90 years ago the world suffered a catastrophic event. Sinkholes appeared from nowhere and a fog began to blanket the Earth causing most of the population to perish. A small number of people were able to escape to an island where the fog surrounded but did not reach.

Run by the "Elders" - three people who were around when the world collapsed and now don't seem to age - the island operates like a machine. Everyone has something they contribute to the overall wellbeing of the people and the island. Although some, like Emory, would say that the villagers trust too much in the Elders. After all, her husband was one such casualty of the Elder's demanding experiments.

Plus, in order to keep the population under control, no one lives past sixty years old (barring of course the aforementioned Elders). So it is on the eve of her grandfather's death that Emory finds a revived sense of wariness where the Elders are concerned. Truthfully, she's always been curious and not one to let a question go unasked - even though she rarely gets a straight answer. This sense of curiosity has made Emory somewhat of an outlier within the village. No one wants to look too hard at their situation, they just want to continue living their lives.

So maybe it's fitting that when one of the Elders is discovered brutally murdered, Emory is the perfect one to lead the investigation. But she's on the clock as the surrounding fog is slowly starting to encroach upon the island.

This book took a bit for me to get into. To the point where I picked it up and started and just wasn't connecting with it so I put it down. When I started listening to the audiobook, that made it unfold better for me, and then once we get to a certain point, I'd say maybe about 15 to 20 percent into the story is when you realize that everything going on has more depth than people simply surviving and rebuilding after collapse of civilization.

Adding to all this is the fact that the story is told to us from the perspective of Abi. An omniscient presence who is able to speak into the villagers' minds and know their thoughts and whereabouts. This presence is always a little ominous. You don't know what Abi is and what her true function is within this society. Therefore, you don't know if you can fully trust her.

Trust is a big thing in this book. Not only trust, but the blind trust we often place upon people in positions of authority willing that they have our best interests at heart. This is not to be a scary allegory of trust and faith, but I think more of a don't be afraid to ask questions kind of thing. Don't be afraid to learn and be curious. Because it quickly becomes apparent that there are things the Elders have been keeping from the villagers.

I thought that Stuart Turton lead us on a wonderful unfolding of this society. Each chapter revealed another layer or another piece of the puzzle working toward putting together the big picture. I never felt like there were too many twists and turns, which to be honest there are a lot. Instead each turn leads nicely along to the next and the next in a way that makes sense. I was rapt by how everything was unfolding.

Now, I think this also sets a pretty high bar that's difficult to top. Meaning, the ending wasn't as revelatory as I was expecting. To be fair, though, I think this says a lot about it being more about the journey than the destination. It also doesn't negate the fact that the book kept me wanting to read on, wanting to find out what was happening next. I wanted to put the pieces together with Emory to see where it lead. Overall, it was very satisfying.

Speaking of the listening aspect of the book as mentioned above, I think an audiobook really works because it leans into the idea that we're being told this story (via Abi). The telling makes sense then if we are literally being read the story aloud. I think it's an interesting choice to have a male narrator essentially speaking for a female entity as Abi is referred to as she throughout the book. I don't think it takes anything away or adds anything, I simply think it's an interesting choice and makes me wonder about the process of choosing narrators for audiobooks. I do feel like there were times it was difficult to know which character was speaking. There was not enough distinction between the differing voices used for each character in some cases, but I'd say Emory is definitely the main protagonist of the book and she does stand out.

Overall, I know that Stuart Turton is known for the clever twists and turns in his stories. Reflecting on this one, I truly was surprised in quite a few places, but not only that, I'm left very curious about the world and left thinking on what the world was like. I appreciated that it's set in an unknown time so we have no idea what year the fog came and overtook everything in relation to our own real world which gives it a timelessness. As though this could all really happen at any moment. So again with that ominous feeling.

Any book that can make me continue to think about it for days going on weeks afterwards is a book worth spending time on.

Humans have all but ceased to exist as a deadly black fog covers most of the world. A small group of people live on an isolated island that is protected by a barrier that keeps the fog at bay. When the lead scientist who built the barrier is murdered, it's up to one woman to solve the murder and save the Islanders.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

A seemingly perfect island with 122 villagers and 3 scientists. Everyone has their own role on the island until one scientist was murdered and the security system malfunction can’t hold back the deadly fog for too long. The villagers have 92 hours to solve the murder or the fog will take over the island. There is only one problem - no one remembers what happened.

