The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
Actual Rating: 3
*Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*
I really wanted to read this book for three big reasons:
- I’d read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by this author and loved it.
- The GORGEOUS cover.
- The blurb reminded me of a return to traditional dystopia.
The Last Murder at the End of the World takes place in a world where most of the planet has been destroyed by a poisonous fog. The last safe haven is a little island where one hundred twenty-two villagers and three scientists live in harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm, and do as they’re told — including treating the scientists, or “elders,” with the utmost reverence. And then one of the scientists turns up dead, and the shield protecting their island from the fog goes down. It’s up to Emory — one of the more curious villagers, to figure out what happened. There’s one big problem: everyone’s memories have been erased.
I do think there’s a bit of a learning curve with the world-building and the sheer amount of characters. I myself had to reread the beginning chapters a few times just to remember the names.
Once the plot really gets into the thick of it, however, it became very interesting. This is probably what I would call a “slow burn mystery.” The pieces are carefully laid out and slowly revealed as Emory herself discovers more clues and uncovers the truth about the world.
I think the book was at its strongest when we were following Emory, who was made the most interesting by her imperfection and lack of knowledge. I actually wish we followed her more instead of the other characters, like Abi, the island’s resident artificial intelligence. While it’s a really interesting idea and I understand how Emory’s perspective might’ve read too much like a typical, cliché dystopia, I felt like everyone else’s narration was just a little too robotic and monotonous, whereas Emory’s was refreshingly full of life and chaos.
Overall, I feel like this was objectively well-written and thought out, but I never felt completely emotionally invested in any characters other than Emory. I’d still highly recommend this to readers of science fiction and speculative fiction, since there’s a lot we can discuss about human nature as we read this book. And I’d love to see this world adapted to film.
The Last Murder at the End of the World comes out March 28, 2024.
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