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.

I'm not sure if I was a little disappointed with this book because it didn't live up to the hype for me, or if I just don't click with the author's writing style. The premise of the story was very interesting and I really enjoyed the dystopian trope. The book had a very sinister undertone and as I was reading, I knew there was something more going on that the author was waiting to reveal. Despite this, I do think the story was a bit slow-paced and could have possibly been shorter. I found myself reading this book more slowly than I wanted just to keep up with the characters and plot. Overall, I did really enjoy the story.

I love murder mysteries and I enjoy the occasional dystopian novel, so I had high hopes for this book. And while I liked it, I didn't love it - but I suspect that might've been a matter of "it's not the book, it's me". The premise was fascinating, a dystopian world where a small group of survivors are living on an island. They live what seems to be an idyllic day-to-day life. But as events unfold, cracks begin to appear in their happy, back-to-basics world. There's a crack in their security system. And then one of the elder leaders is murdered right when her knowledge is needed to get the security system back up and running. And there are mysteries beyond the murder - what is the mysterious fog that rolls in and kills anyone is in its path? Their security system is the only thing that keeps it at bay - can they solve the murder in time to keep that fog from rolling in over their island and killing them all?
There are a lot of characters, and at times I had trouble remembering the connections between those characters. I might have benefited from reading the first couple of chapters vs listening. More importantly, occasionally stuff in life keeps me from engaging fully with a book, and thinking back, I strongly suspect that was the case here. I may go back and listen again sometime - because I suspect I'd enjoy it a lot more when my brain wasn't overly engaged with that pesky real-life stuff. I did enjoy the audio version (despite my distracted brain) - James Cameron Stewart's narration was excellent. So if you're intrigued by the premise, as I was, I highly recommend taking my review with a grain of salt and trying it for yourself.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

I had to DNF this. I think it’s the fantasy or the narration but I keep getting lost in what is happening and all who all the characters are.

I got out of my comfort zone to read "The Last Murder at the End of the World" and am so glad I did! I really loved listening to the audio version, as the characters' voices and narrator's tone really helped me envision the storyline.

The mystery and suspenseful twists had me avoiding responsibilities to keep listening! I was so intrigued and captivated by this utopian culture and island of survivors - and couldn't wait to know the ending! I loved each of the characters and their impact on the story, but Emory was such an amazing force! She felt relatable, yet incredibly strong and independent. Very well done, Mr. Turton!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to read this advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

I really enjoyed this book! I had both a physical copy and the audio ARC and liked both versions. I am shocked that this has such low ratings because I enjoyed it so much! This is my book club's July book and I cannot wait to discuss it with them in a few weeks.

The narrator's voice (in the book not the audiobook narrator) is an AI that can hear all of the characters thoughts and speak to them. Because they can influence and manipulate the characters, the narrator becomes an important character as well. I thought this was a really interesting narration choice by Turton. It is so timely with the huge advances in AI/ML recently. It was fascinating to see how the AI, Abi, manipulates the characters into doing what it thinks is best. Niema questions at one point whether she (the creator of the AI) is in control, or if Abi is the one controlling her. I loved not knowing.

It took until 15-20% of the way in for me to feel like I understood who the characters were and what was happening. This seems intentional because we get very short chapters that switch between many POVs. Because this is a mystery, that feeling of not know what is happening worked for me. But I could see why others may not like how long it takes to grasp the world. Once everything starts to pick up I was hooked. There are lots of fun twists and turns (some I saw coming and some that came out of left field).

Now for the audiobook narration, I did enjoy the narrator but I was surprised that the narrator was a man when the story's narrator, Abi, is described with she/her pronouns and because most of the characters are women. I guess an AI does not really have a gender though, even if we refer to it as such. Aside from my initial surprise, I liked the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing an eARC of this audiobook!

DNF. I honestly could not get through the audio version of this book. It is only going to appeal to a certain kind of reader, and I'm clearly not intellectual enough to fall into that category. The audio reminds me of the Welcome to NightVale podcast. It's quirky and delivered to you by a narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Murder at the End of the World is definitely a divisive one. I can totally see where the people who love this novel and think Turton has once again changed the name of the mystery genre with this complex new release; however, it wasn’t my cup of tea.
The book felt soooo long due to the slow first half of the book. It never takes me as long to listen to audiobooks than this book did, which definitely hindered my experience and put me in a bit of a slump. This was my biggest critique.
The other aspect which made this so polarizing was just that I found it frankly a bit boring. It has an innate charm due to the experimental nature of the narration, but it fell flat to me.
I did enjoy most of the characters as this is a very character heavy work, and his writing in this piece felt strong.
Overall, a compelling new twist on a survivalist experimental mystery thriller with a hive mind/AI voice throughout.

Book - 2 Stars

I loved "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle". Every. Single. Second. Of. It [even when I didn't know what was going on and even the divisive ending]. I quickly bought his second book [which has been languishing on my shelf] and when I saw this new one on NG, I hit the request button and was super happy to get it.

Yeah.

So, this book didn't work for me. At all [my poor Mom had to listen to me rant and rave about it for a couple days]. I liked most of the characters [at least initially], with Emory and Clara being the standouts, and I really loved the subtle nods and nudges toward behaviors and circumstances surrounding us today, but everything else was just...meh.
The whole "mystery' never engaged me [especially after we learn certain things] and I found I was only finishing it because I had to know if this was all of it [was I seriously missing something? Nope, I don't think I was] and by the time I got to the end [the end, minus the whole scene with Emory and her husband, which was beautiful, was very, very flat for me], I was left very disappointed.
Overall, I just felt that the author was trying too hard and just never got the execution right.

Audiobook - 4 Stars

James Cameron Stewart is one of my favorite go-to narrators right now; it is funny, when I first listened to him, I was not a fan, but then I had to listen to him over a 6-book series, and well, he totally grew on me and here we are.
Other than ABI's voice [which I heard as way more feminine than what I was getting, so its totally on me and not really a reflection of the narration overall], I felt he did a excellent job and there were parts where his narration was the best part of the story. If you choose to read this book [and I encourage you to do so, as everyone's reading experience is different and you may love this so much and I would love that for you], I highly recommend this audiobook; I believe it will enhance your reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stuart Turton, James Cameron Stewart - Narrator, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and RB Media for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Evelyn Hardcastle so I was excited to receive this title. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book at all and ended up having to push through. It was well written and developed, it simply didn’t resonate with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

An island inhabited by a hundred or so villagers and three elders is surrounded by fog, all that is left of human civilization. The fog is held back by barriers to keep everyone on the island safe. They all work together to maintain the island and keep humanity going. However, one night one of the elders is murdered, the barriers aren't working, and none of them can remember what happened the night before. With a ticking clock until the fog approaches the island, the villagers and other two elders need to work together to solve the crime.

Stuart Turton explores another genre through a murder mystery, this time in the realm of speculative science fiction. The characters and their complex relationships, especially Thea and Emory helped elevate the book a lot. The short chapters bounce around the many characters, which keeps the story moving and once the murder happens the book keeps at a steady pace until the grand climax. Turton builds out a familiar but unique society that makes the murder mystery a lot more challenging to solve. There were plenty of twists and reveals throughout to change how the reader views the characters. The solution was not the most surprising, but helped tie a lot of the book together. The class themes and unique setting make this book worth reading, even if it doesn't reach the heights of Turton's prior novels. Recommend this to people wanting a murder mystery in a new setting or a twist on a post-apocalyptic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of The Last Murder at the End of the World in exchange for an honest review.