4 out of 5 stars

As a huge fan of Stuart Turton's work, particularly "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle," I was excited to dive into "The Last Murder at the End of the World." Turton has once again proven that he is a master of intricate plotting, expertly dropping clues throughout the narrative that require the reader to stay sharp and piece things together from subtle hints. This book is no different—a classic whodunit framed in an alternate reality, filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Turton's talent for crafting elaborate, multi-layered mysteries is fully on display here, and fans of his style will appreciate the clever construction and deep attention to detail. However, like his previous novels, this one might benefit from a second reading to truly grasp all the nuances and connections. The challenge of keeping track of everything and everyone, especially in such a complex plot, can be a bit overwhelming, and that’s where the book lost a star for me. Nonetheless, it’s a brilliantly crafted mystery that showcases Turton's unique storytelling prowess. If you enjoy a puzzle that pushes you to think, "The Last Murder at the End of the World" is well worth your time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Stuart Turton is an author that loves detail and twists. After reading, his Seven Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle, I kind of knew what I was stepping into with this next story. As is his style, you are presented with a lock-room mystery design and given a large collection of characters to track. There is lots of back story that is doled out throughout the book, and it gets complicated at times. If you want to solve the puzzle, then stick with it and you will be rewarded. He creates a unique world and explores the ethics of humanity. Sounds like an odd combination but it works. As Turton did in Hardcastle, there are lots of opportunities to guess what happened and how it happened. And in the same idea, he keeps turing the table once you think you have it solved. Grab this book and a large cup of coffee on your next rainy day.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton offers a gripping premise with a distinctive setting, but ultimately falls short of its potential. The novel’s intricate plot and time-bending elements are imaginative, and Turton’s skillful writing keeps the narrative engaging. However, the complexity of the storyline can be overwhelming, and the pacing drags in places.

I think Stuart Turton does a good job at creating thought provoking scenarios for the reader to encounter and unravel to get to the bottom of. That being said, I felt mediocre about the ending of this book and what went on—similar to how I felt about The 7 and 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I think the issue I have with Stuart Turton is that his ideas are so imaginative. His premises pull me in, and I get really high expectations for his books.

But, the execution is lacking. I thought The Last Murder was a bit rambly, long, and confusing. I also didn't care for the audiobook narrator—his female voices were distracting and all sounded like little boys.

3 stars for worldbuilding, creativity, and some really good twists. [For example, the crums vs humans, the fact that the fog didn't impact them, etc. What's lacking is the plot and execution. Wanted to like it more than I did!

I really wanted to like this one more than I did, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I did find it intriguing but overall it just didn't pull me in. There were many twists and turns, which is what kept me reading because I did ultimately want to know what happened, but I didn't felt drawn to read this book the way other stories do. I am generally a romance reader, but I enjoy thrillers as well. This one may have been just a little too out of my genre norm, so it may just not have been the book for me!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stuart Turton makes my brain hurt in all the right ways. I adored reading the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so much and I’ve been waiting to read The Last Murder at the End of the World for months. I was not disappointed!

See, Stuart starts by introducing you to the characters world – a guaranteed weird space/place. That space is perfect for the unique and unconventional characters that delight the pages. Once you’re familiar with this imaginary world, then you’ll be introduced to each character in the most delightful of ways. The way they are described is so tangible, you’ll see the same traits in the people you know interact with on a regular basis. . And then he starts killing and it’s up to you to find out who’s doing the killing!

Once you think you’ve solved the case, Turton shakes your world, and you have to think about all the clues again. This is why he makes my brain hurt in the best of ways. You’ll never see the ending coming- no matter how hard you try!

This is a post-apocalyptic, locked room mystery. Its clever and the plot is unlike anything I can remember reading. It’s well written, with complex characters and seamless world building. All in all, this was a good mystery and a pleasant read.

I wanted to love this book the way I loved Evelyn Hardcastle but it just fell so flat for me. The worldbuilding was so slow and while I love the idea of a closed loop murder set in the last community in the world, I really struggled to get into this book and kind of muscled my way through to the end. I wasn't at all surprised by the whodunit and the only thing I found interesting was the dynamics of the villagers and the elders. Also I didn't love the narration - all of the female characters (so, most of the characters) sort of ended up feeling the same.

