This is a whirlwind of a book, with interesting plot twists along the way. I loved the memorable characters and the setting was just so unique.

A satisfying dystopian tale about the end of humanity and its reaction to the fog plaguing the earth. Not my favorite Turton book, felt absurdly descriptive and almost not descriptive at the same time. Felt like a word count had to be met. I did enjoy the ending as predictable as it seemed.

I have loved Stuart ‘s two other books but this one didn’t do it for me. It felt very slow, and while the last third did pick up, it still wasn’t as good as his other two.

I've read several reviews of this book and I must be an outlier.

Based on the description of the book I should have liked this more. The premise is the kind of thing I typically enjoy. Dystopian future ✅ Murder mystery ✅ AI narrator ✅ Mysterious island ✅

If you are a fan of Stuart Turton's other books or if you like highly complicated murder mysteries that leave you confused instead of guessing, you might find this one enjoyable.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. Either the pace was too slow, or the book was overall too long. It took so long to get to the reveal that I stopped caring altogether. Even by the end when "all is revealed" I still don't understand everyone's role in what happened. While I enjoy AIs in novels and enjoy AI narrators, this particular AI narrator was distracting. Every time she suddenly interjected in the narrative it completely jolted me out of the novel. While she is supposed to be narrating the entire thing, many portions don't feel like the AI narrator at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance digital copy in return for my honest opinion.

Turton has done it again!
In his latest installment, we’re transported to a post-apocalyptic universe plagued by “the fog”, a mysterious agent that has wiped out virtually the entire planet as we know it. The last of humanity, 122 villagers led by 3 scientists known eerily as “the elders” are left behind to pick up the pieces of what’s left of humanity. After the mysterious murder of the most beloved elder, the villagers have only 92 hours to find her murderer or succumb to the fate of the fog and the annihilation of the human race.
The duality of the sci-fi world building paired with the classic tropes of a whodunnit murder mystery play together in a way that makes this story so unique. Combined with the creative way Turton implements the plot device of amnesia, we as the readers are constantly guessing, and the countdown to the world’s end adds a sense of urgency that makes this book impossible to put down.
Thank you NetGalley and sourcebooks for sharing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS- Landmark for access to this E-ARC! Very interesting storyline & characters. Never read a book like this one! Definitely will watch the show!

I was so excited to read a murder mystery and the twists and turns in it were amazing. I was hooked after the first few chapters as I wanted to know more about the island and found Emory to be so enchanting.

To give a quick summary, a scientist has been murdered and that has trigged the deathly fog to unleash onto the island with only so much time to stop it. The only way to stop it is by finding the murderer, getting a confession, and killing them. Problem is no one has any memory of the murder. Emory is the only one to try to solve it. Will she though???

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just the amount of weirdness I expect from Stuart Turton. This one was a bit different than his past books IMO because the supernatural elements were a bit easier to understand, more sci fi than magical. The AI was quite interesting, particularly how it interacted with the various characters. I look forward to the next book.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BRAIN?

This took me way longer to get into. I'm talking... I almost DNF within the first pages because I wasn't jiving with a single thing. Maybe my brain stopped working because I was so lost with the sentence structure and way this author wrote. Yes, this is my first book by him, but wow.

I will admit I skimmed a lot just to get it over with. I wanted to know what happened but I also didn't want to read this anymore. Make sense? It's an okay murder mystery, but the leisurely pace was killing me. Set in a near-future world threatened by a killer fog on a tropical island, the story, labeled a ticking-clock mystery, involves a slow trek through extensive world-building before hitting the anticipated climax. All in all, just okay.

This was an enjoyable, propulsive read with some excellent creepy moodiness that ultimately failed to stick the landing in my mind.

Stuart Turton creates puzzle box novels, where there's a lot of plotting going on and a lot to figure out. This can be really compelling, especially since he packages those things to figure out in such a way that you really want to figure them out. However, this does mean that the strength of the mystery can end up living and dying on the strength of the overall explanation, and those explanations can sometimes seem like they're coming from a different world to the rest of the novel. With The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, that was more or less fine, as all that really mattered was that there was some sort of explanation to justify the time loop mechanics; with The Devil and the Dark Water that explanation felt of the same world as the rest of the book. My problem with The Last Murder at the End of the World is that it didn't work nearly so well for me: I was able to guess the whodunnit from more or less the first chapter, but there was no way that I was ever going to guess some of the other twists because they relied on expository worldbuilding that was simply impossible to guess at. The last few chapters that explained these things devolved into the sort of "detective explains the mystery" trope that I don't always mind, but that felt somewhat unsatisfying in comparison.

Why, then, did I tear through this in about a day of active reading? Because the mood of the book along the way was impeccable, the characters were interesting, the prose was nice, and it was genuinely propulsive as all hell. All of the above structural complaints are things that have an impact on my overall judgement of the book structurally, but they weren't reasons not to read it, just reasons not to reread it.

