I have read several fantasy murder mysteries this year and have found that I thoroughly enjoy them. Now it is the turn of the science fiction murder mystery. Usually these focus on murders on space stations turning around far away stars. We usually see corrupt politicians and sleazy street gangs fighting over something precious leading to a murder or two. We have cyborgs, high tech weapons, spaceships and the rest of the usual paraphernalia associated with this genre. However, The Last Murder at the End of the World follows none of those standards.

For a start, the action is based on Earth but is a much reduced Earth. Humanity has been doing it's usual relentless thing when a fog containing insects comes and destroys much of all life present. So we find ourselves on an island with less than 200 souls living on it, protected by a forcefield that can keep the fog out. The loss of so much leads to little technology in use and a very limited way of life. So this is very much a dystopian murder mystery. Sort of. The atmosphere at the start of the book kind of gives off idyllic Mediterranean village live vibes to begin with. Most people are kind of satisfied with the life they have, even if they do all die at 60. Considering they are living with only a forcefield keeping them safe and what seems to be a fairly dangerous island, it seems a bit strange. But, then again, they are the last survivors of a planet-wide catastrophe, so why not enjoy yourselves while you can!

The characters are quite a varied bunch. The story, unusually, is told in the first person by an AI, Abi, who can speak in the thoughts of the people on the island. This is unusual, as the narrator is possibly the most reliable narrator due to their AI nature. Usually we get very unreliable narrators in these kind of stories so that was nicely done. The main protagonist, Emory, was probably the most frustrating character - the unconventional outsider who didn't fit into the rest of village life. Fairly argumentative with some fairly major life issues, it wasn't easy to root for her until much later in the book. But then it all begins to make sense and it all clicks together. The elders were a bunch of narcissist overachievers but, considering their history, it was very believable. I wouldn't say I had someone that I particularly cared for but it all followed in the line of the plot. Even the fairly bland villagers were like that for as reason.

There are probably things that some people won't like. The fog and it's origins are never fully explained. However, I feel this is a completely plausible situation in a post-apocalyptic environment with a limited population and lost knowledge. Most of the main characters are not nice people but, again, it is plausible in its setting. My opinion is that I found The Last Murder at the End of the World to be a very clever mystery in a great setting. I thought the main twist (the twist in the twist) was extremely well done and kept me guessing all the way through. There was some foreshadowing, know that I think about it knowing the answer, but I wasn't clever enough to see it. All in all, a great book that I had an excellent time reading.

I am not keen on dystopian or sci-fi books but I also like to challenge my preconceptions. Piranesi proved to be a good book so why not try again? Unfortunately, as good as the writing was it just wasn’t enough for me to like this book or genre.

This book was a slow start for me as I was confused with the many characters we are introduced to across the island and the POV of Abi threw me off. However the story was well told, complex, and it was a fantastic exploration into humanity, it was very thought-provoking to read.
This is heavily marketed as a murder mystery, even on Goodreads the genres are "Mystery / Mystery Thriller / Thriller / Fiction" before "Science Fiction" and for me, I really see this as a sci-fi novel first and foremost. Had it been advertised as such, I would have had different expectations going into the book and probably been more inclined to rate it higher. But as for a murder mystery, the whodunnit was quite dissatisfying with the end reveal. The sci-fi aspects, interesting setting and landscape, and overarching plot are what make this book successful in my eyes rather than the mystery.
Overall I enjoyed my experience reading The Last Murder at the End of the World and I am glad to have had the chance to read it. I would recommend this widely, I can see it being a popular release, and I'm going to buy a final copy on release date to gift to my mum who I think would definitely enjoy this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc UK and Stuart Turton for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads.

3.75 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌖

Thanks NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

🧠 My thoughts
I really wanted to like this book. I understood the deep messages that the author tried to deliver. Yes, the messages were deep, profound, and contemporary. That’s why I wanted to give a better rating than this but this is the max I can give. I couldn’t really pinpoint all of the reasons but I can try to tell my overall opinions below. I think the biggest issue of this book for me was the writing style.

The first ~50% of the book was long enough for the author to build the world nicely, but I felt that the world-building was neglected somehow. The characters had personalities but it was also not enough. I liked Emory but there was not enough building to lead me to believe her character later on. From there, up until ~70% the book got a bit better and it hooked me in a bit more. Here, all of the layers of mystery started to show up on the surface. And the last ~30% of the book it was pretty much a whodunnit classic murder mystery with a modern technology element.

