A dark fog has destroyed the world, but is kept at bay around this island by special emitters. The villagers live peacefully, doing what the elders tell them to… until they wake one morning to find one of the elders murdered, their memories wiped, and the fog creeping closer. The murder must be solved or the fog will smother the island, and everyone on it…

This sci-fi/dystopian, murder mystery was intriguing from the start, a thin band of tension consistently pushing me to keep reading. As the story shifted POVs among several members of the village, questions and mysteries piled up.

I loved Emory’s curious nature, thought to be a deficiency in a community where everyone is just supposed to blindly follow the elders. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with her daughter and her father evolve as they worked together to solve the murder.

One downside was there wasn’t a lot of emotional depth or variety of voice for the different characters because the narrator is an omniscient A.I. named Abi (that occasionally uses first-person for itself).

Through several twists and turns, this story kept me guessing and had an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

First thank you to source books/landmark and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: a murder of a scientist has occurred on a small island and the mystery must be solved before a fog kills everyone.

What I liked: this story had such a unique premise and liked the intersection of humanity, science and technology. It really gives you the reader a lot to think about. I don’t want to give away anything but this book had some things that I agreed with and others maybe not as much. Emory is the main female character and is charged with figuring out the mystery in time. She is given this job because she has always questioned things and people. That proves to be very valuable in trying to figure out the mystery in time. She is assisted by her father and daughter which adds another layer to the time crunch. This book also has an AI component to it which was interesting since I work in tech and everything is about AI. It did take you down paths where you thought you might have solved the mystery but then quickly found out you were wrong. I like that in a mystery. Overall I would recommend this book but would advise giving yourself time to read and focus on it. There are lots of nuances that could be missed if you rush through it.

I tried really hard to enjoy this one, I promise I did. Dystopian fiction/sci-fi is NOT my jam in general, but I thought I'd like this one more as I've really enjoyed Turton's previous books. But I should have known better - I DNF'd it.

More than likely it was me and not the book. However, I do think the blurb on netgalley could be a lot more upfront about just how different from his other work this one is.

Man, Turton knows how to write the weirdest, most creative shit and I’m here for it.

I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle—it was an early bookstagram-made-me-do-it read shortly after creating my page—but I haven’t read anything by him since.

As with Evelyn, it definitely won’t be for everyone. But there are so many elements to which different readers will be drawn: sci-fi; post-apocalyptic dystopia; murder mystery and suspense; and some shocking twists and turns.

For fear of spoiling anything, you should go into this one as blind as possible. Just buckle up and prepare to unravel the island’s mysteries!

The Last Murder at the End of the World is complex and thoroughly thought out. This novel definitely leans more sci-fi than mystery, although there are many elements that will keep readers on their toes.

A murder on an island is one of my favorite thriller plot lines. Stuart Turton has given us another amazing novel, couldn’t put it down until the last page.

A dystopian thriller that was hard to put down. It's rare that I pick up a book that is this thought provoking, entertaining, and well developed. As the story unfolds, you get more vested in the characters, and the outcome.

I loved the fact that there was more focus on the current setting than what brought us to this isolated island. Each character was developed so well that I could identify with all of them, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Written from the perspective of the AI was brilliant for this book because it allowed us to 'connect' better with the characters.

This is definitely worth picking up. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[3.5]

I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Turton's newest novel. I'm not the biggest fantasy/dystopian fan, but the vibes of this one are close to TJ Klune - and I LOOOOOOOOVED Under the Whispering Door (and his others of course). The novel follows a group of villagers and their scientist "elders" as they attempt to live peacefully just beyond the end of the world. Literally; the end of the world can be seen from the edge of their island. When their beloved leader is brutally killed, their time on the island, and within the world as a whole, is quickly diminishing. However, due to security measures in place, nobody knows who did it. Their memories are wiped clean and the killer could be any one of them. In order to survive, they must find who did this and punish them. Otherwise, their time is up in 72 hours.

