The Last Murder at the End of the World Book Review by Rampton Inc
Stuart Turton’s “The Last Murder at the End of the World”: a gripping, inventive, and complex thriller.
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton was a highly anticipated book. Being fans of his previous work, we couldn’t wait to read this one. So, we had to put it straight at the top of my TBR.
Stuart Turton’s latest thriller is a great read — it’s inventive and complex, following a bunch of people living on an island shrouded by a deadly fog that’s wiped out the rest of the world.
Then, one of them gets murdered, and the fog starts closing in on them too. Confused?
You don’t need to be. In this article, we (Rampton Inc.) will review The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton in detail so you know exactly if it’s worth a read for you or not (spoiler alert: it totally is).
We’ll also share a book club that you can join to connect with fellow book enthusiasts, enjoy lively discussions, and share your love for books like The Last Murder at the End of the World. So, read on
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Stuart Turton’s Previous Work
When Stuart Turton won the Costa First Novel prize for his impressive debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (2018), it was a well-earned honour. The novel, a mind-bending, time-looping, body-swapping murder mystery set in a crumbling mansion, felt like Agatha Christie meeting Christopher Nolan — a highly imaginative tribute to the Golden Age of detective fiction.
His follow-up, The Devil and the Dark Water (2020), was just as clever, blending genres into a Gothic historical thriller. Set aboard a merchant ship on an eight-month journey to Amsterdam, it featured a bloodthirsty demon, savage sailors, a host of rogues, and a criminal investigator who must solve a locked-room murder while confined to a space the size of a bathroom cabinet.
Both books shared a breathless, high-energy narrative, barely giving the reader a moment to process the numerous twists. Each became our favourite book of its respective year, setting my expectations for The Last Murder at the End of the World very high.
This third novel is set 90 years after “huge sinkholes appeared on every continent, swallowing entire cities.” The vivid imagery continues: “A strange black fog poured out of them, filled with glowing insects that ripped apart whatever they touched… It took a year for it to cover the earth, societies crumbling to infighting and barbarism long before they were destroyed.”
What’s the premise of “The Last Murder at the End of the World”?
Solve this murder to salvage what’s left of the world.
Out there beyond the island, it’s all gone haywire: fog came in and wiped out everything, taking people out left and right.
But here on the island, it’s peaceful. 122 locals and a few scientists, living life in harmony. They’re happy, as they can be, fishing, farming, having a good time, following their curfew, and listening to the scientists.
But then, one of the scientists gets stabbed badly and murdered. And as if that’s not enough, they find out the murderer messed up the security system, the only thing keeping that fog at bay. If they don’t crack the case in 107 hours, that fog’s going to roll in and ruin everything.
The security system also wiped everyone’s memories clean, so someone on the island’s a killer, and they don’t even know it.
And…the time is ticking.
The Last Murder at the End of the World Reviewed
The Last Murder at the End of the World is a great read (as mentioned earlier). It’s a bit of a break from the usual stuff you see in this genre.
Instead of a few battlers wandering through empty space trying to stay alive, Turton’s book is almost suffocating, focusing on a tight-knit group of villagers on an island shrouded in fog that’s swallowed up the rest of the world. There’s no escape for them when a murder turns everything upside down.
This is a proper locked room mystery taken to the max. The island has 122 villagers, three scientists, and one exiled villager. They’re living the dream in peace. There’s no bad blood among the villagers; they’ve always been in this utopia. They think that 90 years back, a fog rolled in and wiped out anyone it touched. This small group made it to the island and survived, thanks to the three scientists.
The boffins don’t die from old age like the villagers do. They’ve been around since the fog showed up and have spent 90 years on the island. They’re the only ones not following a strict curfew.
An AI named Abi can understand the villagers’ thoughts and keep them in line, but they mostly get along. Abi’s programmed to follow one of the scientist’s orders.
When that scientist turns up dead and all the villagers’ memories from the night before are wiped clean, it’s chaos. They’ve got 92 hours to crack the case, or the fog will take out the whole island.
The all-seeing AI tells the whole tale, which is a unique way to tell the story. Abi gives the reader some good information but holds back a lot, too.
Abi is designed to follow their creator’s commands, but can’t share what those commands are. Abi is both fascinating and a bit of a pain.
Abi has no emotions, while feelings drive the villagers and scientists. This makes decision-making a different kettle of fish, depending on who’s calling the shots.
While the villagers are peaceful, the reader quickly sees that the scientists aren’t. They have tempers, they can hate, and they’re up for a bit of revenge.
A girl named Emory is the main character, trying to solve the murder and save the villagers. Even before the murder, it’s clear there’s something special about Emory. She questions their way of life and the scientists a lot more than the other villagers do.
She’s sharp, making her the perfect person to piece together the clues and save the island.
The tension builds up, and by a quarter of the way through, things really start to heat up. The more we found out, the more baffled we got.
Turton has a few curveballs up his sleeve that really flip everything you think you know about where the story’s heading. No spoilers here, but those twists are spot-on and gripping. This book really gets you thinking. What does it mean to be human? How can people use a powerful AI like Abi to do what they’re too emotional to handle themselves?
The world-building is awesome. I could follow along and gain new insights as more information was revealed. I never would’ve guessed the solution to the mystery, and it was a blast seeing how Emory slowly figured it out. An imaginative, thought-provoking mystery with a great message.
When was The Last Murder at the End of the World published?
The Last Murder at the End of the World was published on March 28, 2024.
Wrapping Up
The Last Murder at the End of the World is a great novel that feels like a Sherlock Holmes mystery set in a shattered future. This novel goes into what makes us human but does so with characters that aren’t all human, narrated by an AI that might know more about the future than anyone else.
Turton is an exciting writer with a talent for strange tales that push the boundaries, and this unusual story of murder, survival, and the importance of memory could be his best work yet.
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