The Last Murder at the End of the World

A Novel

De: Stuart Turton

Narrado por: James Cameron Stewart

Solve the murder to save what's left of the world.

Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then 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. If the murder isn't solved within ninety-two hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

©2024 Stuart Turton (P)2024 Tantor

Ehhhh

Did not live up to the previous ratings. Predictable, no true world building. Very little connection to characters.

Another great Turton mystery, but wish the reader was female

I've anxiously awaited both of Turton's latest books since I read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. He is a master at blending genres in surprising ways, builds compelling characters and relationships, and weaves layered mysteries with unexpected twists. This book did not disappoint on all fronts, despite the fact that it was my least favorite of Turton's 3 so far.

Even though I ultimately enjoyed it a lot, I think my experience and opinion of this book might have been improved by a female reader. This was performed by the same person as both of Turton's other audiobooks and while I don't deny that he is a good narrator (once you get used to his cadence), I don't think he was the right choice for this book. We learn almost immediately that the narrator in the text is effectively an omniscient AI who is referenced with female pronouns. Also, within the ensemble cast, there are more female characters featured prominently than male characters. Although the reading wasn't terrible, I think a female voice for all those women would do a better job of drawing readers into the book. Alternately, I may have been happier reading a physical copy so that I could imagine whatever voices fit the characters best to me.

Amazing as usual!

I found this author by accident and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for this to come out and it was just as wonderful as I expected it to be. I can’t wait until he writes another book. Very well done

Originality

I love this author’s work. Very cleaver and original. What an imagination he has! And always with a lot of complexity. Took me a few chapters to get into the story, so stay with it. After I got used to the general concept of the story, I couldn’t wait to hear what was going to happen next.

Narrator was great

A little hard to follow. Had so much potential, the overall storyline was great. Halfway through I got a little bored and confused. 3/5