I am not a murder mystery person. And yet…
The cover pulled me in.
Then the premise.
THEN. The biological A.I. present within every character, making this the first omniscient, 1st person narrator that I’ve ever read!

Video game pairings: Dredge and Horizon Zero Dawn

Stuart Turton is one of my favorite authors. He is so creative and talented. Each book he writes is completely unique and entertaining. If you like captivating characters working against the clock to solve a mystery, you will love any of his books.

In Turton's latest masterpiece, the setting is an island in the post apocalyptic future. A deadly fog destroyed the world and the island is the only safe place. This is thanks to a barrier some scientists created. The scientists and over a hundred others live in harmony with the scientists never questioned and everyone else doing all the day to day work.

Emory is the one villager that questions everything and as a result isn't popular with everyone else. But her inquisitive nature is an asset when a beloved scientist is murdered. Their death takes down the barrier keeping everyone safe. And everyone's memories of the incident have been erased.

What follows is a fast paced investigation as Emory searches the island and questions everyone. She has within 92 hours to find the murderer as it's the only way to restore the barrier. I was trying so hard to think ahead and figure things out and I couldn't!

The Last Murder at the End of the World seamlessly blends multiple genres and is so well written. The characters are all unique and fleshed out. There is also a reference to his previous book I enjoyed coming across.

I highly recommend reading Stuart Turton's other books if you haven't already. And definitely read The Last Murder at the End of the World when it comes out!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Expected Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Pretty good premise (once you figure it out) which appealed to the SF lover in me. However, a bit too slow moving and repetitive and definitely too post-apocalyptic for me.

Ok, so I really excited about reading this ARC because I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. The premise of this book also got me interested. 122 village and 3 scientists all stuck on the only inhabitable island, surrounded by a life-ending fog. One in the scientists is found murdered and the villagers have 92 hours to solve the murder before the fog destroys them all.
There were many interesting and exciting parts of the story, but it took me until I was about 1/3 of the way in to fully get a grasp on what was happening and to sort through the different characters at play.
If you like apocalyptic books with just a hint of science fiction and a touch of murder, this would be the perfect read for you. While this wasn't quite up my alley, I know this will be the perfect read for some others.
Thank you to the publisher, netgalley and the author for this ARC!

What a strange book! If you’re looking for something really different this might be right up your alley.

It is set in a sort of post apocalyptic world. A strange black fog full of golden carnivorous insects has attacked the world as we might know it many 100s of years from now (based on their technology). Most of the humans have been wiped out but some are preserved in pods in a locked down place nearby. In our story there are three humans (or elders) alive but most of the villagers are a different life form. Similar to worker bees, they do all the maintenance work the community needs to survive. They come from a greenhouse where they are grown until 4 years old and then placed with a family. They also die promptly at age 60 which was a little too close to home for me! The kicker is that they do not know they are not human at the beginning of our story.

The story begins with a mysterious death of one of the elders. The oldest wisest teacher loved by most everyone is found dead in a burnt building and it’s soon revealed that she was murdered. Our main character, Emory, is called upon to investigate the crime. Because upon the death of this elder the fog began moving closer. And the only way to stop it is to find and execute the killer. Emory’s non-human skill seems to be the inability to accept things as they appear and instead to ask all the questions no matter how annoying it becomes to others. Thus far, her inquisitive skill has not allowed her to find her place/career path in the village but suddenly she grows into this now useful skill and leads the investigation.

The story has many interesting and potentially complex characters that fail to become three dimensional for this reader, unfortunately. It seemed as though our main characters spent more time wandering around the island getting bruised and battered then developing a robust storyline. And Emory, her daughter, and eventually her father sure do wander. The goal of the story, unraveling the murder mystery, was circuitous at best but got tiring, too.

I settled on 4 stars based primarily on the novelty of the setting and the strength of the main character. But I would rather give 3.5. It was engaging, fast paced, and resolved most everything by the end. I thank NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for this unbiased review

An engaging plot, with somewhat flat characters hampered by their recursive and repetitive quest. Seemingly every few pages someone was rehashing what we knew so far. People will definitely read and enjoy it but I hope the final cut is a bit streamlined.

