My opinion regarding Stuart Turton's previous novels have been mixed. While I loved "The 7 1/2 Death's of Evelyn Hardcastle", "The Devil and the Dark Water" fell flat for me. I wasn't sure what to expect with this third one - but I was ecstatic when I was approved for it on NetGalley as I was hoping for the best.

In The Last Murder at the End of the World, Stuart Turton depicts the very last human settlement on Earth, a Greek island engulfed by an ever-present and insurmountable wall of fog, and the murder of one of the settlement's elders. (In my head, I kept imagining Stephen King's "The Mist" as the inhabitants believe they will die if they enter the fog)

While the premise is undoubtedly ambitious, combining facets of dystopian science fiction with an elaborate whodunit approach, the result did not hit the way the way that I was hoping for. I felt that all the elements were there, but the sheer amount of characters often left me confused and distracted - especially with the perspective switches which occurred between Abi, in the first person, and the villagers, in the third. This left me in a severe mental battle with the novel. I didn't necessarily "DNF" this one, but whenever I took a break from reading, I was highly unmotivated to pick this one back up. It wasn't until I was able to get the audiobook off Libby, that I forced myself to finally finish the novel as I wanted to know what the big twist at the end would be, and provide a fair rating.

Ultimately, this novel was better than "The Devil and the Dark Water", which is how I settled on a 3 star rating. Chris Bissette, another GoodRead's account, called Turton the "M Night Shyamalan of fiction" and as an M Night Shyamalan fan, I could not agree more. I'll keep reading Turton's novels as they come out because Turton was the author that wrote them (similar to why I keep watching M Night Shyamalan films because their M Night Shyamalan films); but I fear the big twist in their subsequent work may never meet the expectations as the work that put them on the map.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Stuart Turton for an advanced reader copy of "The Last Murder at the End of the World."

The story takes place on a remote Greek Island 90 years after the world ended. 3 scientists live here, on the last place unaffected by the fog, with the villagers that have been born on the Island since the end of days. When one of the scientists is murdered the defenses put in place to defend the Island begin to fail. What's worse, everyone's memories are missing from the night of the murder.

I was really excited to read this after reading and loving The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but this was a bit of a miss for me. I had some trouble following the narrative as there were a lot of characters including an AI in their heads who all spoke simultaneously. The discovery of the villagers origins kind of lost me too.

I did appreciate the murder mystery nature of trying to determine what happened to the scientist and the reveal at the end, but I think I would've liked to think back and see the "twist" coming, there didn't seem to be many hints dropped about what was going to happen with the fog.

I admittedly wasn't sure what to expect going into this book and I think that is a good thing. Even though the title includes "end of the world" I am hit and miss with anything apocalyptic. However, this felt more extended family mystery style with a curious detachment included. I would recommend this to anyone who says they like "unusual books".

The sci-fi dystopian elements are great, but the mystery elements fall flat. I think a big reason for that is the perspective. I was going to give this book 3 stars, but as I think about it more, it has dropped to 2 stars. Mostly this is because of the large amount of plot holes, and people's motives not matching their actions. This book just was not for me, it just didn't keep my attention and I was not really into it I just finished it because I do not like to DNF books I try my hardest to finish them.

I had no idea what I was reading until I was about a 1/3 of the way in. There were a lot of characters and didn’t really understand the premise of this novel. I thought I was reading a thriller, but it’s more sci-fi which isn’t my favorite genre. Basically, a fog destroys the world and a bunch of scientists bunkered down on an island and a few were considered “elders” to help the rest of the village. A murder of one of the elders has brought the village to the brink of apocalypse. This book is weird, and although I didn’t enjoy it, if you like this genre and end of world type stories, you might like this.

If you want to save the world, you must solve this murder. That is the reality presented to the main character of Stuart Turton's The Last Murder at the End of the World. 122 villagers and 3 scientists are stuck on an island while a vicious fog covers the rest of the world. When one of those scientists turns up dead, and all villagers have no recollection of what took place the night before, it is up to a certain few villagers to uncover what actually took place and who the murderer is. Only then will enough information be gathered to solve the issue of the impending fog that will kill them all if it reaches the island. They have 107 hours.

I ended up giving this novel 4.5 stars. This was a fascinating story that had me wanting to keep turning the pages. The murder was definitely complex, so it was a little challenging for me to completely get everything, given that I am a busy mom of 2, but it is an enjoyable mystery at its core. This would probably be better served with more concentration than I gave it. But I still enjoyed it!

Stuart Turton's novel " The Last Murder at the End of the World, blends mystery with the scientific world. A small number of people are the last known humans on Earth after a dark fog invades the planet and wipes out most of humanity. The villagers have been protected by several scientists that have created a barrier from the fog. However, one night things go horribly wrong when the main leader is found murdered the next morning. How will the village remain safe from the fog and who killed the beloved leader? I really enjoyed the plot of this story, the characters were well written and the description of the setting of the story were great. The problem I had with the novel was that I felt like there were too many characters coming in and out of the story and at times I found it difficult to be able to be pulled back into the story. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel for a fair review.

