The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
[semi-]omniscient with an unreliable narrator.)
Description:
“On a mysterious island where crime does not exist, a seemingly impossible murder has been committed….
Can you join together with a very unlikely amateur detective to solve the Last Murder at the End of the World?
The small group of villagers who live on the tiny island lead simple, but happy lives. There is no world beyond their shores, but they’re content with what they have. Only Emory feels frustrated. Unlike everyone else on the island she doesn’t yet seem to have a purpose. All she seems to be good at is asking questions.
But then one of the scientists who guides the villagers is found murdered and as there has never been a crime before, there is no detective to call on. There is only Emory and her gift for asking questions. So now Emory must explore every inch of her island – from the cliffs to the jungles, from sandy beaches to the very top of the mountain – to find clues that apparently don’t exist.
How can she solve a mystery on an island where no one lies but there’s still no way to find the culprit?”
My review:
I am giving this book a rating of 5 out of 5.
Wow. What an epic read from start to finish!
This story plunges the reader straight into the action and never lets your attention go. In fact, I finished this novel in 2 sittings (staying up until after 1am to finish reading it!). I thoroughly enjoyed this story, despite there being some emetophobia-triggering scenes and a few fairly gory descriptions.
The readability of this novel is testament to the author and talented editorial team, who clearly worked hard to craft such an excellent story. Everything was intelligently put-together, with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat right up to the last page.
Although there were a couple of elements I anticipated ahead of time, each revelation was accompanied with extra detail that added a fresh take on the story elements I guessed correctly, meaning they still held the power to be surprising.
My favourite character was Emory – she’s the sort of character that illuminates the wonderfulness to be found when a person embraces what makes them unique, even if that means they don’t quite discover it until they’re well into adulthood. Very inspiring.
Hephaestus was my least favourite character – if you care about animals, you’ll understand why.
So, while the setting was mostly bleak, there were flashes of utopia peppered through the story that seemed representative of what could be.
Finally, a quick word on the book’s cover; from colours to imagery, I believe the cover design is absolutely on point for the content and tone of the story!
Anyone who likes reading post-apocalyptic sci-fi and whodunnit murder mysteries with plenty of twists will undoubtedly enjoy this book. Additionally, the acknowledgements were thoughtful and made me want to read more of the author’s books 🙂
Read in: March 2026
Format: Paperback
I’m including the date and format in which I experienced this story for transparency, since whatever is going on in the world (and a reader’s private life) at the time of reading, along with a book’s reading format, can impact an individual’s enjoyment of a story.
Disclaimer: I purchased this book. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and have not been influenced by the author or publisher in any way. This book review does not contain affiliate links.