This dystopian murder-mystery will leave you guessing until the very last page! I had no idea where this was going. You know something is wrong with the way the village interacts, but you can't really put your finger on it until some truths are revealed. Overall, I really liked the premise of the story and it really kept my attention at the end. My one complaint is that it was often hard to keep track of who was who and what their role was within the village. There were some characters introduced in the beginning that I thought would play a major role, but then were only mentioned once or twice. Some parts of the story also seemed a bit too long in places and short in others (without giving spoilers). If you're a fan of TJ Klune or are looking for a sci-fi who-dun-it, this book is for you!

⭐️: 3.5/5

After a deadly mist has overtaken most of the world, 122 villagers and 3 scientists live peacefully on an island protected by the mist. The villagers are happy to do what they’re told by the scientists, until one day, one of the scientists is found dead, triggering the mechanism protecting the island from the fog to fail. Now they have 92 hours to find the murderer or the island and everyone on it will be immersed in fog, but to complicate things, the security system has wiped everyone’s memories of what happened the night before, so even the murderer may not know who did it.

This was a pretty confusing concept for a post apocalyptic book, but I honestly shouldn’t have expected anything less from the author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. There was a lot of scene-setting, so that the reader could truly understand what was happening in the book and appreciate some of the plot twists and big reveals. It’s a really interesting take on a post-apocalyptic story, since it’s so rooted in fictional technologies that honestly add nicely to the sci-fi element. It’s close enough to our version of humanity, but the addition of technologies we don’t have yet makes it feel far enough away to enjoy. I also however found the descriptions of how the technologies worked to be a little half thought out, which kind of felt like it led to a lot of loose ends at the end of the story. I was entertained throughout the majority of the book, and really was interested in seeing how it all played out, but found the conclusion to be a bit of a let down, so that was disappointing. I still recommend the book though, since it’s a pretty fun read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for this free eARC for my review!!

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have been reading books by Stuart Turton for years, and this year was no different. I was ecstatic to receive an advanced copy, and boy this book did not disappoint. This book was wild from start to finish and is sure to entertain.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such a great read. The end of the world concept was so intriguing. I loved how the chapters were really short, making this a fast paced read. I enjoyed following the characters try to solve the murder. There were many thrilling twists and turns making this such an exciting read.

The Last Murder at the End of the World is a unique and fascinating story. There's a bit of of the standard post-apocalyptic build up, but this one holds so much more! One of the best books of 2024.

3.5⭐️
It was a smart mystery and was well written. This book felt like a cross between Lost and West World. It is a post apocalyptic, dystopian, sci-fi murder mystery. While the premise is well constructed and intricate and the story is well written, this was a little slow. There were too many characters so I found it hard to connect with any one character. I was expecting a different story so this was not really my type of novel. I think fans of dystopian sci-fi novels will find this enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced reader’s copy.

I liked the second half significantly more than I liked the first half (setting the scene took way too long and honestly wasn’t as relevant as I would have expected) but what kept me from truly enjoying it was that the timeline made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I got so wrapped around the axel trying to puzzle through the 90-40-20 years ago events when almost every character is old enough that the 20 years ago events should have been at least in living memory but that go completely unacknowledged? Plus in the 91-hours timeline, I don’t think everything that happened would be feasible.

So as great as the Emory/Clara/Seth dynamic ended up being (and as awesome and complicated and messy as Thea’s whole character was), I couldn’t resolve enough of the framework of the story to buy into everything that was built on it.

I don’t even know where to start gathering my thoughts on this. It is multi-faceted, as is to be expected from Turton. I LOVE the idea behind this and was really drawn in by the beginning. Humanity has been wiped out by a killer fog, but inhabitants of a single island have been able to keep the fog back. Things are strange and one of the scientists responsible for keeping the fog away has been killed. The fog is now approaching and nobody has any memories of the night of the murder, so Emory is tasked with finding the culprit.

Strange things are afoot on this island and I enjoyed these reveals. I love the dystopian aspect and the threat of the fog. Emory as a character was fine, and the hierarchy of the island was interesting. I just felt like we were moving around way too much, which is frequently a complaint I have with more plot driven stories. I want more character time and exploration. There was a lot that these characters could have unpacked and while there was relationship development, it took a backseat to scrambling around the island trying to find the murderer. There was just a lot that was packed into these pages, but I feel like the ending wrapped it up nicely enough for me.

