This was a very intriguing ride. It kept me guessing the entire time but I thought some parts of the mechanical computer like character was confusing in time. I would have loved a bit more world building but I really liked the narrator. He did a great job and I love that there were characters who refused to just follow along with the status quo even though they could get in trouble. If you are looking for a unit story line and a sense of closure at the end, go for this one! I will pick up the other books by this author to see what happens!

I liked this a lot! A cleverly crafted murder mystery!

This one took some time for me to get into but when I got into it I was reeeally in it. This was well written and descriptive enough that I could imagine the island. There are lots of strange things going on but the vast majority of the island residents don't ask questions, they just do what they've always done; Except Emory who is curious, some would say to a fault.

There were lots of surprises to come as the murder is investigated. It kept getting twistier but Emory kept digging, because the fate of the island and everyone in it depends on discovering what happened. I am not a regular Sci-fi reader but love a good mystery. This does have a lot of characters but they all felt different enough and easy to keep straight.

Would recommend!

I thought the narrators was great!

2.5 stars
On paper, this book should have been right up my alley. Perhaps that’s the biggest issue for me here— the narration ruined the story for me. The narrator’s female voice was a total no go (nails on chalkboard offensively done) and the male voice still sounded pretentious and laconic, even sped up to 2.0! So, it was already difficult to listen and then the language itself didn’t seem to connect as well with the written voice. Some authors translate better/differently with audio and text. For me, both the narration and the writing didn’t work for me in the audio format. The reviews are pretty good so I’d hazard a guess that most of the 4-5 star ratings were from people who read the book.
*Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio review copy

Science fiction meets mystery/suspense in this novel. The narrator is really good and I enjoyed the accent. There were a lot of characters in this novel and at times it was confusing who was who by listening to the audiobook vs. reading this one

I have honestly never read anything quite like The Last Murder at the End of the World. In fact, I think I started this audiobook over three different times because I kept thinking that I must have missed something. This drops you right into a post-apocalyptic world where a small group of people live on a small island in harmony with one another. They each contribute to the community with their own skills, respect the village elders, and are connected to each other and controlled by a conscious creature in their minds named Abby. Then, someone is murdered. Totally normal set-up for a mystery.

I don't think I ever fully grasped what was going on with this book. The world-building unfolds gradually over the course of the story and was either unique and surprising or just entirely confusing. I did like the main characters, especially the annoited detective Emery, who is tasked with solving the only crime to have ever occurred in the island village. Additional mysteries emerge and more and more strange aspects of the village life get revealed. Eventually, everything reaches a mostly satisfying conclusion.

The audiobook narrator, James Cameron Stewart, does a respectable job bringing this inscrutable book to life. I think it was sheer curiosity that motivated me to hang in there with this one and I'm sure I'll still be muddling over this one for weeks to come. If you are looking for something completely different and unlike anything else out there, then I definitely recommend giving this one a try and making sure you push through the beginning.

I absolutely hated this narrator. I struggled to get through it and felt that the narration actually ruined it for me.

I really enjoyed this one. Started out reminiscent of The Giver. An island utopia where the villagers work hard, but are happy and peaceful. 3 elders govern along with a bit of AI that is a voice of conscious in everyone’s head.

Not everything is as it seems and towards the middle of the book it becomes a “who done it” with one of the villagers tasked as the detective.

Great character building and world setting. Would recommend for fans of sci fi and thrillers.

I recently bought a special edition of this book and have decided to read it rather than listen to the audiobook. I didn’t care for the narrator at all. I usually enjoy a British accent just not that one lol. I am excited about the book and will post a review of that on my page, but not of the audiobook.
Thank you for approving me, this audio just wasn’t really for me.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year but it ended up falling a bit flat for me. That’s not to say the mystery of the murder and the island weren’t interesting but it didn’t grasp me quite like the other books Turton has written. I did enjoy the narration but I did find of the voices to be a little over done. However with so many characters that probably is important in order to distinguish them. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook!

