For me, one of the tell tale signs of a good book is when I put it down, I want to pick it right back up again - and that is how I felt reading The Last Murder at the End of the World. The story takes places on a post-apocalyptic island, with the inhabitants being the only ones left after a mysterious fog decimated the rest of the world. The 122 villagers are led by three elders, scientists, Niema, Thea and Hephaestus. But when one of the elders is murdered, a countdown begins to solve the crime or be swallowed by the fog.

I enjoyed so many aspects of this book, but I don’t want to spoil it because the twists and turns are what make it so enjoyable. Suffice to say, from the first turn of the page the reader is engulfed in the island mystery. The island setting gave me LOST tv show vibes, which I loved, and I felt like I was there. The short, fast paced chapters make it compulsively readable. The characters are nuanced, the villains are the perfect mix of sinister and sympathetic. I particularly enjoyed Emory's character and her relationship with her family members. And there’s a mysterious narrator, Abi, an AI voice that lives in the minds of everyone on the island. What more could you want!

In this post-apocalyptic whodunnit, there is an idyllic island where a small population resides, the ancestors of the only survivors of a deadly fog that wiped out the world's population. As with many dystopian novels, what starts out as a peaceful haven soon becomes a ticking time bomb when the inhabitants have 92 hours to solve a murder of be wiped out. This book was part sci-fi, part murder mystery and part psychological thriller. It found it really clever how Turton spoke to human nature- both in how MC Emory's true need to question could not be overridden and the overall moral that this story was trying to convey. It was quirky and intriguing and not the typical book I would have picked up, but I did enjoy it.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because the be all end all of the whole experience, I'm sorry to say, is that this is another case where the best part of this book is the synopsis. Because the reality of this was nothing like what I expected and I disliked the characters and events and the telling of it. I was bored the entire time and I crawled my way through this for probably two-ish weeks.

It's got a really pretty cover though.

That's it, that's the review.

The Last Murder at the End of the World was my first novel by Stuart Turton and it won't be my last. The novel was full of suspense and twists and turns that had me unable to put the book down. I loved that the theme is both murder mystery and post apocalyptic. Turton develops each of his characters so well, that even when you don't like someone, you can't help but feel empathy for them. The beginning of the novel sets the tone for life on an island after the rest of the world has been wiped out by the fog, while the second half has you following along with Emory and Clara as they try to solve a complex murder.. I was pleasantly surprised to be left guessing right up until the end.
I would highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Last Murder at the End of the World is a murder who done it set in a post apocalyptic world. There are a set number of inhabitants left who not only are trying to solve the murder but are involved in a race against time to save what is left of humanity.
While I found the story a little slow and at times hard to digest, I also found it to be a page turner full of science fiction intrigue concerning AI that sees into everyone thoughts. It is also thought provoking with regards to how
the scientists and the villagers will keep humanity going into the future.
Just when you think you have everything figured out we learn something else about this little community at the end of the world. The creativity in the writing left me with a novel unlike any I have read before and it left me thinking even after finishing the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Killer Crime Club for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Murder At The End Of The World was so promising with that banger blurb unfortunately for me it just did not live up to it. It was hard to keep track of all the characters, I had trouble with the post apocalyptic which I thought I would love (me problem), it just fell flat for me but I think it will appeal to a lot of readers.

THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD By Stuart Turton

Instead of stars, this book gets --> 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

It was pitched to me as LOST meets Agatha Christie. That's all it took to convince me to read it and love it and create a long list of people who I now need to peer-pressure into reading it.
If you've read Turton's previous work you know that he likes to blend genres, do the unexpected and switch things up with every book. I mean, they're all technically "locked room" mysteries (the best kind imo), but the setting of each book is vastly different. With The Last Murder, the world has been destroyed by a fog that overtook the planet and wiped out everything it touched. Everything except for one island in which 122 villagers and three scientists live, trying to make a better world... of what's left of it. It is all going seemingly well until a beloved scientist is found murdered. The event of this death triggers the lowering of the protective barrier around the island, the one keeping it safe from the fog. Unless the guilty person is found, and executed, within 92 hours, the barrier will remain down and the last remaining humans will die. Add on to that the fact that everyone's memories have been wiped and they have zero recollection of that evenings events, it is a high-stakes, time-presured, sci-fi murder mystery story full of twists and turns.

THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD is on sale May 21, 2024. (Pre-orders available now)

Thank you @harpercollinsca and @netgalley for the arc!

#arc #2024reads #TheLastMurderAtTheEndOfTheWorld #stuartturton #murdermystery #LOST #scifi #bookstagram

Turton is a such a fascinating author & his books are truly unique. I loved his previous two & I got so completely swept up in them. So needless to say I was looking really forward to this new one. And happily it does not disappoint. What a strange premise, like The Truman Show meets The Mist & a dash of Battlestar Gallactica…..yet so much more.

If you like bizarre future dystopian stories this would be up your alley, especially with the added bonus of it being a murder mystery. Through the solving of the murder so much more is revealed about the villagers, who they are, why they’re truly here. It is sad & mysterious & hopeful. As with his previous works, I was completely lost in the book. I say read it & read his others as well.

Another fantastic book from Turton. He crafted a great story, world, and characters. While there is a well-constructed mystery, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their lives even more.

This book was mindblowing. As a Stuart Turton stan, this might even be my favourite of his books yet. Such an cool intersection of sci-fi and mystery. Keeps you on your toes the entire time and somehow wraps up in the most satisfying way possible??? I recommend going into this as blind as possible, but to set the scene, this takes place on a post-apocalyptic island where the supposed harmony is disrupted by a murder. The first one the residents have ever experience btw. As the 125 residents of the island work to solve this mystery, turns out, there are more mysteries afoot. Seemingly minor things from the past seem to actually have major implications, the trusted authority figures seem more suspicious than ever, and there's also a literal timer until the world is about to be engulfed by the fog that took out the rest of humanity. The characters in this were intelligent, witty, easy to root for and just kept you invested. As always, the writing was sharp and I truly was never bored. Oh and I should also note there's this Alexa type character that speaks into all the villagers mind - she's great.

Thank you HarperCollins Canada for the eARC!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Murder at the End of the World releases May 21, 2024

This story takes place on a remote island, where its inhabitants are the only ones left that aren’t affected by a fog that covers the entire earth, killing everything it touches.
When one of the oldest inhabitants is murdered, it triggers a fail-safe that would render the human population extinct within 107 hours.

I honestly felt like as a reader, I was dropped into the middle of something with absolutely no context, and I think there should have been better explanation or exposition of the world building, given the fact that these characters have been facing isolation for nearly a century now.
There was a large disconnect with the characters as a whole, and difficulty understanding how they were able to evolve to sustain non-humans, artificial intelligence, and memory wiping with little to no resources.

In theory, the extinction of humanity should have meant that the stakes were high, but I never felt the necessary urgency or existential dread.

First l must start by thanking NetGalley as well as the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Loved this! A wonderful dystopian mystery. Yes this is somewhat bizarre and somewhat drawn out, but l found there was no other way to arrive at what is needed to save what is left of the world?

Thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebook and author Stuart Turton for the eARC.

I've only read one previous book by Stuart Turton. I did enjoy this book. It's told through the point of view of an AI called Abi who can see the villagers' thoughts and intentions, which was an unusual perspective but worked well for this book. Turton's writing style takes some getting used to. The first third of the book felt slow, but the pace picked up after that and the story became more intriguing.

Overall I somewhat enjoyed this book. It was outside my usual genre though. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of The Last Murder At The End Of The World by Stuart Turton.

This story is set in a post apocalyptic world where villagers are living on an island where they cannot leave due to a fog that has killed the rest of the planet. There are 122 villagers living on the island and three scientists. When one of these scientists is murdered, our main character Emory is desperate to find out what happened. The thing is, everyone's memories were erased the night of the murder, and the murder triggered the lowering of the security system and the village will be engulfed in fog in 107 hours killing everyone. This sets their idyllic village into a frenzy and the murder has to be solved to save them all.

