I was curious from the beginning about this book because I enjoyed Stuart Turton's previous works and he definitely lived up to my expectations. When I thought I knew what's happening in the story I was proved wrong. I loved this book and I really like the cover of it.

Enjoyable and easy to read, a bit like the Richard Osman books in style. Will read more by the author.

4.5 stars!

As a huge fan of his previous two novels, I was once again delighted to see how Turton could twist and subvert the murder mystery genre into yet another wholly unique, engaging and highly cerebral tale. As with any of his work, providing an initial premise does not even begin to scratch the surface of the depths of this mystery, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the sci-fi elements and post-apocalyptic dystopian setting that he has adopted to tell this particular story. Emory lives in the last surviving village which is guided by three Elders and she is the only person to ask questions. When the entire village awakes one night to discover a murder has been committed, it is Emory's tenacity, curiosity and willingness to challenge the status quo that leads them to the answer. Perhaps most challengingly, however, the fog that decimated the rest of the world is now finally encroaching on their island. As always, the island itself is a key figure in the narrative and Turton uses its design, both the natural and sci-fi elements, to full effect. to captivate the reader and lead us towards the answer. The pacing of the book is not always perfectly balanced and, while the first third of the book does well to set up the landscape in which the characters find themselves, and the culture within the village, the mystery is not as immediate in the plot or as immediately gripping as in his previous work.

Emory is a highly likeable and empathetic figure but perhaps the most meaningful journeys are for the villagers who do not challenge the status quo with as much ease, including both her daughter, Clara, and her father, Sam, and, while more complex figures, Hephaestus, Niema and Thea as the village elders have so many shades to them that, as a reader, you are constantly seeking out both their light and their shadow. Given to narrative quirks in his previous novels, this one perhaps presents the most unique narrator yet in the form of the AI system which cares for and, in part, controls the characters and the story by being ever present in their mind. It draws up some fascinating questions around the role of artificial intelligence and, while ABI seems to be conveying events as factually as possible, there are lingering doubts over her motivations until the very end. The use of ABI is particularly effective in giving us an insight into the minds of numerous different characters across the island, and helping to convey both their merits and their vices as the computer acts as an amoral device bent only on the best possible collective outcome for the ever powerful Niema's wishes.

Perhaps the most striking point made in the book comes from Emory as she is finally given the power to investigate and explore all that she has previous known: 'simultaneously awed at the power of questions and dismayed at the limitations of answers.' Indeed, it feels that this story is a call to arms, urging us to question the powers that be, and yet to accept that the answers may not be immediately as satisfying as we wish. In casting the story in a world where both an external threat but, more importantly, humanity's own malice has torn the world apart, there is something particularly powerful about watching a group explore and navigate questions of punishment, crime, and authority afresh while maintaining the ultimate rule of kindness, always.

As with any Turton novel, there are constant twists, layer upon layer of intrigue and you must simply embrace confusion and the unknown in order to sink into the novel. The ever present threat of the countdown until the fog arrives leaves you unable to put the book down and you are left unravelling events until the very end. While I did predict who the killer was quite early on, placing all of the many moving parts together to make a cohesive narrative of the night of the murder is so thoroughly engaging and, at times, baffling that it did not detract at all from my enjoyment of the book. A twisty challenge of a book and one I would recommend to any fan of a mystery, dystopian literature or if you simply want to be challenged to accept and sit in confusion for a few hours!

Blog:

Forget your typical whodunnit. Turton's newest novel throws you headfirst into a genre-bending whirlwind of dystopian sci-fi, pulse-pounding thriller, and classic murder mystery, all set against the idyllic backdrop of a seemingly perfect island untouched by the world's deadly fog.

With multiple POVs and the omnipresent AI Abi whispering in everyone's ear, the narrative unfolds like a puzzle box slowly clicking into place with Emory, a would-be detective, at the heart of it.

This is no ordinary murder mystery. The memory-wiping security system adds a mind-bending twist, forcing suspects to grapple with the possibility of being a killer without any recollection of the act. It's a constant dance of uncovering and rediscovering, keeping you guessing at every turn. Each revelation feels like a victory, propelling you further into the heart of the island's secrets.

If you're looking for a book that will bend your brain and keep you guessing until the last page The Last Murder at the End of the World is it.

Goodreads:

Stuart Turton is one of those authors whose books are instant reads for me. The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle broke me out of a two-year-long reading slump and reminded me why I loved reading, so this is a very exciting release.

It’s very different from his last two books; it is a little less like a typical whodunnit (not that his stories are ever predictable) and more of a play with multiple genres, including dystopian, sci-fi, thriller, and classic murder mystery elements. It's a mind-twisting book with multiple POV characters and one common POV, the AI Abi, who is present in all of their brains. Because Abi always knows more than each of the characters, it makes for a unique mystery, where the reveals are delivered constantly throughout the book, making it difficult to put down.

