I absolutely love this book. It was a very interesting. Take on a murder mystery set within a background of climate change. This was very unique and I am still thinking about it months later after reading it.

I knew nothing about this book when I started out other than it was by Stuart Turton, an author I’ve come to expect great things from. The beginning does take a minute to set up the dystopian world but once the groundwork is laid the story takes off. I loved the twists and turns of the mystery, the story propelled by a countdown of doom. The mystery was satisfying in that it keeps the reader guessing, but gives enough away to be a satisfying read. This would be a great book club pick. It offers plenty of points on human nature, morality, society, family, and authority to fuel discussion. This one surprised me but I’d happily recommend it to anyone looking for Sherlock dystopian.

After loving both of Stuart Turton’s other books, I went into The Last Murder at the End of the World with high expectations.

Let me tell you… those expectations were met! One of my favorite books of the year :)

Just the premise alone sucked me. It had SO many of my favorite buzzwords and phrases! A murder mystery set on an island. Sci-fi, speculative elements. A countdown clock. A close-knit, isolated group of people living together. From page one I was engrossed in this story and it never let up.

Turton’s world building and the way he crafts an intricate mystery puzzle stand out in the slew of mediocre thrillers and mysteries I often read. He takes care to write smart plots that keep you thinking. While I don’t know if he will ever top The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this story came pretty close!

If you enjoy well-crafted, world building, a cleverly constructed plot, and fleshed-out, interesting characters in your mysteries, you need to pick up this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

This was a super interesting, complicated murder post apocalyptic-sci-fi murder mystery. It was difficult to follow at times, but I was intrigued the entire time and wanted to know what really happened. It was a smidgen convoluted, but the main idea and narrator were different from anything I’ve read before. Initially I was very annoyed by Emory (arguably the main character), but as soon as she was tasked with solving the murder, she was much more likeable and I found myself rooting for her. Despite everything that happens and the various people killed, I found it to have almost the happiest ending possible, which I generally prefer. This author is always super inventive with plotting and this book is no different. I’m sure I’ll want to read more from him in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Master of genre-bending crime thrillers, “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” and “The Devil and the Dark Water,” Stuart Turton has returned with another addictive closed-circle mystery.

In “The Last Murder at the End of the World,” Turton crafts a compelling whodunit within a dystopian, post-apocalyptic backdrop as Emory, a resident of a small, secluded island that holds the remainder of the world’s population, is driven to unravel the suspicious death of teacher, Niema, or face the fatal consequences: the defenses that keep a lethal black fog at bay will come to a halt.

With a disembodied AI voice that resonates in everyone’s minds, questions about the future of humanity and its relationship with technology and memory, and enough twists to keep the pages turning late into the night, Turton proves he’s at the top of his game.

I really enjoyed this blend of Sci-Fi and mystery! I love a good thriller and I love a good dystopian story, and this book combined both of those genres so well. I was a fan of Evelyn Hardcastle, so I was really hoping this one would be just as good. There are similar elements, such as an unreliable narrator and missing timelines. But the story fell fresh and unique. I flew through it! The only reason this wasn't the five stars is because the ending left me a little underwhelmed.

I first found author Stuart Turton when I was privileged enough to get a copy for 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn and that was an absolutely WILD ride! I feel like this novel is back on par with the magic he had from his first.

The novel feels like it starts off a little slow and you just feel like everything is a bit odd with our cast of characters....and then, oh boy. I did NOT see that twist coming! After that bit, which I will NOT divulge, the story really took off and was a wild ride! As it got closer to the end it started to feel a bit like I was slogging through and then we got to the end. Not that I think much could be edited out, something about the pace just felt a bit off near the end. The novel as a whole was enjoyable, I kind of wish we had a little bit more information at the end to find out more about what is to come, however, I know some authors like to leave that up to the reader. Personally, you invited me into your world, so you tell me!! A very good novel with some unexpected twists and enjoyable.

The book is a countdown written through little chapters and the narrator is artificial intelligence in everyone's mind.

A post-apocalyptic mind control murder story is an intriguing premise, but not great as a mystery since the narrator makes things up on a whim and everyone's memories are taken for their benefit. Every time a lead is going somewhere or tension is building, the author wipes it away by some new arbitrary decree from the omniscient overseer! And while this new world was somewhat fascinating, my interest plummeted after it was revealed that the whole island (the only safe place left on earth) was sold off to save billionaires. Overall, "The Last Murder at the End of the World" landed on a dud.