This book was so unique and such a pleasant surprise. A dystopian future with a murder mystery? Sign me up! I was so intrigued by this little village and all the characters in it. When the murder happens and you follow along with the characters trying to piece together what happened you feel the suspense and urgency right along with the characters. It was so interesting to see everyone unravel not knowing if they could be the murderer or not due to everyone's memories being erased! The twists were so good, I couldn't stop turning the pages and stayed up way too late to finish this one! This book was such a refreshing change to the usual thrillers I pick up and I can't wait to read another one of Stuart Turton's books.

4.5 stars

The Last Murder at the End of the World is a post apocalyptic murder mystery. The story is set on an island surrounded by a fog that has destroyed the rest of the planet's inhabitants. On the island, only a handful of villagers and scientists remain. They continue to live in peace and survive on what the island provides until one of the beloved scientists is found murdered. Their killer must be found before the fog creeps onto the island. There is only one problem - all of the island's inhabitants have lost their memory, including the murderer.

The premise of this book is what hooked me. The possibility of book based on a post-apocalyptic world driven/saved by technology was quite intriguing.
It took a few chapters for me to dive into this world, I also had a hard time wrapping my head around the various characters. I think the character list at the beginning did more harm than good for me. As the story and the investigation to find the killer continues, there were a few expected twists and a few that lead me to flip back a few pages to see if I missed anything. By the time I got to the end, I was quite satisfied with how the book wrapped up, but wish I could have connected more with the book.

This was my first Stuart Turton book and though this book didn't resonate with me, I will still look to try another one of his past or future titles. I do think that readers who enjoy puzzle like mysteries and are able to pay very close attention to detail should give this one a go.

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of The Last Murder at the End of the World. Opinions are my own.

When a black fog envelops the Earth, killing all who come in its path, only a small number of humanity’s last survivors are able to make it to an island where scientific ingenuity has kept the fog at bay. Generations later, a society of 122 villagers thrives under the leadership of the elders, a group of scientists who lived before the world’s end who now foster peace and prosperity on the island. Life here is simple: no one challenges the order imposed by the elders, even when they wake up some mornings with marks and bruises inexplicably imprinted on their bodies.

But one day, the impossible happens: Niema, the island’s most beloved elder, is found brutally murdered, the result of which propels the lowering of the defence systems that once prevented the fog from encroaching further onto the island. Now, as the fog slowly creeps through the island’s borders, the only way to prevent their deaths is to find out who killed Niema. With only 92 hours before total annihilation, one of the villagers and her daughter are tasked with leading the investigation, in which time uncomfortable truths are uncovered, and those whose intentions were once beyond reproach may have blood on their hands.

As a faithful Turton reader, I can’t tell you how excited I was for The Last Murder at the End of the World. The premise itself was enough to grab my attention, and the enclosed-space-murder-mystery is a draw that never fails to interest me.

There was so much to enjoy about this book. As I’m sure was intended, I found Emory to be a very empathetic character; someone well into adulthood who is still looking for a way to belong in a world that wasn’t built for her. And yet, her unique point of view was integral to setting this story in motion and seeing what others couldn’t. So many of the twists brought on through her inquisition were so explosive it was almost impossible to find a stopping point in the book. If I could’ve, I would’ve gone without sleep to read this novel cover to cover.

Although Turton has an excellent track record, I think this is my favourite of his works so far. There wasn’t a single moment throughout the reading experience where my interest wavered. This was the perfect novel to get me out of a dry spell and remind me of why I love reading. I can’t wait to see what the author puts out next.

As always, a big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In “the last murder at the end of the world” readers will follow events trying to decipher who the murderer is, as the characters race against the literal clock in fight for their survival.

The story is set on an island which is intact the last remaining habitable island on the entire planet, the rest of the world minus a couple miles of ocean surrounding the island, has fallen under a dense fog that kills everything it touches.

Everything is running smoothly until a mysterious murder takes place. The islanders must solve the puzzle, failure to do so will result in the fog swallowing up the remaining survivors.

If you enjoy post apocalyptic worlds, Sci-fi and AI technology aspects combined with murder mystery then this is the book for you. This is not a cosy murder mystery, there is a lot of intellectual thought presented in the pages that challenges the readers thought process. There are psychological aspects and a lot of vivid imagery, as the reader you need to commit to taking time to absorb and digest all the information provided to follow along, it will keep you on your toes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stuart Turton and Harper Collin’s Canada for an advanced copy