Having loved Stuart Turton's The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I had high hopes for this latest novel. Although it took a bit to really get into it (I didn't love the first 1/4 of the book, it was too slow and didn't make much sense), once it got going it redeemed itself immensely. The premise is unique and intriguing, the characters flawed but relatable. I'm struggling in my rating because 4 stars seems to high but 3 stars seems too low. If you're into sci fi and end of the world tales, you'll surely love this. If you're more into mystery/thrillers like I am, you'll be on the fence. I think for me the expectation of what I expected from Turton was a bit of a let down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this a lot- slowly unraveling the pieces of the story along with the characters. It took a bit of time to become fully immersed in the story but ultimately I found it very compelling. The ubiquitous nature of AI in our lives makes this a relevant tale in spite of its fantastical nature.

Look forward to seeing what the author does next.

Stuart Turton's mind has amazed me once again.

He has created a world where a bug infested fog destroyed the world 90 years ago with the exception of a tiny space saved by scientists who now face ethical dilemmas unfathomable. I devoured this book and you will too.

thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write a pleasure to write an honest review.

I had previously read ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ (I thought it was fine) and ‘The Devil in the Dark Water’ (I loved it), and was very curious about this book. This book feels like if the 'The Giver' was mixed with 'Lord of the Flies' and 'Westworld' and was topped off with an Agatha Christie Mystery. Overall, I really enjoyed it. While I saw the twist of who actually committed the murder, I didn't see the rest of the third act coming and it was a satisfying conclusion to a very unique story.

The POV with Abi was a little confusing, but I think it worked. I sometimes had to take a second to recall if I was in Abi's 'mind' or one of the main characters, but that also serves the whole idea that Abi is in everyone's head. It also drove me insane that Thea (Athena) and Hephaestus were humans named for Gods, but Neima didn't also have a God name - or at least not one I recognized, I also felt like I had no sympathy for Thea or Hephaestus, and perhaps the story would have benefited from some additional focus on how they ended up so warped (rather than just alluding to bad things happening to them).

I absolutely loved Emory and Clara - they were great and their relationship was deeply satisfying. This is very unique book and what it has to say about humanity, community, nature v nurture, and compassion is deeply timely. This was a super ambitious novel, and I think Turton landed the plane with aplomb.

I did catch one small error - chapter 73 at the start of the third paragraph there is a floating '.' before the start of the sentence, ". He survived the end of the world and saved Thea's sister doing it."

This is my first Stuart Turton book and I really enjoyed it, what a whirlwind of a story set in the near future at, well, the end of the world.
The characters were as fascinating as the story they are in which is well written and full of twists and turns.
A very satisfying and intriguing read with I will be recommending without hesitation.

The Earth is covered with a deadly fog and only one island is safe. A small group of people survive and they live out their (shortened) life controlled by Three super beings. Or so you are led to believe. The Last Murder at the End of the World is a whodunnit, a mystery and a science fiction story that keeps you guessing to the end. Great read, well worth a purchase.

I loved 71/2 deaths of Evelyn Hugo, so I was excited to see this come across for an advanced read. I felt the characters compelling and interesting, and the AI was an interesting concept as well, the way it could exist in the villager's minds. Turton did a good job creating empathy for the villagers in the mind of the reader. The extreme and complex human characters proved a good foil for the behaviors and instincts of the other characters, and I really appreciated the slow reveal of the more science-fiction elements of the story. I am definitely going to get this for my mother, and get this for my library. I did want to know more about where the fog/bugs came from, though I recognize that that isn't integral or necessary for the story as it stands.

I read and loved Stuart Turton's first novel so I was looking forward to reading his latest, but I was not a fan of the writing style.

