhabitants of the island. At no point did I guess what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the journey and recommend to anyone looking for something a little different than their typical thriller/mystery book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It was an interesting concept but took a while for me to really get into it for some reason. I had trouble keeping up with who was who for maybe the first half of the book. I tend to have that problem when the names are unusual though. I finally got into the mystery about halfway through and from there it was enjoyable. One silly thing that bothered me was the over use of contractions. I don’t know why it bothered me so much but it did. Overall, interesting idea and a good mystery that kept me guessing.

Exciting and different tale of the world's last survivors dealing with treachery and impending doom.

Another amazing book from this author! I don’t think it tops 7 1/2 Deaths but it was really good! The storylines and twists in this one had me glued to the pages!

Did I like it? Did I not? I’m not totally sure to be honest. One of my least favorite writing styles is when an other starts the reader off wrong footed. I hate getting dumped into a story and having to spend the first quarter of the book even figuring out what the hell is going on and why I should care about any of it. This happens frequently in world building stories and it drives me insane. There’s a difference between being original and just leaving your reader lost. That being said, once I had my bearings with the story it was genuinely interesting. I do love a good “end of the world” story and that fact that it’s combined with a murder mystery makes it even better. The twists were original and quite frankly I did NOT see them coming. Yes, them as in multiple! However, as interesting as the story was and as great as the plot twists were I just don’t know if it’s enough to make up for the convoluted beginning and the numerous unanswered questions and unexplored plot points. I’d still recommend it just maybe to a specific group of readers, it’s definitely not gonna be everybody’s cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.

I was so excited to be given the opportunity to have an advanced read of Stuart Turton's latest novel. This book was just enthralling. It was magical and fantastic. I just loved it.

I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and was thrilled to get an ARC of The Last Murder at the End of the World. Once again, Stuart Turton did not disappoint!! Turton truly has a knack for creating a fantastical whodunnit. Do not sleep on this one!

In the hands of a less-skilled writer, The Last Murder at the End of the World would be one hot mess. The story combines scifi, murder mystery, and philosophical musings on the meaning of life, humanity, community, and the end of the world. There are times when the story's pace slows unexpectedly, and character development is somewhat lacking, but The Last Murder at the End of the World will appeal to a wide swath of readers.

This was my first book by Stuart Turton, and I read it based on hearing quite a lot about it on social media. I thought the world building was excellent, as well as the sense of anxiety and confusion that permeates the book.

After a catastrophic worldwide event, there is one island of people remaining. Everyone has their role on this island, and there are a handful of elders who were part of the previous society. When one of the islanders is murdered, the other islanders race to find out what happened.

I overall enjoyed this book - I am not a huge reader of dystopian fiction but this world was a really interesting one to spend time in. I thought the premise was well thought out and had enough twists to keep me guessing. I am glad I went in to this not knowing much about it.

I really liked Emory and Clara - their relationship was very sweet and I loved Emory's character.

Stuart Turton's writing is very descriptive and I could picture all the different settings and spaces the characters were in. I will definitely be reading more by him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!