My mystery book club read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle last year and I was interested in reading The Last Murder at the End of the World to see if I should suggest we read it. However, it would be better for my post-apocalyptic book club.

There were elements of the storytelling that echoed Evelyn Hardcastle. If you read that book, you might remember that the story takes place at Blackheath Manor. In this book, there is also a Blackheath. But that isn't the only similarity. Unlike Evelyn Hardcastle, though, there is not a time loop. The story is told in a linear fashion, but there is an all-knowing character that keeps the story moving forward.

I listened to the audiobook and James Cameron Stewart is the narrator. He also read the Evelyn Hardcastle book, which may have provided some of the similarity vibes. I like his readings. He is easy to listen to and does a good job with different character voices. The cast of The Last Murder is kind of large while I had trouble remembering who was who I did not have trouble distinguishing the different characters.

As is often the case with utopian societies, when you start to dig below the surface you realize it is more of a dystopian world. And the island society is no exception. The revelations of the island society were more interesting to me than figuring out the murder mystery, which is why I think my post-apocalyptic book will enjoy this book more than my mystery book club.

If you liked Turton's previous novels, then you will want to pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/05/the-last-murder-at-end-of-world-by.html

To be honest, I don’t really know how to rate this one. I’m really torn. On the one hand, it was well written, had interesting characters, and a great story idea. On the other hand, I felt like this one dragged on forever. It was a slow burn for sure, and I had a hard time really getting into it until about the 60% mark. I also had everything figured out pretty quickly, but I don’t think that was because the author was lacking in anything. Honestly, the pacing was probably my biggest complaint. I think this may be one of those books that are just better read instead of listened to. I loved the narrator, he made me feel like I was listening to a BBC special. (I’m a middle-aged woman born in England, what can I say?) But I do think it was a lot to follow and is probably easier to comprehend and follow if it’s read instead!

Huge thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

This new story by Stuart Turton felt like the best combination of Emily St. John Mandel, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Agatha Christie. I adored the dystopian/apocalyptic suspense throughout the story, I fell in love with the cast of characters, and the element of murder mystery kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through! Such a solid follow-up to his series of novels, highly recommend!

I listened to an audio version of this provided by Tantor Audio via NetGalley. It was great. I enjoyed the narrator. He did such a good job,

I have to admit that this is a hard review to write. I loved the book. I loved all that was going on and boy it was a lot. The characters were so likable and the topic/topics were great. It was a fun book to read and somewhat edge of your seat. Maybe not edge of your seat, maybe more of a who did it and what the heck is going on. I think this author did an excellent job of pulling me in and keeping he hooked. This was a real page turner for me. WAY DIFFERENT than my usual type of book. Even though I have been reading more sci-fi and fantasy. This was not magical but it was a sort of magic. It was in many ways a powerful book. A futuristic story about a very powerful yet somewhat humble woman. At least after the fall of humanity.

I'm not positive about the timeline of this story but do know it's set in the future. It has quite a few things going on and shows in lots of ways the power of AI. Of a few humans and many, what I called Pod People. And a Fog. People are going about their lives with not to many problems when there is a murder. Thus the title of the book?? The woman who basically started this colony of people is murdered. The fog starts moving in. It's suppose to be the end of humanity as they know it.

This book out there for sure. But it's written in a way that you just have to find out what happened and who did it. What happened before all of these people came to this island. What will happen once the fog rolls in. It's suppose to kill everyone. Tear them apart, literally. This is what they have been taught all of their lives.

There are a select set of humans and a group of made people. The made people die at sixty. They go to sleep and never awaken. A child is sent to replace the ones that die. At the age of eight the child is sent to whatever family is worthy of having him or her. There is a strict curfew for these made people. Lots of secrets are kept from them also. But by the end of the story everyone, including the reader, knows everything. Even who the murderer is. I had to go back and read the very Prologue just to see what I may have missed. I missed nothing. lol But I do understand it more now. In the beginning someone has to die in order for the others to live...