I could see the murderer's identity coming as well as the last twist but I had to give credit to the author for hiding pretty well the clues underneath the layers of lies. However, it was quite messy to follow. It felt like at the end, the author was so eager to disclose the ending. In the same chapter, the characters’ actions and thoughts overlap each other without any warning or transition.

👍 What I like
- Deeply meaningful messages
- Lies and mystery intertwine with each other

👎 What I don't like
- Writing style isn’t my cup of tea. Ideas, characters’ actions, and thoughts overlap each other without warning or transition making everything quite messy and hard to follow
- World-building is rather weak
- Character-building is also pretty weak
- The story is pretty flat without the layers of mystery in the last 30% of the book.

Such an interesting premise! I love dystopia and especially in a murder mystery setting. Emory was such an immersive MC and her refusal to accept what she was told when it made no sense really made me admire her, especially as she was ostracised for it. I'm looking forward to ST's next book!

Having read Turton's previous two books I was very much looking forward to reading his latest novel. I was not disappointed, but I wasn't as entertained as with 'Evelyn Hardcastle' and 'The Devil'.

Turton's latest novel is set on a small Greek island. The island is the only place left on Earth that has inhabitants, three elders and 122 people between the age of 8 and 60. The inhabitants are kept save by Abi, the narrator of the story, an AI who is in everyone's head and who keeps the apocalypse at bay. Life on the island is rural. The people plant their food, have down-to-earth jobs and live together as a very close-knit community. One night one of the elders is murdered, the elder who created the barrier which is now down. No one knows why or how it happened, let alone who did it, because Abi wiped all their memories of the night, including its own. The village needs to find out who killed the elder within the next couple of days, because this is the only way the AI can re-erect the barrier and keep them safe.

Here's what I liked:
- the small island being shut away from the outside world
- everyone is a suspect, including the detective

Here's what I didn't like:
- no explanation how the elders managed to get so old
- the apocalypse and the reason why the island was shut off, as well as some of the crafted things on the island which helped to further the plot, but didn't make a lot of sense (as a fan of Sci-Fi it was a bit wishy-washy and felt rather deus-ex-machina)

All in all, Turton managed to spin another good yarn. It just didn't wow me as much as the first two novels.

The Murder at the End of the World, by Stuart Turton
Rating: 5/5
Published: Now
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this to be released, but it was so worth the wait. I have been a diehard fan of Turton since his debut novel, the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. He is an expert world-builder, and one whom I’m yet to see beaten on detail and originality. This dystopian thriller is set on a small island at the end of the world, where the last of civilization seem to be thriving. However, all is not as it seems. When one of the village elders is found murdered in a burning building, the islanders realise that their time is running out. Unless they can solve her murder, the island will be fully engulfed by the deadly fog that has destroyed the rest of the world. I absolutely loved this book. Turton has created a really rich cast of characters who keep you guessing right until the end. Like the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, nothing is as it seems, and the ending is brilliantly unexpected. Buy this book immediately, especially if you love a genre-bending dystopian novel that will keep you awake at night. Just brilliant.

I have only tried one of his books before, Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which didn’t work for me at all.

The Last Murder is set on an island where only a few people survive..we aren’t quite sure what happened to the rest of the world but do know that it is covered in fog. This fog can’t reach the island but if it does everyone will be killed.

I enjoyed this despotism Who? unit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Set on an island surrounded by fog, that has destroyed the rest of the planet.
The island has 122 villagers and 3 scientists (or Elders)
The sc-fi mystery begins when one the scientists is found murdered.
Her death triggers the lowering of the island’s security system that keeps out the fog and there are now only 92 hours to find a solution or the fog will sweep in and kill every inhabitant.
The only problem is everyone’s memories have been wiped.
There was a lot going on and I felt a bit lost reading it.
It got repetitive, going over the same basic suspects.
However it was an unique and intriguing- I’ve never read anything like it before, you wonder where it’s taking you, and I loved that I couldn’t solve the murder.
Thanks @stu_turton, @bloomsburyraven & @netgalley for the strange & unique read

I took a while to get into The Last Murder at the End of the World because the setting and characters were so unfamiliar. I'm more used to reading Golden Age detective fiction than post-apocalypse thrillers, so it was a shift of gears. But as soon as I got my bearings I loved this book.

There were so many twists and turns, no-one could rely on anyone or anything, even their own memories. I don't want to say too much about the plot in case I reveal spoilers, but I'd urge anyone with a passing interest in suspense, murder mysteries or dystopic fiction to give it a go.

Such a different book! I just can't wait to see what Stuart Turton comes up with next.

The Last Murder at the End of the World is the hotly anticipated latest release from Stuart Turton and it is a gripping mystery with a unique setting that had me gripped as I tried to figure out the culprit as the story unfolded.
On a remote and isolated island live 122 villagers and 3 scientists, quite possibly the last remains of humanity. Outside the island is a mysterious fog that kills every one it comes into contact with, only a forcefield maintained by the scientists holds it at bay, but on the island life is peaceful and harmonious until it is not. When one of the scientists is killed it shocks the islanders, violence is virtually unknown in their world. Even worse , the death has triggered a count down that will lower the shield in 92 hours. The clock is literally ticking and only by solving the murder will the islanders have a chance of saving themselves.
This is a gripping mystery that really keeps the reader guessing but beyond that the society that Turton has created is absolutely fascinating. I fell in love with the character of Emory, the most curious of the villagers and the one tasked with trying to solve the murder. While the mystery is entertaining, the book also encourages the reader to question issues like the environment and climate change and of course the ethics surrounding AI, especially since one of the main POV characters in the book is Abi, an AI that proves to be something of an unreliable narrator.
If you are looking for something a little different in the mystery genre and appreciate intricate story crafting and world building you will find much to enjoy here.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

There's no one like Stuart Turton to deliver a dystopian murder mystery.

Similar to his previous two novels – ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ and ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ – and yet completely and utterly different, ‘The Last Murder at The End of the World’ features a group of fascinating characters in a tense and claustrophobic environment, racing against time to solve a crime and prevent further catastrophe.

The setting of the novel on an island protected by complex technology against the effects of a fog created by an act of aggression is an interesting device, giving the reader pause to consider the future of our world from both a political and environmental perspective. The plot also raises moral and ethical questions, all of which some readers may relish exploring but others may brush aside to focus on the
mystery.

The characters are interesting individuals and brought to life extremely well by Turton. I enjoyed having my initial impressions of several characters changed as more of the story emerged and differing perspectives were shared.

Another brilliant read from Stuart Turton, which kept me turning the pages to see what happened to the islanders next. My only disappointment was that it had to come to an end and that Turton’s books are so vivid in detail, it will be a while until we (hopefully) get another.

I am inordinately grateful to the publishers and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of ‘The Last Murder at the End of the World’, on which this review is based.

The world has been engulfed in a fatal fog which devours everything it touches. The only place that is hasn't gone is a Greek Island that is privately owned by scientist Niema. She managed to raise a barrier to stop it encroaching and lives there with the villagers and the other two elders.
There used to be a laboratory underneath the volcano but Niema said that the fog had entered there and it is sealed. Thea, one of the other two elders, is desperate to get back into there as her sister is there in a stasis pod.
When strange things start happening and Niema is found dead, Abi, the artificial intelligence that is in all the villagers' heads, tells Emory, the most questioning of the villagers, that the fog barrier will come down in 96 hours unless Niema's murderer can be found and executed.
Emory starts her investigations, but soon feels hampered by the two elders, Hephaestus - who is Niema's son, has no time for the villagers and would happily kill them all, Thea is a bit more fearful, but still has her own agenda.
The question is will the mystery be solved in time?
I loved reading this!

Each of this author's books are unique and different in terms of genres, so as a result you don't really know what you are going to get until you start reading it. This book is no different, venturing away from pirates into a dystopian and futuristic world where there are a number of murders and mysteries. (Ok, so there are some similarities in Stuart Turton's books.)
As ever, the story is articulate and interesting from the first page, racing off into the distance at the earliest opportunity. Throughout the book the story stimulates you and encourages you to read more, for it to stumble slightly in the final quarter. No spoilers here, but there are a number of minor surprises and developments within the story, but nothing earth shattering or that surprising.
In fact the story is engaging and warm, embracing and enticing like a comfortable sweater but never stepping up in high gears with it's challenge and depth. Perhaps benefiting from a trim of a few pages, this is still a very entertaining story, jammed pack full of interesting and developing characters.
I'm very grateful to the publishers for allowing me early access and I can only hope for the author to receive the well deserved volume of acclaim and sales for this very enjoyable book.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for this ARC!

‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ ranks in one of my favourite books, maybe ever. I also enjoyed ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’, and so was thrilled to see Stuart Turton returning with a new book. Part cli-fi, part murder-mystery, ‘The Last Murder at the End of the World’ considers what would happen if the end of humanity was nigh, but no one could remember what had happened in order to solve it.

I enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this novel — the island was well laid-out and vividly described, and I enjoyed how different areas were crucial for different parts of the plot. I also thought that the unravelling of the mystery was done well, as I never guessed what had happened at any point.
Nevertheless, I did struggle a bit to connect with any of the characters, as I felt like I never really knew them, and a lot of them were (deliberately) quite unlikeable. This did mean that my interest in the solving of the murder somewhat waned, especially compared to Turton’s first two books. Unfortunately, the overall premise (the fog, et cetera) didn’t quite work for me.

Despite this, I believe that anyone who loves Turton, and/or murder mysteries, and/or cli-fi titles will have a good time with this one.

2.5/5

Thanks to Bloomsbury for a review copy.
A new Stuart Turton books is always an exciting prospect. His inventiveness and fiendish intricacy are mind boggling and yet totally satisfying. In those respects ‘The Last Murder at the End of the World’ delivers in spades.
Although we only ever meet the characters on the island, the last survivors of a cataclysmic biological weapon which wiped out civilisation, the writing evokes a sense of knowing and understating the world as it was before the devastation. The mystery is clever and typical of Mr Turton - everyone is a suspect and yet no one knows the truth.
However, having read and loved Mr Turton’s two previous novels, ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ and ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ I have to admit I was less than overwhelmed with this latest story. In the interests of full disclosure, I confess I am not a fan of writing in the present tense. I find it a rather contrived and lazy way of storytelling though that, of course is my personal opinion. I was, therefore, disappointed when I found that ‘The Last Murder at the end of the World’ is written in that style without any real need for it. The story, told from the not entirely reliable perspective of Abi, a powerful AI, would have worked perfectly well had it been related in the past tense, especially as there is no hint anywhere in the book to identify to whom she is ‘speaking.’
Although the story was interesting and I wanted to know the end, I was not as addicted as I have been to his previous books as I found the interminable present tense presentation to be hard work.
I also considered the ending to be a little rushed. The main plot point, i.e. the identity of the murderer, was well signalled and the clues (and red herrings) were all nicely placed but the final dénouement about the fog seemed to be rather tacked on with nothing to hint at it in advance. Given that Abi is largely omnipotent and omnipresent for all the characters and therefore clearly knows the truth, it seems strange that there was nothing in the story which gave a clue as to what was to come.
So maybe I was expecting too much, but this is my least favourite of Mr Turton’s books so far. I hope that he will return to the Evelyn Hardcastle ‘universe’ at some point as there must be so many more tales to tell there - but in the past tense - please.

What an incredible book! It’s very well written by an author who managed to create here a story that is as multi-layered as an very expensive wedding cake. Alas, no weddings on the island though.
We find ourselves in the middle of a group of happily living Villagers, who are led by three Elders. The Villagers love the elders, they almost worship them, were it not for the fact that there is no religion anymore since the world was swallowed by the black fog and the insects. The Villagers are a happy group, satisfied with a live of service to the Elders and the whole community. They never ask themselves why they are on the island; after all, they do know that they are living in old military barracks, and that beneath their feet is Blackheath, a giant research centre that is now sealed off after the fog threatened to swallow it an all scientists in it. Only three of them managed to escape and they took the role of Elders.

The Villagers work all day in the fields and every evening they all share an evening meal. There is lots of laughter and happiness; there is a little school for the younger children and Thea, one of the Elders, takes new apprentices every year to teach them science and help by maintaining the salvaged machinery.

Strange? No, this is only the start of all that is about to be revealed. One morning after a joyous evening full of music and laughter, Niema is found dead. And since Abi, the AI that speaks with all Villagers through their mind wiped their memory, who will be able to solve the crime? They don’t even know what a crime is – that’s all left behind. They never argue, they never fight. But now, as Emory is trying to solve the murder before the fog reaches the island, she and the other Villagers have to learn certain things about how humans lived before the disaster. Things they won’t like…
What is not to like? It’s Science Fiction, it’s Dystopian, it has an old fashioned crime in it and there are very interesting characters, lots of secrets and even more surprises. I just loved the way we readers have to really think about all that is happening and personally, I never did see the end coming. There is a lot to learn in this book about the human psyche and what makes us ticking and what not. I wish I could find more words to describe how good this book is.

Most of the secrets are revealed during the building up of the plot, which is very good because there are secrets behind secrets and with each layer of the story more secrets and surprises are revealed. This way we get to know the characters better with each page and the reader is drawn into the story even further.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for this review copy.

The most captivating murder mystery with a twist! Stuart Turton manages to weave intricate, elaborate stories that will have you mystified and dying to know more! Loved it!

