Stuart Turton's creativity is off the charts, but I got really bogged down by how much of this book is talking through various theories. The moments of action were very compelling! I felt myself very invested in certain scenes/characters and then totally checked out whenever I got confused. Fantastic concept, very cool twist, not my favorite in terms of pacing and execution.

The Last Murder at the End of the World starts on an island surrounded by a deadly fog under the constant fear of that fog overrunning the island sometime in the future. We follow the narrator, Abi, who is omnipotent and can hear all the islanders thoughts as well as talk to them telepathically. We spend a day or two following along with some islanders during what would be considered a "typical" day on the island, before disaster strikes and someone is found dead with no one having any memories of the night of the event.

Although this story grew on me by the end, I really spent most of my time confused. There were a number of people that we were introduced to that didn't quite feel distinct enough at first to really understand who was related to who when things first went down. Additionally, I listened to this on audio and was really thrown off by the narration and point of view the story was told in. I think it might have come across a little better in a physical/digital setting but the audio took me many chapters to really start to follow along with when we're in the narrator's head versus our character's head.

Plot wise, I really got into things after the murder happens and we begin to follow along our mystery solver. Not spoiling anything, but I think the twists and turns that we experienced after this point made things infinitely more entertaining and really brought things back up for me. Although I mostly disliked the first third or so of the book, I did enjoy a lot more of the final two thirds. It was a fun enough listen but I definitely spent a lot more time confused than I normally enjoy to (but this is also kinda par for the course for me with some sci-fi like things).

Thank you to NetGalley, Stuart Turton & Tantor Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I’ve not really been a fan of Stuart Turton previously, but the cover for this one was pretty & sounded intriguing, so I gave it a shot. While he has some ground to make up before I’m a “fan,” I actually enjoyed this one.

The “bad guy” in this one is a deadly fog filled with insects that have destroyed the world except for this one tiny island with only 100 or so inhabitants. This immediately made me think of The Mist by Stephen King, so it wasn’t a completely original idea.

I really enjoy dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories. They tend to be pretty atmospheric, which I enjoy. I definitely got that feeling here. There were some parts that were a little too “Sci-Fi-y” for me, but overall, it had a great premise & kept me interested.

Stuart Turton & Sir James Cameron are a perfect pair for audiobooks and I LOVED this addition to the Stuart Turton metaverse. My bookclub read this one and it was such a well of conversation and moral dilemma all wrapped into a semi-cozy but survivalist scifi/mystery book......if that makes sense

Some of the heaviest ex deus machina I've seen but still enjoyed. The story is linear but manages to go absolutely everywhere. A different take on a murder mystery.

this was such a new twist on what you would think of as the traditional murder mystery. I loved the dystopian feel and how our narrator is unlike anything I've read before.

I really enjoyed Turton’s The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil in the Dark Water, so I was excited for this one. I loved the concept and premise, it was very unique. It was hard to follow at times, and I found myself a little confused at some of the character’s relationship to one another, but that also could’ve been because I was listening to the audiobook. It got a little cumbersome at times. I know I shouldn’t write a book based on the audiobook, narrator, but this narrator really changed the experience for me in a not-so-great way. It was a male narrator, but most of the main characters were female, and one of the book’s narrators would especially have benefited from having a female narrator.

It made me think some about the future and the potential of AI.

Again, I loved the idea and concept and I’d love to read more things like this. Turton is very creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.

My thanks to NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All of my thoughts and opinions are my own.

This high-stakes mystery throws a curveball at the classic locked-room whodunit by setting it on an island that's literally humanity's last hope. The premise is killer: a utopian community faces extinction if they can't solve a murder, but everyone's memories of the night in question have been wiped clean. It's a smart, tense thriller that keeps you guessing while exploring themes of trust, survival, and the price of paradise – definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for a cerebral page-turner with a dash of sci-fi flavor.

I really enjoyed The Last Murder at the End of the World. It wasn't what I expected, but it was still something I could get into. It's got a really Sherlock Holmes feel in a sci-fi world filled with secrets that impact every part of their super secluded lives. It's a totally different take on a murder mystery, and it's very cleverly put together. Overall, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see what else this author comes out with.

Stuart Turton is an author I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while. I’ve heard so many people rave about his writing, so when I saw this pop up on Netgalley I knew I wanted to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

This book is set on an island after a post-apocalyptic scenario where a poisonous gas cloud killed off most of the world. There are 122 survivors and 3 scientists on a small Greek island. The scientists have created strict rules for how the society should function and everyone has a role. Then one of the scientists is murdered and it triggers a short period of time before the island’s defenses drop letting the poison gas in. Only solving the murder can prevent it.