I am fascinated by the Stuart Turton’s brain and will always pick up his books for fresh perspectives and stories.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me this eARC in exchange for my review.

To start off, I had already read Stuart Turton’s book The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle when I requested this title. I had found 7 1/2 Deaths to be a fine book, just not something I thought about much later or wanted to read again. The Last Murder at the End of the World had an intriguing premise but ultimately my feelings about it are also fairly ambivalent. I could see others liking it more than I did (I did like it, to be clear), but this was just kind of forgettable for me.

I was initially intrigued by the premise of an island populated by the last people on Earth, with an AI that wiped their memories of a murder. I like murder mysteries and post-apocalyptic settings, so it seemed like it would work for me. But in the end there were a few too many clues and goings-on for me to keep track of, and the final explanation was a little confusing. It would probably make more sense if I reread the book, but I don’t want to. I was never attached to any of the characters.

The book was easily readable and I was able to finish it quickly which definitely gives this book one of three stars in my review.

A murder mystery on an island after the apocalypse of sorts, with the clues doled out slowly which both kept me confused for the first part of the book but also kept me reading until I knew who done it. A self-contained island community wakes up one morning with many people badly injured, and the lead scientist dead. They need to solve the murder before the killing fog descends on the island. Contains: An omniscient narrator who talked to the characters. A social structure that you need the entire book to piece together. Red herrings galore. A tech centered world that leans this book into the scifi category. Ethical dilemmas of new technologies.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. At first I really struggled to make sense of what was going on, and I'm guessing that some readers won't stick with it because of the drawn out exposition. Those that do are in for a complex mystery with many false leads and clues that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Fast and fun read.

Turton's third novel is a quirky and creative murder mystery set on a beautiful island after a deadly fog has wiped out the rest of the world. This book will not be for everyone!, but for me personally it was completely engaging and I loved its clever construction as well as the setting and characters. If you liked The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I expect you will like this as well. This should also appeal to fans of Blake Crouch. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital review copy.

I like how this story combines elements of fiction with reality, creating a dystopic story where humans and non humans coexist, until a murder takes place (hence the title). It gave me some Westworld vibes.

I tried SO FREAKING HARD to get through this book. I kept coming back and back, hoping the next chapter would be the one to hook me. But after reading about a quarter, I decided there is no hook.

There’s a lot of stuff in that quarter, and yet absolutely nothing of substance. We’re introduced to at least ten characters but none of them are…man, I don’t even know what to say about them because there’s just nothing. They’re the vaguest idea of a stereotype: mysterious old woman who has all the answers but dies before answers are given; the inquisitive misfit who doesn’t have a job she’s good at because she’s quirky but she’ll also be the main problem solver; the daughter who went against her mom’s wishes and isn’t that dramatic and I’m gettin’ bored just listing them.

The gist of the story is that a hundred-some people are living on this island that’s surrounded by a killer fog. Old Mystery Lady is putting a plan in motion to save humanity and she only has a few days before all life will be lost. The questions of how will humanity end/be saved, how did they get to this island, why are things the way they are, and why will the person be murdered, are supposed to be good mysteries. Due to the poor characters, I don’t care what happens to them nor did I foresee a time when I could care what happens to them. When the fate of humanity is on the line, it might help if the humans are worthy of sympathy and salvation.

There’s nothing noteworthy about any aspect of the writing and that’s a shame, because this concept has potential.

VAGUE SPOILERS:

I skipped to the end to see if perchance there’s some bedazzling conclusion and nope, there isn’t. It’s one of those endings that’s pointless because the world doesn’t end, the future is not grim and from what I gathered, only the baddies died. That seems like a wasted opportunity. Why bother slapping the ‘stakes’ on the grill if the fire isn’t gonna be lit?

And thus ends my hope of Turton becoming a new favorite author.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.*