I recently had just finished Evelyn Hardcastle so I was excited to receive a copy of this audio from NetGalley. I enjoyed this a lot more than I did Evelyn, I felt like this one was much more interesting to me and I really liked the concept behind it. I did love the nods to Evelyn but honestly wished there was more info on the back in tying the two together (I just thought it would be a cooler premise). While I did really enjoy this read for a free audio, I am seeing the formulaic approach to his books now, and with how complicated they are to follow at times (just very wordy) I'm not sure I'll continue with more by him.

"The Last Murder at the End of the World" by Stuart Turton, narrated by James Cameron Stewart, is a suspenseful and captivating novel that takes readers on an intriguing journey. The story constantly shifts as characters make new discoveries, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover the truth.

One standout character in the book is Emery, who proves to be both inquisitive and smart. It's amusing to see how she acquires her detective skills through reading mysteries. This adds a unique element to the narrative and makes Emery relatable to those who enjoy solving puzzles themselves.

The blending of suspense thriller and dystopian sci-fi genres creates an interesting mix within the story. The premise itself is quite unique - a murder that triggers a lowering of security systems around an island threatened by deadly fog. If not solved within ninety-two hours, everyone on the island will perish. This high-stakes situation keeps readers on their toes throughout.

Additionally, James Cameron Stewart's narration deserves praise as it enhances the immersive experience for listeners. His delivery likely contributes to bringing out all aspects of Turton's world-building and character development.

Overall, "The Last Murder at the End of the World" succeeds in keeping readers guessing until its conclusion while offering an original premise and engaging characters that make it worth delving into this gripping tale.

I wanted to give this a glowing review but the narrator ruined this book for me. The contents of the book itself was pretty good from what I could tell, but it was so hard to even pay attention because the narrator was getting on my last nerve. The voice was so grating. It sounded like I was listening to a 12 hour boring college lecture. I definitely want to try to read the physical book so I can hopefully enjoy it more but this audiobook really fell short for me.

It's funny sometimes when you read the book before listening to the audio and in your own head the narration would be a female voice and then it's most definitely not! That being said, I was drawn in by Stuart's voice (the narrator, Stuart, not Stuart narrating his own book.) and this audio version is as immersive as reading the novel, just in a slightly different way. The story is a locked-room mystery that takes place on a dystopian island that seems to be the last bastion of civilization following a killer fog that has ostensibly killed everyone else on the planet. When one of the three remaining scientists, or elders, is murdered and the rest of the islanders have had their memories of that night erased, how is the murder to be solved? Enter Emory, who was my favorite character. Every other character we meet, other than the elders, is conditioned by the island (maybe?) or the weird narrating voice in their heads (maybe?) to be compliant and have a "place", but Emory is a gloriously flawed character with questions from the very start. This book was confusing to me at the beginning with the voice narrating in first person inside everyone's head, but once the mystery gets going it was a bit less distracting. I also enjoyed Niema since it was hard to tell if she was good or bad and I liked how her story unfolded after the fact. I look forward to recommending this book throughout the summer. Thank you to Tantor Audio, Recorded Books, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion. I look forward to recommending both the novel and the audio version throughout the summer.

This is nothing against the narrator or their performance. He did a fantastic job!

I’ve tried listening to this book 4 times from the beginning and made it to about 50%. I just get too lost. This is a book that my brain needs to read on pages as to not get confused and overwhelmed with information. I’m beyond intrigued, already ordered a copy, I just can’t keep up with the storylines on audio.

DNF. I’ve tried this author multiple times and the style of writing is so bland and unnecessarily verbose that I lose interest far too quickly. Lots of 5 star reviews on this book so seems like a me issue, but even the narrator bored me.

Thanks to NetGalley, RB Media and Source Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published May 21, 2024.

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author who also wrote the very popular book The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I didn’t like the narrator of the audio book (James Cameron Stewart) or the story. I was completely bored. Cannot recommend..