Look, I won’t pretend this is a perfect book. This is very twisty and unrealistic, so it requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief and there are a few plot threads that never get tied up. That said, I had a good time with this.

I appreciated the mixture of post-apocalyptic scenario with murder mystery and even a sprinkle of police procedural elements.It created a really unique vibe that was conveyed really well by the narrator of the audiobook.

Speaking of which, I really appreciated the main focal character. That added to the uniqueness of the book and once again was captured perfectly in the audiobook.

I will say that some elements were a bit predictable and there were some twists and caveats thrown in to try and keep things surprising. That wasn’t always successful.

Ultimately, this wasn’t the best book I read this year, but it was a fun read. I would recommend this to people looking for a fun mystery/thriller with post-apocalyptic elements. If you decide to give this a try, consider checking out the audiobook as the narration was done well.


Thank you to Netgalley,

Entertaining and well-narrated. A recommended purchase for collections where genrebent mysteries and Turton's previous work is popular.

Ugh I had such high high hopes for this book. The synopsis sounded great and the premise was so promising.

The beginning started off good but then found myself getting bored and hard to get back into it.

I feel like maybe if I physically read this one it might help and may go back and try it again

This sci-fi murder mystery was such an interesting concept, but overall not my favorite. It just got too complicated for me 🤷🏼‍♀️ it’s about a group of scientists and villagers trying to survive after the world is destroyed, it’s written from the perspective of the godlike consciousness that controls everything on the island, and there’s a murder they have to solve. See, such an interesting concept! It just dragged for me (especially in the middle), and I got lost a couple of times 😅 I did really enjoy the narrator on audio though!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to read before pub day! ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD is out now!

I really thought I was going to enjoy this story. The blurb sounded so good. BUT I was so bored. I’m really shocked I finished. I heard so many good things but I didn’t care for it.

An intriguing novel about the end of humanity and what comes next for the planet. It was difficult at first to follow who all the characters were, but I got through it and enjoyed the story in the end.

4.25 stars.

I LOVE weird science fiction, mystery books that take a little while to figure out. I can obviously see the comparisons to LOST but The Last Murder at the End of the World also brings so much heart to the story.

Years ago a deadly fog began to spread across the globe, killing everything that it touches. For a lucky few, 125 individuals to be exact, there is sanctuary to be found on an peaceful, harmonious island, an island where those who inhabit it are happy to spend their time fishing and farming and feasting with their fellow citizens, even if they must rigidly follow a curfew. This harmony is abruptly disturbed however when the body of one of the inhabitants is found stabbed to death, especially because this death has deactivated the security system that keeps the fog at bay, and now it is rolling in. Can the murderer be found in time, or will the island inhabitants be the final victims of the deadly fog?

I have to say, there is a lot going on in this novel; at times it seemed all over the place and I became lost, but in general I found this novel to contain a unique story that, for the most part, I enjoyed. I loved that it contained elements from some of my favorite genres: mystery, thriller, science-fiction, and dystopia, and Turton weaves all of these various elements together really well. The novel also contains a countdown of sorts, leading to what will be the end of the world if they are unable to solve the murder, it lends a sense of urgency to the novel and creates quite the page-turner. Turton creates a number of complex characters that I enjoyed being on this journey with, but I did need to create a bit of a cheat sheet to keep them and their relationships to others straight. Overall this was an enjoyable, unpredictable novel.

The audiobook was amazing. I really enjoyed hearing Stewart narrate the events of the novel and all that was added through his inflection, tone and pace. I really got lost within the novel courtesy of Stewart and his telling of The Last Murder at the End of the World.

I can see how this book is getting a lot of attention and positive feedback! The author is creative and has such a unique style. The plot of this book was intriguing to me.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very intrigued from the beginning but as the book went on, I felt myself getting more and more uninterested. I was still able to finish the read and the mystery was fun, however it was a little disappointing.

This was a really good story! The narrator does an amazing job. I was instantly hooked on 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so I knew anything else from this author would be clue after clue and subtly wrapped together to blow your mind at conclusion. While this is exactly what happened, trying to keep everything straight in an audiobook was a bit confusing and I got a little lost in the plot at times. Overall would definitely recommend, but if your brain needs to flip back and double check who’s and what’s like mine, then I would suggest a physical copy.