It takes a few chapters to settle into its unusual style, really finding its footing once we're mostly focused on Emory, our detective character. I found some of the characters to be less fleshed out and the world-building a little lighter than I wanted, but this was very minor as I had a lot of fun with this book.

Because Stuart Turton's books always pair so eerily well with an indie game (Evelyn Hardcastle with The Sexy Brutale, Devil and the Dark Water with Return of the Obra Dinn), I'll carry on the tradition and recommend playing Dredge with this one.

Stuart Turton has delivered, once again, a book that I could not put down. I read this in one day.
Not only are the characters well developed and the plot full and twisty throughout, the world building is also superb. A dystopian murder mystery that is extremely thought provoking.

While Stuart Turton’s books are not necessarily my type of genre, I always have a good time reading them. I just really get on with his style of writing and, even when I don’t think it’s the best book, I can appreciate what he is trying to do.

The Last Murder at the End of the World isn’t my favourite book of his but that’s just for one reason that I will get into in a moment. Firstly though, I did love the premise. The already apocalyptic world is ending and the only way to stop it is to solve a murder. This is the part of the book that I loved. The concept is very original and Turton tells it in a very engaging fashion.

3.5/5

The world is also magnificently realised. It’s very unlike anything I have read before and I love it for that. All of Turton’s books that I have read have all had very different world building and I really like how he can come up with such different settings for his stories.

The only thing that stopped me from loving this book were the characters. For me, the most important part of a novel isn’t the plot or the world, it’s the characters and, unfortunately, the characters in this book weren’t my favourite. They were rather forgettable and I have indeed forgotten most of their names. Except Hephaestus, and that’s only because that name’s from Greek mythology. They just didn’t connect with me and I found that I didn’t really know anything about them.

I found The Last Murder at the End of the World to be an almost excellent book. If you like a good plot and excellent world building then you’re probably going to enjoy this one a lot. For me, though, the lack of depth with the characters hampered my enjoyment somewhat and I didn’t like it as much as the other Turton books I have read.

Stuart Turton is known for writing unusual fiction, and "The Last Murder at the End of the World" is no exception.

Ellory and her community live on an island surrounded by a deadly fog. Each year, their leader, teacher and community elder, Niema, takes the children out on a boat to explain the limits of their world. Apart from Ellory no one questions this, nor the fact that a AI called Abi talks to people in their heads, monitors their actions and sends them to sleep at curfew; or that at 60yrs old members of the village die, while the three elders live on into their hundreds.

For as long as Ellory can remember she has asked unanswered questions. She has notebooks full. This doesn't win her any friendships and instead she is partially ostracised for failing to be of service. All this changes however when one among them dies. Unless the killer is located, the world will come to an end.

Turton is an amazing writer. Throughout I was dazzled at his world building, and the way in which the plot twists and develops. However, this wasn't at the detriment of his characters, which were well rounded and complex. I would love to see inside Turton's mind or to receive a lesson from him in story telling. The only confusing aspect for me was Abi's narration, which moved the prose from third person to first person and sometimes it took me a minute to catch up. Perhaps in the final manuscript the demarcation between Abi and the other characters will be marked by a different font. However, I liked that the reader is treated as intelligent and able to cope with some uncertainty. I would highly recommend this to all.

The concept for this book of a murder mystery in a dystopian setting sounded perfect for me and for the first half of the book I was gripped.
This small community of people who live a fairly simple but happy existence with 3 'elders' created a lot of mystery and suspense. Lots of questions about who these people are, why is there a curfew, what are they doing at night that they can't remember, why and how are the babies 'delivered'... I could go on. I found the unraveling of these mysteries was done well. However, it was a little convoluted and it sometimes felt like too many ideas and twists to fit into one story which ultimately led to it being a little confusing to read and made the story less compelling for me as it went on. Also as this was an ARC there were numerous spelling and grammatical issues, especially with mixing up character names on a couple of occasions which didn't help the confusion at certain parts.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

I'd enjoyed The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so was interested to read another by the same author. Whilst both have a sci-fi element to the story this book is set in a dystopian world with the last survivors on an island surrounded by a deadly black fog.
Along with the main character, Emory, the reader unravels the reality of life on the island and the role the scientists, or elders, play. Add in a murder mystery and the voice of a character who first appears as the voice of reason or conscience.and it fast became a mind bending puzzle of a page turner.
Initially confusing, though this made me more curious as to what was going on, the plot slowly reveals the truth about the island and its residents. It becomes a race against time to survive the encroaching fog after a murder and a memory wipe that means there are lots of suspects and a lot of people who wonder if they had done it.
I couldn't put it down - even better than his first book.

