"She didn't come here to cry. There'll be plenty of time for that in the next few weeks. Her grief will be waiting in the dark, and quiet. It will hide behind a dozen ordinary things, ambushing her when her thoughts drift."

The last hope of humanity, an idyllic sanctuary and a bloody murder mystery - the makings for an electrifying story. Immediately the scene is set in a utopia within a dystopia; after the near extinction of the species we’re shrouded in that existential dread but also shown a beautiful scene of futuristic, peaceful society among the wreckage in a powerful and uncomfortable contrast.

From the very first page, the timer starts and it just makes an unshakeable intensity — taking classic sci-fi tropes like the countdown and collective amnesia and utilising them in such a refreshing and creative way. The villagers are introduced as they go about their life, the key players becoming apparent but the suspects not so much - not just for the murder but for countless other crimes happening in the shadows of the village.

The utopian society is a strange mix of ancient and futuristic - and it crumbles as the control and manipulation that holds it up starts to creep from the shadows, making us question not only who is the murderer in question, but who is guilty of anything and what that really means.

It moved slowly, a little too much at times, especially after the main introductions and there’s a lot to follow at the start but it settles into a good pace - with multiple strands of mysteries going on at once, weaving in with tales from before and plenty of speculation leading us in opposite directions as we try to not only solve a murder but the many mysteries of the island and its strange inhabitants. The storytelling was intriguing, but slightly filler-like in places as I found myself waiting for the next thing to happen.

A morally grey story about the astounding resilience of humanity and the complex nature of being human too, wrapped in a dystopian sci-fi mystery.

I really enjoyed his Evelyn book, so I was excited to get an ARC from Netgalley of this new story. It's a murder mystery sci-fi post-apocalyptic thriller, if there is such a thing, and I found it a really compelling read. It's a bit crazy in places, and I must admit, by the end, I was struggling to keep things straight in my head. But for all its twisty-turny-ness, I think it held together okay. I liked the main investigating character, Emory, and although there were a few moments where I thought 'wait, what?' as something was revealed that I could never have guessed at, it was still an exciting story.

A unique murder mystery set at the end of the world where secrets hide around every corner.

I loved this. Highly readable, really great characters and a clever, involving mystery.

The World built here is also clever and easily imagined as real.

Twisty and fun and I highly recommend.

This is a great telling of a story that is set at the end of the world, indeed the end of the human race, and the mystery of how and why it happened.

At the end of the world, on an island off the Greek coastline, there live three scientists and a small village of people. They live in harmony, each knowing their place and each having a purpose. All except for Emory. Where all the villagers are happy in their lives, not questioning or worrying about much, Emory has always been one to question and strive to find something she can not explain. She doesn't feel like she fits in, and that most people resents her asking so many questions.

Until there is a murder to solve.

This is a unique look at a dystopian future where humanity is ringed by death, and the last of the humans have to figure out why a murder happened and fight to stop the true end to all humanity. I really enjoyed it, it was well-paced and you feel the sense of urgency as the story progresses. A must-read.

We start with a discussion between two people, about a death and why it is necessary. We don’t get the details, but it seems that one of them has worked out the probability of every course of action, and together they have come up with a plan that demands murder. I am immediately hooked.

We spread out into the community, meet many people, understand their way of life, and discover some irregularities that really don’t make sense. This is a dystopian society, as explained in the blurb. But as time goes on, you feel like it’s a dystopian society unlike anything else you’ve read. Even though I found Mr Turton’s style reminiscent of Kazuo Ishigaro – especially Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun – it also felt unique. It glides over and through you, drawing you further into the world, accepting its foibles, and worrying about the people in it.

I’m not sure I really followed the denouement adequately. So much was going on as we reached the end of the world. Maybe I started reading too fast, too eager to find out what happened next. Maybe there was a leap of faith in one of the conclusions. But it doesn’t really matter. I absolutely loved this book. The technology is genius, the characters just as they should be under the curious set of circumstances they are in.

I’m looking forward to reading it again!

This book was just incredible. I have loved his writing since his debut (The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle) and this one is no exception!

The writing, pacing, chapter lengths, and revealing the mysteries was just chefs kiss. Superb. Hooked, I read it all in two sittings (even when I really didn’t have time I kept going!) I’m actually sad now knowing that I won’t be able to read another book of his for a while! I have book hangover in the best way possible!

Stuart Turton you are the best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this arc!

4 stars for this creative dystopian murder mystery.

I haven't read any Stuart Turton books before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed 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. The writing style took a little while to get used to and the first third of the book felt slow, but the pace picked up after that and the story became more intriguing.

Abi follows several characters throughout the book, and I enjoyed reading about them and their relationships - particularly Emory, who's the only villager to start questioning things when everyone else seems happy to live in ignorance. Her relationship with her daughter Clara was interesting and it was nice to read about them working together throughout the book.

Overall an enjoyable read, even though it was outside my usual genres - would recommend to anyone who enjoys crime/thriller novels for something a bit different!

(Review has been shared on Goodreads, and will be posted on Instagram closer to the publication date)

Rating: 2.1/5

I have now read all three of Stuart Turton's novels. They are all carefully constructed, with extensive plotting. Another thing they share in common is that I find them laborious to read. Much as I appreciated his debut, "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle", I still found it unnecessarily protracted. The two books since then both contain elements worthy of admiration, but they have failed to hold my attention. In spite of their cleverness there is something lacking in the storytelling.

This latest offering has a post-apocalyptic dystopian setting, is partly satirical and contains significant elements of science fiction. The actions of the human race have finally taken their toll and the world as people knew it has been almost completely eradicated. The entire population of the planet is now restricted to a small island-based colony, led by a small group of scientists and under the all-seeing eye of an A.I. creation called Abi. The community is under a constant threat from a prevailing fog, which the scientists are at pains to hold at bay from enveloping and destroying all remaining life. To add further to the intrigue, one of the scientists is found to have been murdered and if the culprit is not identified within 92 hours the fog will destroy the island and everything on it.

I enjoyed the early chapters. The presentation of the dystopian world is quite intriguing and I found myself feverishly scribbling notes about the set-up and the underlying ideas that were at play. I was put in mind of Greek mythology with the god-like narrator, Abi, seeming to not only watch over everything and everybody, but also able to interact with characters at will. It was very much reminiscent of the Greek gods watching over their human playthings and toying with their everyday lives for their own amusement.

This element of Greek mythology continues to run throughout the piece, but the novel also becomes increasingly science fiction driven. As the "whodunnit" thread is introduced into the plot, so I began to find the role of Abi and the sci-fi aspects increasingly irritating. If you read a lot of murder mystery fiction you will be aware that there are certain unwritten "rules of engagement" in the genre. However, there are several examples in this story of the science fiction element allowing the author to circumvent those usual rules of engagement. Some may argue that Stuart Turton is not actually breaking the rules, but if he is not guilty of quite going that far, then he is certainly bending them to the point where they are barely recognisable.

I have little doubt that there will be many readers who love this book, but I think this is likely to mark the parting of the ways for me and Stuart Turton's work. In spite of the fact that the settings are clever and imaginative, there is something about them that doesn't manage to deliver the all-round storytelling experience that I want from a novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Stuart Turton is one of my favourite authors. His debut was phenomenal, and I equally adored his second novel. Despite this, and despite the fact I went into The Last Murder at the End of the World with huge expectations, I was still completely blown away by it.

Turton is one of the most creative and original writers I've ever read. His ideas are absolutely fantastic and his plots are intricate and complex, but also fast-paced and engaging.