A wild ride that keeps you guessing up until the end. Even though the basic premise is out there, you feel for the characters and want to see them survive. A possible peek into a future kind of life.

Ever race to finish reading a book not because it is a page turner but because you just want to end the damn thing? Sure you have. And chances are, you will again. Especially if you read Stuart Turton’s third novel, The Last Murder at the End of the World, which is a totally fine murder mystery unfortunately set at a much-too leisurely pace. And oh yeah, there is a decent-sized spoiler right there in the Table of Contents.

Set in the somewhat near future, a killer fog is beset upon mankind. Alas, not one full of cool John Carpenter ghost pirates, either. The last outpost of civilization resides on a tropical island. Life continues. Until! Someone is killed! And then? Everyone’s memories of the night before are conveniently erased (remember: set in the near future, so just go with it).

The Last Murder at the End of the World is billed as a clicking clock mystery as the killer fog (but the one without ghostly pirates) comes ever closer to wiping out the last of humanity. To get to that countdown, however, Turton fishes through an ocean-full of world building.

Turton’s debut, The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was an elegant murder mystery that indeed had you guessing from that first jump. Turton allowed the reader to get closer to the characters and to guessing the mystery as the story progressed. He reverses course here, supplying the reader with a Wikipedia entry’s worth of info on Emory the villager, Niema the teacher, the elders, their daily rituals, the mechanics of the cable car, and biometric AI. Then – and only then – he presents the murder.

And here? The actual case of the murder? One does not need to be Hercule Poirot to figure out who to point the blame on.

Turton does have some fun reveals along the way. He gets into the makeup of the island as well as the intricacies of that dark deed. Yet for all the talk of world ending urgency, none of the characters react that way. But maybe that’s the laid back island life for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for thinking of me and sending on over the ARC. This pairs nicely with a mai tai. And a John Carpenter soundtrack.

Stuart Turton does not disappoint. 7 1/2 Deaths is one of my favorite reads, and it's hard to not compare the two novels when reading this new one. They both have a murder to solve, they both have characters dealing with memory loss while at the same time trying to piece together the events behind this murder, and they both have a time crunch to solve the murder in. Plus they both happen at Blackheath. While both novels are wildly original the two big reveals are equally interesting, but my vote is for 7 1/2 Deaths being my favorite. Murder at the End of the World is very unique and well written, the book has the right amount of tension between the protagonist and antagonist, which can make the reader shake their book in complete frustration. My one criticism would be that the facts are reviewed back to the reader from the MC one or two too many times. The book isn't so long that you would be forgetting things and need to be reminded of them. I could've done with less of those reminders to help move the pace of the story along a little more. Overall, this is an original engaging fun read, and another win for Turton.

Stuart Turton is a master at crafting truly one-of-a-kind stories. His books have an indescribable quality that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The Last Murder at the End of the World, in particular, is a thrilling blend of mystery and science fiction. Turton's writing is so vivid that you'll feel right there with the characters, trying to solve the mystery. As you journey through the story, you'll experience a roller coaster of emotions. The beauty of Turton's prose starkly contrasts the harsh reality of the world he's created. I was utterly hooked from the first page and couldn't wait to read more each night. And now that it's over, I'm already itching to dive back in and see what I might have missed. If you're looking for a book that will keep you captivated from start to finish, look no further than The Last Murder at the End of the World. Excellent in every way. Six of five stars!!

If you read The 7-1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, you will know that Turton deftly combined a murder mystery with fantasy. In The Last Murder at the End of the World, he combines the murder mystery with science fiction, and does a brilliant job of both genre. I was nearly 40% into the book before I had a clue of what was going on, but that didn't matter. The world building sweeps you along. And the mystery is both exceedingly clever, and totally fair; all the clues are there. Highly recommended.

After Stuart Turton's first book, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I knew I would read anything he wrote. This book didn't hit the same magical notes for me as that first outing, but it is still a fantastic and inventive murder mystery.
We get introduced to Niema, one of three scientists on an isolated island with 122 residents, at the beginning. Even though I didn't particularly like her "I know best even if people get hurt" attitude, I didn't wish for her immediate death! But, she is murdered and unfortunately, everyone's memories are erased by the island's resident AI, Abi. So -- no eyewitnesses, no alibis, no guilty-acting suspects. Our real main character is Emory, who is tasked with finding the murderer before the deadly fog that surrounds the island enfolds its residents within 92 hours.
I really liked this setting, the diverse character POVs, and the short snappy chapters. Fans of Turton, as well as Jeff VanderMeer, Sarah Moss, and Catriona Ward (other atmospheric mysteries) will love this.

When a world-ending fog creeps closer to the last safe island in the world, solving a murder might be the only way to keep the barriers up to protect the last people alive.

I binged this book in a day! It's so strange and twisty in all the best ways. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but I plan to buy myself a hard copy.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (2024) – When human carelessness results in a black killing fog covering the world, a small group of people survive on a protected island. After 90 years, the leader of the group decides to tell everyone the truth. Her death triggers events that will allow the fog to penetrate this last bastion of life on Earth, unless one outcast can solve the mystery and find the murderer.