Like all of Stuart Turton's books, this one is a well-crafted sci-fi. A group of one hundred and twenty-two people is the last to survive a fog that has swept the planet and killed everything and everyone in its wake. The island on which they live is surrounded by the fog and is held off by the utopia on the island. When someone is found murdered, it is up to them to solve the murder in order to fend off the fog that threatens to consume the island. However, everyone has had their memory wiped and they only have 107 hours to solve the case.
The beginning of the book was confusing because I did not know who the narrator was. I am glad that I stuck with the book because all the questions were answered and the answers were surprising. I should have known from reading all of Turton's books that the answers would be smart, complex, and unexpected. If you love sci-fi, this is a sci-fi mystery that should not be missed

I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle but unfortunately I struggled with this one. I thought it was an interesting idea however because I am behind on reviews I decided to listen to the audiobook and I had a hard time staying focused of the story. Unfortunately, I didn't know what was happening most of the time.

I really wanted to love this book, but I just could not get into it. I gave it to my husband, he enjoyed it! So it was a DNF for me, but a 3 star from him.

One of my favorite book recommendation is Stuart Turton's The Devil in the Dark Water. My absolute favorite thing about it is that I still didn't know where the book was going to end, even with 20 pages remaining. To this day is remains one of my favorite mysterys. Going into The Last Murder at the End of the World, I was excited and hoped it would be a great read too, at least in its own way. Where I found the twists and turns of the previous book to be riveting and enthralling, captivating to the point of a stranglehold on me, they were rather tedious in this book. I kept feeling like things were reaching. I kept feeling like plot points were left vague without a plan and then suddenly they were brought back in at some point in a way that felt like the author realzed, "oh crap I have tie to this loose end!" In the end, it is still a great story, original and uniquely distopitan. Maybe under different circumstances I would have felt differently, but this time the story just wasn't as mooth and flowing as before.

A wonderful dystopian novel for fans of Jeff Vandermeer, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and Margeret Atwood. I loved Turton's book The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and was really excited for this book. It is eerie and strange and I loved it. I'm a huge fan of the Southern Reach series by Jeff Vandermeer and thought this was very reminiscent of that series. Turton does an excellent job of just dropping you into the story and letting you figure it out as you go. You get invested in the characters and driven mad wanting to know what happens. An excellent work of suspense, sci-fi, dystopian fiction!

Turton’s writing is like magic. This was a thrilling ride start to end. The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of my favourite books to date, and discovering the joys of Turton have been the best of times!! I can’t wait for the next thrilling adventure .

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton started out as a page turner, but I found it lost some momentum in the last half. I loved the concept of the end of the world and an island’s inhabitants making a community while keeping a deadly fog at bay. The murder mystery in the second half lost my interest a little. I don’t want to give any spoilers out here so won’t say much more. Like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this book also has several characters and a well planned out plot. I just wasn’t as invested in this story. It was good but didn’t blow my mind like 7 1/2 Deaths. I’ll continue reading Turton books though as I’m a fan of his concepts and intricate plots. I look forward to his next.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you.

This one just worked for me. It kept me interested and finding extra time to read throughout the day, and I think the ending worked well.

3.5 - This was an interesting book, because I went into it thinking it would be a typical mystery/thriller, and turns out it had a good mix of sci-fi/dystopian in it. The mix of these genres made this feel like a very different type of mystery/thriller than most I read and I actually really liked the blend of sci-fi and dystopian with it, although it threw me off at times! I thought it was super interesting that the narrator who looms over the entire story is an AI narrator who chimes in occasionally. A catastrophe has struck the planet, with a fog that killed every living thing, but somehow the fog didn't hit this Greek Island. The mystery involves a murder that occurs on the island and the people of the island must uncover who did the killing, or else the fog will consume them too. The premise of the book was super interesting, and I did think that the ongoing mysteries were interesting and immersive, as much information is kept hidden throughout the book, as the narrator and the main characters work to discover why the fog happened and who committed the murder, and how these things overlap.

I was fairly engaged throughout the entire book. The mix of the genres and the setting, along with the mysteries, kept me on my toes. The ending felt very all over the place, with a lot being revealed and a lot having to come together. I definitely didn't guess any of the twists and the pacing and tone of the book felt frantic and made me feel frantic alongside reading it, which I guess accomplished what a mystery/thriller sets out to do. Overall, I thought it was a good thriller, although not my favorite!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the free book in exchange for my honest review!!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

LOVED THIS. it’s much more than just a murder mystery, it’s about humanity and what we’ve become. It’s about learning to be something better. Definitely a fav for the year!!!