This book is an highly inventive murder mystery, but it is also a post-apocalyptic story, with even a dystopian feeling to it. After a deadly fog destroyed the world, only one island remained isolated and safe from the fog. On the island live 3 scientists and 122 villagers. Everything seem peaceful, despite the fact there are several strange things going on: for example, everyone on the village has a voice speaking in their heads, and all the villagers must obey a nightly curfew. One day, one of the scientist is found brutally stabbed to death. The villagers are distraught, but worse still they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. They must solve the murder within 92 hours, or the fog will smother the island and kill everyone. The problem is, the security system also wiped everyone’s memories of what happened the night of the murder, so not even the murderer remembers what happened!

If the premise alone doesn't make me you wanna read the book now, I don't know what will, but I can only say that this book was great from start to finish. Like in <i>The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle</i>, the beginning was very confusing and mysterious, and I had a lot of questions. I always wanted to keep reading to learn more and to see what would happen. Things were gradually revealed as the story went on, and I was shocked by every discovery. Towards the ending I did guess what had happened, but there were still things I didn't see coming, and all in all the story was wildly inventive, and absolutely unforgettable.

Apart from the story, I also really grew to like the characters, especially Emory and her daughter Clara. Emory is a villager, but she is the only one who realizes that things are strange. While the others are content with their life and never question anything, Emory is curious and determined, and I rooted for her from the start. I also really loved reading about her difficult relationship with her daughter, I thought it was really well done.

One last thing: I adored the casual mentions to Samuel Pipps and Arent Hayes. I just love when authors reference their own works!

A dark and deadly fog is sweeping closer to the island threatening the inhabitants. It has already killed most people on the planet but is being held in check for the moment until the death of one of the elders triggers it's advance. In order to save the island the murder of this elder must be solved.
The Last Murder at the End of the World is hard to categorise. On one level it is a murder mystery but it is set in a dystopian post apocalyptic world with science fiction elements. The inhabitants are helped/hindered by an AI being who is in the heads of all of them and controls some of their actions.
The story itself is quite simple but the unravelling is complex with many twists. The scientific elements are inventive but perhaps interfered with what we would think of as human processes. I have to say I found it a surprising and interesting read and somewhat different to a) my usual choice of books and b) other books by the author that I've read (although they are very different) but it didn't grab me maybe because the inhabitants of the island had a slightly drone like quality that stopped me really feeling for them. I also found the voice of Abi, written in the first person, sometimes jarred with the other voices in the story and I had to do a double take and think, who was just saying/thinking that?
Having said that though, it is a very interesting read, and well written and certainly different. With thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Stuart Turton is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. The Last Murder at the End of the World follows the story of 122 people and 3 scientists who live on an idyllic island. Their peaceful harmony is about to be destroyed by the brutal murder of one of the scientists, and unless the islanders can solve the mystery and reveal the murderer, the island will be shrouded in a fog that will kill them all.
The book starts out a little chaotic, with dozens of characters introduced and seemingly little plot. The story, however, soon gains momentum and I raced to finish it. At the heart of this novel lies the simple question, ‘what makes a human?’
Expect lots of mystery, deception, dystopia and thought-provoking scenes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

Wildly inventive and difficult to categorise as it ticks so many boxes- dystopia, sci-fi-fantasy , murder mystery. Another fabulous read from Stuart Turton.

The novel is set on an island holding the last remnants of humanity in the world and surrounded by a deadly fog. Emory is a villager on the edge of her community, distanced from them by her unique tendency to question everything that happens.. When a murder occurs in their community- an anomaly in a society that exists in apparently perfect harmony- it’s only Emory who can piece together the puzzle pieces and hopefully save the islanders from destruction.

Plenty of twists before the final piece slots into place. Kept me enthralled. Many thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Love, love, loved this book! It fits so many labels - high-concept, dystopian, fantasy, murder mystery - but what it is simply, is a book about being kind.

The world’s last survivors and an AI character face a countdown that adds urgency to solving a murder. Stu uses amnesia to reset characters’ memories, forcing us to second guess what’s going on and who we can trust if they can’t trust themselves.