Oh dear, I’m sorry but I just couldn’t get into this book. It was just too strange and complicated for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers and I’m sure that there are loads of people who will absolutely love this. Sorry that I didn’t!

The civilised world has come to an end, destroyed by a fog, and all that is left is an island, surrounded by a barrier that keeps the fog at bay.
The people are self-sufficient, living as a community with three scientist elders who are benevolent rulers.
When one of the elders is murdered, and the barrier comes down, it seems that death is inevitable.
But….. things are not quite as they seem, the curfew, when everyone goes to sleep at the same time, people wake up with unexplained injuries, a child comes into the community, an adviser called Abi.
The truth of the island is drip-fed, alongside the murder investigation, and brings everything to a surprising conclusion.
I enjoyed narrative of the book, although some parts were repetitive and over-wordy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

High concept mystery, melding end of the world science fiction and a traditional murder mystery. Leaving loved Turton’s previous books I have to say i was really looking forward to this. And perhaps high expectations can never really be truly met, but I’m afraid I found this novel interesting, but never gripping or emotionally involving. I was never at risk of just giving up as the central mystery had interest, but I couldn’t really engage properly with the characters. Still, I’d rather read an interesting failure than a generic and boring identikit ‘thriller’ of the month

A fantastic read!
it was easy to become thoroughly engrossed in island life at worlds end- surrounded by a fog of insects that ravage any living thing it touches and fighting for survival.
Set in a not too distant future, where medical tech has enabled the Elders to live well beyond 100 years in good health, the rest of the islanders are less fortunate and all die on their 60th birthday.
The descriptions of life on the island are vivid, from the landscapes to the hardships and the mysterious happenings after curfew, so when the murder occurs it is easy to get swept along by the investigation and feel part of the community!
An extremely clever premise, well told and well paced.

A dystopian end of days thriller set in the future.
It took me a while to get into the story but I was intrigued with the premise of the book which kept me reading

This book has an amazing, unique and interesting premise. I loved the idea of a dystopian murder mystery where nothing felt cliché. Although at some times, I felt this was a bit complicated and I struggled to feel fully immersed, I still enjoyed reading this and I think a lot of people will love this and find this as interesting as I did.

A dystopian murder mystery set in the future. The premise was very good but I found it a bit confusing and overly complicated. Took a while to get into the book, too much initial detail for me. I suspect there are those who will love it but I just didn't click with it. The writing and characterisation are good I just couldn't become engrossed

Stuart Turton shakes up the murder mystery again.

A post-apocalyptic murder mystery, this book opens on an island, surrounded by a mysterious and deadly fog, which has killed off most of the world's population. The few survivors live in a small, self-sustaining village, eking out an idyllic but precarious existence from fishing and farming.

We soon learn that the villagers all fall asleep at night, but one morning they wake up to find one of their "elders" murdered. We also learn that the village is protected by some sort of "intelligence" which speaks to them in their heads but is unable to help other than to say that unless the murder is solved within days, the fog will devour the island, killing everyone.

And so the reader is drawn into a story, somewhat like, but entire different to, Stuart Turton's previous books; his skill at re-inventing the murder mystery each time is amazing. The key elements of any good mystery are present - hidden motives, obvious and not-to-so-obvious suspects, red herrings and clues galore. The characters are sufficiently fleshed out that we want to learn more about them and their motives, and a huge reveal about halfway through the book puts everyone in a new light. While there are quite a few characters to keep track of, the story flows nicely, with only a few scenes which seem out of place.

The book definitely turns more sci-fi as the story progresses, but non SF fans shouldn't be put off - it's a murder mystery through and through.

Fans of Turton's first two books will not be disappointed. Definitely recommended.

This book took me in different twists and turns that I wasn’t really expecting. A really interesting concept yet I thought it got bogged down in certain details and had to push through to finish.

Wasn’t sure how to describe this one.
Post-apocalyptic with an interesting concept? Yes
A whodunnit with enough twists and turns to tax even Hercule Poirot’s ‘little grey cells’? Yes.
A slow start building to a Bruce-Willis-trying-to-decide-which-wire-to-cut-as-the-countdown-reaches-zero-type climax? Yep.
It had a main character I liked and became invested in, a woman who had never quite found her place in her society. Tasked with solving a murder or face the end of the world as she knows it, she navigates through enough clues and red herrings to satisfy even the most ardent Christie fans. And completely baffle me.
I liked the story, and found myself holding my breath towards the climax. It did leave me with a few unanswered questions but overall a very good read.

The last murder at the end of the world is a post-apocalyptic story. A small community has survived on an Island as a deadly fog has swept over the whole planet. What unfolds is a creative murder/mystery in this dystopian world where an omniscient AI can speak in everyone’s consciousness. The writing is clever and the plot is well paced. The characters are all fully developed and I especially enjoyed the Emory character. This is an intriguing and unique premise and a real page turner. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.