Summed up: Billionaire's mind control vanity project goes awry.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The world has been destroyed by a fog that kills every living thing in its path. The only thing left standing is an island and its surrounding waters where they have managed to hold off the fog. When one of the elders of the community dies, it triggers an event that lets the fog come in. If the community cannot solve the murder before the fog reaches their shores, they will all die.

It took me a while to get into this book because I couldn't figure out what was going on and who the narrator was. I read the first few chapters 3 times before I could figure it out. Once I got there though, I really liked the story. There are a lot of characters so it is confusing to keep them straight for a while, but I loved Emory and Clara so much. The twists and turns of this story will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this book.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it did not disappoint!

Stuart Turton is one of my favorite authors, and I always love seeing what concept he comes up with next. This one really intrigued me because I love a high stakes countdown, and the idea that the villagers have 107 hours to solve a murder before everyone dies had me hooked. Also that everyone is trapped on this island and things are weird because the world has ended.

The mystery of it all really had me in a chokehold. The first half I could not put down, because my mind was so wrapped up trying to figure out what the fuck was going on! It was so good!

I do think the last third could have been executed better, and I also wished the characters were a little more fleshed out. My favorite thing about The Devil in the Dark Water is that I found every character so interesting and three-dimensional. Here I just felt some distance from the characters, in part of the memory wipe plot device, but just wanted more from them.

Overall definitely a fun read and would recommend!

Awful. So boring. I was barely able to get through it. Disappointing from an author I’ve loved in the past!

Thank you Stuart Turton, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a DNF for me. I also had a very hard time with his other books, so I do believe it is a me problem.

Reminiscent of watching the old series Lost or a grown up version of Shusterman’s Scythe series this book features a dystopian community clinging to survival on the edge of the world after human civilization has collapsed. Trouble and conflict splits the leaders’ unity until one of them is killed.

With chapter headings like “43 hours until Humanity’s Extinction” the tension is palpable. With an omniscient narrator who talks to all humans in their minds and also seemingly breaks the third wall readers wonder if the technology created by the murdered leader has gone badly rogue.

Villagers manipulated in their sleep with no memory but visible wounds; unreliable memories from everyone due to memory swipes the night of the murder, and the ticking time bomb of death delivering fog creeping ever closer.

Reads with a cinematic, propulsive energy that keeps readers guessing and pages turning. The plausible red herrings and unreliable memories makes the truth hard to tease out. A layered plot with plenty of discussion points make this the perfect book club selection. Be sure you have time carved out once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This one took me a long time to get through. I'm going through a lot of things right now, so my attention span when it comes to reading is not as long as it should be (meaning I'm having a hard time focusing). This is a book that requires a lot of focusing. But that's not a bad thing. It was very intricate and well-plotted, and even though I had to put it down for a few weeks to finish another book that had priority (because of book club), I was still able to pick it up and keep track of what had happened. It was an interesting read, and although I'm not sure of the motivations of some of the characters, it was still good.

I was so invested for the first half of the story. I was intrigued and wanted to know more. I loved the premise and couldn’t put the book down. That’s when I started the second half and I just wanted it to end. I was shocked at how much of a negative turn this took. I just didn’t care anymore and was so disappointed in the path that it took. I love both of Stuart Turton’s other books but this was a huge letdown.

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.

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.

I loved The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so I was excited to read the latest by Stuart Turton. While his Evelyn Hardcastle is still my favorite book by the author I The Last Murder at the End of the World is an apocalyptic story that ties in science fiction and supernatural thriller elements which make for a fascinating mystery read.

Just when I think a new Stuart Turton book can't be more inventive and wildly entertaining than the last, I'm happily proven wrong. Turton has such a strong grasp on his writing style and is a master of high-concept murder mysteries. New and old fans alike will not be disappointed by this mystery set in such a broken future. I loved it!!!

Stuart Tarton simply doesn't miss. This was fun, weird, and disturbing all at once and I was on the edge of my seat despite and because of the literary nature of Turton's writing. I'll read everything this man produces.