On the surface this is different to his previous works, but what still shines through is mastery of suspense and atmosphere. It’s the kind of book you read and then get jealous that others are coming to it for the first time.

4.5 stars

I loved Stuart Turton’s first two novels and was beyond excited to get an ARC of his third. A contender for longest title of 2024, it is a brilliant story to boot, more in common with the Black Mirror-esque Evelyn Hardcastle than The Devil and the Dark Water.

Narrated by a mysterious omni-present being called Abi, we follow a group of villagers trapped on a post-apocalyptic island surrounded by a poisonous fog that seems to have destroyed much of the planet. When one of the village elders is murdered, the villagers are tasked with finding the murderer; only then will Abi stop the fog from reaching them.

Bonkers but brilliant. Suspend your disbelief and let this book carry you along on a sci-fi wave. About halfway through there is a key plot twist which I had already figured out as it was the most logical explanation. perhapd the author meant this to be worked out; It didn’t ruin my enjoyment anyway. I also guessed correctly at the murderer, again my little grey cells concluding it was the most likely answer given the clues planted.

There are some really thought provoking messages in this which I liked. On the downside I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters, but I think there’s good reason for this.

A really enchanting read, looking forward to book 4.

This book was such an adventure. My favorite books are those that have ACTUALLY original storylines and this is one of them. The author also doesn't make you wait until the last page to drop the bombshell, but rather peppers them throughout the book which is great. I also found myself rooting for the characters as if they were actual people and am super bummed now that I don't get to "hang out with them" anymore, every night when I read before bed.

The only negative thing I would say about this book is that it's swivels from sci-fi to crime fiction and gets a bit stuck in the crime genre (which has become one of my least favorite ONLY because I've read too many). Personally, I would have been happier if it stayed more in the magical realism, sci-fi pocket that it started out in, but that's a personal preference.

Thank you for letting me read this! It was awesome.

It’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has gradually covered the planet, inhabited by insects that destroyed every living thing in its wake. There was only one place spared, a small Greek island, and ninety years after the devastation a hundred or more people live here. The leaders – referred to as the ‘elders’ - are three scientists. There’s also an AI system in play, called Abi.

It’s not clear why the fog didn’t reach this island but it does hover in the distance, a constant threat. The people here are a mild, friendly group and it seems that there is no violence, no disruption to their tranquil lives. But there are also secrets and soon there will be a murder – a death that will threaten the future of these people. They will learn that must identify and execute the perpetrator of this act or the fog will descend upon them. And they will have very little time in which to do this.

Turton writes carefully constructed, unconventional and complex crime thrillers; The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is, I think, a masterpiece. But what of this one? Well, it’s certainly complex and its premise does seem to offer plenty of mystery. It took me a while to get my head around the set-up on the island and, unsurprisingly, quite a bit of information is held back and carefully parcelled out as the story unfolds. The world he constructs here is an interesting one, too. Yet I found myself strangely unengaged by the whole scenario.

One issue for me is that I struggle with stories that include the opportunity for scientific and technological developments or inventions that don’t currently exist to suddenly crop up and surprise me. This obviously offers the author the opportunity to introduce all sorts of strange twists that I couldn’t possibly have envisaged. I just find this exasperating: I like to use my wits to try to resolve any puzzle I’m faced with and therefore a mystery set in a time when this vehicle exists is always likely to frustrate me.

I enjoyed the story but I didn’t love it. It is surprising and it is inventive, and yet I never found myself fully engaged with the fate of these people. That said, the ending is frantic and exciting and it did keep me urgently turning each page to see how thing would finally play out. I’m pretty sure many others will love this one more than I did, but it’s a three star offering for me.

