In Last Murder at the End of the World, the entire Earth is covered with a deadly fog and only one island is clear of it. A small number of people are left, guided by three elders and an artificial intelligence. When one of the elders is found dead under mysterious circumstances and everyone's memories are missing, the truth must be uncovered before the AI removes the barriers that keep the fog out. One of the villagers leads the investigation, as the reader gradually discovers what happened that fateful night, and more about the mysteries of the island itself.

In The Last Murder at the End of the World, author Stuart Turton plunges readers into a fantastic murder thriller set in post apocalyptic world. This novel blends elements of mystery and suspense in a dystopian world where a deadly fog has swept the planet leaving only a few scientists and villagers.

Overall this was an enjoyable read even though it was outside my usual genre. I would recommend it for someone who enjoys thrillers and solving mysteries.

Three scientist and one hundred twenty- two civilians remain on an island. They exist in a peaceful harmony, caring for the land and each other. The rest of humanity has been overtaken by a deadly fog, wiping out everything it touches. Everything remains in a steady holding pattern, until a murder occurs. The people on the island awaken to find out that they can't remember a thing. To make matters worse, the defense mechanism is down and they only have a set numbers of hours before the fog reaches the island. They must solve the case in order to save themselves. Who and what could possibly have caused such a heinous crime. The clock is ticking and answers must be found.

This was a fun read. Society crumbling, humans turning on each other, very realistic but certain elements create a very fictional world. Stuart did a great job leading readers down a hill that continues to crumble as you get closer to the end. I wasnt sure what was happening at times, lots of distractions to create confusion. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

If you loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, then you should get ready for Stuart Turton’s new novel The Last Murder at the End of the World. It releases in May and is a great read! Perfect for the mystery and science fiction readers in your life. I always feel like my best book compliments are when I tell my husband he needs to read the book and this one goes on that list. 👍🏻 👍🏻

Many thanks to #netgalley #sourcebookslandmark and the author for the #arc in exchange for an honest review. Check back on my accounts when the book comes out for original #bookclub questions.

#thelastmurderattgeendoftheworld #stuartturton #mystery #sciencefiction #mysterysciencefiction #scifi #scifibook #the7andahalfdeathsofevelynhardcastle #booksbooksbooks

I was very excited by the premise of this book -- a dystopian novel and murder mystery all wrapped up into one? Sign me up! I think for myself, personally, my expectations were too high on this book. I really liked it but did not love it.

The premise: a collection of scientists and other villagers are trapped on an island surrounded by a fog that has killed off the rest of humanity. The technology they have is holding the fog back, but after a murder on the island the technology goes off and the fog starts moving in. Can they solve the murder and save everyone on the island in time?

For me the book veered a bit too far from dystopian into sci-fi, and I'm not a fan of pure sci-fi. I was on board with the changed world where this killer fog has moved in, but once they started talking about the technologies on the island, the science behind it, the different machines and devices they have and use it sort of went off the rails for me. If you're a sci-fi fan this is probably in your wheelhouse though!

The other thing that was constantly a little confusing for me was the first person narration by Abi, a voice of consciousness and knowledge within everyone's heads (part of the agreement to live on this island). Abi answers people's questions as they think them and aggregates everyone's knowledge and experiences. Every time the narration said something like "I told them to..." I had to stop and think, who? Oh, Abi, this voice in their heads is narrating. I kept thinking the "I" referred to a person.

The last thing -- the solving of the murder itself was quite confusing! There were so many characters, bits of knowledge collected along the way, context clues. You really have to pay attention as the book goes along. This is not one you can read passively! It does all come together at the end, but wow there were a lot of tendrils and components involved. It's not a simple murder.

All in all if you like dystopian AND sci-fi, complex stories, created worlds, suspension of reality, and thoughtful mysteries, this is a book for you.

I enjoyed this book up to a point about 1/3 of the way in. At that point I felt the characters and plot became mired in unnecessary complexity. The concept is excellent but the sheer number of characters, who each has quite a backstory, was more than I could keep up with. If I were a note taker type of reader, it might have made more sense. I skipped to the end and still didn’t understand it. I did think the first person characterization of Abi in the midst of the third person narrative of all the other characters was a successful effect. I gave it 3 stars because of the book’s potential. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book was nothing like what I expected. At this point I'm not even certain I remember what I expected?

At the beginning I had moments where I considered DNFing it. But something about the story kept me going. I'm not one normally drawn to apocalyptic stories, but this one was compelling enough to keep me reading. Emory seemed to be the main character, though the novel was narrated by Abi (reminiscent of Janet from The Good Place).

At its heart, this novel seems to be a commentary on society as a whole and how awful humanity is. I can't decide if it ended on an optimistic note or a very dismal, pessimistic note. I really wanted to find out what happened to Niema, and I'm glad there was resolution. It kept me guessing, and I did not see all of the twists and turns that were in store for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the book to review.

This is a fantastic story - the mystery keeps you guessing but also the futuristic view of society feels all too real. Enjoyed the story, enjoyed the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the pre-release copy.

