Book Review: The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

“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.”

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

Review:

Given the title, I don’t know why I was surprised by the fact that this book is just as much a dystopian novel as it is a mystery. I don’t know if my opinion of the story would have been different had I gone into it knowingly, but it definitely did take me by surprise. 

I struggle to give a synopsis of this because I found it tricky to follow on audiobook. The delivery may be better suited for paper. The gist of the story is that a small island community is cut off from other parts of the world due to a dense fog that surrounds them. They live in relative peace, that is until one of their important scientists is found murdered, jeopardizing their security system. 

A common problem I find in several of the dystopian books I’ve read is that the universes are presented as though the reader already knows every intricacy. I felt lost from start to finish, feeling only slightly enlightened as the book went on. Again, this might have been less of a problem if I’d been reading it with my eyes. Even still, it felt like as a whole there were a number of gaps in regards to both plot and character. By the end, I felt nothing had resonated. 

Trouble following aside, I enjoyed the narrator, James Cameron Stewart’s performance on the audiobook. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with a free audio ARC of the book!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The concept.
• The stakes of the mystery are intriguing.

What I didn’t like:

• Plot holes.
• Indistinguishable characters.
• Not enough description (and this is coming from someone why typically doesn’t like description heavy books).

Afterthoughts:

I’m sure many people can agree that this book became much more alluring after the back and forth between Book of the Month and Aardvark for the rights to include this book in their lineup. I enjoyed The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and was eager to give this one a go, but I must say I was let down.

Where to buy the book: