3.5 stars
This book put me into a reading slump. On paper I should’ve loved this, sci-fi, post apocalyptic world, thriller, murder mystery? Tick tick tick! But for some reason it missed the mark for me.
Firstly there were so many characters to keep track off and the different povs made it hard to follow the story.
Also, everytime you think there has been a reveal, another reveal just drops straight afterwards. It got to the point at the end where all the “twists” just kept getting bigger and bigger and I didn’t care? It felt like it was trying to do too much. If the story had been shorter with a character or two less, I think the reveals and twists would’ve been more satisfying.
Overall, I really loved the premise and the setting. But personally, I felt so bogged down by the many moving parts and the constant murderer reveals were too much. Slightly dissatisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury UK for providing me with an eARC of this copy.

Another fun ARC that @netgalley generously let me read before its release in late March. It follows an island of villagers living in a post-event world, where a man-made fog made up of carnivorous insects has killed most of humanity. The villagers are peaceful and community-minded, so who is it that killed one of their elders and allowed the barriers keeping them safe from the fog to be shut down?

Stuart Turton’s books are all so unique but what they all have in common is great story telling and very creative storylines, and this one is no different. This is definitely a murder mystery with a difference as the story is set in a dystopian future where there are a small number of people living on an Island as the rest of the World has been destroyed. As the murder is investigated the truth of the Island is also slowly revealed. I can’t comment any further as I really don’t want to spoil anything for future readers. But this is definitely a very clever story and recommend read.

I loved this one. It's a futuristic crime thriller and I was there on the island with them. There are lots of short chapters and I often had to read one more. And then another one. There are twists aplenty and you never see what's coming. You suspect everyone and you get a satisfying ending.

Now, where are Stuart Turton's other books?

Stuart Turton is an author I am always interested to read, and I note, looking back, that I also gave his previous two novels four stars. I am not quite sure why he is not a five-star author for me, but he is definitely a very original and imaginative writer.

We are in a dystopian world where a deadly fog has covered most of the Earth’s surface, leaving just a small island and half a mile of ocean safe. There are three elders on the island, plus a number of villagers and an AI presence that is in the thoughts of the islanders and can converse with them. Gradually, as the novel progresses, we learn more about how the inhabitants of the island live, housed on what was once a former naval base where scientists lived and worked. There are 122 people, as well as the three elders, who seem to – initially – have a fairly idyllic life. We also learn that the human race may be extinct within 91 hours…

It is hard to review this without giving spoilers, but it is a fascinating look at survival, control and a mixture of sci-fi and mystery which would be absolutely ideal for book groups, as there is so much to discuss and so many questions that this novel throws up. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗
—𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗻 | 𝟰🌟

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘜𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯.”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲:
✨Science fiction mystery thriller
✨Dystopia
✨Exploration of humanity
✨Solve a murder to save the world

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:
122 villagers and 3 scientists live in harmony. The villagers are content to work for the sake of each others survival whilst being utterly reverential towards the scientists, until the leading scientist is stabbed to death. Now, everybody’s memory has been wiped of the night of the murder, and the barrier which was keeping the flesh eating fog at bay is down. To save the world, Emory must solve the murder.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚.

This isn’t a 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘁, this one has many 𝗱𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀 to consider, it’s an 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, and it’s a 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀 that gives the novel a new level of complexity to enjoy.

It took a little while to orientate myself to the narrator, called Abi, which seemed to be an omniscient presence that speaks to all the villagers and scientists and acts in the best interest of humanity. It was such an interesting position to take and even with this all-knowing narrator, I couldn’t have guessed the ending.

I think that’s my favourite part about Turton’s books, I become 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗱 and 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 throughout until it all makes 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 at the end.

Overall, this is 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 and an 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 and 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 world that shows the best and the worst of humanity.

𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 | 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆

Published 28 March. Having read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle I was expecting another unconventional thriller and I wasn't disappointed. We are in an unspecified time, but I believe that this is some way into the future and is almost post-apocalyptic as a strange fog, one which is inhabited by insects, has covered almost the whole planet and destroyed every living thing that it has come into contact with. There is a feeling that man in some way was responsible for the creation of the fog but this is my feeling. There is only one island that has escaped this fog but it is surrounded by it. Technology seems to be holding it at bay. There are only just over 100 people on the island and three 'elders' and this is where we get into a sci-fi vibe. The three elders are all over 100 years of age and are revered by the villagers. The village itself is peaceful, everyone lives together in harmony. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? There are odd things about life on this island - children are presented to parents by the elders as fully grown 8 year olds. Everyone has a sort of AI conscience in their heads - Abi - who basically runs there lives, talking to them, instructing them, preventing them from doing anything they shouldn't. There is also a curfew - at a certain time every night Abi sort of locks everything down and sends the villagers to sleep. Then there is a murder which has triggered a dead switch and suddenly the fog is creeping forward to destroy the island. Emory, one of the islanders is given the task of finding the murderer and obtain a confession, an act that will stop the fog and she has 92 hours only. A slight problem, Abi -our AI overseer - has wiped everyone's memories so everyone is a suspect. The story is told by Abi in the first person although it follows Emory in her quest to discover the truth. There is a lot of sci-fi elements to this but it certainly keeps you guessing and throws a few little curve-balls at you as well. I think I preferred Evelyn Hardcastle, but nevertheless, I had a good time in Abi's company.

Another genius murder mystery offering from Turton. This time set on a post-apocalyptic Greek island. Not just any old island though; this one houses an underground laboratory inside a volcano that used to be the groundbreaking business of multi-billionaire scientist Niema Mandripilias. Along with 2 other surviving scientists and 122 villagers, they all co-exist peacefully until one night a horrific murder occurs requiring Emory, a unique and annoyingly inquisitive villager to solve it before “the deadly fog” envelopes and kills them all.
Nothing I write here will do the book justice – it’s unique and brilliant and deserves to be read. Just like every one of Turton’s works. As I said – genius.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A post-apocalyptic tale involving a complicated and time-sensitive “who done it” on the last inhabited island on earth.

There is a bit of a “Lost” (for anyone who remembers the TV show) like quality to the story (maybe it’s the island & the fog 😉). It’s a fun read for nearly the whole book, wonderfully complicated, imaginative and sci-fi filled. With short chapters, I was gripped for the first 90%, enjoying the chase around the island as the clock ticked down.

It could be that I just finished another book which was so insightful on the dark sides of human nature (while not losing the narrative or plot or leaving one feeling depressed) that I was hoping for something similar. Perhaps that’s being unfair to a thriller. This book doesn’t paint a pretty picture of humanity and the writing style didn’t leave me with insight or character development to explain why humans so often mess up - only that they do and there is no hope for them on their own.

A 3.5 for being entertained for the majority of the book. In the end, I wanted a little bit more from the island I’d become quite invested in.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

This is my favourite of Turton's 3 books. I thought the plotting was more consistent and the story wonderfully optimistic

For a thriller where nobody can remember the events that led to a murder and a ticking clock to the end of civilisation, you'd think this wouldn't be a slog to get through.

That's not the case.

I REALLY struggled with this one. I didn't really find any of the characters particularly likeable, which is not necessarily an issue with a thriller, but I think you were supposed to like the characters. I just felt completely indifferent about everyone.

I also think that the pool of suspects was too small, so I felt like we went in circles a little bit. It was a really interesting set-up, but something about it just fell flat for me and I found that I was bored most of the time and every time I put it down, I had no motivation to pick it up again.

Not necessarily a bad book, just not the book for me unfortunately.

This story was fascinating from the first page all the way through until the last. Stuart Turton’s unique take on a post-apocalyptic world is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the closing pages.
There are so many questions tied up in this intricately woven mystery. The island is peopled by a small village community who are (mostly) deferential to the elders. The elders are literally that: the oldest people on the island. They live much longer than the general population, who all die on their 60th birthday. Emory is the one villager who questions everything, and has since she was a child. She’s frowned upon by the others, who don’t wonder at all about the unexplained things that happen under their noses, and actively work to ignore anything that might stir up controversy, especially where the elders are concerned. However, following a catastrophic evening during which one of the elders is murdered, the lethal fog that’s been held back from the island has started to advance.
The islanders’ only chance of survival is to embrace Emory’s questioning nature, something even her own family have struggled to come to terms with, as she investigates the murder, desperate to find the answers that could halt the advance of the encroaching fog which threatens to wipe out humanity.
I got entangled in the threads of this story and thoroughly enjoyed it. I preferred it to The Seven Deaths… and I fully expect it to fly to the top of the bestseller lists.
💯 recommend.
Big thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for a chance to read the ARC.
The Last Murder at the End of the World publishes on 28 March, and I commend it to the House.🤗

Content warnings: Racism, Death, Gore, Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts, Terminal Illness, Blood, Medical Content, Loss of a loved One, Murder slavery, kidnapping

Representations: https://trello.com/c/fLqCcDwm/95-the-last-murder-at-the-end-of-the-world-by-stuart-turton

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Why are book synopsis' going the way of movie trailers where they seem to aim to reveal way too much about the thing it's trying to introduce/describe? I loved seven deaths of Evelyn hardcastle so I requested this book without reading the full description, just knowing it was a dystopian sci fi, and honestly that was a really good choice. I read the full description when I got near the end and was so shocked to just see how much got revealed in the description alone.

I honestly absolutely loved this book. Complex characters, fast paced story and intricate plot threads that slowly weave together. So many questions but answers are given at a good pace and I believe most if not all the questions did get an answer by the end - I can't think of anything major right now at least!

I loved the characters so much. They're all so complex and unique with so many goals and motives and ideas, it was just so delightful to read about these characters! I normally struggle quite a lot with remembering who was who, who was what name, etc but I actually never had that problem once throughout this whole book despite there being actually quite a lot of characters because of how unique to each other they were.

The plot was just so incredibly thick with mystery and questions, but it manages to handle all of that incredibly well. The world gets established in good time while still leaving a ton of mystery to drip through the rest of the book. The questions felt believable, so did the whole premise honestly - despite how apocalyptic sci-fi it is. The prologue sucked me in instantly and really set up the story perfectly.

I think the only negative about this is the same negative I had with 7 deaths - the ending. It's miles better than how 7 deaths handled it's ending imo but it's still very... I'm not even sure how to explain it. It feels a bit rushed, incredibly lore dumpy and it's just constant explanation monologues with a solution that feels a teeny bit underwhelming in my opinion. It is an answer that fits and makes sense, and the additional information that plays out during the ending is quite nice so it's better than 7 deaths in that regard. It's just.. not sure about it honestly. But also like 7 deaths, it really didn't change my overall opinion of the book that much because the rest of the book is just that good.

Suprisingly, there's also queer representation in this. A very nice sapphic relationship and in all honesty I think it was done very nicely. It's not something that's pointed out, it's just a normalised relationship and treated within the book as any other relationship. It is really nice when books have that. It's not a book that's heavy in romance though, if you dislike romance you'll be fine with it. There's people missing loved ones, relationships that get torn apart - so there's certainly conversations about relationships - but not really much romance at all.

I would strongly recommend this book if you enjoy mysteries. Absolutely perfect for a book club as well!

This probably means I should read Stuart's first book now as I've enjoyed everything else from him haha!!

This was such an interesting story with such detailed world building. There were a few gaps - but they felt intentional. The slightly immoral AI was a fascinating add, with the pacing of this story and reveals just right. Characters made you want to shake them by the shoulders and shout at them, and for me, that meant the author was doing their job. As for the fog? I still have so many unanswered questions, but I like that!


Near the end of the book there is a copy editing error. Sentence starts “Niema wanted to give us a future…..” but a character is named wrongly further along in the sentence.

A complicated dystopian murder mystery set some time in the future where the last of humanity live on a remote island. The story is complicated and pace too slow for me to truly engage as a reader. I persevered til the end and was satisfied with the ending. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

A gripping read. This was right up my alley. A mysterious island, fascinating characters with flaws and depth. A post apocalyptic setting, but very different to what’s been done in the genre before.

90 or so years after a deadly fog enveloped the world, the last enclave of humanity survives on a remote Greek island. 120 people live their lives under the leadership of three elder scientists who direct their lives for the good of humanity’s future. Until one of the elders is murdered.

I found this story intriguing right from the off, the mystery is gradually explained while more questions are presented. It’s very satisfying and fast paced. Brilliant world building with tantalising details of what the world was like pre-cataclysm.

I thoroughly enjoyed Stuart Turton’s other books and this one was his best yet. He’s one of those authors that I will pick up regardless of any information on the title as he’s a guaranteed solid story.

In a post-apocalyptic world on an isolated island, villagers, the remnants of civilisation, survive under the leadership of elders, all of whom have escaped a deadly fog. Living in harmony, their fragile peace is shattered when a murder occurs, setting off a 'who-dunnit' mystery. The survival of the island's inhabitants hinges on solving the puzzle of this deadly crime before the ominous fog returns, threatening to consume the island once again. The narrative unfolds as the characters navigate through the intricacies of the murder mystery, revealing the delicate balance between order and chaos in their isolated existence.

The brilliance of Turton's 'who-dunnit' lies in its complexity, showcasing the author's meticulous planning, plotting and mapping. The narrative provides just enough information at just the right times, keeping readers consistently intrigued until then serving clever moments of revelation. Turton successfully blends genres, incorporating elements of whodunnit, dystopian, greek mythology and sci-fi, which elevates the story beyond a conventional murder mystery.

The book's pace in the first quarter was a drawback for me, with a slow start that initially tested my patience. While the world-building is commendable, the detailed descriptions may deter those who prefer a more streamlined narrative. However, the 'against the clock' mystery added a layer of suspense and ultimately compelled me to turn the pages eagerly in the second half.

Unfortunately, I struggled to form a genuine connection or emotional investment in the character’s fates and rather than being fully immersed and engrossed in their journeys, I felt a sense of detachment, as if observing the story from a distance, which for me, hindered the overall emotional impact of the narrative.

Overall, this was a mixed bag. The pacing and my personal lack of investment in the characters slightly let it down, but it did offer a meticulously planned whodunnit story with some great lightbulb moments that I think many readers will absolutely love.

Thanks to the publishers for providing an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I've never read any of this author's books before but this book appealed to me because I like dystopian books. At first I was worried I'd made the wrong choice, it seemed a bit too sci-fi for me. But after a few chapters I really got into it, and the world the author created.

The 'whodunnit' kept me guessing throughout, and the added time pressure of the rapidly approaching end of the world built up the suspense. There were also a few unexpected twists and turns.

I really enjoyed this book, it's made me want to try some of his other work.

A combination of apocalyptic dystopia and crime thriller may not immediately spring to mind as a winning combination but in fact it works quite well! I read and thoroughly enjoyed Evelyn so had high expectations for this title. The involved plot and complex characters was there, as was the tense and twisty plot turns. The cautionary commentary on the state of humanity added a level that was blended in well though there were moments when I thought that maybe there were too many themes being threaded in? At times the plot stalled a bit, at others it moved very quickly and required concentration to keep track. But my interest was maintained throughout and the "pages" turned very quickly. Maybe not an Evelyn but still worth investing in

I have a chequered past with Stuart Turton's books. I didn't like Evelyn and I thought Devil was about a hundred pages overdone but this, despite the thousands of red herrings and endless twists was definitely my favourite so far.

We are on an island surrounded by a deadly fog that has killed the rest of the humans on earth. The people left are the villagers who do the manual jobs and the elders who run the place. There's also the AI overseer, Abi, who "runs" the villagers lives. I won't go into minute detail but one of the islanders is murdered and the killer has to be found and confess otherwise the island itself will be consumed by the deadly fog being held back by technology.

It sounds pretty straightforward but there are some heft surprises along the way. I did get a bit irritated at several points because you start to think that maybe we'll have a Bobby Ewing moment and it will all have been a dream or we're living on a Seahaven Island type place with Truman.

Stuart Turton does write a good story which has echoes of The Time Machine and Greek myth at times but he keeps leading you down so many false paths and dead ends it's quite hard to keep up at times.

However, on the whole I enjoyed it. I read it in three sessions and wasn't bored once. It jogs away at a good pace, there aren't too many main characters and the plot is just clever enough. If I wasn't a total lame brain I'm sure I'd have guessed the truth more accurately.

I'm sure existing Turton fans will love this but even if you've read his books before and, like me, not been totally convinced I'd still recommend it. Definitely the best so far for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the advance review copy.