This one was a wild ride. I'm not sure how Stuart Turton comes up with his over-the-top, super creative premises, but he absolutely knows how to create a twisty murder mystery with a wacky, never-before-seen world.

If you've read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, then you know what I'm referring to. It's an entirely new take on a murder mystery, and was so conceptually entertaining. I haven't picked up his second novel, the one about pirates, but when I saw this one hit Netgalley, I had to request it.

This one is another high-concept mystery, this time taking place in the future when technology has allowed for some amazing innovations but the world has ended because some of those inventions didn't work out right. There's an AI character, too.

All in all, there was some predictability to the solution, but the execution was so original that that didn't bother me at all.

Highly recommended for fans of futuristic/dystopian sci-fi and murder mysteries. 4 stars.

90 years ago, huge sinkholes appeared on earth, swallowing entire cities and emitting a fog filled with insects that destroyed everything they touched. Humanity’s last remaining survivors live on an island, 122 villagers and 3 scientists viewed as their elders.

Told from the perspective of an all knowing AI called Abi designed by the island’s elder to protect humanity against any threat, this dystopic futuristic murder mystery is set against a ticking time clock, as villagers have 92 hours to find out who murdered one of their elders and restore the barrier against the fog.

Turton peeled the layers of this complex world in a propulsive manner, keeping me hooked from start to finish. While I didn’t personally latch on emotionally to any of the characters, they were each distinct and compelling in their own ways.

I thought the memory wipe plot device was very effective set against the all knowing AI who refuses to reveal any more than is necessary to drive humanity toward its creator’s ultimate goal.

The book felt innovative and unlike anything I’ve read before and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning to its satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed this quite a bit - the mystery is complex and might be overly complicated in somebody else's hands, but Turton has a talent for filtering a lot of elements through a viewpoint character to get to "oh, of course!".

This just was not for me. I was excited to read this one from the description, but it really let me down.

Stuart Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World took me on a wild journey! While I don’t usually dive into dystopian tales, Turton’s unique storytelling drew me in, and I’m thrilled I took the plunge. The fusion of AI and mystery kept me glued to the pages until the very end. Turton’s signature originality shines through once again, making this novel unforgettable. I can’t wait to see what he dreams up next!

I really enjoyed this book! Let me tell you I had to read this quick because you thought the time was ticking before the Fog came. I flew through this book so fast. I will be telling everyone to about this book!!

DNF - It's not you...it's me.

This had an interesting concept that, for me, was weighed down by bland paper cutout characters. The ONLY character I found the least bit interesting was the omniscient narrator. I'm still not certain who (or what) they were, but I also didn't care enough to keep reading to find out.

Not for me.

An interesting ride! This was my first book from this author but after enjoying it I'll definitely read his backlist! Dystopian and full of surprises, kept me reading well past my bedtime!

Stuart Turton’s Last Murder at the End of the World is an addicting page turner that sinks its teeth in and doesn’t let go until you’ve hit the last page. I don’t remember the last time I read so much of a book in one sitting.

The story follows Emory, a villager on this idyllic island at the end of the world who’s faced with a task that if failed spells the doom for the rest of the 100+ residents. With so many characters, it’s easy to get anxious you’ll have to keep track but the author does a nice job differentiating and reminding you of the rest of the characters’ intentions - it was something I had struggled with in Turton’s “7 1/2 Deaths.”

Without spoiling any critical plot points, I have to note the story as a whole is done very well keeping you guessing until the very end… and that’s all I say about that! My only gripe with the book as a whole is that it takes a beat to get going and at points when the story is set in motion, there’s lots of backtracking between areas (almost like an old school video game like Metroid) as characters stumble onto new clues and reveals but must get back to point A and then get to point D (all while dealing with a looming deadline.) While I preferred this ending over Turton’s other novel I mentioned above I still was left scratching my head and thinking if it was plausible or if there were details kept in secret away from the reader on purpose or for far too long for the sake of adding 50 pages to the book.

I’m excited for folks to get their hands on this. Be sure to pick it up if you’re a fan of sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Great book! I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to find out everything! This book has twists throughout, if you’ve read other books by this author then you’d understand. I don’t want to give anything away, there’s so much to uncover. It’s about an apocalyptic world with scientists ruling over a village and an artificial intelligence in peoples mind guiding them. There’s a murder and a count down to solve it or else everyone dies. A must read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton due to be published May 21, 2024.
Outside the island the world was destroyed by a fog. Inside the island 122 villagers and three scientists live, obey their curfew, and listen to everything the scientists tell them. Everything is fine until one of the scientists dies. If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, everyone dies.
I will admit when I read the synopsis of this it sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, when I got into the book, I realized it was very dystopian – which is one of the genres I do not like.
I did finish the book but didn’t care for it. I do think that people who enjoy this genre will love it, though. It just wasn’t for me.
#NetGalley #StuartTurton #SourcebooksLandmark #TheLastMurderAtTheEndOfTheWorld

This is one of those stories where initially I was intrigued to dive in but wasn't sure if it would be for me but boy was my hesitation wrong. I couldn't get enough. Every chance I got to read another page at work I took.