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who has read Turton's debut novel The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but The Last Murder at the End of the World is more packed with twists and turns than most writers would know what to do with. Unfortunately, and somewhat surprisingly, that seems to apply to Turton himself here. Rather than taking settings we’re familiar with and putting his unique spin on them, as in his first two novels (a country house and a merchant sailing vessel, respectively), Turton has opted here to construct the whole locked room from scratch, with a high tech security system, an AI narrator, weird villagers who don’t seem to mind being euthanised, killer fog and more besides. While there’s obviously nothing wrong with coming up with a wholly original setting for your mystery, some of the elements involved have more than a whiff of deus ex machina about them. Turton gives himself hoops to jump through to emphasise how difficult this mystery is to solve, but because we don’t really have much idea of the parameters of what’s possible in this world, it feels a bit like the solution could just be pulled out of thin air with the help of another bit of technology at any moment. It’s less of a setup, more of a gimmick.

The solution to the mystery, when it does come, falls a bit flat not just because of this but also because of the somewhat anticlimactic way it occurs within the plot. There’s little chance of working out what happened yourself, as plenty of completely unguessable twists and turns are ladled in along the way; par for the course in a Turton novel, you might say, but everything just feels a bit loose and unconnected here. By the end, you probably won’t care who the killer is either, which feels far from intentional. The resolution is still fairly clever with the way everything slots together, but the amnesiac cast of characters makes it feel as if things could have slotted together any which way really, with one motive just as good as another - and every character seeming to have at least one.

Speaking of characters, this is where things are decidedly better. Villager Emory is given the task of solving the murder, with the clock ticking all the while, and is a fairly likeable investigator as she’s markedly different from the mostly irritatingly docile and unquestioning villagers. Emory is like a dog with a bone, asking the difficult and disrespectful questions she needs to in order to pursue the investigation. Her fraught relationships with both her father and daughter have a good amount of emotional heft to them too, even if the latter’s choices make things feel like a dated YA novel at times - teenagers falling out with parents over wanting to take “The Trials” in order to go off and be some badass scavenger no doubt sounds dully familiar to a lot of readers at this point.

The Last Murder at the End of the World is, it’s fair to say, something of a mixed bag. Fans might still get some enjoyment out of it thanks to its strong characters and interesting narrator, but the typically intricately woven plot unfortunately comes apart at the seams instead of knitting together satisfyingly.

Turton is back with a whodunnit novel that goes beyond the classic murder stories.

A hundred-ish people is in an island surrounded by a deadly fog. An island with secrets inside. There is no more civilization on Earth. One of the morning a body appears. The security system in the island has wiped all memories from this people. They have 92 hours to resolve it while the fog gets closer and closer. What seems like a story like many others is told from a very particular point of view.

A POV I’m not going to describe further cos is part of the magic of the story and open to interpretations. Risky and surely not the cup of tea of everyone. However, this makes this novel differential compared to any other. I love how Turton always finds the way to tie different genres and became with such an exciting story. Murder, dystopian and science fiction goes all together in a singular story with an excellent outcome.

I was lucky enough to be sent an advanced review copy of this title from the Publisher. The premise a small group of villagers and scientists are the only ones left on a small island after an apocalyptic fog has taken over the world and destroyed everything in its path.

Its 3 out of 3 for me with Stuart Turton , I love his thriller science fiction twists. Definitely one not to miss. When you pick up this book expect to be up all night, as you will not be able to put it down.

Another riveting read by Stuart Turton!

On an island surrounded by a deadly fog, Emory has questions. Emory always has questions, and she's shunned by her fellow islanders because of it. Everyone else accepts life for how it is until suddenly, one of the elders is murdered and only Emory has the questioning mind capable of solving it.

As with all of Turton's books, I found the first 20% interesting, but not thrilling. Then suddenly you realise that everything you just read might be based on a lie and you rip through the remaining pages looking for answers.

If you like twisty, science/speculative fiction mysteries that keep the final mystery for the very last chapter then this book will not disappoint you!