The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton
Paperback | Sourcebooks Landmark | March 11, 2025
The Gist
The only thing standing between humanity and extinction is an Emory.
Read If You Like
The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle also by Stuart Turton
The Warehouse by Rob Hart
The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Verdict: Borrow It
In The Last Murder at the End of the World, Emory and her fellow villagers race against time to discover who murdered their elder, Niema. Killing Niema triggered an AI-esc being to lower the barrier that keeps out a deadly fog. As the investigation unfolds, Emory learns terrible truths about the lengths Niema and her fellow elders, Hephaestus and Thea have gone to keep humanity alive. While Emory is Turton’s leading lady, his narrator (and at times master manipulator) is Abi, an AI-being that is privvy to all of the islanders’ thoughts. By using Abi as his narrator, Turton is able to easily hop from one villager to the next and shed light on key moments through each of their perspectives. While the circular storytelling works well, at times it feels like Turton is layering in too much. But while, this may not be the perfect murder mystery, it’s still a fun read.