Not my typical genre and I'm so glad I branched out. The Last Murder at the End of the World is full of mystery and suspense within a fantasy world. The fantasy part was light and good for a beginner like me. The setting was described vividly and it was easy to get lost in this story for hours on a lazy afternoon. This book will take you on quite the adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

368Pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: May 21, 2024

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thrillers, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian

The island is surrounded by a deadly fog. There are only 91 hours until all humanity is gone. The villagers are living in a post apocalyptic environment. Abi is a voice in everyone’s mind. She also knows what people think and do. She can make the villagers drop into sleep and keep them sleeping until she wakes them. Niema, an elder, was a prominent scientist before the world event that brought the fog. She wants to perform an experiment that count save the remaining population. If she is unsuccessful, everyone will die.

The book has a building pace as the clock counts down the remaining hours. The characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view except for Abi. This is an interesting concept for the end of humanity. If you like science fiction, fantasy, or dystopian stories, you will enjoy this one.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All that's left of humanity for the last century is on an island, surrounded by a killer fog. The defenses around the island keep it at bay. Generations of people have lived here and learned to cope with the disaster that has befallen humanity, but all of that is about to change. One of the elders is found murdered, and if their murderer isn't found in the next 92 hours, then the fog will encompass everyone and everything that remains. Then humanity will be extinct.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was and is still one of my favorite books ever, with an excellent premise and an execution that blew my expectations out of the water. So I wasn't sure if Turton would be able to measure up to that original thrill. Turton is back to form with The Last Murder at the End of the World, and this sci-fi murder mystery delivers the thrill that I had been looking for. I would buy physical copies of this (and 7 1/2 Deaths) to shove into people's hands and urge them to read because the fun of figuring out what's going on is just something that has to be experienced.

However, this book is not without its faults. I did find character development to be lacking, even with the main character. You'd think that with references to classic literature like Sherlock Holmes you'd get a more iconic personalities. But even our main character, Emory, lacked any real unique qualities other than precociousness and persistence. Great qualities...just not something I'm going to remember or rave about in the future. The book focuses primarily on plot, and I think a lot of any true emotional growth is lost due to the rapid fire nature of the chapters. Lastly, while I loved the twist at the end, perhaps I was a little disappointed that it was not as wild as what I was theorizing throughout.

With all that said, this was still a wild ride that I might be willing to read again in the future, especially as a buddy read if anyone else wants to pick it up.

Really interesting and thorough look at a possible, plausible future that addressed social changes and tends in concert with tech- and biotech- dystopia. The story was engaging and the mystery kept me guessing. Characters were flawed but inspired compassion.

I absolutely LOVED The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and couldn't get through the Devil in the Dark Water so I was excited to try this one while wondering which experience I would have. I was so hooked from just the first 30 pages that in an era of slower reading I blazed through it in two days.
There is a lot happening in this book and reveals are dropped like little bombs throughout the entire novel. It's primarily science fiction folded around a mystery, and it whips along at a breakneck pace. I wasn't entirely satisfied with how things ended as I wanted more details about the world that this takes place, but overall this was an adventure that was extremely compelling. There are some comp titles that come to mind that I think are spoilers by citing them as comps, so I'm going to stay intentionally vague so as to avoid spoilers.

This story is set on an island where 122 villagers and 3 scientists (who are in charge) reside. Though the setting is rustic (the island was a form military base), the islanders are self-sufficient. The world they previously knew, has been destroyed by a deadly fog that is a constant threat to their survival. The only thing that protects them from their demise is a security system or “wall” around the island.

Everyone on the island lives in harmony. Nobody procreates though. Instead, couples are given children at about the age of 8 years old; this is never questioned. However, the scientists have been keeping secrets. From the villagers as well as each other.

Here is where everything starts to collapse. One of the scientists has come to realize that the villagers are smarter and capable of more than anyone knew. She has come to love the villagers and decides share long kept secrets with the villagers, stirring up new emotions! Afterwards, the beloved scientist is found dead – murdered!

The security system protecting the islanders was programmed to turn off upon her death. Where will they go? How much time do they have until the deadly fog reaches them? Although there is a backup plan, it will only sustain half the islanders. Who will live and who will die? Their only salvation is finding out who killed their scientist. That knowledge holds the key to their survival.

You definitely won’t know all the answers until the very end of the book. I was given a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.