Regular readers will know how much I bloody love Stuart Turton’s books. First we had the intricately plotted, fabulously mind-twistingly clever and utterly brilliant The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Then we found ourselves in 1634 on the the good ship Saardam with the world’s greatest detective (albeit locked up below decks) and a growing pile of bodies in The Devil and the Dark Water.

And now, Stuart Turton, master of the impossible murder (in book form, thank goodness), is back again with his third book, The Last Murder at the End of the World.

Ninety two hours until humanity’s extinction. Though most of humanity is already gone, wiped out by a mysterious fog and leaving us fully in a dystopian future where a mere 122 villagers survive on a small Greek island along with three scientists. Oh, but the island is surrounded by the same strange fog that killed everyone else. Yikes.

Then one of the scientists is killed, and the defences holding the fog at bay break down. Double yikes. The book starts with ninety two hours to solve an impossible murder and save the world.

Pfft. Easy.

Turton has taken the locked room mystery and turned it into a locked island – there’s no way on or off (and nowhere to go other than that deadly fog if you did escape). And there’s Abi, the voice inside the villagers’ heads which tells them what to do and how to behave. And a strange curfew each evening where everyone falls asleep at the same time, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. And the curfew wiped everyone’s memory from the night of the murder, so whilst everyone is technically a suspect, no-one really has the knowledge or ability to do kill anyone. They’re not even really sure what murder is, and even the murder wouldn’t remember doing it.

Look, it’s hard to talk too much about this without spoiling things. It’s brilliant, it’s twisty, it plays with your perceptions and makes you question what it is to be human. It’s a shorter book than the first two, but packs so much into it. Turton was already one of my favourite authors and this book merely strengthens that.

And can we talk about that title? I was listening to a podcast earlier today (the excellent Quick Book Reviews by Philippa Hall) in which he said that in a world of one-word titles, he wanted something which jumps out and grabs the readers attention. The last murder? I’m in. At the end of the world?? I’m so in I can’t even see the way out. Genius.

I was lucky enough to get my grubby bookblogger hands on an ebook advance copy of this book to review, but I’ve had my order in for a signed special edition since last August. It should be here tomorrow, and I can’t wait to read it again.

And I hardly ever read books again, given the state of my TBR pile.

THAT’S how good it is. Go buy a copy. Buy two, one for you and one for a friend.

From the outside, Stuart Turton looks and sounds like an ordinary bloke. What goes on in his head, though, is something else entirely. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a small group of islanders find themselves the luckiest people in the world. They are the ones who escaped the dark poisonous fog that killed the rest of the world.

This island belonged to Greece before the fog. It was home to Blackheath, a giant research centre that was sealed off after the fog got to it and only three scientists escaped.

Their elders, the three scientists, are the ones who managed to construct a barrier around the island that keeps the fog out. There has only ever been one violent incident and that person has been exiled to the mountains, banned from ever returning.

Everyone keeps to their curfew and everyone knows exactly when they will die, except the elders, whose longevity is remarkable. If there’s ever anything they want to know or do not understand, Abi, the voice in all their heads, will guide them and keep them on the right path. They grow their own food and share their produce equally. To all intents and purposes, this is the best life they can live in a post-fog world.

Then one of their number, an elder, is killed. Worse, when they wake up to discover this, they find that their memories of the last 12 hours have been completely wiped. Not only that, but this violent murder has set off the system guarding the island and now the barriers have been lowered and the fog is creeping in on the island. Emory, the most inquisitive of the islanders and the most quarrelsome, is tasked with finding the murderer in the 92 hours they have left; they will all die as the fog smothers them.

Turton is a remarkable storyteller. His vision is all encompassing and this book pulls together the archetypal locked room style mystery with dystopian elements and a dollop of science fiction threaded through with some allegories that keep you on your toes.

Emory, our protagonist, is a true investigator and she is tenacious and unhesitating in her drive to find the truth. Together with her daughter, Clara they are unrelenting in their quest.

Turton makes the challenges huge: the clock winding down, the islanders not remembering what happened the night before, Abi in their heads telling them what she wants them to know – all these things militate against Emory’s success. Then there is what she does learn and how much the islanders will be willing to hear.

The chapters are short; the narrative twisty and the revelations jaw-dropping. Turton’s murder mystery has more layers than an onion and as each one is revealed, underneath is another revelation. Each one brings us a little closer to the truth but nothing prepares you for the whole unvarnished truth.

Verdict: Turton’s world building is excellent and his narrative is punchy and exciting. And while this story works on all the murder mystery/locked room principles, it has quite a lot to say about the human condition and where we will end up if we don’t challenge what we don’t understand or believe. A thrilling must read novel.