Mysterious, appealing, and suspenseful. Certainly a lot of characters to juggle and keep track of, but I fell under the book's spell. I thought using Abi as a narrator who was present but not was a smart, unusual touch.

Dystopian whodunnit!
If you are familiar with Stuart Turton and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle then you know his style is quite unique but captivating. This book is no different!
Great premise, mix of characters and plenty of twists to keep you reading. I feel like every book he writes is from a different genre and he hasn’t quite picked one that feels like home.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the gifted copy of The Last Murder at the End of the World.

In 2020, I read and LOVED The Devil and The Dark Water by Stuart Turton, so I was eager to start reading The Last Murder at the End of the World as it had the same vibe that I found in TDW - unconventional characters, unique setting and a lot of intrigues. However, after trying (and failing) to read this one in print, I switched to the audiobook. I promptly made it an hour before having to give up and return to the print copy as I was struggling to keep people's places and things straight.

I tried and tried to get into this book, but there was just something missing. In some way, I think it was a me thing as the concept felt entirely over my head. But then I learned that Turton's writing style is unique, and I've enjoyed it before. Something was lacking in this novel, and it prevented me from finishing it.

Better suited for those looking for a post-apocalyptic setting than a mystery. Would make for an interesting discussion if done as a buddy read or book club. There are some confusing parts that might benefit from deconstruction or a second reading. Unfortunately I wasn't engaged enough to reread and probably missed a significant part of the plot. Will look forward to and read Turton's next novel.

Though not as brilliant as "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle," this story was gripping, and the overall execution was sound.
The premise for this intriguing story is that a deadly fog has wiped out most of humanity. In this post-apocalyptic world, a handful of scientists and others live together on a remote island. The island is protected from the deadly fog, until one of the scientists is murdered and the fog is about to envelop the island. The problem is the security system that caused the protective bubble around the island to lift has also triggered amnesia in all of the island's inhabitants. They only have 107 hours to solve the mystery before the fog hits and wipes everyone out.

Though the premise of this book was fascinating, it was a bit complicated and convoluted. It was hard to keep track of what was happening. Nonetheless, this was a gripping read that I would recommend reading more than once to better understand all the plot points and how everything is woven together.

I devoured this between thanksgiving eve and thanksgiving, but it left something to be desired. I wanted more from the ending and more of the red herrings tied together. It seemed a bit of a cluster at times, but I had a good time.

This one had the promise of something great that falls short in the end. A great sci-fi premise with murder was just what I needed but I felt the story had a lot of repetition and didn’t keep me engaged in the way I wanted.

I really wanted to like this book. I want to like weird books. But unfortunately they just aren’t for me and I decided to DNF. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook to review.

The Last Murder at the End of the World had a promising setup, but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver for me. The story seemed like it could go somewhere interesting, but it was just so slow and hard to get into. I tried to read it three separate times, hoping it would pick up, but each attempt left me feeling bored and unengaged. While the concept had potential, the execution fell flat, and it just didn’t hold my attention. Not a memorable read, unfortunately.

This was my second book from Stuart Turton. The title and book cover was what originally drew me in. It is hard to explain without giving any spoilers, but I can say the title is just what it seems. The end of the world has already happened. There is a very small area that hasn't been effected by a deadly toxic fog covering the earth. One can read between the lines here as to why the fog has taken over but that is not the focus of the story. Secret revelations, cult-like qualities, and a bit lord of the flies all encompass Turton's novel true to his dystopian fashion. The plot kept me interested with some twists and other likely hoods.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was fun! Well, as fun as sci-fi murder mysteries can be. I liked the twisty ending and the sci-fi was just enough but not too much for my simple-minded brain to follow. Would definitely read more by this author and recommend it to other sci-fi or mystery readers.

After "The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle," which was my first-ever ARC, I was excited to dive into Stuart Turton’s latest. Sadly, it turned out to be a chore—a surprising word for a murder mystery or an apocalypse novel, yet here we are. Set on an island shrouded in a deadly fog, the story seemed less like a compelling mystery and more like an elaborate mousetrap, with layers of obstacles obscuring the plot at every turn.

Instead of gripping suspense, the book delivered obstructive AI rules, memory wipes, and repetitive dilemmas. By the time the murder finally happened around 30% in, I found myself rooting for the reluctant killer just to bring things to a close. Ultimately, while it’s an ambitious puzzle, it left me feeling more exasperated than engaged. For readers who like their mysteries with less clutter and more substance, this one may fall short.

Thank you to Stuart Turton, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and NetGalley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.