Why I Liked It – Stuart Turton offers another brilliant mystery surrounded by a cocoon woven from dozens of unanswered questions.

When I read Turton’s first book, the brilliant “The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle,” I went into “I Can’t Wait For The Next Book” mode. I had to wait for two years to read “The Devil and the Dark Water”. Like his first book, Turton expertly twists genres together to create another brilliant book. As with everything, it looks like the pandemic slowed things down, because it’s been FOUR years between that book and this one. His third book continues with the masterful blending of genres, and labyrinthine plots and sub-plots. The result is the third “can’t put it down” book in a row.

The truth about this island and its inhabitants reveals itself slowly. There was a cataclysmic event that poured a murderous black cloud across the planet. It killed without compassion everything it touched. The secrets of that cloud may lie in an underground laboratory. Also, in those sealed rooms is another group of survivors, held in perfect sleeping stasis. But the killing cloud got into the lab before it was sealed. While the sleeping survivors are safe, they and the laboratory are beyond the reach of the rest. With the help of three “elders”, the villagers continue to make a life for them all. It’s a precarious sanctuary. It may not survive certain revelations about what brought all of them to this place.

Turton is a master of weaving complex stories together, and revealing the hidden truths at just the right moment. Just when you think you understand what is going on, another twist sends you in a new direction. Here is a story of a fragile dystopia, in danger from without and within by the arrogance of those who think they can play God. It’s also a tribute to the very best of humanity. In the end, their future, as well as ours, may rest on those attributes.

Once again, when people ask what I’ve read that’s good, I’ll respond with “Have you heard of Stuart Turton?”

"The Last Murder at the End of the World" will hit bookshelves May 31, 2024. This review was of an Advance Reader Copy and complies with my published ARC policies.

Rating - **** Recommended

(This review will appear at the link below as of February 28, 2024)

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was a 5-star read for me up until the last 20% or so, when the twists and answers started getting delivered in a large info-dump that left my head spinning and I had to go back and read some parts again. But even with that, this is a 4-4.5 star read for me.

The first 75% of the book is. So. Good. I actually really enjoy stories in which you’re dropped into a world in the middle of its existence with little explanation and having to figure out what’s going on as you go. It adds to the overall mystery and intrigue of the story for me. This novel builds up the mystery, suspense, and intrigue right away, though the actual murder in the title doesn’t occur until well into the story. The buildup is worth it.

The end was far too rushed for my liking and I actually felt like I got too MANY questions answered; I guess I’m one of those odd people who likes to be left hanging sometimes!

This was a strong novel, an intriguing read, and I highly recommend it!

In Stuart Turton's "The Last Murder at the End of the World," readers are treated to a literary gem that seamlessly blends elements of mystery, dystopia, and suspense into an unforgettable narrative. From start to finish, Turton captivates with a premise that is as original as it is chilling, leaving readers eagerly turning pages until the very end.

The story unfolds in a future where a lethal fog has decimated most of humanity, leaving only a handful of survivors clinging to existence on a remote island. This island, shielded from the deadly mist by sophisticated barriers, becomes humanity's last sanctuary.

Despite the island's idyllic facade, tensions simmer beneath the surface. The inhabitants, a small community of villagers and three scientists, coexist in a fragile balance. However, their peace is shattered when one of the scientists is brutally murdered.

The stakes couldn't be higher. The island's survival depends on solving the murder within 92 hours, as failure to do so would result in the barriers collapsing, allowing the deadly fog to engulf the island and its inhabitants. Complicating matters further, the island's security system has wiped everyone's memories of the events leading up to the murder. This means that the killer could be among them, completely unaware of their own actions.

As the clock ticks down, tensions escalate, and suspicions run rampant. The villagers must confront their darkest secrets and hidden grudges as they race against time to uncover the truth. But how do you extract a confession from someone who doesn't even know they're a murderer?

As I delved deeper into the pages, I felt like I was right there alongside the characters, racing against time to unravel the truth before it was too late. The tension was palpable, the twists were jaw-dropping, and let me tell you, my heart was pounding with every shocking revelation!

And oh, the characters! Turton has crafted a cast that's so vivid and complex, it felt like I was getting to know old friends. But trust me, nothing is as it seems on this island, and as secrets were revealed and alliances were tested, I found myself on the edge of my seat, desperate to know what would happen next.

But it wasn't just the plot that had me hooked—it was Turton's writing style, so rich and immersive that I could practically feel the fog closing in around me. And those short, snappy chapters? Let's just say they made it impossible to put the book down!

So if you're looking for a book that'll take you on the adventure of a lifetime, look no further than "The Last Murder at the End of the World." Trust me, you won't be able to put it down, and when you reach the end, you'll be left breathless, exhilarated, and begging for more. Believe me, this is one novel you won't want to miss!