At the beginning of the book it felt that there were too many important characters and it took some time to figure out who is related to whom. I liked to discover more and more from that island life, about villagers and the past of the scientists. Stuart Turton ability to describe the nature and characters was amazing, his text was flowing like a melody.

I always read Stuart Turton's books and can't help but wonder how his brain works. I don't understand how we comes up with these stories but they are definitely interesting. One thing that is also true is that, even though they are 500 page monstrosities, I am still left wanting more from the story. In Evelyn Hardcastle, I wanted more about the prison system. In the Devil and the Dark Water, I wanted more about the pirates and world beyond. In this one, I wanted more about the fog and the science behind it all. I was invested in the story and wanted to know who killed Nema but when certain things were revealed I just didn't seem to much about any of it anymore. Overall it was a good blending of genre's that does have something for everyone. For me, I was left wanting a whole lot more.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton is a dystopian murder mystery. Emory is charged by the “Elders” to find who murdered one of them. There are many “villagers” who are suspects. And even Abi who controls everything on the Island possibly doesn’t know who the murderer is.

This was an interesting setup. Nothing in this story is what it appears. At times I knew exactly what was happening and the reveals had me dropping my jaw. At other times I was just lost and confused.

Overall, if you like dystopian, weird books, pick this up. This one wasn’t exactly for me, but Mr. Turton’s Afterword, a letter to the reader, made me very happy that I stuck with it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the e-copy of #thelastmurderattheendoftheworld . This book published on May 21, 2024 and is available where books are sold.

DNF at 40%. I just could not get into this book. Picking it up started feeling like a chore, so I'm setting it aside for now. I think the concept sounds amazing, but something just was not working for me. This already made the Library Reads list and has a great Goodreads rating, so I guess I'm missing something?

Turton was coming to one of my local indie's for a signing, which is why I requested this book (as well as reading his previous two as well) and while I can say this was probably the one that surprised me the least (as in I figured out a bunch of things before the reveals occurred) I still very much enjoyed it. I find that Turton has a special way of blending (at least) two genres together with his stories, and this one was no exception. A mix of dystopian/apocalyptic and mystery/thriller I was fascinated to see where he took it, and overall I wasn't disappointed. The setting was certainly a big draw for me, and several of the ideas that he played with were interesting to see. I also really enjoyed our main character/sleuth, and appreciated the route that her characterization took. Watching the growth in this character over the course of less than a week was great. Not only does Turton write a great locked-room mystery, but he writes characters you want to read more about. I think my only real complaint here was that overall I was slightly frustrated by the fact that we have an omnipotent narrator for this story, and thus it seems a little pointless. After listening to him talk about where he was coming from I can see why he did it, and thus am more forgiving. Don't get me wrong, the mystery is still there, and it's a good one, and looking back on everything I can understand why he played it this way, but I do recall while reading the story going "what is the point of this book if the narrator already knows what happened?". I'll also admit that based on the synopsis we are told more or less who is going to die and that it's a race against the clock to find out who did it, but the murder itself doesn't happen until like a third of the way through the book (which is a good 100 or so pages in) and while I didn't mind the wait because I thought the worldbuilding was just, if not more, interesting, I can imagine there are going to be people who don't care for the wait. All of that being said I don't regret taking the time to read this book (nor any of the author's other novels) and I happily wrote a shelf-talker for this one the day it came out. Based on his previous publishing schedule I'm sure it will be a good two or so years before his next book, but I'll certainly be picking it up when it comes out, and would suggest fans of mystery stories to check out not only this but his other books as well.

I found Stuart Turton's The Last Murder at the End of the World enjoyable and loved the premise. It's a fun read, but does pose some interesting philosophical questions about humanity and community.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

A fun SciFi murder mystery. While the genre isn’t my first pick, the writing was enjoyable and I will be reading other books from this author

Earlier I read [book:The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|36337550] by [author:Stuart Turton|17160667] and found it to be unique so I picked this one up to see where his mind went this time.

Description:
Solve the murder to save what's left of the world.

Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

My Thoughts:
This had a an inventive plot with good world building. This is a post-apocalyptic world where a small group of people have isolated to a "safe" island haven where a deadly fog has overtaken the rest of the world and somehow they have held it at bay. This is a mystery with some devastating secrets known only to a few - the elders. The villagers do the manual day-to-day work on the island and follow the rules of the elders without question - mostly. There are a couple of the villagers who don't quite fit the mold. This is a fascinating story that will appeal to those who like sci-fi and fantasy.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was on my most anticipated 5-star read and did not disappoint. It's hard to give a review without telling spoilers. This book needs to be experienced going in cold. Right now the author is 2 out of 3 for enjoyed books written. I'm definitely looking forward to his next book!!

#NETGALLEY
#STUARTTURTON
#THELASTMURDRRATTHEENDOFTHEWORLD

3.5

A post-apocalyptic, scifi, locked-room murder mystery. Not my favorite by this author, but not so bad that I won't read from him again. It was a bit hard to keep the characters and their relations to each other straight and it felt long even though it isn't particularly. I liked the small reference to his previous book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I adore Stuart Turton’s writing and the richly detailed worlds he creates. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water are among my favorite books of the last 5 years. While The Last Murder at the End of the World isn’t on my list of favorites, I appreciate the originality of this story. I’ll gladly continue to read everything Turton writes and believe he’s one of the most imaginatively fresh writers of this time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had high hopes for The Last Murder at the end of the World since I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Unfortunately, this one fell a little short for me. Like Hardcastle, I spent the first half of the book confused, but unlike Hardcastle, the pieces didn't fall into place as well by the end of the novel. Stuart Turton has a great imagination and writing syle. The potential was there for this to be a really good novel. It just unfolded in a weird, disjointed fashion that left me more baffled than satisfied. I think this will work for those who like a little sci-fi sprinkled in with their mystery.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

This book was really fun! I felt the characters were a little underdeveloped, maybe because there were so many. I was in it for the mystery, and I felt really satisfied by the ending.

I had high hopes for this book based on the description, but it didn't impress me much. The characters were ok, but it was hard to follow at times and I almost had to force myself to finish it.

This one had me hooked, right from the beginning. Someone is going to die - we know this right from the title and the first chapter. But it's the orchestrating - where it feels like a play. I loved trying to keep track of each person who had injuries, each little sliver of memory, and each twist. I tried to figure out where each person was when and what they could have been doing. I twisted my mind in circles as I tried to figure out what could be in the box. I was completely absorbed in the mystery and wanted to know more. It's a good book to read all in one sitting - or in just a day or 2 - to keep each twist fresh in your mind. An adventure and what I've come to know as the author's signature storytelling style. I love it and can't wait to read more!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the eARC of The Last Murder at the End of the World! All opinions in this review are my own.

After loving The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I have been waiting for Stuart Turton's next mind-blowing mystery. While I was disappointed by The Devil and the Dark Water, the premise of The Last Murder at the End of the World seemed like it was going to be amazing!

I don't think Turton could ever write a book that is twistier than The 7 1/2 Deaths, but The Last Murder at the End of the World delivered a similar kind of reading experience. I like going into his books not quite sure what is going on or who to trust. The Last Murder does an excellent job of slowly revealing details until the story comes together very quickly at the end. It is better knowing little about this book before reading and trying to avoid spoilers at all cost to make the experience better.

“A gripping tale that reads like a Sherlock Holmes novel set in a broken future…solve the murder to save what's left of the world.”

This immersive, post-apocalyptic murder mystery was a fun and compelling read that kept me constantly curious where the story would take us. Similar to his debut (The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle), Stuart Turton slowly drops little breadcrumb clues throughout the story that keeps you engaged, but also has you repeatedly asking: What the heck is going on? Just go with it.

The build-up to the ending became a little convoluted, but I still really enjoyed my reading experience with this one! There is no denying the author is extremely creative and his writing keeps getting better with each book!

If you’re a fan of futuristic doomsday novels or murder mysteries with sci-fi thrown in, I would recommend this book to you.

I want to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark so much for an advanced copy!

The story had me pulled in from the beginning. I liked learning about the village and how they all interacted. There were many mysteries along the way that were all revealed by the end.