The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Stuart Turton, author of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water has a new speculative fiction mystery novel called The Last Murder at the End of the World.

“An extraordinary novel. Midsommar meets Station Eleven meets The Mist meets a fresh postapocalyptic murder mystery.” – Will Dean

Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

About The Book 📚

Title: The Last Murder at the End of the World

Author: Stuart Turton

Publication Date: May 2024

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Publishers

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Mystery, Suspense& Thriller, Horror, Science Fiction

Pages: 320

Setting: unnamed Greek island

Content Warnings: murder, grief, animal cruelty, and more but they are spoilers. Click Here to see all of the content warnings.

About The Author

“Stuart Turton is your friendly neighbourhood author, responsible for The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Devil and the Dark Water, and The Last Murder at the End of the World – otherwise known as the ‘not-a-trilogy’ trilogy. His books have appeared on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and are known for fusing locked-room mysteries with literary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Stuart’s books have been translated into forty languages and have sold over a million copies, which would be impressive if every author wasn’t boasting about exactly the same thing.” https://www.stuturton.com/about

My Review

› Stuart Turton’s first book is a locked-house mystery, his second is a locked boat, and now this newest novel is a locked island. My biggest piece of advice is DO NOT READ THE BLURB. I’m not going to explain a lot in my review because I think going into this not knowing much leads to a great time.

› Inspired by his experience working in the tech field, Stuart Turton said he wanted to write a story about some of the things we’ll be experiencing soon. The Last Murder at the End of the World is a speculative fiction murder mystery set on a small unnamed Greek island 90 years after the world has ended. It begins 107 hours before humanity’s extinction.

“Two rowboats float at world’s end, a rope pulled taut between them. There are three children in each with exercise books and pencils, listening to Niema deliver her lesson. She’s at the bow of the boat on the right, gesticulating toward a wall of black fog that rises a mile into the air from the ocean’s surface. The setting sun is diffused through the sooty darkness, creating the illusion of flames burning on the water.”

› Niema tells the students that the fog kills everything it touches, and covers the entire planet except the area of their island and half a mile around it. 122 people live behind a barrier that keeps the killer fog at bay. There is no violence or murder. Turton said he wanted this to feel like these people have become the best versions of themselves. But they didn’t become this way on their own – they have a voice in their heads that’s guiding them. The term artificial intelligence isn’t used in the book, but that’s exactly what Abi is. This collective conscience speaks to the reader in the first person.

“I was created knowing exactly what I was for and I’ve sought to offer the villagers the same gift. Purpose is something which must be given, or it will be endlessly sought.”

› There are three elders: Niema, Hephaestus, and Thea. The villagers finish school at fifteen years old and choose a job that is helpful to the community. Emory has been trying different jobs for ten years, but nothing seems to be a good fit. She has nothing in common with her daughter Clara and they’ve been having a hard time getting along ever since Emory’s husband Jack died. Clara has been chosen as one of Thea’s apprentices. They travel around the island looking for technology to scavenge.

“Humanity does not easily abandon its pleasures, even the vile ones.”

› The villagers have no privacy, they have a curfew (every night at the same time they just fall asleep where they are), and they die at 60. A new child arrives after someone dies. Who made Abi? Why do they have a curfew? Why do they all fall asleep at the same time? Why do they die at 60? There are many things the villagers could question – but they don’t – except for Emory. She questions everything. You’ll have many questions that will be answered by the end of the story.

“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.”

› The characters are well-developed with goals, motivation, strengths, flaws, external and internal conflict, backstory, and characteristics. The description, world-building, emotion, and atmosphere are top-notch. I enjoy Turton’s writing style with high readability and authentic dialogue. The point of view is unique and The Last Murder at the End of the World is a page-turner. I didn’t want to put it down. I had a great time reading this one!

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, intricately plotted, nonlinear, unconventional
Pace: medium, engrossing
Tone: bittersweet, moody, suspenseful, thought-provoking, mysterious
Writing Style: conversational, compelling
Character: complex, flawed, likeable, strong female

Read Alikes:
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Murder Road by Simone St. James
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• Stuart Turton has created another genre-bending story that plays with perspective and tropes. The Last Murder at the End of the World is an imaginative and unusual science fiction crime novel about family, humanity, survival, the race against time, and the corruption of power.